Perplexed by the wide range of auto insurance options in Langdon? You’re not alone. Drivers have so many companies to choose from that it can quickly become a lot of work to find the best price.
It’s smart to price shop coverage occasionally since insurance rates tend to go up over time. If you had the lowest rates last year there is a good chance you can find better rates now. So forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because I’m going to teach you one of the best ways to lower your annual insurance bill.
If you have car insurance now, you should be able to cut costs considerably using this strategy. Finding more affordable coverage in Langdon can be fairly easy. Although North Dakota car owners do need to learn how companies compete online.
Companies offer discounts so take them!
Companies don’t necessarily list every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving.
- Club Memberships – Participating in certain professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates on auto insurance.
- Auto/Home Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
- Service Members Pay Less – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
- Distant Student – Kids in college who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may qualify for this discount.
- Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles can qualify you for a substantially lower rate.
- Seat Belts Save – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could save 15% off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Good Student Discount – Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
- Safe Drivers – Safe drivers can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than less cautious drivers.
- Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government could cut as much as 10% off with certain companies.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, you won’t be that lucky.
More tips and info about auto insurance is located at the North Dakota Insurance Department website. North Dakota drivers can download brochures, learn about insurance regulations, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and read state legal mandates and laws.
Coverage specifics
Having a good grasp of auto insurance helps when choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Liability
Liability insurance can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and property damage coverage for $100,000.
Liability can pay for things such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, bail bonds, structural damage and funeral expenses. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible. North Dakota requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying higher limits.
Comprehensive coverage
This covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like damage from a tornado or hurricane, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from flooding, hitting a bird and falling objects. The most a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision coverage
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for things like sideswiping another vehicle, colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a ditch, damaging your car on a curb and colliding with a tree. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for expenses for X-ray expenses, surgery, ambulance fees and chiropractic care. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/25), their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Shop smart and save
Consumers leave their current company for any number of reasons including being labeled a high risk driver, lack of trust in their agent, policy non-renewal and even poor customer service. Regardless of your reason, switching auto insurance companies is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
Budget-conscious auto insurance can be purchased both online in addition to many Langdon insurance agents, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not provide online quoting and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.
We just covered some good ideas how you can compare auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the most savings is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.