Feel like you’re a prisoner to overpriced auto insurance? Believe me when I say you’re not alone. Many insurers vie for your business, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the best coverage at the lowest rate possible.
You should take the time to take a look at other company’s rates every six months because rates tend to go up over time. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates a few years ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate how to quote online to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
How much can you save with these seven discounts?
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there could be available discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some discounts apply automatically when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be specially asked for in order for you to get them. If you’re not getting every credit possible, you are throwing money away.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
- Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a home in Fargo may trigger a auto insurance policy discount because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
- Driver’s Ed – Have your child successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- College Student – Any of your kids living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies give back up to $50 just for signing your application digitally online.
- Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. But any discount will help reduce your overall premium however.
To see a list of companies who offer auto insurance discounts in North Dakota, click here to view.
How to Get Fargo Auto Insurance Comparison Quotes
Most major insurance companies provide pricing online. Getting quotes is fairly simple as you just enter the coverages you want into a form. When complete, their system orders information on your driving record and credit history and returns pricing information based on these and other factors. Online price quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but having to visit multiple sites and fill out multiple forms is not the best way to spend an afternoon. Unfortunately, it is important to get many rate quotes if you want to find the lowest price.
Quote rates the easy way
A less time-consuming method to find cheaper rates uses one form that analyzes rates from multiple companies. This type of form saves time, requires much less work on your part, and makes online shopping much easier. After your information is entered, it is quoted and you can select your choice of the pricing results.
If a lower price is quoted, you can click and sign and buy the new coverage. The whole process can be completed in a matter of minutes and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.
To save time and find out what other companies charge, simply click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you type in your coverages exactly as shown on your declarations page. This ensures you will get a rate comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.
What is the best insurance coverage?
When buying the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no best way to insure your cars. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions may help you determine if your insurance needs might need an agent’s assistance.
- Should I buy more coverage than the required North Dakota minimum liability coverage?
- What are the best liability limits?
- Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
- Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
- Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?
- Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
- Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
- Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
- Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
If you can’t answer these questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It is quick, free and you can get the answers you need.
Specific coverage details
Understanding the coverages of auto insurance aids in choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.
Coverage for collisions
Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against claims like colliding with a tree, rolling your car and scraping a guard rail. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses for prosthetic devices, surgery and doctor visits. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive coverage
Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as damage from flooding, damage from getting keyed, fire damage and falling objects. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability insurance
Liability coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability insurance covers things such as medical services, attorney fees, court costs, legal defense fees and emergency aid. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but buy higher limits if possible. North Dakota requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (25/50/25), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Better coverage you can count on
Low-cost auto insurance is possible on the web and with local Fargo insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers do not offer the ability to get a quote online and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.
We just presented a lot of ways to shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive and Geico.
When shopping online for auto insurance, make sure you don’t skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.