No one looks forward to buying car insurance, especially knowing the cost is way too high. Multiple auto insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the definite best price available.
It’s a good habit to shop coverage around at least once a year because rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Just because you found the best deal last year the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. So block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in one of the quickest ways to lower your annual insurance bill.
If you are insured now or need new coverage, you will benefit by learning to cut your premiums and still get good coverage. Finding the best rates in Grand Forks is not that difficult. North Dakota drivers just need to understand how to get comparison quotes on the web.
Lower rates by qualifying for these 5 discounts
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you can get discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but less common discounts must be asked for prior to receiving the credit. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.
- Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of a professional or civic organization is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for car insurance.
- Distant Student – Any of your kids living away from home attending college and don’t have a car can receive lower rates.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accidents.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles could be rewarded with better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount will reduce the cost of coverage.
How to Compare Grand Forks Car Insurance Costs
All major car insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate allow you to get coverage prices on the web. This process doesn’t take much effort as you just type in the amount of coverage you want as requested by the quote form. After the form is submitted, the company’s rating system obtains your driving record and credit report and returns a price quote. Online quotes simplifies rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit many different websites and type in the same information is not the best way to spend an afternoon. Unfortunately, it is important to compare as many rates as possible in order to find the lowest possible prices on car insurance.
Rate comparisons made easy
The quickest way to get multiple rate quotes uses one simple form that gets price quotes from more than one company. The form is fast, requires less work, and makes price shopping online a little more enjoyable. Once the form is submitted, it gets priced and you can select any of the price quotes you receive.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. The entire process can be completed in a matter of minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
To find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in a new tab and submit the form. To compare your current rates, we recommend you copy coverages and limits identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive a price comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.
Car insurance is unique, just like you
When choosing the right insurance coverage, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions can help discover whether you will benefit from professional help.
- Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
- Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- When should I drop full coverage on my vehicle?
- What are the best liability limits?
- Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
- Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
- When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
- Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Grand Forks?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.
Don’t believe everything you hear
North Dakota drivers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings by companies like State Farm and Allstate. All the companies have a common claim about savings if you switch to them.
But how can every company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured might be profiled as over the age of 50, a clean driving record, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters receives the best rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.
Potential insureds who don’t measure up to these standards will have to pay higher prices and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can advertise the way they do.
Because of the profiling, drivers should compare as many rates as you can. Because you never know the company that will have the lowest rates.
Car insurance coverages explained
Understanding the coverages of your policy helps when choosing the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. These are the normal coverages found on the average car insurance policy.
Insurance for medical payments – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for short-term medical expenses for things like prosthetic devices, pain medications and surgery. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a broken windshield, fire damage, hitting a bird, falling objects and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum amount your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability coverages – Liability coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects, structural damage and bail bonds. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. North Dakota requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying better liability coverage.
Collision – This coverage will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for claims like hitting a mailbox, hitting a parking meter and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to bring the cost down.
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Due to the fact that many North Dakota drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 25/50/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Usually these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Better coverage you can count on
You just read a lot of techniques to shop for car insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the biggest savings come from a small local company. Some small companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.
When buying insurance coverage, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, someone sacrificed full coverage only to find out they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
Additional information is available on the website for the North Dakota Insurance Department located here. North Dakota drivers can find out industry alerts, find out which companies have the most complaints, and view agent and company licensing information.
Other informative sites include this site for North Dakota car insurance information and see this list of insurance agents in Grand Forks.