Are you irritated from trying to scrape together enough money to make your auto insurance payment? You have the same problem as many other Washington consumers. You have multiple insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and though it is a good thing to have a choice, it can be more difficult to find the best rates.
Finding the best rates in Port Angeles is easy if you know what you’re doing. Just about every driver who has to buy auto insurance most likely will be able to save money. But Washington vehicle owners do need to learn how insurance companies sell insurance online and take advantage of how the system works.
The majority of larger companies such as State Farm, Allstate and Geico allow consumers to get prices on the web. Obtaining pricing doesn’t take much effort as you simply enter your required coverages into the form. Once entered, their quoting system orders reports for credit and driving violations and returns pricing information. This makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time required to go to many different websites and type in the same data gets old quite quickly. But it’s also necessary to do this in order to find better prices.
Rate comparisons made easy
The quickest way to compare auto insurance pricing makes use of a single form that obtains quotes from a bunch of companies at once. It saves time, requires much less work on your part, and makes online shopping much easier. After your information is entered, it is rated and you can choose your choice of the resulting price quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and buy the policy. The whole process takes less than 15 minutes and can result in significant savings.
To find out if lower rates are available, click here and submit your coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you duplicate as close as possible to your current policy. Doing this assures you will have comparison quotes using the exact same coverages.
Cheaper Washington auto insurance quotes with discounts
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always publicize every discount they offer very well, so below is a list both well-publicized and also the more inconspicuous credits available to bring down your rates.
- Homeowners Savings – Just owning your own home can get you a discount because it is proof of financial responsibility.
- Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
- Early Renewal Discounts – Some auto insurance companies provide a discount for switching companies before your current coverage expires. This can save 10% or more.
- Life Insurance – If the company offers life insurance, you could get a discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
- Accident-Free Discounts – Port Angeles drivers who stay claim-free have much lower rates as opposed to policyholders that have many claims.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military could mean lower auto insurance rates.
- Discounts for Good Drivers – Insureds without accidents can save as much as half off their rates as compared to drivers with claims.
As is typical with insurance, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it appears you could get a free auto insurance policy, that’s just not realistic.
Auto insurance companies that may offer quotes with these benefits include:
When comparing rates, check with every company which credits you are entitled to. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be offered on policies in your area.
Auto insurance coverage breakdown
Knowing the specifics of auto insurance helps when choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are typical coverage types available from auto insurance companies.
Medical expense coverage
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for immediate expenses for hospital visits, chiropractic care, doctor visits and pain medications. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Since many Washington drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 25/50/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Comprehensive protection
This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like hitting a deer, damage from flooding, hitting a bird and fire damage. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Collision coverage
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against claims like sustaining damage from a pot hole, driving through your garage door, backing into a parked car and colliding with another moving vehicle. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Liability insurance
This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property in an accident. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage protects against claims such as legal defense fees, funeral expenses, bail bonds and loss of income. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but buy as large an amount as possible. Washington requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.
Additional detailed information is available at the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner website. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, file complaints about a company, report car insurance fraud, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.