Auto Insurance

2010-04-15T01:57:00.000-07:00

The absolute best way to save money on your auto insurance policy is to compare the different quotes that you will get from the auto insurance comparison web site you used while shopping for automobile insurance. If you have never used one of these before then you are in for a treat.

There are hundreds of web sites out there that are dedicated to delivering online auto insurance quotes to you. Many of them will offer multiple quotes from multiple companies as well. These web sites will have you fill answer some questions. The web site then sends the answers to various auto insurance companies and they return a quote to you.

The only thing to remember is to fill out the answers on the auto quote comparison page as accurately as possible. By doing so you will ensure that you get the lowest car insurance quote that you qualify for.

The comparison web sites should be the first stop for anyone shopping for auto insurance. Some companies will offer you a better deal than others and these are the companies you should concentrate on the most.

Of course price should not be your only consideration when deciding on which automobile insurance company to buy your policy from. The other things to take into account are their customer service rating and what, if any discounts, you may qualify for.

Automobile insurance discounts are available from a number of surprising places. For instance many alumni associations and professional organizations offer discounts on auto insurance.

After you take all of the factors into account you should be well on your way to making a choice about which car insurance company you are leaning toward. Saving money is a great motivator that should have you using every tool at your disposal. This is why auto insurance comparison tools are an important part of your search for an inexpensive auto insurance policy.

What to Look for in an Auto Insurance Company

2010-04-15T01:42:00.000-07:00

Choosing an auto insurance company is a decision that can either save you, or cost you, several hundred dollars per year. You would think that finding a car insurance company would not be too difficult.
After all how different can they be? It turns out they can be very different as many drivers would be happy to attest.

The automobile insurance company you choose should have competitive rates, responsive customer service, and an efficient claims process. Finding this information is easier than it has ever been due to the wealth of information that exists on the Internet.

Finding this information online can be done by most people fairly easily. It is easy enough to find the price for auto insurance from each company by visiting an automobile quote web site. The prices will be displayed in a few minutes after answering a few questions.

The level of customer service is also easy enough to gauge just by making a few simple phone calls. By calling a prospective auto insurance claims department you will get a good feel for how the company does business. Feel free to ask them any questions you may have. After speaking to each company you will have a very good idea on what you can expect from the company after you purchase a policy.

The last piece of information can be a little bit harder to find, but it is definitely out there and worth finding. The claims process is the hardest thing most people will do with their insurance company. If the process goes smoothly and the car is repaired quickly you will be very satisfied, but if there is a problem it will sour your experience with the auto insurance company that you do business with.

As you can see shopping for auto insurance can be a difficult process. By using the above mentioned tips you will save the most money and have the most peace of mind after purchasing your auto insurance policy.

What Should You Look Out For When Getting Teen Auto Insurance?

2010-04-15T01:28:00.000-07:00

There are many things you should think about when you are purchasing teen auto insurance. Many things you should think about are paying annually, the type of car your teen is driving, adding a named driver, and more.

Finding cheap auto insurance can be difficult. So your teenager finally got their driver’s license and you now need to find them good insurance. There is a Pass Plus exam that is offered right now. The Pass Plus is an intensive driver’s training course that is aimed at teens and new drivers becoming better drivers. When a teenager passes this exam you will automatically receive a 35% discount on your auto insurance. This is a big deal because teenagers are very expensive to put on your insurance.

The car your teenager drives will make a big difference to what your premiums are for them also. You can find the lists on the Internet which cars are the most expensive to insure and which cars are the cheapest to insure. If the car is not on the highest stolen list then it will be cheaper to insure for your teen. The theory is that the cheaper the car is then the cheaper the teen auto insurance will be.

Although you are looking for cheap auto insurance you also need to realize you must have the appropriate coverage for your child. Statistics show that teenagers have more accidents than adults because they have less experience driving. This is a proven fact. If your child is in an accident you should be sure that your insurance will cover the damages your teen may have done to the other vehicle. You don’t want to have an insurance claim that you cannot afford to pay and your insurance didn’t cover. Be sure of all of the coverage you have opted for your child. Don’t be looking for only the cheapest because this might put you in a bad position.

If you have a teenage daughter then you are in a little bit of luck. It is proven that girls and women get in less accidents then teenage boys and men. Because of this statistic, females are cheaper to insure. However, just because of the gender doesn’t mean that the insurance will remain at a low rate.

Maintaining a low auto insurance rate for your teenager also means that they are driving without being pulled over for traffic violations. The first ticket is usually a freebie and your teenager will be sent to defensive driving school. That is of course if the violation is something simple like speeding. Your rates will begin to drop every six months as your child drives without any tickets on their license. If your teenager begins to get tickets and pulled over then your insurance rates will begin to increase and you may not be able to afford to insure them.

When you are looking for cheap auto insurance for your teenager you need to think about many things. Consider the type of car your teenager will be driving and be sure your teenager is driving responsibly not getting pulled over.

What Should You Look Out For When Getting Cheap Auto Insurance?

2010-04-15T01:21:00.000-07:00

When shopping for auto insurance, it is important that you seek out the best deals for your money. Many are under the impression that car insurance rates are determined by the overall quality of the automobile insurance that is provided.
However, there are many companies out there that offer cheap auto insurance and offer quality benefits, and services. Here, you will be introduced to a few things that you should look out for when it comes to getting cheap auto insurance. Whether you are shopping for rates that will cover a used vehicle, or a new one, these helpful techniques will assist you in your endeavor.

One of the very first things that you should do when searching for the cheapest auto insurance rates is to make a personal commitment to shop and compare. It is important to not just compare the prices of the coverage that is offered by various insurance companies. It is equally important to compare the services and the benefits that are associated with the coverage itself. Many times, you may find that a higher costing insurance coverage may not offer as many benefits to you as a low costing insurance can, or vice versa. However, if you take the time to shop and compare every aspect of the coverage, you are sure to find out some things that catch your interest.

The next thing that you should look out for when it comes to shopping for car insurance is discounts. Yes, many car insurance companies advertise discounts for safe drivers, and similar discounts but did you know that many companies have discounts available that they do not advertise? When calling about your potentially new policy in car insurance, you should ask about discounts, like:

• For keeping your car in a locked yard

• Keeping your vehicle in a garage

• Safe driving discounts

• Driving course discounts

• Discounts for military personnel

• Senior Citizen discounts

• And, similar discounts!

You will probably discover that you qualify for more discounts than you ever imagined. However, you must understand that most auto insurance companies will not advertise these discounts. It is important that you inquire about these when you call to establish your rates for coverage with that particular company.

There are many features that can add additional discounts to your auto insurance policy. When inquiring about and seeking out cheap insurance plans, you should research these features to determine if any of them qualify you for additional discounts. You will be surprised to find that items such as certain brake systems, and airbags can prove to be beneficial when it comes to lowering the cost of your insurance.

In conclusion, there are many different things that you should look for when it comes to your car insurance. The items mentioned throughout this guide can lead you to save hundreds on your car insurance each year. If you are looking to obtain cheap car insurance, you must know and understand the basics behind the prices that are charged for car insurance.

How to Know How Much Auto Insurance You Should Carry

2010-04-15T00:47:00.001-07:00

How much automobile insurance should you carry? The answer is easy: as much as you can afford. The primary reason to buy automobile insurance, both liability and uninsured motorist (UM) coverage, is to protect yourself and your assets.
Your insurance company will never pay more in damages, to you or to a person you negligently injure, than the dollar amount of the coverage you paid for, no matter how high a verdict there may be either against you or for you. Sound complicated? Let's look at two hypothetical examples regarding liability and underinsurance coverage.

Liability Coverage

If you pay a policy premium for $25,000/50,000 in auto liability insurance coverage[1], this is what could happen if you negligently cause injury to another person in an auto accident and the injured person sues you. With significant injuries and damages, a jury might award the injured person $75,000 (a hypothetical figure). Under these facts, your insurance company would pay the injured plaintiff only $25,000 on your behalf, the amount of coverage you bought[2]. As a result, you could be held liable for payment of the remaining $50,000 yourself! This is a harsh result, I am sure you would agree.

What would happen if you had purchased a larger $100,000/$300,000 policy? Your insurance company would ordinarily pay the injured person the entire judgment amount of $75,000. Consequently, you would not be obligated to pay any part of the judgment yourself. To sum it up, the more insurance coverage you buy the less likely it is that you will ever be called upon to pay any part of a legal judgment against you.

Underinsurance Coverage (UIM)

Your purchase of high insurance limits can also help you or your family members when one or more of you are injured through the fault of another driver. This might occur if you and/or relatives who live with you sustain serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident, and the negligent driver who caused the accident has less insurance coverage than you do.

How does this work? As an example, let's say the negligent driver has purchased a $25,000/$50,000 auto liability insurance policy, and you have a policy that provides $100,000/$300,000 in UM coverage. Your injuries are serious. Your medical bills and lost wages are substantial. In your lawsuit against the negligent driver, a jury awards you $100,000 in damages. The defendant driver's insurance will pay you only $25,000, the maximum amount of liability coverage the defendant bought which can be paid to one person with respect to one accident. However, you can look to your own UM coverage to see if there is underinsurance coverage (UIM) available to you. Given the above facts, your insurance company would pay you $75,000 in underinsurance coverage.

How do you arrive at the $75,000 figure? It happens this way. Under Virginia law, if there is UM coverage available to you in an amount greater than the defendant's liability coverage, you will have underinsurance coverage. If not, there will be no underinsurance for you[3]. The availability of underinsurance coverage depends on a comparison between a specific defendant's liability coverage and the UM policy or policies which provide you coverage. With regard to the above example, your own insurance company would pay you $75,000 because that is the amount by which your own UM motorist coverage exceeds the defendant's liability coverage of $25,000. By adding your $75,000 in underinsurance coverage to the defendant's $25,000 liability limits, the $100,000 judgment against you would be paid in full.

However, there would be a different result if there was just one policy available that provided you only $25,000/$50,000 in UM coverage. Under the described facts, your insurance carrier would pay you nothing because your UM insurance coverage of $25,000/$50,000 does not exceed the defendant's own $25,000/$50,000 liability limits. Yes, you can pursue the defendant driver personally through collection proceedings after trial. However, the average defendant has few assets and collecting on a judgment can be a long, expensive, and often futile endeavor. In the end, it is always better to carry high liability/UM insurance limits yourself and ensure that you and your own family are protected in the event one or more of you sustains severe injuries caused by the negligence of a driver with low automobile insurance coverage limits[4].

Footnotes

1. Auto insurance limits of $25,000/$50,000 constitute the minimum amount of auto liability and uninsured motorist coverage you can buy in Virginia. Each state determines its own auto insurance minimum limits; therefore, minimum limits differ from state to state as do laws related to auto insurance. The facts in this article are based on Virginia law only. If you live in another state, you will want to learn about the applicable insurance laws in your own state.

2. When you see a figure like $25,000/$50,000 in relation to an auto policy, it means the limits are "split", that is, one injured person can recover a maximum of $25,000 under the policy while $50,000 is the most coverage the insurance company will pay out to all injured persons regardless of the number of people injured in the same accident or how badly they may be injured.

3. In Virginia, you may be entitled to undersinsured motorist coverage under more than one policy, and these policies can sometimes be "stacked" to give you more coverage. Va. Code § 38.2-2206. This is a complex area of law, and it is wise to consult an attorney to explore whether there is underinsurance in your case.

4. In Virginia, you cannot buy UM coverage in an amount that is higher than your auto liability insurance limits.