5 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance in Columbia

Shopping for the lowest cost Columbia car insurance on the internet can be rather challenging for consumers new to online price comaprisons. When there are so many online companies available, how can anyone even start to compare every company to locate the best price?

You need to shop coverage around occasionally because insurance rates change quite often. If you had the lowest rates a year ago a different company probably has better rates today. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance on the web, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn a bunch of ideas how to find cheap car insurance.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies don’t always advertise every discount very well, so here is a list both well-publicized and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using.

• Senior Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
• Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially when compared to frequent claim filers.
• Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles can qualify you for better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Drivers Education – Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.

Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don’t profit that way.

To see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in Columbia, click this link.

Specific coverage details

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Comprehensive insurance

This coverage pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, rock chips in glass, theft, a broken windshield and damage from getting keyed. The highest amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Liability auto insurance

Liability insurance will cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property in an accident. It protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show limits of 50/100/50 that translate to a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000.

Liability can pay for claims such as emergency aid, repair costs for stationary objects, medical services and medical expenses. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Missouri state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since many Missouri drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for bills for X-ray expenses, hospital visits, pain medications, nursing services and surgery. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Coverage for collisions

Collision insurance 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 the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers things such as damaging your car on a curb, rolling your car and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Learn more about car insurance in Missouri

Even more information is available at the Missouri Department of Insurance website. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, find a variety of consumer forms, get help finding coverage, and view a list of available companies.

In the end, you save

We covered many ways to shop for car insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from the smaller companies.

Discount car insurance can be bought on the web as well as from independent agents in Columbia, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.