Are you tired of trying to scrape together enough money to pay your car insurance bill each month? Your situation is no different than the majority of other car owners in Texas.
There is such a variety of insurance companies to pick from, and although it’s nice to have multiple companies, it makes it harder to find the best rates for your vehicles.
You should take the time to do rate comparisons periodically since rates fluctuate regularly. If you had the best price six months ago you will most likely find a better rate today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re about to learn how to quote online to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
Finding the best rates in Grand Prairie is quite easy. If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to cut costs considerably using these tips. Although Texas consumers do need to learn how insurance companies price insurance differently because it can help you find the best coverage.
The are a couple different ways to compare rate quotes from car insurance companies in your area. The easiest way to find the cheapest insurance rates consists of shopping online. This can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
Probably the best way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This method saves time by eliminating multiple quote forms for each company you want a rate for. Filling out one form gets you coverage quotes .
Another way to get quotes online consists of going to each company’s website and complete a new quote form. For sake of this example, let’s say you want rates from State Farm, GEICO and Farmers. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site and enter your information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.
For a list of links to insurance companies in Grand Prairie, click here.
It’s up to you which method you use, but double check that you are using identical coverage limits on every quote you get. If you are comparing higher or lower deductibles then you won’t be able to make an equal comparison in Grand Prairie. Slightly different coverage limits may result in large price differences. Just remember that comparing a large number of companies will enable you to find better pricing.
Companies that sell car insurance don’t list every available discount in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the best known as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using.
Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
For a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Grand Prairie, follow this link.
Having a good grasp of your car insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverage types offered by car insurance companies.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (30/60/25), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
Collision insurance
This covers damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage pays for claims like hitting a parking meter, rolling your car, driving through your garage door and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for expenses such as hospital visits, EMT expenses, ambulance fees and nursing services. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive insurance
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as damage from getting keyed, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and damage from flooding. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.
Liability insurance
Liability coverage protects you from damage that occurs to other people or property that is your fault. It protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a limit of $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage protects against things like court costs, emergency aid, structural damage, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. Texas requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/25,000 but you should consider buying higher limits.
More tips and info about car insurance is available at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Consumers can get help finding coverage, find out which companies have the most complaints, view agent and company licensing information, and find disaster information.
These articles may also be worth reading.