Car Insurance in Port Huron, MI – 10 Discounts You Might be Losing Out On
If you’re new to shopping for car insurance online, it’s easy to be confused because of the huge number of online car insurance companies and websites competing for business in Port Huron.
You need to check car insurance prices periodically due to the fact that insurance rates go up and down regularly. Just because you found the best deal six months ago you will most likely find a better rate today. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding car insurance on the internet, so I’m going to show you a lot of great tips on how to quit paying high car insurance rates.
This information will help educate you on the best way to quote coverages and some tricks to saving. If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using these techniques. Michigan drivers only need an understanding of the proper methods to get comparison rates online.
Port Huron Car Insurance Quote Comparison
Reducing your insurance rates is not rocket science. You just have to invest a few minutes getting comparison quotes provided by online insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- One of the best ways consumers can make multiple comparisons is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This method keeps you from doing separate forms for each company. One quote request will get you price quotes from several companies. This is by far the quickest method.
- A harder way to get comparison quotes is going to each individual company website and complete a new quote form. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want to compare rates from Auto-Owners, Liberty Mutual and American Family. To get each rate you have to go to every website and enter your information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Port Huron, click here.
Whichever method you choose, make darn sure you compare identical coverages with every price quote. If you have different deductibles it will be very difficult to determine the best price in Port Huron.
Lots of discounts mean lots of savings
Car insurance is not cheap, but discounts can save money and there are some available that many people don’t even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of quoting, but less common discounts must be manually applied prior to receiving the credit. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
- E-sign – Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 just for signing your application online.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Some companies give better rates if you take out life insurance from them.
- No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially when compared to bad drivers.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Employee of Federal Government – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off with a few car insurance companies.
- Safety Course Discount – Successfully completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Own a Home – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings due to the fact that maintaining a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Distant Student – Kids in college who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
A little note about advertised discounts, some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.
Car insurance coverage options
Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Comprehensive insurance
Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers things such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, rock chips in glass and damage from getting keyed. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability coverages
Liability coverage protects you from damage or injury you incur to other people or property. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 25/50/25 which means a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) that pays claims from the same limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability coverage pays for claims like attorney fees, medical expenses, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and funeral expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy higher limits if possible. Michigan requires drivers to carry at least 20,000/40,000/10,000 but you should think about purchasing higher limits.
Collision coverage protection
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against claims like sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter and backing into a parked car. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for expenses such as nursing services, EMT expenses, funeral costs and X-ray expenses. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
This coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Since many Michigan drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (Michigan limits are 20/40/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Normally your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
More information is located on the Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation website. Click here for link. Michigan drivers can read state legal mandates and laws, report car insurance fraud, read industry bulletins, and learn about specific coverages.
Affordable insurance is out there
Cost effective car insurance is definitely available online and also from your neighborhood Port Huron agents, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
Insureds change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as policy cancellation, poor customer service, questionable increases in premium and even high prices. Regardless of your reason, finding a new car insurance company is easier than you think.
In this article, we covered some good ideas how to get a better price on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with a small local company.