Car Insurance in Meridian – 7 Discounts to Lower Rates

Paying for high-priced car insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and force you to prioritize other expenses. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to make sure you’re not throwing money away. Insurance companies such as GEICO and Progressive all claim big savings with ad campaigns and it can be hard to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and do the work needed to find the best deal.

You should take the time to price shop coverage before your policy renews due to the fact that insurance rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Even if you think you had the best rates on your last policy the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting now, forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re about to learn the easiest way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.

If you have a policy now or need a new policy, you can use this information to find better prices while maintaining coverages. Buying car insurance in Meridian is easy if you know what you’re doing. Idaho consumers just need to understand the most efficient way to find the lowest price on the web.

Meridian Car Insurance Comparisons

Finding cheaper car insurance prices is actually quite simple. Drivers just need to take the time to get quotes provided by online insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.

1. The easiest and least time consuming way to find low rates is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This easy form keeps you from doing repetitive form entry for every car insurance company. One quote request will return price quotes from several companies.
2. A slightly less efficient method to compare prices is spending the time to visit each individual company website to complete a price quote. For example, we’ll pretend you want to compare State Farm, Allstate and Farmers. To get each rate you have to visit each site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is quicker.

   For a list of links to insurance companies in Meridian, click here.

3. The hardest way of comparing rate quotes to and from local insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you want the professional advice only provided by licensed agents. However, consumers can find lower rates online and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll talk about that later.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but make sure you use apples-to-apples coverage information with every price quote. If you are comparing unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s not possible to make an equal comparison in Meridian.

Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss

Companies don’t always list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list both the well known and also the lesser-known car insurance savings. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Accident Waiver – Certain companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to the accident.
• Multiple Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same company you will save up to 20% off your total premium.
• Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
• No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially as compared to bad drivers.
• Safe Drivers – Safe drivers can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than their less cautious counterparts.
• Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies prior to your current policy expiring. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• College Student – Youth drivers who are attending college without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way.

For a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Meridian, follow this link.

Neighborhood agents for car insurance

Some people would prefer to sit down with an agent and that is a personal choice. Insurance agents can help determine the best coverages and give you someone to call. The best thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find better rates but still work with a licensed agent.

By using this short form, your information gets sent to local insurance agents who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. You never need to leave your computer as quotes are delivered directly to your email. It doesn’t get any easier!

Selecting an provider requires more thought than just the premium amount. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

• If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
• If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
• Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
• If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
• How are claims handled?

If you wish to view a list of agents in Meridian to contact, go to this page.

After receiving good answers to any questions you have in addition to an acceptable price estimate, it’s possible that you found a company that will properly service your car insurance policy.

Car insurance coverages

Having a good grasp of your car insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are typical coverage types available from car insurance companies.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your vehicle.

Due to the fact that many Idaho drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (20/50/15 in Idaho), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.

Collision coverage protection

Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers things like colliding with a tree, colliding with another moving vehicle and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. You can also raise the deductible to bring the cost down.

Liability

This can cover damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability can pay for claims like medical expenses, structural damage and emergency aid. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford. Idaho state minimum liability requirements are 20,000/50,000/15,000 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a deer, vandalism, fire damage and a broken windshield. The most a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Medical expense insurance

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for short-term medical expenses such as dental work, rehabilitation expenses, surgery, EMT expenses and nursing services. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Final thoughts

Cheap car insurance is attainable on the web as well as from independent agents in Meridian, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies don’t offer online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

We covered a lot of tips how to get a better price on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from the smaller companies. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost as compared to the big name companies such as GEICO and State Farm.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In too many instances, drivers have reduced physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price.

More detailed Idaho car insurance information can be found at the Idaho Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to read industry bulletins, view a list of available companies, find a variety of consumer forms, and get help finding coverage.