Mazda B2300 Pickup Insurance – 9 Ways to Lower Rates

No one looks forward to buying auto insurance, especially when the cost is too high.

Companies like GEICO, Progressive and Allstate all promote huge savings with catchy ads and it can be hard to see through the deception and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

Consumers should take time to price shop coverage yearly because insurance rates change quite often. Even if you think you had the lowest rates for B2300 pickup insurance on your last policy other companies may now be cheaper. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the things you must know in order to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

Don’t pay full price with these nine discounts

Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise every discount very well, so the following is a list of some of the best known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

• Multiple Cars – Buying coverage for all your vehicles on one policy qualifies for this discount.
• Government Employees – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off for B2300 pickup insurance depending on your company.
• Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
• Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
• Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
• Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for signing up before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down on your Mazda could be rewarded with better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Life Insurance – Larger companies have lower rates if you buy life insurance.
• Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates for B2300 pickup insurance than less cautious drivers.

As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, you’re out of luck.

What about using a local agent?

Some people would rather talk to a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is you may find the best rates and still choose a local agent.

Once you complete this simple form, your information gets sent to insurance agents who will return price quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to leave your computer as quotes are delivered directly to your email. You’ll get the best rates AND an agent nearby.

Choosing an insurer requires more thought than just a low price. These questions are important to ask:

• Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
• Do they make recommendations based only on price?
• Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
• Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
• Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
• How often do they review policy coverages?
• If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?

Is a captive or independent insurance agency right for you?

When researching a reputable insurance agent or broker, there are a couple of types of agencies that you can select. Insurance agencies can either be independent (non-captive) or captive.

Captive Insurance Agents

These agents are contracted to one company like American Family, State Farm and Allstate. These agents are not able to compare other company’s rates so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captives are trained well on their products and sales techniques and that can be a competitive advantage.

Independent Insurance Agents

Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business amongst many companies and potentially find a lower price. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply move the coverage in-house without you having to go to a different agency. When shopping rates, you should always include at a minimum one independent agency for the best price selection.

To view a full list of agents, click here.

Once you have received good answers to any questions you have and a low price estimate, most likely you have located an insurance agency that will service your policy. Just keep in mind once you purchase a policy you can cancel coverage for any reason so don’t feel that you are obligated to any particular company for any length of time.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Auto insurance providers like Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all have a common claim that you can save after switching your policy. How does each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

All companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For instance, a profitable customer might be a mature driver, is a homeowner, and has a short commute. Any new insured who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Potential insureds who do not match these standards will be quoted higher rates which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s why companies can make the claims of big savings. This emphasizes why it is so important to quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

What is the best insurance coverage?

When it comes to choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions can aid in determining whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
• Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
• Am I covered if I crash into my own garage door?
• Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
• Should I buy only the required minimum liability coverage?
• Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
• Do I need higher deductibles?
• Am I covered when driving a rental car?

If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Auto insurance coverages explained

Understanding the coverages of your auto insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are the normal coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Medical expense coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses such as funeral costs, X-ray expenses and nursing services. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Mazda B2300 Pickup.

Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like falling objects, a broken windshield and vandalism. The most a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Auto collision coverage

Collision insurance covers damage to your B2300 Pickup resulting from colliding with an object or car. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as scraping a guard rail, crashing into a building, backing into a parked car and crashing into a ditch. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Liability

This coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show values of 100/300/100 that translate to a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage pays for things such as repair costs for stationary objects, medical services and legal defense fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Better coverage you can count on

When you buy insurance online, make sure you don’t skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, someone sacrificed collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price.

Affordable Mazda B2300 Pickup insurance is definitely available from both online companies as well as from independent agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. A few companies don’t offer online price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.