Consumers have a choice when looking for low-cost Ford Ranger insurance. You can either spend your time calling around to compare prices or use the internet to find the lowest rates. There is a better way to shop for auto insurance so you’re going to learn the proper way to price shop coverage for your Ford and find the lowest possible price from local insurance agents and online providers.
Consumers need to shop coverage around occasionally since insurance rates change regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rates for Ranger coverage a couple years back you can probably find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re about to learn the fastest way to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.
If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. The purpose of this article is to tell you how to effectively get price quotes and some money-saving tips. Although drivers can benefit from knowing how the larger insurance companies sell online and apply this information to your search.
Lots of discounts mean lots of savings
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always advertise every available discount very clearly, so we took the time to find some of the best known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.
- Organization Discounts – Participating in certain professional organizations could qualify you for a break when buying auto insurance for Ranger coverage.
- Defensive Driver – Successfully completing a course in driver safety could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts as compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Auto/Home Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
- Military Rewards – Being deployed with a military unit could mean lower rates.
- Student Driver Training – Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way.
Your personal situation dictates your coverage
When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
For instance, these questions may help highlight whether you will benefit from professional help.
- Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
- Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
- What if I don’t agree with a claim settlement offer?
- Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
- How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in my state?
- At what point should I drop full coverage?
- Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
- Who is covered when they drive my Ford Ranger?
- Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form.
Are insurance agents a thing of the past?
A small number of people just want to visit with an insurance agent and that is a personal choice. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is you may find the best rates and still have an agent to talk to.
To find an agent, once you fill out this form (opens in new window), your information is emailed to participating agents who will battle to get your business. There is no reason to leave your computer as quotes are delivered straight to your inbox. Now that’s easy! It’s the lowest rates without the usual hassles of price shopping.
Picking a company should depend on more than just a cheap price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
- Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in your state?
Auto insurance agents are either independent or captive
When researching a reliable agent, there are two types of insurance agents that you can select. Agents are categorized either independent or captive.
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents can only place business with one company such as Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. They usually cannot give you multiple price quotes so they have no alternatives for high prices. They are trained well on the products they sell which can be an advantage. Some consumers prefer to purchase coverage from captives mostly because of the brand legacy and solid financial strength.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agencies are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If your agent finds better pricing, an independent agent can move your coverage and that require little work on your part.
When shopping rates, we recommend you include multiple independent agents for the best price selection. Most have the option of insuring with different regional companies who may have lower rates.
For a full directory of insurance agents, visit this page.
Once you have received answers to your satisfaction to all your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, most likely you have located an insurance agent that can insure your vehicles.
Auto insurance policy specifics
Knowing the specifics of auto insurance aids in choosing appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.
Liability insurance – This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property that is your fault. It protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have liability limits of 25/50/25 which means a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability can pay for things such as legal defense fees, court costs, funeral expenses, pain and suffering and medical services. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.
Coverage for medical expenses – Med pay and PIP coverage pay for expenses such as prosthetic devices, hospital visits, dental work and funeral costs. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers all vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Comprehensive auto insurance – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply 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 bird, fire damage, hitting a deer and theft. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – This provides protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Collision – Collision coverage covers damage to your Ranger from colliding with an object or car. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for things like scraping a guard rail, colliding with a tree, sideswiping another vehicle, backing into a parked car and crashing into a building. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
And the best car insurance company is…
Drivers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as lack of trust in their agent, not issuing a premium refund, high rates after DUI convictions and extreme rates for teen drivers. Whatever your reason, choosing a new insurance company is not as hard as you think.
We just presented a lot of techniques to reduce Ford Ranger insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from an unexpected company.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In too many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage only to regret that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.
