Finding low-cost insurance for your Mercury Topaz can turn out to be a lot of work, but you can follow these tips to find lower rates.
There is a right way and a wrong way to compare car insurance rates and we’ll show you the absolute fastest way to compare rates for a Mercury and find the best price possible.
Insurance Premium Influencing Factors
Multiple criteria are part of the calculation when you get your auto insurance bill. A few of the factors are predictable such as traffic violations, although some other factors are not quite as obvious like your vehicle usage or your financial responsibility. One of the most helpful ways to save on car insurance is to to have a grasp of some of the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. When you understand what determines premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with cheaper rates.
- Premiums are affected by your credit rating – Having a good credit score is a big factor in calculating your premium rate. Drivers with good credit tend to be less risk to insure than those with lower credit scores. If your credit is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your Mercury Topaz if you clean up your credit.
- Liability coverage limits are a factor – Liability coverage will provide protection when you are determined to be liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Liability is cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
- Too many policy claims will drive premiums up – Companies award better rates to drivers who only file infrequent claims. If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims you can expect higher rates. Your insurance policy is designed for more catestrophic claims.
- Your spouse saves you money – Walking down the aisle may save some money when buying car insurance. Marriage means you’re more responsible and statistics show married couples file fewer claims.
- Your address can modify rates – Being located in less populated areas is a good thing when trying to find low car insurance rates. Fewer drivers means fewer accidents. Drivers who live in large cities tend to have traffic congestion and more time behind the wheel. More time on the road translates into higher accident risk.
- Experienced drivers pay less – Drivers with little experience have a tendency to get distracted easily when behind the wheel and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher. Adding a youthful driver to your car insurance policy can increase premiums substantially. Older insureds are proven to be safer behind the wheel, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
- Avoid traffic tickets – Even a single ticket can increase rates forty percent or more. Good drivers have lower premiums compared to bad drivers. Drivers who have careless citations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions might be required by their state to file a SR-22 with their state in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
- Men pay higher prices – Over time, data shows females are less aggressive when driving. This data doesn’t prove that females are better at driving than males. Both genders tend to get into at-fault accidents at a similar rate, but the men get into accidents with more damage. Not only that, but men also receive more major tickets like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving.
Verify you’re getting every discount
Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the best known and the more hidden ways to save on car insurance.
- Discounts for Federal Employees – Active or former government employment can earn a discount up to 10% on Topaz coverage depending on your car insurance provider.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Forcing all vehicle occupants to buckle up could save 15% off the medical payments premium.
- Telematics Data Discounts – Insureds that choose to allow data collection to track driving habits remotely like Allstate’s Drivewise could see a rate decrease if they show good driving skills.
- Paperless Signup – A few insurance companies may give you up to $50 for completing your application on the web.
- Own a Home and Save – Just owning your own home may trigger a policy discount on car insurance because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
- Theft Prevention System – Cars and trucks that have factory anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen so companies will give you a small discount.
- Responsible Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates on Topaz coverage than drivers with accidents.
We need to note that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
To see a list of car insurance companies that offer many of these discounts, click here.
Car insurance is available from local insurance agents
A small number of people still like to buy from a licensed agent and often times that is recommended A good thing about comparing rate quotes online is that you can obtain cheaper prices and still choose a local agent. Buying from and supporting local insurance agents is important particularly in smaller communities.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, the quote information is immediately sent to participating agents that provide to get your business. You won’t even need to find an agent due to the fact that quote results will go to you. Get lower rates and work with a local agent. If you wish to get a comparison quote from a particular provider, you would need to jump over to their website to submit a rate quote request.
Auto insurance agents are either independent or captive
If you are wanting to find a reputable agency, you must know there are a couple types of agencies from which to choose. Car insurance agencies are either independent agents or captive agents.
Independent Car Insurance Agencies
These agents are not employed by one company and that is an advantage because they can write policies through many different car insurance companies and find you the best rates. If they quote lower rates, an independent agent can move your coverage which is easy for the insured. If you need lower rates, you definitely need to include multiple independent agents for maximum quote selection. Most also write with smaller companies that may have much lower rates than larger companies.
Captive Agencies
Captive insurance agents are contracted to one company such as AAA, Allstate, State Farm, or Farmers Insurance. These agents are not able to provide rate quotes from other companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive insurance agents receive extensive training on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. A lot of people use the same captive agent mainly due to the brand name rather than low rates.
To find insurance agents near you, click through to find a good car insurance provider.
Finding a good insurance agent is decision based upon more than just a cheap price. These are some valid questions you should ask.
- Can you choose the body shop in case repairs are needed?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Are there any extra charges for paying monthly?
- Are they involved in claim handling?
After receiving good answers as well as an affordable premium quote, you’ve probably found an auto insurance agent that meets your needs to insure your vehicles.
Do car insurance companies bend the truth?
Respected companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all seem to seem to make the promise that you’ll save big if you get a free and switch your car insurance coverage to their company. How does every company charge you a lower premium?
Many companies have strict underwriting profiles for the type of customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a profitable risk profile may need to be a mature driver, has a low-risk occupation, and drives newer vehicles. Any person that hits that “sweet spot” receives the best rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.
Insureds who don’t measure up to these criteria will be charged a higher premium and the customer buying from someone else. The ads say “people who switch” not “all people who quote” save money. This is how insurance companies can confidently lure you into getting a quote.
Different companies use different criteria so drivers should get price quotes at each policy renewal. It’s impossible to know which company will fit your personal profile best.
Quote more, save more
Cost effective Mercury Topaz insurance can be bought both online and with local insurance agents, so you need to with both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies may not offer online rate quotes and these smaller companies provide coverage only through independent agents.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to compare Mercury Topaz insurance premium rates online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Consumers may even find the best premium rates are with some of the lesser-known companies.
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s a bad idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where an insured cut liability coverage limits and found out when filing a claim that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
