I really doubt anyone looks forward to paying premiums for car insurance, especially when they could find better rates elsewhere. Insurance companies such as GEICO, Progressive and Allstate all promote huge savings with ads and it is challenging if not impossible to separate fact from fiction and find the best price available.
What Affects Ford Taurus Insurance Prices?
Lots of things are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as your driving record, although some other factors are less obvious like your continuous coverage or your vehicle rating.
Shown below are just a few of the factors that factor into prices.
- lapses raise car insurance rates – Having a gap between insurance policy dates will be a sure-fire way to pay more for car insurance. In addition to paying higher premiums, not being able to provide proof of insurance might get you a license revocation or jail time.
- Do safer cars cost less to insure? – Safer cars are cheaper to insure. Vehicles engineered for safety help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and lower rates of occupant injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your Ford Taurus earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website you may qualify for a discount.
- Remove unneeded extra policy coverages – There are many optional add-on coverages that may not really be needed but may not be useful. Coverages like replacement cost coverage, high-cost glass coverage, and term life insurance may not be needed and are just wasting money. The coverages may be enticing when discussing your needs, but if they’re wasting money get rid of them and save.
- Annual miles impacts premiums – The higher the miles on your Ford annually the higher the price you pay to insure it. Most companies charge rates partially by how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks that have low annual miles receive lower rates than vehicles that have high annual mileage. Make sure your vehicle rating reflects how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money. Having an incorrect usage rating on your Taurus may be costing you.
- Improve your credit history and save – An insured’s credit score will be a significant factor in calculating your car insurance rates. If your credit score leaves room for improvement, you could be paying less to insure your Ford Taurus by taking the time to improve your credit score. Insureds with excellent credit tend to be better risks to insure than drivers with lower credit ratings.
- Guys pay higher rates – Statistics show that females tend to be a little less risky than males. The data does not necessarily mean that males are worse at driving than females. Females and males are in at-fault accidents in similar numbers, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. Not only that, but men also have more aggressive citations like reckless driving and DUI. Males from age 16 to 21 generally have the highest accident percentage so they pay the highest premiums.
Car insurance policy discounts
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you may qualify for discounts to cut the cost considerably. Many discounts should be triggered when you purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked about before being credited.
- Discounts for Good Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates for Taurus insurance than drivers with accident claims.
- Senior Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 may receive better car insurance rates for Taurus insurance.
- Resident Student – College-age children who live away from home to go to college and do not take a car to college may qualify for this discount.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Buying a policy with several vehicles on the same car insurance policy can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
- Claim-Free Discount – Claim-free drivers have much lower rates as compared to policyholders that have many claims.
Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. If you do the math and it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.
If you would like to choose from a list of insurers who offer free car insurance quotes in Fort Worth, click here.
Car insurance advertising gotchas
Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings by Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. All the ads say the same thing about how much you will save if you just switch your policy.
How does each company offer you a better deal? It’s all in the words they use.
Different companies have underwriting criteria for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a profitable risk profile may be between 30 and 50, carries high limits, and insures a new vehicle. Any driver who fits those characteristics will probably get the lowest prices and most likely will save some money.
Potential insureds who are not a match for this ideal profile will be charged higher rates which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. If you pay attention, the ads say “people that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save money. That is how insurance companies can confidently lure you into getting a quote.
Because each company has a different risk profile, it’s extremely important to compare rate quotes every year. It’s impossible to know which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
How do I know if I need professional advice?
When buying the best car insurance coverage, there is no cookie cutter policy. Each situation is unique so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions could help you determine whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Do I need medical payments coverage since I have good health insurance?
- What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
- When would I need rental car insurance?
- Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
- Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It is quick, free and you can get the answers you need.
Additional car insurance links
Much more information about car insurance in Texas is located on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance found here. Texas drivers can find a variety of consumer forms, read state legal mandates and laws, report car insurance fraud, and view a list of available companies.
The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Fort Worth
One last thing
Budget-friendly car insurance is attainable on the web and from local insurance agents, so you need to with both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who may not have rate quotes online and usually these small insurance companies only sell coverage through independent agents.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to get a better price on Ford Taurus insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more you , the better chance you’ll have of finding . Drivers may discover the lowest premium rates are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.