A study showed that nearly 70% of drivers have remained with the same car insurance company for at least the last four years, and 38% of customers have never compared car insurance rates at all. Consumers in Nebraska could save $400 each year, but they underestimate the amount of money they would save if they bought a different policy.
Truthfully, the best way to find cheaper prices for car insurance rates in Lincoln is to compare quotes once a year from insurance carriers in Nebraska. This can be done by following these steps.
Step 1: Learn about coverages and the changes you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many risk factors that increase rates such as traffic tickets, fender benders, and a less-than-favorable credit rating can be controlled by making minor changes to your lifestyle. Read the full article for information to prevent expensive rate increases and get discounts that may be overlooked.
Step 2: Compare prices from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agents can provide rate quotes for a wide range of companies.
Step 3: Compare the new rates to your current policy to determine if you can save on Stratus insurance in Lincoln. If you find a lower rate and change companies, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
Step 4: Notify your company or agent to cancel your current policy. Submit payment and a signed application to your new carrier. As soon as you receive it, keep the new certificate verifying coverage with your registration paperwork.
An important part of this process is that you’ll want to make sure you compare identical deductibles and limits on each quote and and to get quotes from as many companies as possible. This provides the most accurate price comparison and a good representation of prices.
Don’t neglect these nine discounts on Dodge Stratus insurance in Lincoln
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that can dramatically reduce your bill. A few discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but a few must be asked about prior to getting the savings.
- Senior Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 can possibly qualify for lower premium rates.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars and trucks equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more on Stratus insurance in Lincoln.
- Save with More Vehicles Insured – Purchasing coverage when you have more than one vehicle on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Military Discounts – Being on active deployment in the military could qualify you for better prices.
- Bundle and Save – When you have multiple policies with the same company they may give you a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
- Discount for Low Mileage – Driving less may allow you to get slightly better premium rates than normal.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment could provide a small rate reduction depending on your car insurance provider.
- Club Memberships – Participating in certain professional organizations can get you a small discount when getting a Lincoln car insurance quote.
- Theft Deterrent Discount – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices help deter theft and can earn a small discount on your policy.
Just know that most discount credits are not given to the whole policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Even though it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, you aren’t that lucky.
Companies and some of the discounts are outlined below.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for good driver, multiple policy, passive restraint, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and multiple autos.
- GEICO may include discounts for seat belt use, federal employee, daytime running lights, multi-vehicle, and membership and employees.
- Liberty Mutual offers discounts including new move discount, safety features, teen driver discount, multi-car, newly married, new graduate, and multi-policy.
- The Hartford may offer discounts for vehicle fuel type, anti-theft, good student, driver training, air bag, and bundle.
- MetLife has discounts for multi-policy, good driver, accident-free, claim-free, defensive driver, and good student.
- Progressive has savings for good student, continuous coverage, multi-policy, online quote discount, online signing, homeowner, and multi-vehicle.
When getting free Lincoln car insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to all the companies which discounts can lower your rates. A few discounts might not be available to policyholders in Lincoln. For a list of insurers that offer many of these discounts in Nebraska, follow this link.
Car insurance coverages explained
Understanding the coverages of car insurance helps when choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.
Comprehensive coverage
Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as a broken windshield, rock chips in glass, hitting a deer, fire damage and hitting a bird. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
This coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many Nebraska drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (Nebraska limits are 25/50/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for immediate expenses like surgery, nursing services, X-ray expenses, doctor visits and pain medications. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision coverage
Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for things such as colliding with a tree, hitting a mailbox, sideswiping another vehicle and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible on your Stratus in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Liability insurance
Liability insurance protects you from damage that occurs to other people or property by causing an accident. Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 25/50/25 which means $25,000 bodily injury coverage, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability coverage protects against things like bail bonds, structural damage and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy as much as you can afford. Nebraska state law requires minimum liability limits of 25/50/25 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.
The chart below shows why the minimum limit may not be adequate coverage.
Ratings for Lincoln car insurance companies
Picking the best car insurance company is difficult considering how many companies there are in Nebraska. The company information in the lists below could help you pick which car insurance companies you want to consider comparing rates with.
Top 10 Lincoln Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Satisfaction
- USAA – 92%
- American Family – 88%
- State Farm – 88%
- Nationwide – 88%
- 21st Century – 88%
- The Hartford – 87%
- Progressive – 87%
- AAA Insurance – 87%
- Farmers Insurance – 87%
- Liberty Mutual – 87%
Top 10 Lincoln Car Insurance Companies by A.M. Best Rank
- USAA – A++
- Travelers – A++
- State Farm – A++
- GEICO – A++
- Nationwide – A+
- Esurance – A+
- The Hartford – A+
- Progressive – A+
- Allstate – A+
- The General – A-
Quote more and you will save more
Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to get a better price on Dodge Stratus insurance in Lincoln. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may even discover the biggest savings come from an unexpected company.
Insureds who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including being labeled a high risk driver, delays in responding to claim requests, not issuing a premium refund or lack of trust in their agent. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new company can be easy and end up saving you some money.
Cheaper car insurance in Lincoln is definitely available on the web and from local agencies, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell coverage through independent agents.
More tips and info about car insurance can be read at these sites:
- Vehicle Insurance in the U.S. (Wikipedia)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for a Toyota Highlander in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- How Much are Lincoln Auto Insurance Quotes for a Ford Explorer? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Real Estate Agents in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- Five Tips to Save on Auto Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)
- Medical Payments Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- Avoiding Deer Collisions (Insurance Information Institute)