We don’t have to point out that fact that auto insurance companies don’t want you to look for cheaper rates. Insureds who get comparison quotes at least once a year are highly likely to buy a new policy because of the high probability of finding a more affordable policy premium. A recent car insurance study discovered that people who routinely compared quotes saved $3,500 over four years compared to people who never shopped for cheaper rates.
If finding the cheapest price on Ford Focus insurance is why you’re here, learning the best ways to shop for car insurance can save time and money.
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to find discount car insurance rates in Lincoln is to annually compare prices from insurance carriers who provide auto insurance in Nebraska.
- Step 1: Spend a few minutes and learn about how car insurance works and the measures you can take to keep rates in check. Many policy risk factors that result in higher prices like traffic tickets, fender benders, and a poor credit score can be rectified by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
- Step 2: Request rate estimates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from a single company like GEICO or Allstate, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes for a wide range of companies.
- Step 3: Compare the quotes to your current policy premium to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you find a better price and change companies, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
A crucial key to this process is to use similar limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to get rates from as many companies as you can. Doing this enables a fair price comparison and many rates to choose from.
To find more affordable prices, there are a couple of ways to compare prices from many available insurance companies in Nebraska. By far the easiest way to find cheaper rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online.
Just keep in mind that more quotes helps locate a lower rate. Some companies don’t provide online price quotes, so it’s recommended that you also compare rates on coverage from those companies, too.
The companies shown below have been selected to offer comparison quotes in Nebraska. To buy cheaper car insurance in Nebraska, it’s highly recommended you visit several of them in order to find the lowest rates.
Why you need insurance
Despite the potentially high cost of Ford Focus insurance, paying for insurance is required in Nebraska but it also protects you in many ways.
- Just about all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a minimum amount of liability in order to drive the car. In Nebraska these limits are 25/50/25 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
- If you bought your vehicle with a loan, most lenders will have a requirement that you have physical damage coverage to guarantee payment of the loan. If you let the policy lapse, the lender will be forced to insure your Ford for a much higher rate and require you to fork over the higher premium.
- Insurance preserves your car and your assets. It will also pay for medical expenses that are the result of an accident. Liability insurance will also pay attorney fees in the event you are sued. If your Ford gets damaged, collision and comprehensive coverages will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of having insurance more than cancel out the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. Despite what companies tell you, the average driver overpays more than $820 a year so you should quote and compare rates once a year at a minimum to be sure current rates are still competitive.
Auto insurance statistics for a Ford Focus
The rate information displayed next covers a range of prices for Ford Focus models. Having a good understanding how rates are established can help guide drivers when making smart choices when comparing insurance quotes.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $142 | $246 | $392 | $24 | $118 | $922 | $77 |
| Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $142 | $246 | $392 | $24 | $118 | $922 | $77 |
| Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $142 | $290 | $392 | $24 | $118 | $966 | $81 |
| Focus SES 4-Dr Sedan | $142 | $290 | $392 | $24 | $118 | $966 | $81 |
| Focus SE 2-Dr Coupe | $164 | $290 | $444 | $26 | $132 | $1,056 | $88 |
| Focus SES 2-Dr Coupe | $164 | $290 | $444 | $26 | $132 | $1,056 | $88 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Table data assumes single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Nebraska minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Premium amounts do not factor in specific location which can impact prices noticeably.
Impact of citations and accidents on insurance rates
The illustration below shows how traffic citations and at-fault claims can influence Ford Focus insurance costs for different categories of driver ages. The rates are based on a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.
Comparison of full coverage and liability-only policies
The example below illustrates the difference between Ford Focus auto insurance rates with and without full coverage. The rates are based on no claims or driving citations, $100 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are factored in.
When to buy liability coverage only
There is no set rule to stop buying comp and collision coverage, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your Ford Focus book value is $9,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $8,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If it’s costing you more than $800 annually for physical damage coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
There are a few situations where only buying liability is not in your best interest. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to maintain full coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not buy liability only.
Verify you’re receiving every discount
Some insurers don’t necessarily list all available discounts very well, so the below list has some of the best known as well as the least known credits available to bring down your rates. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you are throwing money away.
- Active Service Discounts – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Telematics Data – Policyholders that allow data collection to track their driving habits by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as Progressive’s Snapshot might see lower rates if their driving habits are good.
- Claim-Free Discount – Insureds with no claims or accidents have much lower rates when compared with insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Waiver for an Accident – Not necessarily a discount, but some insurance companies will turn a blind eye to one accident without getting socked with a rate hike so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
- Good Student Discount – Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.
- Driver Education Discount – Cut your cost by having your teen driver take driver’s ed class as it can save substantially.
- Mature Driver Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you could receive a slight reduction on a Lincoln auto insurance quote.
- Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices are stolen with less frequency so companies will give you a small discount.
- Pay Early and Save – If you pay your bill all at once rather than spreading payments over time you could save 5% or more.
Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Even though it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, you’re out of luck.
The diagram below shows the comparison of Ford Focus car insurance costs with and without discounts. The data assumes a male driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, Nebraska state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-policy, safe-driver, marriage, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-car discounts applied.
A few of the larger companies and the discounts they provide are:
- State Farm may offer discounts for driver’s education, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple policy, passive restraint, and anti-theft.
- Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include multi-car, new vehicle discount, teen driver discount, newly retired, preferred payment discount, new graduate, and multi-policy.
- American Family includes discounts for bundled insurance, mySafetyValet, good student, accident-free, and TimeAway discount.
- Progressive discounts include homeowner, multi-policy, continuous coverage, good student, online signing, and multi-vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including good student, teen driver, distant student, alternative fuel, and early shopping.
- Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts for good student, paid in full, paperless, group or association, safe vehicle, and multiple vehicles.
- SAFECO offers premium reductions for safe driver, drive less, anti-theft, multi-car, accident prevention training, and teen safety rewards.
If you are trying to find low cost Lincoln auto insurance quotes, ask every company to apply every possible discount. Some credits may not be offered in your area. To locate insurance companies with the best Ford Focus insurance discounts in Nebraska, click here.
Are car insurance agents used anymore?
Many drivers just want to talk to a local agent and that can be a great decision An additional benefit of comparing insurance online is that you can find cheaper car insurance rates but still work with a licensed agent. And buying from small agencies is still important in Lincoln.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, the coverage information is transmitted to agents in your area who will return price quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to find an agent since price quotes are sent to you instantly. You can most likely find cheaper rates without having to waste a lot of time. If you need to compare prices from one company in particular, feel free to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
If you prefer to buy insurance from a reputable agency, there are two types of agencies and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Agents can be classified as either exclusive agents or independent agents.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These agents are normally appointed by many insurers and that gives them the ability to insure with an assortment of companies and get the cheapest rates. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can switch companies and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When shopping rates, you will want to contact a couple of independent agencies so that you can do a thorough price comparison. Most have the option of insuring with lesser-known insurance companies that many times have cheaper rates.
Featured below are Lincoln independent insurance agencies that may be able to give you free price quotes.
- Mittelstadt Agency LLC
1701 K St – Lincoln, NE 68508 – (402) 434-3990 – View Map - Mid Mex Insurance Inc
1010 South St A – Lincoln, NE 68502 – (402) 438-6800 – View Map - Cornhusker Insurance Agency
6100 Apples Way #110 – Lincoln, NE 68516 – (402) 436-2423 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Exclusive insurance agents can only quote rates from one company such as Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They generally cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so keep that in mind. These agents are usually well trained on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents. Some insured continue to buy from exclusive agents partially due to the prominent brand name rather than low price.
The following is a short list of exclusive insurance agents in Lincoln that can give you comparison quotes.
- American Family Insurance – Linde Matthiesen
245 S 84th St #117 – Lincoln, NE 68510 – (402) 489-7799 – View Map - Roger McGinnis – State Farm Insurance Agent
6900 O St #105 – Lincoln, NE 68510 – (402) 466-6300 – View Map - State Farm: Shawn Kreifels
570 Fallbrook Blvd #111 – Lincoln, NE 68521 – (402) 435-2250 – View Map
Finding a good auto insurance agent should include more criteria than just the premium amount. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Are they able to provide referrals?
- Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- Does their agency support local causes in Lincoln?
- Is there a Errors and Omissions policy in force?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
- Will they make sure you get an adequate claim settlement?
If you receive good answers to any questions you may have and an affordable coverage quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that can be relied on to service your policy. Just understand that you can terminate coverage whenever you wish so don’t think you are locked into a specific company for any length of time.
Shop smart and save
Insureds who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, questionable increases in premium, an unsatisfactory settlement offer or even poor customer service. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch switching companies is easier than you think.
Budget-friendly insurance in Lincoln can be bought from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so you need to quote Lincoln auto insurance with both to have the best selection. Some insurance companies don’t offer online price quotes and these small insurance companies work with local independent agents.
When buying insurance coverage, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that it was a big error on their part. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at the best cost while still protecting your assets.
More resources
- Understanding Rental Car Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Quotes for High Risk Drivers in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for Retired Military in Lincoln? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Lincoln Car Insurance for Low Credit Scores? (FAQ)
- Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
- What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)