Affordable Insurance for a Ford Transit Connect in Pittsburgh

The preferred way to get the cheapest car insurance rates in Pittsburgh is to start doing a yearly price comparison from insurers in Pennsylvania. You can compare rates by completing these steps.

1. Get a basic knowledge of how companies set rates and the things you can change to keep rates in check. Many rating factors that result in higher rates such as at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and your credit history can be remedied by making minor changes to your lifestyle.
2. Get rate quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agents can give you price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers.
3. Compare the quotes to your existing policy to see if a cheaper price is available. If you find a better price, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
4. Give notification to your current company to cancel your current car insurance policy and submit payment and a signed application to your new agent or company. As soon as you receive it, put the certificate verifying proof of insurance along with the vehicle’s registration papers.

A good tip to remember is to use the same coverage limits and deductibles on every quote and and to look at every company you can. This provides a fair rate comparison and a complete rate analysis.

It’s an obvious statement that auto insurance companies want to prevent you from shopping around. Drivers who shop around for a cheaper policy are highly likely to switch auto insurance companies because there is a high probability of finding coverage at a more affordable price. A survey found that consumers who routinely compared rates saved on average $3,400 over four years as compared to drivers who never shopped around for cheaper prices.

If finding the lowest price on Ford Transit Connect insurance in Pittsburgh is the reason for your visit, then having a grasp of how to find companies and compare coverages can save time, money, and frustration.

Buying affordable car insurance in Pittsburgh is actually quite simple. If you are insured now or just want cheaper rates, follow these tips to save money and still get good coverage. You only need to know the fastest way to compare different rates on the web.

Finding cheap Ford Transit Connect insurance rates is not a difficult process. Consumers just need to invest a few minutes comparing price quotes from some recommended companies.

The companies in the list below provide comparison quotes in Pennsylvania. To locate cheaper car insurance in Pittsburgh, we suggest you get rate quotes from several of them to get the most affordable price.

Pittsburgh car insurance discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise their entire list of discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down some of the more common as well as the least known credits that you can use to lower your rates.

• Defensive Driver Discounts – Passing a course that instructs on driving safety could save 5% or more and make you a better driver.
• Passenger Safety Discount – Options like air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
• Good Grades Discount – Being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
• Save with a New Car – Buying a new car model can save you some money because newer models keep occupants safer.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Buying insurance for several vehicles on a single policy qualifies for this discount.
• Employee of Federal Government – Having worked for a branch of the government could qualify for a slight premium decrease but check with your company.
• Drive Less and Save – Maintaining low annual mileage may allow you to get lower rates due to less chance of an accident.
• Bundled Policy Discount – When you have multiple policies and place coverage with the same company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
• Lower Rates for Military – Being on active deployment in the military could qualify you for better premium rates.

One thing to note about discounts is that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the whole policy. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when the math indicates all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

The information below compares Ford Transit Connect yearly insurance costs with and without policy discounts. The prices are based on a female driver, a clean driving record, no claims, Pennsylvania state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-policy, homeowner, marriage, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-car discounts applied.

Auto insurance companies who may offer some of the above discounts possibly include:

• AAA
• Progressive
• State Farm
• Esurance
• Nationwide

Before you buy a policy, ask every prospective company the best way to save money. All car insurance discounts might not be offered on policies in every state.

Rates and data analysis

The premium table displayed below highlights estimates of insurance premium costs for Ford Transit Connect models. Learning more about how rate quotes are determined helps drivers make smart choices when buying a car insurance policy.

Premium data assumes single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Rates do not factor in specific zip code location which can lower or raise premium rates substantially.

Choosing deductibles

A question often asked by Pittsburgh drivers is the level to set your comp and collision deductibles. The comparison tables below sum up the price difference when you choose different comp and collision deductibles. The first rate quote example uses a $100 physical damage deductible and the second price grid uses a $1,000 deductible.

Prices based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Estimates do not factor in zip code location which can revise premiums significantly.

Based on the data above, we can derive that using a $100 deductible costs roughly $32 more each month or $384 for a full year than quoting the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would pay $900 more out-of-pocket with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you average at a minimum 28 months between claims, you would save more money if you choose a higher deductible.

One important issue to know is that a higher deductible means you pay more out-of-pocket if you have a claim. You should have a higher level of savings in the event you need to pay the higher deductible in order to repair your vehicle.

Responsible drivers pay cheaper Pittsburgh insurance rates

The diagram below illustrates how speeding tickets and at-fault fender-benders raise Ford Transit Connect insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The information is based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.

Full coverage or liability only

The chart below illustrates the comparison of Ford Transit Connect yearly insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage. The premiums are based on no accidents or driving violations, $100 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Are you wasting money on full coverage?

There is no definitive formula that works best for making the decision to drop physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of having full coverage is more than 10% of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.

For example, let’s pretend your Ford Transit Connect replacement cost is $7,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would receive is $6,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If you are paying over $600 a year to have full coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.

There are some conditions where dropping full coverage is not recommended. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you have to keep full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not remove full coverage.

Components of Your Ford Transit Connect Insurance Premiums

One of the most helpful ways to save on auto insurance is to to have a grasp of some of the factors that help calculate your auto insurance rates. If you have some idea of what impacts premium levels, this enables you to make decisions that may result in lower rates. Many factors are considered when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving record, although others are less apparent like your continuous coverage or your financial responsibility.

Listed below are some of the things used by companies to determine your prices.

Is your vehicle theft-ready? – Owning a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems help track and prevent vehicle theft.

Insure car and home with the same company – Lots of insurance companies give discounts for people that have more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you already get this discount, you still need to check prices from other companies to ensure the best deal. It’s possible to still save even more by buying from different companies

How many miles do you drive? – The higher the miles on your Ford in a year’s time the more you’ll pay to insure it. Many insurance companies rate vehicles based on their usage. Cars and trucks not used for work or commuting qualify for better rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. An improperly rated Transit Connect may be costing you higher rates. It’s a smart idea to ensure your declarations sheet states the proper vehicle usage.

Teenagers vs. experienced drivers – Young drivers in Pennsylvania are statistically shown to get distracted easily when driving with friends and because of this, their auto insurance rates are much higher. Adding a inexperienced driver onto a policy can break the bank. Older, more experienced drivers are more responsible, are lower risk to insure, and are generally more financially stable.

The following chart uses these assumptions: single driver, full coverage with $1000 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.

Safer vehicles cost less to insure – Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have lower insurance rates. These vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and lower injury rates translates directly to fewer claims and thus lower rates.

Extra policy coverages push up premiums – There are many extra add-on coverages that sound like a good idea at the time when buying auto insurance. Add-on coverages like personal injury protection, towing, and motor club memberships may be costing you every month. They may sound like good ideas at first, but now you might not need them so think about removing them and cutting costs.