How to Compare Pittsburgh Chrysler PT Cruiser Insurance

It’s hard to fathom, but 70% of consumers renewed their policy with the same company for more than four years, and 38% of drivers have never even compared rates from other companies. With the average auto insurance premium being $1,847, American drivers could save roughly 46.5% each year just by shopping around, but they don’t understand how simple it is to compare rate quotes online.

The easiest way to get affordable car insurance rates is to compare prices once a year from different companies who sell insurance in Pittsburgh.

Step 1: Gain an understanding of the different coverages in a policy and the things you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that cause high rates like at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and a lousy credit rating can be rectified by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes. This article provides instructions to help keep rates affordable and get bigger discounts.

Step 2: Obtain price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agencies can provide price quotes for a wide range of companies.

Step 3: Compare the new quotes to your existing policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you find a lower rate quote and change companies, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.

An important bit of advice to remember is to compare identical coverages on each quote and and to get prices from every insurance company. This guarantees a fair price comparison and maximum price selection.

If you have auto insurance now, you will be able to reduce the price you pay using the following tips. Locating the best rates in Pittsburgh is much easier if you have a good place to start. But Pennsylvania drivers must learn how big insurance companies sell insurance online and use it to your advantage.

When price shopping your coverage, comparing more quotes helps locate lower pricing.

The companies shown below are ready to provide price quotes in Pennsylvania. To locate cheap auto insurance in Pennsylvania, it’s highly recommended you visit two to three different companies to get a more complete price comparison.

Chrysler PT Cruiser coverage analysis

The rate table shown next showcases a range of insurance costs for Chrysler PT Cruiser models. Having a good understanding how insurance prices are calculated is important for you to make decisions on which insurance to purchase.

Premium data assumes single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, and homeowner. Table data does not factor in specific Pittsburgh garaging location which can change price quotes substantially.

Physical damage deductibles: Should you raise them?

One of the hardest decisions when shopping for insurance is how high should the physical damage deductibles be. The comparison tables below can help you understand the rate fluctuation of buying low and high deductibles. The first pricing table uses a $100 deductible and the second pricing table uses a $1,000 deductible.

Above prices assume married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Price information does not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can decrease or increase coverage rates substantially.

Based on these figures, using a $100 deductible will cost in the ballpark of $27 more each month or $324 a year than requesting the higher $1,000 deductible. Due to the fact that you would have to pay $900 more to file a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you tend to go more than 33 months between claims, you would probably be better off if you choose the higher deductible.

The chart below shows how choosing a deductible and can raise or lower Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance costs for different age groups. Data assumes a married male driver, comp and collision included, and no other discounts are factored in.

Full coverage versus liability-only in Pittsburgh

The illustration below compares Chrysler PT Cruiser car insurance rates with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in Pennsylvania. The premium estimates are based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.

Should you buy full coverage or liability only?

There isn’t a written rule of when to eliminate full coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is about 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s say your Chrysler PT Cruiser settlement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would receive is $5,000 after paying your deductible. If it’s costing in excess of $500 a year for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

There are some conditions where removing full coverage is not advised. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you have to carry full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not eliminate full coverage.

Buying the right vehicle insurance in Pennsylvania is an important decision

Despite the high insurance cost for a Chrysler PT Cruiser in Pittsburgh, paying for car insurance is a good idea for several reasons.

First, just about all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means state laws require specific minimum amounts of liability coverage in order to drive the car. In Pennsylvania these limits are 15/30/5 which means you must have $15,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $5,000 of property damage coverage.

Second, if you took out a loan on your car, more than likely the lender will have a requirement that you have physical damage coverage to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you default on your policy, the bank may buy a policy for your Chrysler at a significantly higher premium and force you to reimburse them a much higher amount than you were paying before.

Third, car insurance protects not only your Chrysler but also your financial assets. Insurance will also pay for medical transport and hospital expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance will also pay to defend you if you cause an accident and are sued. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, your car insurance policy will pay to restore your vehicle to like-new condition.

The benefits of buying enough insurance more than cancel out the cost, particularly for liability claims. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver overpays as much as $700 annually so it’s important to compare rates at every policy renewal to ensure rates are inline.

Smart Consumers Know How to Get Insurance More Affordably

Lots of factors are taken into consideration when pricing auto insurance. A few of the factors are predictable such as your driving history, although some other factors are not quite as obvious such as whether you are married or your commute time. Part of the insurance buying process is learning the different types of things that help calculate the price you pay for insurance. If you know what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with cheaper rates.

The factors shown below are some of the major factors utilized by car insurance companies to help set your rates.

How many coverages with the same company – Some insurance companies afford a discount to buyers who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Even with this discount applied, it’s in your best interest to comparison shop to guarantee you are still saving the most. You may still be able to save money by insuring with multiple companies.

Gender impacts costs – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. The data does not necessarily mean that males are worse at driving than females. Males and females are responsible for fender benders in similar numbers, but the men cause more damage. They also get higher numbers of serious violations such as reckless driving. Male teenagers are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high insurance rates.

The illustration below shows the difference between Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance premiums for male and female drivers. The prices are based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, comprehensive and collision coverage, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

Your address can affect premiums – Living in a rural area is a positive aspect if you are looking for the lowest rates. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents in addition to lower liability claims. Drivers who live in large Pennsylvania cities tend to have traffic congestion and a longer drive to work. Spending more time driving translates into higher accident risk.

Poor driving habits leads to higher costs – A bad driving record influences premium rates substantially. Careful drivers pay lower auto insurance prices as compared to those with violations. Even a single chargeable violation can increase rates by as much as twenty percent. Drivers unfortunate enough to have dangerous citations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may face state-mandated requirements to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state motor vehicle department in order to legally drive a vehicle.

The diagram below illustrates how traffic citations and at-fault accidents raise Chrysler PT Cruiser premium costs for different age groups of insureds. The premiums assume a married male driver, full coverage, $100 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

Pay less with a high NHTSA crash test rating – Cars with high safety ratings tend to be cheaper to insure. Vehicles engineered for safety help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and fewer serious injuries translates into savings for insurance companies passed on to you as lower rates. If your Chrysler has at least four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you are probably receiving a discount.

A policy lapse can increase insurance rates – Not maintaining insurance is not a good idea and you may have a hard time finding new coverage because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, being ticketed for driving with no insurance might get you fines and jail time.

One last note

You just read a lot of tips how to reduce Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance rates online in Pittsburgh. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the best rates are with a small local company. Smaller companies may only write in your state and offer lower car insurance rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm or Progressive.

Cheaper insurance in Pittsburgh is possible from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not have online quoting and usually these regional insurance providers work with independent insurance agents.

More tips and info about insurance can be found at these sites:

• Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Unemployed Drivers in Pittsburgh? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Pittsburgh Auto Insurance Quotes for Drivers with a Bad Driving Record? (FAQ)
• How Does Hitting a Deer Impact Insurance Rates? (Allstate)
• Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
• Driving in Bad Weather (Insurance Information Institute)
• Comprehensive Coverage (Liberty Mutual)