Best Ways to Save on Pittsburgh Nissan Versa Insurance

It’s an obvious conclusion that auto insurance companies don’t want you to look for a cheaper policy. Drivers who shop around for the cheapest rate will, in all likelihood, switch insurance companies because of the high probability of finding better rates. A survey found that consumers who regularly shopped around saved over $3,400 over four years compared to policyholders who never shopped around.

If finding low prices for Nissan Versa insurance is the reason you’re here, then having a grasp of the best way to quote and compare coverage rates can make it simple to find affordable coverage.

If you want to save the most money, the best way to find cheaper auto insurance rates in Pittsburgh is to regularly compare quotes from different companies in Pennsylvania.

• First, read and learn about the coverage provided by your policy and the things you can change to drop your rates. Many policy risk factors that result in higher prices such as traffic citations and a less-than-favorable credit score can be rectified by making minor changes to your lifestyle. Read the full article for additional ideas to help reduce premium rates and get additional discounts that may be available.
• Second, get rate quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agents can provide rate quotes for a wide range of insurance providers.
• Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing rates to see if you can save by switching companies. If you find a better price and make a switch, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
• Fourth, notify your agent or company of your intention to cancel your current policy. Submit payment and a completed application for your new coverage. Don’t forget to put the proof of insurance paperwork in your vehicle.

A valuable tip to remember is to make sure you enter the same amount of coverage on every price quote and and to get price estimates from all possible companies. This ensures an apples-to-apples comparison and many rates to choose from.

Getting quotes for the lowest cost insurance in Pittsburgh can be fairly easy. If you are already insured or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these tips to find better prices without reducing coverage. You just have to learn the quickest way to compare insurance rates online.

Insurance Price Influencing Factors

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that are used to determine the level of your policy premiums. If you understand what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this enables you to make decisions that may reward you with cheaper rates. Multiple criteria are part of the equation when pricing auto insurance. A few of the factors are predictable such as your driving history, although others are not as apparent like where you live or your commute time.

Don’t let your auto insurance lapse – Allowing your auto insurance policy to lapse will be a fast way to drive up your policy premiums. Not only will you pay more, getting caught without coverage will get you fines and jail time. You will then be forced to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Pennsylvania motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.

Advanced GPS tracking and theft deterrents – Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help lower your premiums. Systems that thwart thieves such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder car theft.

Safer the car lower the rate – Safer cars tend to have lower insurance rates. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates. If your Nissan Versa has ratings of a minimum an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website it is probably cheaper to insure.

Be proud to be claim-free – Auto insurance companies in Pennsylvania generally give discounts to drivers who do not file claims often. If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can pretty much guarantee either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Your car insurance is meant to be used in the event of larger claims.

Are you male or female? – Statistics have proven that females tend to be a little less risky than males. This data doesn’t prove that women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men get in fender benders at a similar rate, but the men tend to have higher claims. Men also get higher numbers of serious violations such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly. Males from age 16 to 21 have the highest risk to insure and thus pay the highest rates.

The chart below illustrates the comparison of Nissan Versa insurance premiums for male and female drivers. Data assumes no claims, a clean driving record, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, single status, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Prices and vocation – Careers such as lawyers, executives, and accountants tend to pay higher rates than average attributed to high stress levels and long work hours. Other occupations such as scientists, students and homemakers receive lower rates.

Single drivers take more risk – Walking down the aisle can get you a discount when shopping for auto insurance. Having a spouse demonstrates that you tend to be more responsible and it’s statistically proven that married drivers get in fewer accidents.

How much liability protection – Your auto insurance policy’s liability coverage will afford coverage if you are ruled to be at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Your liability coverage provides you with a defense in court which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to comp and collision, so drivers should carry high limits.

Nissan Versa insurance claim data – Insurers study historical loss data to calculate a price that will offset any claims. Models that tend to have increased losses will have higher premium rates. The table below shows the compiled insurance loss statistics for Nissan Versa vehicles.

For each policy coverage type, the claim amount for all vehicles, regardless of make or model, is a value of 100. Percentage numbers below 100 indicate better than average losses, while values over 100 point to more losses or tendency to have larger claims.

Coverage statistics and figures

The data table displayed next covers estimates of insurance policy prices for Nissan Versa models. Having insight into how insurance prices are established is important for drivers to make decisions when shopping your coverage around.

Prices above based on single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, homeowner, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Estimates do not factor in your specific Pittsburgh location which can impact coverage rates significantly.

Comparison of policy deductibles

When comparing insurance rates, the most common question is how high or low should comp and collision deductibles be. The following insurance rates show the price difference when you choose different comp and collision deductibles. The first data set uses a $100 physical damage deductible and the second price table uses a $500 deductible.

Data variables include married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, homeowner, multi-policy, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Rates do not factor in specific garaging location which can impact price quotes noticeably.

Using the data above, we can ascertain that using a $100 deductible could cost the average driver approximately $24 more each month or $288 each year than requesting the higher $500 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $400 more if you turn in a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you tend to average more than 17 months between claim filings, you would more than likely save some money if you choose a higher deductible.

The chart below illustrates how your choice of deductibles and can affect Nissan Versa annual premium costs for different age groups of insureds. The rates are based on a single male driver, full coverage, and no discounts are factored in.

Cost of full coverage

The information below compares Nissan Versa insurance costs with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The price estimates are based on no claims or driving citations, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are factored in.

Should you buy full coverage or liability only?

There is no written rule for excluding physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is more than about 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it might be time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s assume your Nissan Versa book value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, you would only receive $6,000 after paying your policy deductible. If you are currently paying more than $600 annually for physical damage coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

There are a few cases where dropping full coverage is not advised. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to keep full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should keep full coverage on your policy.

Car insurance discounts help lower rates for Nissan Versa insurance in Pittsburgh

Some insurers don’t necessarily list every discount very clearly, so here is a list a few of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits available to lower your premiums when you buy Pittsburgh car insurance online.

• Bundled Policy Discount – If you combine your auto and home policies with the same insurance company you may save as much as 10 to 15 percent.
• Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Having primary and secondary vehicles on a single policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
• Senior Citizen Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for lower premium rates.
• Full Payment Discount – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
• Driver’s Education for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver take driver’s ed class in high school.
• Own a Home and Save – Just being a homeowner may earn you a small savings since home ownership demonstrates responsibility.
• Accident Forgiveness – This one is not really a discount per se, but some companies like Liberty Mutual and GEICO permit an accident before they charge you more for coverage if you have no claims before the accident.
• Early Signing – Select companies give a discount for switching policies before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.
• Telematics Discount – Drivers that enable companies to study their driving habits remotely such as Progressive’s Snapshot and State Farm’s In-Drive could see a rate decrease if they have good driving habits.

Discounts lower rates, but most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you aren’t that lucky. But any discount should help lower your overall premium however.

The illustration below illustrates the comparison of Nissan Versa auto insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The data is based on a male driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, Pennsylvania state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with claim-free, multi-policy, marriage, homeowner, multi-car, and safe-driver discounts applied.

Companies and some of their more popular discounts are:

• Travelers offers discounts including new car, home ownership, multi-car, IntelliDrive, early quote, hybrid/electric vehicle, and driver training.
• 21st Century has savings for anti-lock brakes, theft prevention, defensive driver, homeowners, student driver, teen driver, and good student.
• State Farm may have discounts that include Drive Safe & Save, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple autos, good driver, and passive restraint.
• GEICO discounts include federal employee, emergency military deployment, multi-vehicle, anti-theft, and air bags.
• SAFECO policyholders can earn discounts including anti-lock brakes, anti-theft, homeowner, teen safe driver, drive less, safe driver, and multi-car.
• AAA may include discounts for AAA membership discount, anti-theft, pay-in-full, good student, and multi-car.

When comparing rates, check with all companies you are considering which credits you are entitled to. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be available to policyholders in Pittsburgh. If you would like to view companies that provide some of the discounts listed above in Pittsburgh, click here to view.

Frequent quotes can save

Consumers switch companies for any number of reasons including being labeled a high risk driver, denial of a claim, poor customer service and even extreme rates for teen drivers. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.

As you prepare to switch companies, you should never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In too many instances, consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage only to regret that they should have had better coverage. Your objective should be to find the BEST coverage at the best possible price, but do not skimp to save money.

Cheaper auto insurance in Pittsburgh is available on the web in addition to many Pittsburgh insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some auto insurance companies may not have the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through independent agencies.

For more information, link through to the articles below:

• Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)
• Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for a Nissan Sentra in Pittsburgh? (FAQ)
• How Much are Pittsburgh Auto Insurance Quotes for a Subaru Outback? (FAQ)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers with Accidents in Pittsburgh? (FAQ)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a Honda Accord in Pittsburgh? (FAQ)
• Bodily Injury Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
• Understanding your Policy (NAIC.org)
• Driving in Bad Weather (Insurance Information Institute)
• Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)