Save Money on Mazda 6 Insurance in Pittsburgh

Anyone knows that auto insurance companies don’t want policyholders to shop around. Consumers who get price comparisons will, in all likelihood, switch insurance companies because there is a good chance of finding good coverage at a lower price. A recent insurance study revealed that drivers who did price comparisons regularly saved as much as $3,400 over four years as compared to drivers who never shopped around.

If finding the lowest rates on Mazda 6 insurance in Pittsburgh is why you’re reading this, then learning about how to quote prices and compare insurance can help you be more efficient.

To save the most money, the best way to get affordable Mazda 6 insurance is to compare prices annually from insurers who provide car insurance in Pittsburgh. This can be done by following these guidelines.

1. Try to comprehend car insurance and the measures you can control to keep rates down. Many risk factors that cause rate increases like speeding tickets, accidents and an imperfect credit score can be remedied by making lifestyle changes or driving safer. Read the full article for instructions to get better rates and find missing discounts.
2. Compare prices from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct and exclusive agents can give quotes from one company like GEICO or Allstate, while independent agencies can provide prices for a wide range of insurance providers.
3. Compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy to see if a cheaper price is available. If you find better rates and buy the policy, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.

An important part of this process is to use the same liability limits and deductibles on every quote and and to get prices from as many companies as possible. This ensures an apples-to-apples comparison and the best price selection.

Lower Your Pittsburgh Insurance Prices

Multiple criteria are used when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as traffic violations, but some are less obvious like where you live or your financial responsibility.

Better drivers pay less – Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance than their less careful counterparts. Even one driving citation may increase your cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who have careless violations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may face state-mandated requirements to prove financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to keep their license.

The diagram below highlights how traffic violations and at-fault accidents impact Mazda 6 auto insurance costs for different age groups. The information is based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, $500 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

Save money by raising physical damage deductibles – Physical damage deductibles state the amount of money you are required to spend out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. Physical damage coverage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. Some examples of covered claims could be collision with another vehicle, damage from fire, and damage from wind. The higher the amount you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the better rate you will receive.

Single drivers take more risk – Having a significant other may earn you lower rates on your car insurance policy. It translates into being less irresponsible and it’s proven that married couples file fewer claims.

Never have policy lapses – Letting your insurance expire is a sure-fire way to increase your rates. Not only will rates go up, being ticketed for driving with no insurance may result in a license revocation or jail time. You may then be required to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Pennsylvania department of motor vehicles.

Premiums increase with policy add-ons – There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can buy but may not be useful. Insurance for things like vanishing deductibles, towing coverage, and term life insurance are probably not needed. The coverages may be enticing when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.

Lower performance equals lower insurance premiums – The performance of the car you drive makes a big difference in your rates. Small economy passenger cars usually have the lowest premiums, but many other things help determine your insurance rates.

The chart below uses these assumptions: married female driver age 50, full coverage with $500 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. It shows Mazda 6 rates compared to other vehicles that have a range of performance rating factors.

Mazda 6 claim statistics – Insurers factor in insurance loss information when they set coverage costs for each model. Models that the statistics show to have higher frequency or amount of claims will be charged more to insure. The table below outlines the historical insurance loss data for Mazda 6 vehicles.

For each type of coverage, the claim amount for all vehicles compiled together is set at 100. Values that are below 100 indicate better than average losses, while percentage numbers above 100 indicate more frequent claims or tendency to have larger claims.

Insurance analysis for a Mazda 6

The price information shown below showcases estimates of insurance premium costs for Mazda 6 models. Learning more about how policy rates are determined can be useful when making informed decisions when comparing rate quotes.

Above prices assume married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Rate quotes do not factor in Pittsburgh location which can modify coverage prices substantially.

Where to set your deductibles

A question often asked by Pittsburgh drivers is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The comparisons below can help show the premium difference when you select higher and lower coverage deductibles. The first set of rates uses a $250 physical damage coverage deductible and the second data table uses a $1,000 deductible.

Data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in Pittsburgh location which can lower or raise rates substantially.

Using the premium rates above, we can conclude that using a $250 deductible could cost the average driver approximately $26 more each month or $312 annually than choosing the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would pay $750 more out-of-pocket with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you tend to have at least 29 months between claims, you would save money if you decide on a higher deductible.

The diagram below shows how different deductible levels and can influence Mazda 6 insurance rates for different categories of driver ages. The costs are based on a single male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Mazda 6 insurance costs by gender and age in Pittsburgh

The information below visualizes the comparison of Mazda 6 insurance costs for male and female drivers. The costs are based on no accidents, no driving violations, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Full coverage rates compared to liability-only

The diagram below illustrates the difference between Mazda 6 yearly insurance costs with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The information is based on no violations or accidents, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no other discounts are factored in.

When to buy liability coverage only

There is no set guideline for excluding comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s say your Mazda 6 replacement cost is $9,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would get paid by your company is $8,000 after the deductible is paid. If you are paying in excess of $800 annually for your policy with full coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

There are some scenarios where dropping physical damage coverage is not a good plan. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you are required to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not consider dropping full coverage.

Lower rates by qualifying for discounts

Some insurers don’t always advertise every discount they offer very clearly, so the next list breaks down some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious ways to save on insurance.

• Responsible Drivers – Accident-free drivers can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates compared to accident prone drivers.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Cars and trucks equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen and that can save you a little bit as well.
• Employee of Federal Government – Active or former government employment may reduce rates when you quote Pittsburgh car insurance with select insurance companies.
• Discount for Multiple Policies – If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you could earn a discount of as much as 10 to 15 percent.
• Good Grades Discount – Excelling in school may save you up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
• Pittsburgh Homeowners Discount – Simply owning a home can save a few bucks because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
• Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies may give you up to $50 for completing your application on your computer.
• Driver Safety – Completing a class that teaches safe driver techniques can save you 5% or more and easily pay for the cost of the class.
• Payment Discounts – If you can afford to pay the entire bill instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may have a lower total premium amount.
• Accident Waiver – This isn’t a discount exactly, but a handful of insurance companies will turn a blind eye to one accident without raising rates if you are claim-free for a specific time period.

A little disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Despite the fact that it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.

The information below shows the difference between Mazda 6 auto insurance costs with and without discounts applied. Data assumes a female driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, Pennsylvania state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with claim-free, homeowner, multi-car, marriage, multi-policy, and safe-driver discounts applied.

Companies and some of their more popular discounts are included below.

• 21st Century has savings for good student, student driver, automatic seat belts, teen driver, and air bags.
• Progressive discounts include multi-policy, good student, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, and homeowner.
• State Farm includes discounts for multiple policy, accident-free, driver’s education, multiple autos, anti-theft, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and Drive Safe & Save.
• Nationwide may offer discounts for Farm Bureau membership, good student, defensive driving, anti-theft, multi-policy, and family plan.
• Esurance may include discounts for Switch & Save, safety device, online quote, good student, paid-in-full, and homeowner.
• The Hartford has discounts for vehicle fuel type, bundle, air bag, anti-theft, driver training, defensive driver, and good student.

When getting a coverage quote, ask every company which discounts you may be entitled to. A few discounts might not be available to policyholders in your state. To find insurance companies that offer some of these discounts in Pennsylvania, click this link.

How to find a good Pennsylvania car insurance company

Choosing the top car insurance provider is difficult considering how many companies provide coverage in Pittsburgh. The information below can help you select which insurers you want to consider shopping your coverage with.

Be persistent to save money

More affordable insurance in Pittsburgh can be bought online and from local insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies do not offer online quoting and these small, regional companies sell through independent agencies.

As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that they should have had better coverage. Your goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best cost while not skimping on critical coverages.

To read more, feel free to visit the following helpful articles:

• Parking Tips to Reduce Door Dings (State Farm)
• What Insurance is Cheapest for a Hyundai Elantra in Pittsburgh? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Pittsburgh Auto Insurance Rates for Teenagers? (FAQ)
• Rental Car Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Institute)
• New Honda safety features benefit drivers of all ages (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)