Lower Your 2003 Dodge Dakota Car Insurance Rates

Want lower insurance rates? Drivers have a choice when trying to find affordable Dodge Dakota insurance. They can either spend hours calling around to get rate comparisons or use the internet to find the lowest rates. There are both good and bad ways to shop for insurance and you need to know the proper way to compare rates for your Dodge and find the lowest price either online or from local insurance agents.

It is always a good idea to check insurance prices as often as possible because prices are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. If you had the best price on Dakota insurance on your last policy you will most likely find a better rate quote today. There is a lot of wrong information about insurance on the internet, but in a few minutes you can learn some solid techniques on how to put money back in your pocket.

If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can use this information to get lower rates and still get good coverage. This information will introduce you to how to get online quotes and some tricks to saving. Consumers only need an understanding of the most effective way to get comparison rates online.

Buy insurance coverage online

There are a lot of ways to shop for insurance coverage, and some are less time-consuming than others. You could waste a few hours discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in your area, or you can utilize the web to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

Most of the larger companies take part in a program that enables customers to enter their policy data once, and every company provides a quote. This saves time by eliminating quote requests to each company. To compare pricing click here to open in new window.

The single downside to doing it this way is you are unable to specify which insurance companies you want to price. If you wish to select from a list of companies to compare rates, we put together a list of insurance coverage companies in your area. Click here to view list.

Whichever way you use, make sure you are using apples-to-apples quote information with each company. If each company quotes different limits and deductibles on each one it’s not possible to determine which company has the best rates.

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Get lower-cost insurance premiums by understanding these factors

Multiple criteria are used when quoting car insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as traffic violations, but others are less obvious like your vehicle usage or how safe your car is.

Shown below are just a few of the factors companies use to determine premiums.

• Small claims can cost you – Insurance companies give lower rates to policyholders that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can pretty much guarantee increased rates or even have your policy non-renewed. Your insurance policy is designed for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
• If you don’t need it don’t buy it – Policies have extra add-on coverages that may not really be needed when buying auto insurance. Coverage for things like rental car coverage, high-cost glass coverage, and extra equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These may sound like a good investment when deciding what coverages you need, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so remove them and pocket the money.
• Save money with alarms and GPS tracking – Purchasing a vehicle with advanced anti-theft systems can save you some money. Anti-theft devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack all aid in stopping your car from being stolen.
• Never let your auto insurance expire – Driving with no insurance can get you a ticket and any future policy may cost more because you let your insurance coverage expire. In addition to paying higher rates, being ticketed for driving with no insurance can result in a revoked license or a big fine. You may need to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with your state motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
• Five star NHTSA crash test rating saves money – Cars with high safety ratings tend to be cheaper to insure. Vehicles engineered for safety result in less severe injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and thus lower rates. If your Dodge earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website it is probably cheaper to insure.
• Single drivers take more risk – Having a spouse can get you a discount compared to being single. Having a spouse may mean you are less irresponsible and it’s proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
• More traffic equals higher prices – Living in less populated areas of the country is a positive aspect when talking about auto insurance. Less people means less chance of accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. Drivers in populated areas regularly have traffic congestion and more time behind the wheel. More time behind the wheel translates into higher accident risk.
• Why do you need liability insurance? – A critical coverage on your policy, liability insurance will provide protection if ever a jury decides you are liable for physical damage or personal injury to other. It provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should buy more than the minimum limits required by law.

Discounts to earn cheap car insurance rates

Car insurance is expensive, but you might be missing out on some discounts that you may not know about. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of quoting, but less common discounts must be manually applied before they will apply.

• Good Student – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
• Bundle and Save – If you can combine your homeowners and auto policy and place coverage with the same company they may give you a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
• Drivers Education – Teen drivers should sucessfully take a drivers education course as it can save substantially.
• One Accident Forgiven – but a handful of insurance companies will let one accident slide before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a set time period.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
• Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a defensive driving class may get you a small discount and also improve your driving technique.
• Organization Discounts – Affiliation with qualifying clubs or civic groups can get you a small discount on your policy.
• Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may qualify for discounts of 20 to 30 percent.

Discounts lower rates, but most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. If you do the math and it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck.

If you would like to view providers who offer online car insurance quotes, click here to view.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When choosing adequate coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Every insured’s situation is different.

Here are some questions about coverages that can aid in determining whether your personal situation might need an agent’s assistance.

• What is the minimum liability in my state?
• Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
• How much underlying liability do I need for an umbrella policy?
• Does coverage extend to my business vehicle?
• Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
• Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
• When can my company non-renew my policy?
• What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in my state?
• Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
• I have health insurance so do I need medical payments coverage?

If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form. It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

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Car insurance specifics

Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is very important.

Liability – Liability coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. It protects you from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show limits of 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability can pay for things like repair costs for stationary objects, medical expenses, medical services and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but buy higher limits if possible.

Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision insurance covers claims such as rolling your car, hitting a parking meter, scraping a guard rail, crashing into a ditch and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to raise the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Coverage for medical payments – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for short-term medical expenses for dental work, rehabilitation expenses and chiropractic care. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Comprehensive coverages – Comprehensive insurance pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims like hitting a bird, falling objects, theft and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

Best coverage at the best price

Drivers switch companies for any number of reasons including high prices, delays in responding to claim requests, poor customer service and policy cancellation. Regardless of your reason, finding a great new company is easier than you think.

You just learned a lot of ways to save on 2003 Dodge Dakota insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small local company.

Lower-priced 2003 Dodge Dakota insurance can be found from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers may not provide price quotes online and these small insurance companies work with independent agencies.

More information

• Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
• If I File a Claim will My Insurance Go Up? (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Red Light Cameras (State Farm)
• Young Drivers: The High Risk Years Video (iihs.org)
• Smart Auto Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Insitute)

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