2012 Ford E-Series Van Insurance Rates – 9 Tricks for Cheaper Quotes

Searching for lower car insurance rates for your Ford E-Series Van? If you’re looking for cheaper insurance online, do you get overwhelmed by the number of car insurance sources available to you? consumers have so many options that it can be a ton of work to compare prices.

The easiest way to get policy rate comparisons utilizes the fact most of the larger companies participate in online systems to compare rate quotes. The only thing you need to do is give the companies some data like what you do for a living, if it has an alarm system, deductibles desired, and whether you drive to work or school. Those rating factors is then submitted to many highly-rated insurers and you get price estimates almost instantly.

Car insurance rates and discounts

Some providers don’t always advertise all possible discounts very clearly, so the list below gives a summary of some of the more common and also the lesser-known credits that you can use to lower your rates.

• Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle with one company could earn a price break for each car.
• Military Rewards – Being deployed in the military could be rewarded with lower car insurance rates.
• Distant Student Discount – Kids who are attending college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle could get you a discount.
• One Accident Forgiven – This one is not really a discount per se, but companies like Geico, State Farm, and Progressive will forgive one accident without getting socked with a rate hike if you have no claims for a certain period of time.
• Paperless Signup – A handful of car insurance companies will provide an incentive for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
• No Claim Discounts – Insureds with no claims or accidents have much lower rates as opposed to frequent claim filers.
• Save over 55 – Older drivers could receive a discount up to 10% for E-Series van coverage.
• Safety Restraint Discount – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to buckle up before driving can save a little off the PIP or medical payment premium.
• Theft Prevention System – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have factory anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.

It’s important to note that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.

Larger car insurance companies and their offered discounts are outlined below.

• Geico may offer discounts for anti-theft, multi-vehicle, driver training, daytime running lights, and military active duty.
• Travelers may have discounts that include home ownership, hybrid/electric vehicle, driver training, save driver, good student, and IntelliDrive.
• Nationwide offers discounts for accident-free, anti-theft, easy pay, multi-policy, business or organization, and good student.
• Farmers Insurance has discounts for alternative fuel, homeowner, distant student, bundle discounts, multi-car, business and professional, and electronic funds transfer.
• Esurance may include discounts for anti-lock brakes, online shopper, safety device, claim free, online quote, and good driver.
• State Farm discounts include anti-theft, good driver, multiple autos, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and multiple policy.
• Progressive offers discounts including good student, online signing, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle.
• Mercury Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including location of vehicle, multi-policy, age of vehicle, good student, multi-car, and professional/association.

If you need the cheapest insurance coverage quotes, ask each insurance company to give you their best rates. Some discounts listed above may not apply in every state. For a list of providers that offer many of these discounts, click here to view.

Situations that may require an agent’s advice

When buying the best auto insurance coverage, there is no one size fits all plan. Everyone’s needs are different.

Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your insurance needs might need professional guidance.

• If I drive on a suspended license am I covered?
• Should I buy additional glass protection?
• Can I get a multi-policy discount?
• When should I buy a commercial auto policy?
• When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
• When would I need rental car insurance?
• What if I owe more than I can insure my car for?
• Am I getting all the discounts available?
• Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form.

Specifics of your auto insurance policy

Learning about specific coverages of your policy helps when choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage

This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Ford E-Series Van.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Comprehensive coverage

This covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as damage from getting keyed, hail damage and hitting a deer. The maximum payout your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Auto liability

This can cover damage that occurs to a person or their property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have limits of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 bodily injury coverage, $300,000 for the entire accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Another option is a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for claims like pain and suffering, loss of income and attorney fees. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.

Auto collision coverage

Collision insurance covers damage to your E-Series Van resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for claims such as backing into a parked car, scraping a guard rail and damaging your car on a curb. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Medical payments coverage and PIP

Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for bills like rehabilitation expenses, X-ray expenses, funeral costs and EMT expenses. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible

Final thoughts

We covered many tips how you can get a better price on 2012 Ford E-Series Van insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest prices come from some of the smallest insurance companies.

Drivers change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including being labeled a high risk driver, not issuing a premium refund, high prices and even unfair underwriting practices. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.

When searching for cheap insurance coverage quotes, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many cases, someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later they didn’t have enough coverage. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at the best cost and still be able to protect your assets.

Additional insurance information is available on the following sites:

• All About Airbag Safety (State Farm)
• Car Insurance for Teen Drivers with Divorced Parents (Allstate)
• Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Insitute)
• How to Avoid Buying a Flooded Car (Insurance Information Insitute)