Save on 1998 Volkswagen Passat Car Insurance Quotes

High-priced auto insurance can stress out your checking account and force you to cut corners elsewhere. Shopping your coverage around is free and is an excellent way to make ends meet.

You have multiple auto insurance companies to choose from, and though it is a good thing to have multiple companies, more options can take longer to find the best rates for your vehicles.

It’s a great practice to do price comparisons every six months since rates go up and down regularly. Even if you think you had the lowest rate on Passat insurance six months ago you can probably find a better price now. There is a lot of bad advice regarding auto insurance on the internet, but in this article, you’re going to get some solid techniques on how to quit paying high auto insurance rates.

Pricing the lowest cost coverage is not that difficult. Just about every driver who buys car insurance will be able to cut their insurance bill. Although vehicle owners do need to understand how big insurance companies market insurance on the web.

Use discounts on insurance coverage

Insurance coverage is easily one of your largest bills, but companies offer discounts that you may not even know about. A few discounts will be applied when you purchase, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about in order for you to get them. If you do not check that you are getting every discount possible, you could be saving more on your insurance coverage.

• Federal Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government could qualify for a slight premium decrease on Passat insurance with certain companies.
• Online Discount – A handful of insurance companies will give you a small discount get auto insurance over the internet.
• Pay Early and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than spreading payments over time you may have a lower total premium amount.
• Passive Restraints – Factory options such as air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may get savings as much as 30%.
• Professional Memberships – Belonging to qualifying clubs or civic groups could qualify you for a break on your next renewal.
• Accident Forgiveness – This one isn’t a discount, but a few companies such as Allstate and State Farm allow you one accident without raising rates so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to being involved in the accident.
• College Student – Kids who attend college more than 100 miles from home and won’t have access to an insured vehicle could qualify for this discount.

Just know that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it’s just not the way it works.

If you would like to see a list of insurance companies that offer the discounts shown above, click here to view.

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Insurance quotes comparison

Shopping for lower insurance rates can be challenging if you aren’t aware of the most efficient way to do it. You could waste a few hours talking to agents in your area, or you can utilize the web to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

Most car insurance companies participate in an industry program where prospective buyers enter their policy data once, and each company returns a competitive quote based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do quote forms to each company. To find out what other companies charge click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to getting quotes like this is you are unable to specify which carriers you want to price. So if you prefer to pick individual companies to receive pricing from, we have a listing of companies who write insurance in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.

Which method you use is up to you, but be certain you are entering the exact same coverages on every quote you get. If your comparisons have different limits and deductibles on each one it will be very difficult to get a fair rate comparison. Slightly different insurance coverages or limits may result in a large different in cost. Just keep in mind that having more price comparisons will increase your chances of finding lower pricing. Not every company provides online price quotes, so it’s recommended that you also compare prices from them as well.

How car insurance companies calculate Volkswagen Passat insurance rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that help determine insurance rates. When consumers understand what determines premiums, this enables informed choices that can earn you cheaper rates.

Shown below are some of the most common factors that factor into prices.

• Big city or small town – Residing in smaller towns and rural areas of the country has it’s advantages when shopping for auto insurance. Lower population means fewer accidents and lower theft and vandalism rates. Residents of big cities regularly have more auto accidents and more severe claims. Higher commute times can result in more accidents.
• Insurance rates and driver gender – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. The data does not necessarily mean that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes tend to get into accidents in similar numbers, but the men tend to have higher claims. In addition to higher claims, males also get higher numbers of serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
• Do you really need to file that policy claims? – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance companies generally give the best rates to insureds who do not file claims often. Your insurance policy is intended for larger claims.
• Save money by raising physical damage deductibles – Your deductibles define how much you are willing to pay if a claim is determined to be covered. Physical damage protection, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of covered claims could be colliding with a stationary object, collision with a deer, and damage caused by road hazards. The more expense you have to pay, the better rate you will receive on Passat insurance.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions may help you determine whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.

• Should I buy only the required minimum liability coverage?
• Which companies will insure high-risk drivers?
• Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
• What are the best liability limits?
• Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
• Do I have newly-aquired coverage?
• Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
• Should I waive the damage coverage when renting a car?
• Are rental cars covered under my policy?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

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Advertising and insurance

Popular insurance providers such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all have a common claim about saving some big amount just by switching your coverage to them. It sounds good, but how can they all say the same thing? Here is how they do it.

Most companies have a certain “appetite” for a prospective insured that makes them money. One example of this type of insured could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A customer that fits those parameters receive the lowest rate quotes as well as save a lot if they switch.

Potential insureds who do not match this stringent profile may be required to pay higher premiums and ends up with the customer buying from someone else. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that much money. That is how insurance companies can confidently claim big savings.

Because of these techniques, you really need to compare quotes as often as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance company will have the best rates.

Auto insurance coverage breakdown

Having a good grasp of a auto insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. Auto insurance terms can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.

Collision coverage protection

This covers damage to your Passat resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against things such as damaging your car on a curb, colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a ditch, rolling your car and driving through your garage door. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Medical expense insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for bills such as X-ray expenses, nursing services, pain medications and ambulance fees. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Volkswagen Passat.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Liability coverages

Liability insurance will cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property in an accident. This insurance protects YOU from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 50/100/50 that translate to a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000. Some companies may use a combined limit which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for things like court costs, emergency aid, funeral expenses, legal defense fees and bail bonds. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but you should buy higher limits if possible.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as a broken windshield, fire damage, hitting a deer and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

The bottom line

A few companies do not provide online quoting smaller providers provide coverage only through independent agents. Lower-priced auto insurance can be found from both online companies and with local insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates.

In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to lower your 1998 Volkswagen Passat insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding the cheapest auto insurance. You may even discover the lowest rates are with some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers often have lower car insurance rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like State Farm or Progressive.

For more information, feel free to visit these articles:

• What is Covered by GAP Insurance? (Allstate)
• Protect Yourself Against Auto Theft (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Rental Car Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Five Tips to Save on Auto Insurance (Insurance Information Insitute)

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