Car Insurance Rate Quotes for a Ford Freestar in Durham

It’s an obvious conclusion that insurance companies want to prevent you from shopping around. Insureds who do rate comparisons are likely to switch companies because there is a significant possibility of finding lower prices. Remarkably, a study showed that consumers who made a habit of comparing rates saved approximately $72 a month compared to policyholders who never shopped around for better prices.

If saving the most money on car insurance in Durham is why you’re reading this, then having some knowledge of the best ways to find and compare car insurance can help you succeed in finding affordable rates.

To save the most money, the best way to find cheaper auto insurance rates in Durham is to regularly compare quotes from different companies in North Carolina. Drivers can shop around by following these steps.

• Step 1: It will benefit you to learn about how car insurance works and the factors you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many rating criteria that cause high rates such as accidents, traffic tickets, and a bad credit score can be eliminated by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
• Step 2: Request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agents can provide price quotes from multiple companies.
• Step 3: Compare the new quotes to your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find a lower rate quote, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
• Step 4: Notify your current company of your intention to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit a down payment along with a signed application for the new coverage. When you receive it, store the proof of insurance certificate in your vehicle.

One bit of advice is to compare identical limits and deductibles on each quote and and to compare every insurance company. This provides a level playing field and plenty of rates choose from.

Our goal is to help educate you on how insurance works and how to save the most money. If you are already insured, you should be able to get lower rates using the concepts you’re about to learn. Shoppers just need to learn the most efficient way to buy auto insurance online.

The majority of larger companies like State Farm and Allstate give coverage prices from their websites. Getting online rates for Ford Freestar insurance in Durham is fairly straightforward as all you need to do is type in the coverage amounts you desire into a form. After the form is submitted, their system automatically orders information on your driving record and credit history and quotes a price based on these factors. This makes it a lot easier to compare rates and it is imperative to compare as many rates as possible in order to find the best possible rates on insurance.

To find out what other companies charge, compare quotes from the companies shown below. To compare your current rates, we recommend you duplicate deductibles and limits exactly as shown on your declarations page. Doing this assures you will have rate quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

The companies in the list below are our best choices to provide price comparisons in North Carolina. To buy the cheapest auto insurance in North Carolina, we suggest you get prices from several of them to get the cheapest price.

Don’t overlook these Ford Freestar insurance discounts

Auto insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but you may qualify for discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically when you complete an application, but some discounts are required to be specially asked for prior to receiving the credit.

• Claim Free – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims pay less as compared to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
• 55 and Retired – Drivers over the age of 55 can possibly qualify for a small discount on rates.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Buying a policy with primary and secondary vehicles with one company qualifies for this discount.
• Accident Waiver – This one is not really a discount per se, but a few companies such as GEICO, Progressive, and Allstate may permit one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear prior to being involved in the accident.
• Student Driver Training – Have your child enroll in driver’s education as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are much safer to drive so companies give up to a 10% discount.

You should keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But all discounts will cut the cost of your policy.

A few of the larger companies and some of the discounts can be read below.

• GEICO offers discounts including membership and employees, defensive driver, air bags, multi-policy, anti-lock brakes, and seat belt use.
• Travelers has savings for save driver, multi-car, home ownership, student away at school, payment discounts, early quote, and new car.
• Farm Bureau offers discounts for multi-vehicle, 55 and retired, driver training, multi-policy, and safe driver.
• Liberty Mutual discounts include new graduate, new vehicle discount, exclusive group savings, preferred payment discount, hybrid vehicle, multi-policy, and good student.
• American Family policyholders can earn discounts including mySafetyValet, good driver, air bags, TimeAway discount, good student, multi-vehicle, and bundled insurance.
• Progressive may have discounts that include homeowner, good student, online signing, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy.

When quoting, ask every prospective company which credits you are entitled to. Discounts might not be offered in your state. To see a list of insurers with significant discounts in North Carolina, click here to view.

Insurance agencies can help

Many drivers just prefer to buy from a local agent and that is just fine! Good agents are trained risk managers and help file insurance claims. A good thing about comparing insurance prices online is the fact that drivers can get the lowest rates and still have a local agent. And supporting local agents is important especially in Durham.

For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, your information is transmitted to participating agents in Durham who will gladly provide quotes to get your business. It’s much easier because you don’t need to contact any insurance agencies because quoted prices will be sent directly to you. If for some reason you want to compare rates for a specific company, just go to their quote page and fill out their quote form.

When finding a reliable agent, it’s helpful to know the types of agencies and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Agents can be categorized as either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer. Either one can provide auto insurance policies, but we need to point out the subtle differences since it can affect which type of agent you select.

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent insurance agents do not sell for just one brand so they have the ability to put coverage amongst many companies and find the cheapest auto insurance rates. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move your policy to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies. If you need lower rates, you need to compare quotes from independent agents to have the best price comparison.

Below is a list of independent agencies in Durham who may be able to give you free auto insurance quotes.

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Exclusive Insurance Agencies

Exclusive agencies normally can only provide a single company’s rates such as Allstate, AAA, Farmers Insurance, and State Farm. Exclusive agents are unable to shop your coverage around so you might not find the best rates. Exclusive agencies are well trained on sales techniques which aids in selling service over price.

Shown below is a list of exclusive agents in Durham that are able to give price quote information.

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Choosing an car insurance agent is decision based upon more than just a cheap price quote. The following questions are important to ask.

• What is their Better Business Bureau rating?
• How often do they review policy coverages?
• Do they make recommendations based only on price?
• Is insurance their full-time profession?
• Has the agent ever had any license suspensions?
• Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
• Can you choose the body shop in case repairs are needed?
• Do the agents have professional certifications like CPCU or CIC?

Smart Buyers Know How to Find Insurance Cheaper

The best way to find cheaper insurance is to take a look at a few of the rating criteria that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for insurance. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this helps enable you to make changes that could result in cheaper rates. Lots of factors are taken into consideration when you quote your car insurance policy. Some factors are common sense such as traffic violations, although some other factors are not as apparent like your continuous coverage or your vehicle rating.

• Responsible drivers pay the best rates – Being a careful driver has a huge affect on how much you pay. Only having one chargeable violation could increase your next policy renewal by as much as twenty percent. Drivers with clean records receive lower rates than bad drivers. People who have flagrant tickets like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may find that they have to to file a SR-22 with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
• Safety ratings are a factor – Vehicles with good safety scores tend to be cheaper to insure. Highly rated vehicles have better occupant injury protection and lower rates of occupant injuries means less money paid by your insurance company which can mean better rates for you. If your Ford Freestar has ratings of a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you are probably receiving a discount.
• Costs increase with policy add-ons – Policies have additional extra coverages that may not really be needed if you aren’t careful. Add-on coverages like personal injury protection, high-cost glass coverage, and membership fees are probably not needed. The coverages may be enticing when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
• Companies want multiple policies – Most major companies allow a discount to insureds who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can amount to 10 percent or more. If you currently are using one company, consumers should still check prices from other companies to verify if the discount is saving money.
• Better insurance rates with anti-theft devices – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar help track and prevent vehicle theft.
• Keep the miles off and save – The more miles you rack up on your Ford annually the more you will pay for insurance. Almost all companies calculate prices based on how the vehicle is used. Autos not used for work or commuting get more affordable rates than cars that get driven a lot. Incorrect rating for your Freestar can cost quite a bit. Double check that your insurance policy is rated on the correct driver usage.
• High premiums for younger drivers – Youthful drivers in North Carolina are statistically shown to be inattentive and easily distracted when behind the wheel therefore insurance rates are much higher. Adding a youthful driver to your policy can increase premiums substantially. More mature drivers are shown to be more cautious, tend to file fewer claims, and tend to be get fewer driving tickets.
• Type of car determines base prices – The performance level of the car, truck or SUV you are insuring makes a substantial difference in how high your rates are. Lower performance four cylinder passenger cars normally have pretty low rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.

Best reasons to buy auto insurance in North Carolina

Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Ford in Durham, insurance is most likely required but also gives you several important benefits.

• Most states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires specific minimum amounts of liability protection in order to license the vehicle. In North Carolina these limits are 30/60/25 which means you must have $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
• If you took out a loan on your Freestar, almost all lenders will require you to have full coverage to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the bank may insure your Ford at a much higher rate and make you pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.
• Auto insurance protects both your assets and your Ford Freestar. Insurance will also pay for medical bills for you, any passengers, and anyone injured in an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, also pays for attorney fees and expenses if you cause an accident and are sued. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.

The benefits of insuring your car are without a doubt worth the cost, especially with large liability claims. As of last year, the average driver in North Carolina overpays as much as $820 a year so compare quotes from several companies at every policy renewal to ensure rates are competitive.

Which auto insurance company is best in North Carolina?

Selecting the top auto insurance provider is hard considering how many choices you have in Durham. The rank data in the lists below may help you decide which providers you want to consider comparing prices from.

Top 10 Durham Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Service

1. USAA
2. Travelers
3. AAA Insurance
4. Nationwide
5. Safeco Insurance
6. Progressive
7. State Farm
8. The Hartford
9. The General
10. Esurance

Top 10 Durham Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service

1. Travelers
2. Nationwide
3. Allstate
4. State Farm
5. Liberty Mutual
6. GEICO
7. American Family
8. Esurance
9. Titan Insurance
10. AAA Insurance

One last thing to lower rates

You just learned many ways to find affordable Ford Freestar insurance in Durham. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the most savings is with some of the lesser-known companies. Regional companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.

When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are many occasions where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

Much more information about car insurance in North Carolina can be read at these links:

• Uninsured Motorist Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Seniors in Durham? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Camry in Durham? (FAQ)
• Choosing a Car for Your Teen (State Farm)
• Teen Driver Licensing Information (iihs.org)
• Higher speed limits cause more fatalities (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)