Lower Your 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Insurance Quotes

Want cheaper insurance rates for your Ford Explorer Sport Trac? If price shopping car insurance quotes online is new to you, you can easily be confused thanks to the huge assortment of online insurance companies and websites all advertising big savings.

It’s a great practice to get comparison quotes once or twice a year since rates are usually higher with each renewal. Just because you had the lowest rate on Explorer Sport Trac insurance a few years ago you can probably find a better price now. Forget all the misinformation about insurance because you’re going to learn the proper way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.

Discount auto insurance rates

Companies don’t always list the complete list of policy discounts very well, so the following list contains some of the more common and also the more inconspicuous ways to save on auto insurance.

  • Home Ownership Discount – Just owning your own home can help you save on auto insurance because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.
  • Driver Training Discounts – Successfully completing a defensive driving class is a good idea and can lower rates and make you a better driver.
  • Auto/Life Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a small discount if you purchase life insurance.
  • College Student Discount – Any of your kids who are attending college without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.
  • Multi-car Discount – Drivers who insure multiple cars or trucks on one policy can get a discount for every vehicle.
  • Accident Forgiveness – This one is not really a discount per se, but companies like Liberty Mutual, Allstate and State Farm allow you one accident without the usual rate increase as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.

As a footnote on discounts, most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck. But all discounts should help lower your policy premiums.

To choose insurers with the best discounts, click here to view.

Lower your insurance costs

Lots of things are part of the equation when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving record, but others are more transparent like your vehicle usage or how financially stable you are.

The following are some of the most rate-impacting factors companies use to determine your prices.

  • Prices can change based on your address – Choosing to live in a small town has it’s advantages when insuring your vehicles. Residents of big cities regularly have more aggressive driving styles and longer commute times. Fewer drivers corresponds to lower accident rates and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
  • If you don’t need it don’t buy it – Insurance companies have many add-on coverages that can add up but may not be useful. Things like personal injury protection, towing coverage, and extra equipment coverage may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so eliminate them to save money.
  • Cautious drivers pay less – Your driving citation history impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Drivers with clean records pay less for auto insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Having just one ticket can increase rates twenty percent or more. Drivers who have careless citations like DUI or willful reckless driving may be required to submit a SR-22 form with their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • Poor credit history equals high prices – A driver’s credit rating is likely to be a major factor in determining what you pay. If your credit score leaves room for improvement, you may save money insuring your 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac by spending a little time repairing your credit. Insureds with good credit tend to be better risks to insure than drivers who have worse credit.
  • Lower rates with alarm systems – Purchasing a vehicle with advanced anti-theft systems can help lower your premiums. Anti-theft features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems help track and prevent your car from being stolen.
  • Save money with higher comp and collision deductibles – The deductibles you choose are how much you are required to spend if a covered claim is submitted. Physical damage protection, aka comp and collision, protects your car from damage. Some coverage claims are colliding with a stationary object, animal collisions, or theft of your vehicle. The higher the amount you have to pay, the lower your rates will be on Explorer Sport Trac insurance.

Tailor your insurance coverage to you

When it comes to choosing coverage, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.

Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
  • Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
  • Does my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac qualify for pleasure use?
  • What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
  • Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
  • What if I total my 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac and owe more than it’s worth?
  • Do I need replacement cost coverage?
  • Am I covered if I crash into my own garage door?
  • When would I need additional glass coverage?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

Why you might not save $489 a year

Car insurance providers like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. They all make the same claim of big savings if you change to them. How is it plausible that every one can say the same thing? This is the trick they use.

Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver they prefer to insure. One example of a driver they prefer should be between the ages of 30 and 50, owns their home, and drives less than 5,000 miles a year. Any customer who meets those qualifications will get very good premium rates and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who fall short of these stringent criteria will get higher rates and the prospect going elsewhere. The wording the ads use say “drivers that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” will save that much if they switch. That’s the way insurance companies can lure you into getting a quote. Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to get price quotes at each policy renewal. Because without a comparison, you cannot know with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.

Specific coverages for a Ford Explorer Sport Trac

Understanding the coverages of car insurance can help you determine which coverages you need for your vehicles. Car insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – This coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for things like fire damage, damage from getting keyed, rock chips in glass, vandalism and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.

Auto liability insurance – Liability insurance will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people in an accident. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000.

Liability coverage pays for claims such as structural damage, emergency aid, attorney fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – This coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Ford Explorer Sport Trac.

Since many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

Medical expense insurance – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for expenses such as nursing services, ambulance fees, hospital visits and rehabilitation expenses. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers all vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Collision coverages – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers claims such as colliding with another moving vehicle, sustaining damage from a pot hole, damaging your car on a curb and colliding with a tree. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. Another option is to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

A little work can save a LOT of money

When searching for affordable car insurance quotes, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed full coverage and learned later they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Lower-priced insurance can be purchased both online in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies do not offer rates over the internet and many times these small, regional companies prefer to sell through local independent agencies.

In this article, we covered many tips how you can get a better price on 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your car insurance rates. You may be surprised to find that the biggest savings come from the least-expected company.

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