Mercedes-Benz C280 Insurance – 9 Tips to Better Rates

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced car insurance? Trust us when we tell you many consumers are feeling buyer’s remorse and feel like there’s no way out. Big-name insurance companies like State Farm, GEICO and Farmers Insurance continually bombard you with ads and consumers find it hard to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

If you have insurance now or are just looking to switch companies, you can follow these tips to shop for the lowest rates and possibly find even better coverage. Finding affordable coverage is quite easy. Consumers only need to know the best way to buy car insurance online.

Cut your premium with these nine discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, buy you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some discounts apply automatically when you complete an application, but a few must be inquired about prior to getting the savings. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.

• Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may reduce your total bill.
• Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
• Driver Safety – Successfully completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Claim Free – Claim-free drivers can save substantially compared to bad drivers.
• Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
• Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy online.
• Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Driving fewer miles can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
• Lower Rates for Military – Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
• New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can save up to 30% compared to insuring an older model.

Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down the cost of coverage.

For a list of companies with discount car insurance rates, click this link.

How to Get Car Insurance Comparison Quotes

There are several ways to compare car insurance prices but some are more efficient than others. You could spend the better part of a day discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you could save time and use the internet to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

Many companies enroll in a system that allows shoppers to send in one quote, and every company returns a competitive quote based on that information. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to every company.

To get comparison pricing now click to open in new window.

One minor caviat to comparing rates this way is that consumers can’t choose which providers to get pricing from. If you prefer to choose from a list of companies to compare prices, we have a listing of companies who write car insurance in your area. View list of insurance companies.

Which method you use is up to you, but be sure to compare apples-to-apples quote information on every quote you get. If you compare mixed coverages it will be impossible to truly determine the lowest rate.

What is the best insurance coverage?

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Every situation is different so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions might help in determining if your situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• How many claims can I have before being cancelled?
• Should I buy more coverage than the required minimum liability coverage?
• Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
• Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?
• Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
• Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to an agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.

Save $492 a year. For real?

Drivers can’t get away from ads that promise big savings by State Farm and Allstate. All the ads make an identical promise that you’ll save big if you switch to their company.

But how can every company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.

Insurance companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For example, a preferred risk could be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Potential customers who do not match the requirements will have to pay more money which leads to business not being written. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. This is how companies can advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, you need to compare many company’s rates. You cannot predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Car insurance coverage basics

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Below you’ll find typical coverages offered by car insurance companies.

Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against things like hitting a parking meter, hitting a mailbox, rolling your car and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like rock chips in glass, falling objects and vandalism. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Liability – This coverage will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people by causing an accident. It protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see values of 50/100/50 which stand for a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have one number which is a combined single limit which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage pays for things such as medical expenses, attorney fees and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but buy higher limits if possible.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Mercedes-Benz C280.

Since many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Insurance for medical payments – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for bills like nursing services, chiropractic care, EMT expenses and funeral costs. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover you and your occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal

We’ve covered a lot of ways to lower your Mercedes-Benz C280 insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the best prices are with some of the smallest insurance companies. They may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.

Low-cost Mercedes-Benz C280 insurance is possible from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies may not provide online price quotes and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.