Tired of being strong-armed to pay your car insurance bill each month? You are no different than the majority of other car owners. Because you have many insurance providers from which to choose, it can be challenging to pick the cheapest car insurance company.
It’s important to shop coverage around occasionally since insurance rates tend to go up over time. Just because you had the lowest price on V40 insurance two years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to find out how to use the internet to find great coverage at a great price.
Companies offer discounts so take them!
Auto insurance companies don’t list every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find some of the best known and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less when compared to frequent claim filers.
- Senior Discount – Older drivers may be able to get reduced rates on V40 insurance.
- Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have a break if you buy life insurance from them.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with one insurance company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
Consumers should know that some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don’t profit that way.
To see a list of insurance companies offering car insurance discounts, click here.
How to Compare Car Insurance Costs
Finding cheaper Volvo V40 car insurance prices can be quick and easy. All that’s required is to spend a few minutes on the computer comparing rates from different insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in several different ways.
- The recommended way to get the best comparison quotes is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This method saves time by eliminating boring form submissions to each individual car insurance company. One quote request will get you price quotes from many national carriers.
- A more difficult way to get quotes online is going to each company’s website and request a quote. For examples sake, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from State Farm, Farmers and GEICO. To find out each rate you need to go to every website to enter your coverage information, which is why most consumers use the first method.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in your area, click here.
- The most time-consuming method of comparing rate quotes is driving around to different agent offices. Buying insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you require the trained guidance that only a license agent can provide. You can, however, find lower rates online and still use a local agent and you’ll learn how to do that later.
However you get your quotes, compare apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for each comparison quote. If the quotes have mixed coverages it will be very difficult to make an equal comparison.
Why your Volvo V40 insurance rates may be high
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
- A clean driving record saves money – Even one citation may increase your cost forty percent or more. Drivers with clean records have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. If you have flagrant violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find they need to file a SR-22 with their state DMV in order to keep their license.
- Your job and insurance rates – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Occupations such as lawyers, social workers and financial analysts tend to pay higher average rates because of high stress and long work hours. Conversely, occupations like actors, engineers and performers have the lowest average rates on V40 insurance.
- Protect yourself with liability coverage – Your policy’s liability coverage is the coverage that protects you in the event that a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense starting from day one. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Insurance for personal injury protection, accidental death and motor club memberships are examples of these. These coverages may sound good initially, but if you don’t need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- Lower miles equals lower premium – The more you drive each year the higher your rates will be. Most companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles left parked in the garage can get a lower rate than those used for commuting. If your policy improperly rates your V40 can cost quite a bit. Make sure your car insurance policy is showing the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
- Bundling policies can get discounts – Some companies will award you with lower prices to policyholders who have multiple policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you still need to compare rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. Drivers may still find a better deal by buying car insurance from a different company.
- Increase deductibles and save – Coverage for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your Volvo from damage. A few examples of covered claims are running into the backend of another car, vandalism, or theft. Physical damage deductibles are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. The more money you have to pay, the bigger discount you will receive on V40 insurance.
- Is your vehicle built for speed? – The performance of the car you drive makes a big difference in the rate you pay. The most favorable rates are for lower performance four cylinder passenger vehicles, but other factors influence the final cost greatly. Because the Volvo V40 is considered a sedan, rates will be about the same as compared to the average rate.
Insurance agents can help
When choosing the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions can help discover if your insurance needs will benefit from professional help.
- Should I buy more coverage than the required minimum liability coverage?
- Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
- What are the financial responsibility laws in my state?
- At what point should I drop full coverage?
- Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in my state?
- Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
- Is my Volvo V40 covered for smoke damage?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, 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.
Your insurance agent down the street
Some people would prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that is a personal choice. Professional agents can help determine the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find lower rates but still work with a licensed agent.
After filling out this form (opens in new window), your information gets sent to local insurance agents who will return price quotes for your business. There is no need to visit any agencies due to the fact that quote results will go to your email. Now that’s easy!
Deciding on an insurance company requires more thought than just a low price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- How are they compensated?
- Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
- If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
Types of insurance agents
When looking for a reputable insurance agent or broker, you need to know there are two different agency structures that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both do a good job, but it’s good to learn the difference between them because it can impact your selection of an agent.
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive insurance agents are contracted to one company and some examples include AAA, Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual. These agents are unable to give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. Captive agents are well schooled on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents are not locked into one company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, your agent can switch companies and you won’t have to switch agencies. When shopping rates, we recommend you contact multiple independent agents for the best price selection.
To view a complete directory of car insurance agents, visit this page.
After getting positive feedback to these questions and an acceptable price quote, you have narrowed it down to an insurance agent that meets your needs to properly service your car insurance policy.
Online plus local equals savings
Discount Volvo V40 insurance is possible from both online companies and also from your neighborhood agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
In this article, we covered quite a bit of information on how to reduce Volvo V40 insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the most savings is with an unexpected company. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.