Cheaper 2008 MINI Cooper Insurance Quotes

Want the cheapest insurance rates for your MINI Cooper? Cutting costs on Driversinsurance may be hard for drivers who are new to online comparison shopping. With dozens of insurers available, it can easily become hard work to compare prices.

It’s smart to take a look at other company’s rates yearly because rates change regularly. Just because you had the best rate for Cooper insurance six months ago there is a good chance you can find better prices now. Forget all the misinformation about insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the best methods to save money, get proper deductibles and limits, all at the lowest rate.

How to compare insurance rate quotes

All major insurance companies such as State Farm, Geico and Progressive give price estimates on their websites. The process is quite easy as you just enter the coverages you want into the form. When the form is submitted, the company’s rating system pulls your driving and credit reports and returns a price based on these and other factors.

Online quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but the process of having to visit many different websites and type in the same information gets old quite quickly. But it’s very important to perform this step if you are searching for better insurance pricing.

There is a better way!

A more efficient way to find better insurance pricing requires only one form that obtains quotes from a lot of companies. The form is fast, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes price shopping online much easier to do. Immediately after submitting the form, it gets priced and you can choose any one of the returned quotes.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. It only takes a few minutes and could lower your rates considerably.

To quickly find out how much you’re overpaying now, simply click here to open in new window and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you enter deductibles and limits as shown on your current policy. This helps ensure you will receive rate comparison quotes for similar coverage.

Do drivers who switch really save $419 a year?

Big name companies like State Farm, Geico and Progressive consistently run television, radio, and online ads. They all advertise the message that drivers will save a bundle just by switching your policy. How do they all cost less than your current company?

Car insurance companies have an ideal profile for a prospective insured that earns them the highest profit. One example of a profitable risk profile might be described as between the ages of 30 and 50, carries full coverage, and does not commute to work. Any person who matches those parameters receive the lowest rate quotes and will also cut their rates if they switch.

Potential customers who don’t qualify for this stringent profile will be quoted higher premium rates and this results in the customer not purchasing. If you pay attention, the ads say “drivers who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” will save that much if they switch. That’s why companies can truthfully make those claims.

This really emphasizes why you absolutely need to compare quotes as often as possible. Because without a comparison, you cannot know with any certainty which company will be your best fit.

Four tips to get cheap insurance premiums

Many factors are used when you get your auto insurance bill. Some are obvious like an MVR report, although some other factors are more obscure like where you live and annual miles driven.

• Poor driving habits means higher costs – How you drive has a huge affect on how much you pay. Drivers with clean records get better prices compared to bad drivers. Even one speeding ticket or other violation can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who have gotten multiple citations like DUI or reckless driving are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state DMV in order to drive a vehicle legally.
• Rate your vehicle for proper use – The more miles you rack up on your MINI in a year’s time the higher your rates will be. A lot of companies calculate rates determined by how the vehicle is used. Autos not used for work or commuting receive lower rates than those used for commuting. A policy that improperly rates your Cooper can cost quite a bit. Make sure your car insurance policy reflects the correct usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
• Little extras can really add up – There are a lot of additional coverages that may not really be needed when buying car insurance. Coverages like coverage for rental cars, better glass coverage, and term life insurance are examples of these. You may think they are a good idea when talking to your agent, but if you’ve never needed them in the past think about removing them and cutting costs.
• Higher prices for specific employers – Did you know your career choice can influence rates? Occupational choices like lawyers, executives and emergency personnel tend to pay higher rates than average attributed to high stress levels and extremely grueling work hours. On the other hand, jobs like scientists, students and homemakers pay the least for Cooper insurance.

More discounts mean cheap premiums

Buying insurance coverage is not cheap, but there could be available discounts that could help you make your next renewal payment. Some discounts apply automatically at quote time, but a few must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you could be paying more than you need to.

• Good Driver Discounts – Insureds without accidents can save as much as half off their rates for Cooper insurance than drivers with accidents.
• Membership in Organizations – Having an affiliation with specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations may earn a discount when getting a insurance quote.
• Onboard Data Collection – People who choose to allow data collection to study driving patterns by using a telematics device in their vehicle such as Progressive’s Snapshot and State Farm’s In-Drive could save a few bucks if they have good driving habits.
• Military Rewards – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
• Save over 55 – Mature drivers may receive lower premium rates for Cooper insurance.
• Drivers Ed for Students – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers enroll in driver’s education as it can save substantially.
• Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one isn’t a discount, but some insurance companies will turn a blind eye to one accident before they charge you more for coverage if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
• Defensive Driver – Successfully completing a class that teaches safe driver techniques is a good idea and can lower rates and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• ABS Braking Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are much safer to drive and the ABS can save up to 10%.

Discounts save money, but please remember that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. If you do the math and it seems like you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

Popular insurance coverage companies and some of their more popular discounts include:

• Geico offers premium reductions for defensive driver, air bags, five-year accident-free, driver training, anti-theft, and good student.
• Travelers offers discounts for home ownership, early quote, student away at school, driver training, multi-policy, and good student.
• Farm Bureau may have discounts that include renewal discount, 55 and retired, driver training, youthful driver, safe driver, and multi-policy.
• Liberty Mutual includes discounts for teen driver discount, multi-car, preferred payment discount, hybrid vehicle, and new vehicle discount.
• American Family may offer discounts for multi-vehicle, good driver, accident-free, Steer into Savings, mySafetyValet, TimeAway discount, and defensive driver.
• Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including multi-vehicle, good student, homeowner, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and multi-policy.

If you need inexpensive insurance quotes, ask every prospective company the best way to save money. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not apply to policies everywhere. To see insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts, follow this link.

It’s not one size fits all

When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no best way to insure your cars. Each situation is unique.

For example, these questions may help highlight whether you could use an agent’s help.

• What is PIP insurance?
• Do I need replacement cost coverage?
• When should I buy a commercial auto policy?
• Should I buy more coverage than the required minimum liability coverage?
• Is my state a no-fault state?
• Am I covered if my car is in a flood?

If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form.

Insurance coverage breakdown

Learning about specific coverages of a insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Liability insurance

Liability coverage can cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Liability coverage has three limits: 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 that translate to $50,000 in coverage for each person’s 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 limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability coverage protects against claims like medical services, bail bonds, attorney fees, legal defense fees and loss of income. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but buy higher limits if possible.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits, their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Collision insurance

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage pays for claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, backing into a parked car and driving through your garage door. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Another option is to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for surgery, chiropractic care, prosthetic devices and EMT expenses. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Comprehensive auto coverage

Comprehensive insurance pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims like fire damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and a broken windshield. The most a 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.

At the end of the day…

Drivers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as policy cancellation, delays in responding to claim requests, delays in paying claims or unfair underwriting practices. Regardless of your reason, switching auto insurance companies can be easy and end up saving you some money.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits only to regret at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.

Low-cost 2008 MINI Cooper insurance can be purchased online and from local agencies, so you should compare both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies may not offer the ability to get a quote online and these smaller providers only sell coverage through independent agents.

Even more information can be read by following these links:

• Event Data Recorders FAQ (iihs.org)
• Avoiding Deer Collisions (Insurance Information Insitute)
• Determing Auto Insurance Rates (Geico)
• Prepare your Teens for Safe Driving (InsureUonline.org)
• Frontal Crash Tests (iihs.org)