Has it been over a year since you last compared quotes for more competitive insurance rates in Pittsburgh, PA? Pittsburgh drivers have many options when trying to find the lowest priced Fiat 500 insurance. You can either spend your time struggling with agents trying to get quotes or utilize the internet to compare rates. There is a better way to compare insurance rates and you need to know the best way to compare rates on a Fiat and obtain the lowest possible price from Pittsburgh insurance agents and online providers.
Locating the most cost-effective auto insurance policy in Pittsburgh can initially seem challenging. If you’re already insured, you will surely be able to shop for the lowest rates using the concepts covered in this article. Shoppers just need to know the tricks to buy auto insurance online.
Earn discounts on Pittsburgh car insurance
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. A few discounts will automatically apply when you get a quote, but some must be asked for prior to getting the savings. If you do not check that you are getting every discount available, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Active Military Service – Being deployed in the military could mean lower premium rates.
- Employee of Federal Government – Federal government employees can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
- Resident Student – College-age children who attend college more than 100 miles from Pittsburgh and leave their car at home could get you a discount.
- Theft Deterrent Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-theft systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Memberships – Having an affiliation with specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
- First Accident Forgiveness – Not necessarily a discount, but some companies like Allstate and Progressive will forgive one accident before your rates go up if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
- Telematics Data Discounts – Insureds who allow their car insurance company to scrutinize their driving habits by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as Snapshot from Progressive or Drivewise from Allstate may get a rate reduction if they are good drivers.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Successfully completing a safe driver course could earn you a small percentage discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
Discounts save money, but please remember that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Despite the appearance that it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A few popular companies and their possible discounts can be found below.
- State Farm has discounts for Drive Safe & Save, driver’s education, good driver, multiple policy, anti-theft, and safe vehicle.
- GEICO discounts include daytime running lights, federal employee, defensive driver, anti-lock brakes, and emergency military deployment.
- Allstate offers discounts for economy car, premier discount, FullPay discount, new car, auto/life discount, farm vehicle, and anti-lock brakes.
- SAFECO may have discounts that include teen safe driver, anti-theft, homeowner, safe driver, multi-car, and bundle discounts.
- Farm Bureau may offer discounts for 55 and retired, good student, multi-policy, driver training, and youthful driver.
- Progressive has savings for multi-vehicle, homeowner, online quote discount, multi-policy, continuous coverage, online signing, and good student.
- AAA includes discounts for multi-car, pay-in-full, education and occupation, good driver, good student, anti-theft, and AAA membership discount.
Double check with all the companies the best way to save money. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be offered in Pittsburgh. To find car insurance companies offering car insurance discounts in Pittsburgh, click here to view.
What car insurance coverages do you need?
Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Comprehensive coverage – Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things like hitting a deer, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from getting keyed and hitting a bird. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Fiat 500.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (Pennsylvania limits are 15/30/5), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Medical payments coverage and PIP – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for expenses for funeral costs, surgery, doctor visits, nursing services and chiropractic care. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
Collision – This will pay to fix damage to your 500 resulting from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision insurance covers things like colliding with a tree, backing into a parked car and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible on your 500 in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Liability coverages – This coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to people or other property that is your fault. It protects you from legal claims by others. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show limits of 15/30/5 which stand for a limit of $15,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and a total limit of $5,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage protects against things such as medical services, court costs, medical expenses and structural damage. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. Pennsylvania state minimum liability requirements are 15/30/5 but you should consider buying higher limits.
The illustration below shows why buying minimum limits may not be high enough to cover claims.
Find cheaper rates by being thorough
We’ve covered some good ideas how you can get a better price on Fiat 500 insurance in Pittsburgh. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. Consumers may even find the lowest car insurance rates come from a small mutual company.
As you restructure your insurance plan, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
Consumers leave their current company for a number of reasons such as questionable increases in premium, extreme rates for teen drivers, delays in responding to claim requests and delays in paying claims. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new company can be less work than you think.
Steps to buying cheaper Fiat 500 insurance in Pittsburgh
The easiest way to get cheaper auto insurance rates is to compare prices annually from companies who provide car insurance in Pittsburgh.
- First, take a few minutes and learn about policy coverages and the changes you can make to prevent rate increases. Many rating factors that drive up the price such as getting speeding tickets and a negative credit score can be remedied by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.
- Second, obtain price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can provide rates from a single company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agents can give you price quotes from many different companies.
- Third, compare the price quotes to your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find better rates and switch companies, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Fourth, tell your current agent or company to cancel your current coverage and submit a down payment along with a signed application to the new insurer. When you receive it, safely store the certificate of insurance in a readily accessible location in your vehicle.
An important bit of advice to remember is that you use identical coverages on each quote request and and to get rate quotes from as many different insurance providers as possible. This guarantees a level playing field and plenty of rates choose from.
Helpful articles
- Car Insurance for Teen Drivers with Divorced Parents (Allstate)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Inexperienced Drivers in Pittsburgh? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for Drivers Under 21 in Pittsburgh? (FAQ)
- Help Your Teen Be a Better Driver (State Farm)
- Where can I buy Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)