How to Save on Ford Focus Insurance in Omaha

Unbelievable but true according to a study most insurance buyers have purchased from the same company for a minimum of four years, and about 40% of consumers have never even compared rates from other companies. Nebraska consumers could cut their rates by as much as 30% a year, but they just assume it’s a time-consuming process to find lower-cost insurance by shopping around.

Really, the only way to get low-cost Ford Focus insurance in Omaha is to start doing an annual price comparison from companies who provide car insurance in Nebraska.

1. Try to comprehend how insurance companies determine prices and the changes you can make to drop your rates. Many factors that cause high rates like multiple speeding tickets and a less-than-favorable credit score can be controlled by being financially responsible and driving safely. Read the full article for more ideas to help keep rates affordable and get discounts that may be available to you.
2. Request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only give prices from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can quote rates for a wide range of companies.
3. Compare the new rate quotes to your current policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you find better rates, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
4. Tell your current company to cancel your current auto insurance policy. Submit the completed application along with a down payment to the new insurer. Be sure to place your new proof of insurance certificate in your vehicle’s glove compartment or console.

The key thing to know about shopping around is to make sure you enter the same deductibles and limits on every quote and and to compare every company you can. Doing this helps ensure an apples-to-apples comparison and a thorough selection of prices.

If you have insurance now or just want to reduce your rates, follow these tips to find better prices without reducing coverage. This information will help you learn how car insurance quotes work. Smart shoppers just need to learn the quickest method to compare company rates online from multiple companies.

Rates and statistics

The coverage table shown below covers a range of insurance premium costs for Ford Focus models. Learning more about how rate quotes are figured can be useful when making smart choices when purchasing an auto insurance policy.

Data based on married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Nebraska minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, homeowner, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Table data does not factor in Omaha location which can lower or raise premium rates noticeably.

How high should deductibles be?

One of the most common car insurance questions is how high or low should comp and collision deductibles be. The tables below highlight the rate fluctuation when you choose different coverage deductibles. The first set of rates uses a $100 comprehensive and collision deductible and the second set of rates uses a $500 deductible.

Data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Nebraska minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, and safe-driver. Premium amounts do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can raise or lower premium rates noticeably.

Based on this data, we can arrive at the conclusion that using a $100 deductible costs approximately $22 more each month or $264 a year than requesting the higher $500 deductible. Since you would pay $400 more to settle a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you usually have at least 18 months between claims, you would come out ahead by selecting a higher deductible. The table below illustrates the way this decision is made.

Car insurance premiums by gender

The illustration below illustrates the difference between Ford Focus yearly insurance costs for male and female drivers. The premiums are based on no accidents or driving violations, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

Full coverage rates compared to liability-only

The chart below shows the difference between Ford Focus premium costs when comparing full coverage to state minimum liability only. Data assumes a clean driving record, no claims, $1,000 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied.

When to drop comprehensive and collision

There is no exact rule to exclude comp and collision coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then it might be time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s say your Ford Focus replacement value is $5,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most your company would pay you is $4,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If premium cost is more than $400 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

There are a few situations where eliminating full coverage is not a good idea. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you are required to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should keep full coverage in place.

Get cheaper rates by taking advantage of these seven discounts

Companies don’t list all possible discounts very well, so the list below contains some of the best known in addition to some of the lesser obvious discounts that you may qualify for.

• Onboard Data Collection – People who choose to allow their auto insurance company to study driving patterns by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as In-Drive from State Farm or Allstate’s Drivewise system might see lower rates if their driving habits are good.
• Discounts for New Vehicles – Buying insurance on a new vehicle can save you some money since newer models are generally safer.
• Defensive Driver – Passing a course teaching driver safety skills is a good idea and can lower rates and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Discount for Good Grades – This discount may save you up to 25%. Most companies allow this discount well after school through age 25.
• Auto/Home Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles and insure them with the same company you could earn a discount of nearly 15% which can help you find cheaper Focus insurance.
• Active Military Service – Being on active duty in the military can result in better auto insurance rates.
• Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for primary and secondary vehicles with the same auto insurance company can get a discount on all vehicles.

Policy discounts save money, but most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Even though it appears it’s possible to get free car insurance, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

The information below visualizes the comparison of Ford Focus auto insurance costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The rates are based on a male driver, no claims or driving violations, Nebraska state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, homeowner, multi-policy, safe-driver, marriage, and claim-free discounts applied.

A list of companies and some of the discounts include:

• AAA policyholders can earn discounts including multi-policy, education and occupation, multi-car, pay-in-full, good student, good driver, and anti-theft.
• Progressive may include discounts for multi-policy, good student, multi-vehicle, homeowner, online quote discount, continuous coverage, and online signing.
• State Farm has discounts for accident-free, driver’s education, good student, anti-theft, multiple autos, and defensive driving training.
• Esurance offers discounts including anti-theft, DriveSense, online shopper, good driver, online quote, Pac-12 alumni, and renters.
• Nationwide includes discounts for easy pay, multi-policy, Farm Bureau membership, family plan, accident-free, and anti-theft.

When getting a coverage quote, ask all the companies which credits you are entitled to. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be offered on policies everywhere.

Car insurance coverage breakdown

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage pays for things such as scraping a guard rail, damaging your car on a curb, colliding with a tree and hitting a mailbox. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible on your Focus to save money on collision insurance.

Medical expense coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills for hospital visits, chiropractic care, X-ray expenses and ambulance fees. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers you and your occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive protection – This pays to fix your vehicle from 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 such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, fire damage and a broken windshield. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

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

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see limits of 25/50/25 which means $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Alternatively, you may have one number which is a combined single limit which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability can pay for claims such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, funeral expenses and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Nebraska state law requires minimum liability limits of 25/50/25 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.

The chart below demonstrates why low liability limits may not be enough coverage.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage – This protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your Ford Focus.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (Nebraska limits are 25/50/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Compare but don’t skimp

Consumers change insurance companies for any number of reasons including high prices, extreme rates for teen drivers, poor customer service and even unfair underwriting practices. Regardless of your reason, finding a new company is not as hard as you think.

As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are a lot of situations where an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later that it was a big mistake. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

The cheapest Ford Focus insurance in Omaha is definitely available both online as well as from insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies do not offer the ability to get quotes online and many times these small, regional companies only sell coverage through independent insurance agencies.

Additional detailed information is located by following these links:

• What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Institute)
• How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for State Employees in Omaha? (FAQ)
• Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Car Insurance FAQ (Trusted Choice)