Lower Your 2002 GMC Sonoma Insurance Cost

Want better car insurance rates for your GMC Sonoma? Having to pay for overpriced GMC Sonoma insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Doing a price comparison is a great way to make sure you’re not throwing money away. Insurance companies such as GEICO, 21st Century and Progressive all claim big savings with catchy ads and consumers find it hard to ignore the propoganda and take the time to shop coverage around.

Compare the Market for Auto Insurance

Lowering your 2002 GMC Sonoma auto insurance rates can be relatively painless. You just need to take time comparing rates online from several insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in several different ways.

  • The single most time-saving way to compare a lot of rates at once would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This type of form prevents you from having to do a different quote for every auto insurance company. In just a few minutes this one form will return quotes from several companies.
  • A harder way to compare rate quotes is to take the time to go to the website of each company to complete a price quote. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want rates from Farmers, Esurance and Allstate. To get rate quotes you would need to visit each site and enter your policy data, and that’s why the first method is more popular.

    For a list of links to insurance companies in your area, click here.

It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples coverage information on every quote you get. If the quotes have different liability limits it’s impossible to make an equal comparison.

Cut prices on 2002 GMC Sonoma insurance

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always publicize every discount in a way that’s easy to find, so here is a list both well-publicized and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving. If you aren’t receiving every discount available, you’re just leaving money on the table.

  • Government Employees – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off on Sonoma coverage with select insurance companies.
  • Early Switch Discount – Some companies give discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. It’s a savings of about 10%.
  • Accident Free – Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts as compared to frequent claim filers.
  • Accident Waiver – Some insurance companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to the accident.
  • Defensive Driver – Completing a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Drive Less and Save – Driving fewer miles could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
  • Memberships – Participating in a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings when shopping for auto insurance on Sonoma coverage.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn’t quite work that way.

Insurance companies that may have these money-saving discounts include:

Before buying, ask every prospective company how you can save money. Discounts might not apply in your area.

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to choosing coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help you determine whether or not you might need an agent’s assistance.

  • Do I have coverage when pulling a U-Haul trailer?
  • Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
  • How much liability coverage do I need in my state?
  • Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
  • Do I pay less for low miles?
  • Am I covered if hit by an uninsured driver?
  • Does my 2002 GMC Sonoma need full coverage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

Auto insurance policy coverages for a 2002 GMC Sonoma

Understanding the coverages of auto insurance aids in choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Auto insurance terms can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the normal coverages available from auto insurance companies.

Auto collision coverage

Collision coverage pays for damage to your Sonoma resulting from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for things such as hitting a mailbox, hitting a parking meter, sideswiping another vehicle and scraping a guard rail. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills for things like doctor visits, X-ray expenses and funeral costs. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like falling objects, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from a tornado or hurricane, theft and damage from flooding. The maximum payout a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your 2002 GMC Sonoma.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Coverage for liability

Liability insurance provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property in an accident. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.

Liability coverage protects against things such as medical expenses, attorney fees, court costs, loss of income and bail bonds. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford.