2002 Volvo V40 Insurance Cost

Are you overwhelmed by the crazy number of auto insurance options? You have a lot of company. Drivers have so many options that it can easily become a ton of work to find lower rates.

If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. This article will let you in on how to get online quotes and some money-saving tips. But vehicle owners can benefit from knowing how insurance companies compete online and take advantage of how the system works.

Finding Car Insurance

There are a variety of methods to shop for 2002 Volvo V40 car insurance, but there is one way that is more efficient than others. You can waste hours talking to local insurance agents in your area, or you could save time and use online quotes to get prices fast.

Most of the larger companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to send in one quote, and at least one company returns a competitive quote determined by their information. This prevents consumers from doing quote forms to each company.

To find out how much you can save on car insurance click to open in new window.

The only downside to getting quotes like this is that you can’t choose which companies to receive prices from. If you wish to select from a list of companies to compare, we have assembled a list of car insurance companies in your area. Click here for list of insurance companies.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just double check that you are using the exact same information for every company. If your comparisons have higher or lower deductibles it will be very difficult to determine the best price for your Volvo V40. Quoting even small variations in coverages may result in a large different in cost. And when quoting car insurance, remember that obtaining a wide range of quotes gives you a better chance of getting the best offered rates.

Parts of the Volvo V40 rate equation

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that help determine the rates you pay for insurance. Understanding what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to big savings.

The following are a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine prices.

  • Being married can save on insurance – Being married can get you a discount on your policy. Marriage translates into being more mature than a single person and it’s proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Poor credit can mean higher rates – Your credit score is a big factor in calculating your insurance rates. So if your credit is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your 2002 Volvo V40 by improving your rating. People with good credit tend to be more responsible than those with poor credit.
  • Save money with special equipment – Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.
  • How’s your driving record? – Careful drivers receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Only having one citation can boost insurance rates by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who get flagrant violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) to the state department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.
  • How your age affects price – More mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel. Teenage drivers are statistically proven to be more careless when driving therefore insurance rates are much higher.
  • Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are many extra bells and whistles you can purchase when buying insurance. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, better glass coverage and membership fees are some examples. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but your needs may have changed so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
  • Sex matters – Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, don’t assume that women are better drivers. Men and women have accidents in similar percentages, but men cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving.

Lower rates by qualifying for discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts to help offset the cost. Some discounts apply automatically when you quote, but some must be asked for before you will receive the discount.

  • Senior Citizens – Older drivers may be able to get better insurance rates on V40 insurance.
  • Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
  • No Accidents – Claim-free drivers can save substantially when compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Defensive Driving Course – Taking a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
  • Good Student – Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
  • Discount for Swiching Early – Some companies give discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
  • Air Bag Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of more than 20%.
  • One Accident Forgiven – A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
  • Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
  • Auto/Home Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company you will save 10% to 20% off each policy.

It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So when it seems like you could get a free insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will cut your premiums.

A partial list of companies who might offer some of the above discounts may include but are not limited to:

Double check with each insurance company how you can save money. All car insurance discounts might not apply in every state.

Car insurance is unique, just like you

When it comes to buying coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Every situation is different.

These are some specific questions may help highlight whether you might need professional guidance.

  • Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
  • Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
  • Can my teen drive my company car?
  • Are my friends covered when driving my 2002 Volvo V40?
  • Is other people’s property covered if stolen from my vehicle?
  • Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
  • Will my insurance pay for OEM parts?
  • When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
  • What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form.

Auto insurance coverages 101

Understanding the coverages of your auto insurance policy can help you determine the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like a broken windshield, vandalism and damage from flooding. The maximum payout your auto insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for bills for nursing services, prosthetic devices and X-ray expenses. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Auto liability

Liability coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property in an accident. This coverage protects you against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage pays for claims such as repair costs for stationary objects, court costs, loss of income and funeral expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford.

Collision coverage

This pays for damage to your V40 resulting from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage pays for things such as crashing into a ditch, colliding with a tree, backing into a parked car, rolling your car 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. Another option is to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Volvo V40.

Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Normally the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Online plus local equals savings

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of tips how to shop for 2002 Volvo V40 insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even find the most savings is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

Lower-priced insurance can be purchased on the web in addition to many insurance agents, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Drivers switch companies for a number of reasons such as delays in responding to claim requests, extreme rates for teen drivers, poor customer service and even questionable increases in premium. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a great new company can be less work than you think.

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