2004 Toyota Prius Insurance Quotes – 5 Tips to Save

Searching for better insurance rates for your Toyota Prius? Locating better insurance prices for a Toyota Prius can be difficult, but you can learn the following methods to make it easier. There are more efficient ways to find insurance online so you’re going to learn the proper way to get price quotes on a Toyota and obtain the lowest price from both online companies and local agents.

Car Insurance Comparisons

Comparing car insurance rates can be a lot of work if you don’t know the fastest way to get free quotes. You can spend your afternoon discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in your area, or you can stay home and use online quoting to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

Many insurance companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and each 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’re overpaying now click to open in new window.

The single downside to pricing coverage this way is you cannot specify which insurance companies to get pricing from. So if you prefer to pick specific insurance companies to receive pricing from, we have assembled a list of low cost car insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just compare apples-to-apples coverage information for every company. If you enter unequal deductibles or liability limits you will not be able to determine the lowest rate for your Toyota Prius.

Discounts are basically free money

Car insurance companies don’t always list every discount very well, so we break down both the well known and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.

  • Anti-lock Brake System – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.
  • Drive Less and Save – Fewer annual miles on your Toyota can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
  • Multi-car Discount – Insuring more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Sign Early and Save – A few companies offer discounts for buying a policy before your current policy expires. It can save you around 10%.
  • College Student – Kids in college living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.

Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

Companies that may have some of the above discounts are:

Check with every prospective company how you can save money. Discounts may not apply in every state.

Which insurance is the “right” coverage?

When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s situation is a little different.

For example, these questions might point out if you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

  • Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
  • Do I pay less for low miles?
  • What vehicles should carry emergency assistance coverage?
  • Can my babysitter drive my car?
  • Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
  • Should I buy additional glass protection?
  • What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?

If you can’t answer these questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and you can get the answers you need.

Do drivers who switch really save $384 a year?

Consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for car insurance savings by companies like Allstate and Progressive. All the companies make an identical promise of big savings if you change to them.

How can each company make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that makes them money. For instance, a profitable customer could be between 30 and 50, has no tickets, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.

Consumers who are not a match for this ideal profile will be charged higher premiums which usually ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That is how insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. That is why you need to get as many comparisons as possible. It is impossible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest Toyota Prius insurance rates.

Educate yourself about insurance coverages

Learning about specific coverages of insurance can help you determine appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Medical expense insurance

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for short-term medical expenses for things like surgery, doctor visits, nursing services and chiropractic care. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Auto liability insurance

Liability coverage will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability coverage protects against things such as funeral expenses, court costs, loss of income, medical expenses and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but buy as high a limit as you can afford.

Coverage for collisions

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers things such as hitting a parking meter, rolling your car and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. You can also choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix 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 coverage pays for claims such as theft, hitting a bird and damage from getting keyed. The highest amount your insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

This coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.

Have the Midas touch

While you’re price shopping online, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage to discover at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your goal should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate.

We just covered some good ideas how to get a better price on 2004 Toyota Prius insurance. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even discover the biggest savings come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

Budget-conscious insurance can be bought both online and also from your neighborhood agents, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

More tips and info about car insurance can be found in the articles below: