2009 Toyota Prius Insurance Quotes – 8 Tips for Cheapest Rates

Paying for high-priced Toyota Prius insurance can overdraw your savings account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Shopping your coverage around is a great way to help make ends meet. Consumers have many insurance companies to buy insurance from, and though it is a good thing to have multiple companies, having more auto insurance companies makes it harder to get the best deal.

You should make it a habit to take a look at other company’s rates periodically because rates fluctuate regularly. Even if you think you had the best rates for Prius coverage on your last policy there is a good chance you can find better rates now. So just forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to learn one of the easiest ways to remove unneeded coverages and save money.

Pricing more affordable coverage is simple if you know the tricks. If you have insurance now or need a new policy, you can use these techniques to shop for the lowest rates and still get good coverage. Drivers just need to understand the proper methods to get comparison rates online.

Pay less for 2009 Toyota Prius insurance

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but you may find discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you get a quote, but some must be manually applied before you will receive the discount. If you don’t get every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.

  • Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy life insurance from them.
  • Early Signing – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
  • Anti-lock Brake System – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
  • Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home is proof that your finances are in order.
  • Auto/Home Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same insurance company you will save at least 10% off all policies.
  • New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car is cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
  • Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
  • Student in College – Youth drivers who are attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.

Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the cost of coverage.

A partial list of companies that may have these discounts include:

It’s a good idea to ask all companies you are considering which discounts you may be entitled to. All car insurance discounts might not be offered in your area.

The easiest way to compare car insurance company rates is to know the trick most of the larger companies pay for the opportunity to give free rates quotes. The only thing you need to do is provide a small amount of information such as how much education you have, coverage limits, your occupation, and whether the vehicles are used for commuting. Your details is submitted instantly to multiple car insurance providers and they return cost estimate within a short period of time.

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there really is no one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if you might need professional guidance.

  • Why do I need rental car insurance?
  • How can I find cheaper teen driver insurance?
  • Is my state a no-fault state?
  • Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
  • What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in my state?
  • Am I covered if I break a side mirror?

If you’re not sure about those questions, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

Drivers can’t ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all make an identical promise about savings if you move your policy.

How do they all say the same thing?

All the different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For instance, a desirable insured could be over the age of 40, has no driving citations, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters receives the best rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Drivers who fall outside the “perfect” profile will have to pay higher prices which leads to the customer not buying. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s the way companies can state the savings.

Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to quote coverage with many companies. Because you never know which company will provide you with the cheapest Toyota Prius insurance rates.

Auto insurance 101

Understanding the coverages of a auto insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Auto insurance terms can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Below you’ll find the normal coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Liability auto insurance

Liability coverage provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.

Liability can pay for things such as bail bonds, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and structural damage. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as large an amount as possible.

Medical expense insurance

Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for bills for things like funeral costs, pain medications and doctor visits. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

This gives you protection when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and damage to your 2009 Toyota Prius.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required, it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Frequently these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as damage from flooding, theft, falling objects, hail damage and vandalism. The maximum amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Collision coverage protection

Collision coverage covers damage to your Prius from colliding with an object or car. A deductible applies and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision insurance covers things such as hitting a parking meter, crashing into a ditch, scraping a guard rail and driving through your garage door. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Don’t break the bank

We just covered some good ideas how you can get a better price on 2009 Toyota Prius insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the lowest priced insurance coverage comes from the least-expected company. Smaller companies often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as GEICO and State Farm.

While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to regret at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

More information