2014 Nissan Xterra Car Insurance Cost – 7 Policy Discounts

If price shopping car insurance online is new to you, it’s easy to be confused due to the large number of companies vying for business.

If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut costs considerably using this strategy. Shopping for affordable protection is quite easy. Although vehicle owners benefit from understanding the way insurance companies market insurance on the web and use this information to your advantage.

How to Get Insurance

Shopping for lower insurance rates can be exhausting if you don’t know the best way to get rate quotes. You can spend your afternoon talking about coverages with agents in your area, or you can utilize the web to maximize your effort.

Most major companies belong to a marketplace where prospective buyers submit one quote, and every company then returns a price quote. This eliminates the need for quotation requests for every insurance company.

To access this free quoting program, click here (opens in new window).

The only drawback to doing it this way is you are unable to specify which insurance companies you want pricing from. So if you prefer to choose specific insurance companies to compare, we have a listing of insurance companies in your area. View list of insurance companies.

Which method you use is up to you, but make absolute certain that you use exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you use different values for each quote it will be next to impossible to make a fair comparison for your Nissan Xterra. Quoting even small variations in limits may cause a big price difference. And when price shopping your coverage, obtaining a wide range of quotes will increase your chances of finding the best offered rates.

Do car insurance companies bend the truth?

Companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive regularly use television and radio advertisements. All the ads make the same claim of big savings if you move your policy. How can each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a preferred risk could possibly be over the age of 50, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A driver who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and most likely will save when switching.

Potential customers who fall outside this ideal profile will have to pay more money and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads state “people who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save money. This is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, you absolutely need to compare many company’s rates. Because you never know which company will fit your personal profile best.

Don’t miss these seven discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. A few discounts will automatically apply when you complete an application, but a few must be requested specifically prior to getting the savings.

  • Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents may save up to 50% more for Xterra coverage than less cautious drivers.
  • Save over 55 – Older drivers may qualify for a small decrease in premiums for Xterra coverage.
  • Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% for Xterra coverage with select insurance companies.
  • Driver Safety – Completing a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
  • Accident Waiver – A few companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to the accident.
  • Resident Student – Kids in college who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.
  • Sign Early and Save – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.

It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.

To see a list of providers who offer insurance coverage discounts, click here to view.

When might I need help?

When choosing the best insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a one size fits all plan. Each situation is unique.

These are some specific questions might point out if you may require specific advice.

  • Can I get a multi-policy discount?
  • Should I buy full coverage?
  • Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
  • Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
  • Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
  • Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
  • Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
  • Where can I get insurance after a DUI in my state?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form.

Specific coverage details

Having a good grasp of your car insurance policy can help you determine the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Car insurance terms can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Comprehensive insurance – This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as hitting a deer, fire damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from a tornado or hurricane and theft. The maximum payout a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.

Collision – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage pays for things like colliding with another moving vehicle, hitting a mailbox and colliding with a tree. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Another option is to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Liability – Liability coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have policy limits of 100/300/100 which means a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL 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 loss of income, medical expenses and medical services. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and damage to your 2014 Nissan Xterra.

Due to the fact that many drivers have only the minimum liability required by law, their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for bills such as surgery, nursing services and ambulance fees. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Be Smart and Buy Smart

In this article, we presented a lot of ways to shop for 2014 Nissan Xterra insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies.

Insureds change insurance companies for many reasons like policy non-renewal, policy cancellation, unfair underwriting practices or lack of trust in their agent. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new insurance company is not as hard as you think.

When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that they should have had better coverage. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.

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