Auto Insurance Quotes for a Ford Explorer Sport Trac in Madison

The best way to quote cheaper Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance is to make a habit of regularly comparing prices from providers in Madison. Rate comparisons can be done by following these guidelines.

Step 1: Take a few minutes and learn about car insurance and the changes you can make to prevent rate increases. Many rating criteria that cause rate increases like speeding and an unacceptable credit score can be controlled by being financially responsible and driving safely.

Step 2: Compare rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from a single company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while independent agents can give you price quotes from multiple companies.

Step 3: Compare the new rates to your existing policy to see if a cheaper rate is available. If you find a lower rate quote and decide to switch, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.

Step 4: Tell your current agent or company to cancel your current car insurance policy and submit a down payment and signed policy application for your new policy. Immediately put the certificate verifying coverage in an easily accessible location in your vehicle.

A tip to remember is to make sure you’re comparing the same deductibles and limits on each quote and to quote with as many companies as possible. Doing this enables a fair price comparison and plenty of rates choose from.

It’s a known fact that insurance companies don’t want you comparing rates. Consumers who shop around annually will most likely switch companies because the odds are good of finding better rates. A survey found that consumers who shopped around annually saved approximately $850 each year compared to policyholders who never shopped around for better prices.

If finding the cheapest rates on auto insurance in Madison is the reason you’re reading this, knowing the best way to shop and compare coverages can help you succeed in finding affordable rates.

If you have car insurance now, you will definitely be able to get lower rates using these methods. Finding the cheapest coverage in Madison is actually not that difficult if you follow our advice. Although Wisconsin drivers benefit from understanding how the larger insurance companies sell insurance online.

How do Insurers Determine Ford Explorer Sport Trac Insurance Rates?

Many things are taken into consideration when quoting car insurance. Some factors are common sense like an MVR report, although others are not quite as obvious like your continuous coverage or how financially stable you are.

Marriage pays dividends – Your spouse helps lower the price on your policy. It usually means you are more responsible and statistics prove married drivers tend to file fewer claims.

Frequent claims will cost you – If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you shouldn’t be surprised to get higher premiums or even policy non-renewal. Insurance companies in Wisconsin give lower rates to policyholders that do not abuse their auto insurance. Your car insurance is designed for claims that you cannot pay yourself.

Where you reside can influence costs – Having an address in areas with lower population is a good thing when insuring your vehicles. Less people means less chance of accidents in addition to fewer liability claims. Urban drivers have to deal with more auto accidents and a longer drive to work. More time behind the wheel translates into higher accident risk.

Gender and auto insurance rates – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. This data doesn’t prove that men are worse drivers. Women and men get in auto accidents in similar numbers, but guys get into accidents with more damage. Men also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving. Male teenagers are several times more likely to be in an accident so it costs more to insure them.

The example below shows the comparison of Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance premiums for male and female drivers. The data assumes no tickets, no at-fault accidents, full coverage, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

Lower premiums for vehicles with better crash test results – Vehicles with good safety scores cost less to insure. Vehicles built for safety result in less severe injuries and fewer injuries means less claims paid and cheaper rates on your policy. If your Ford Explorer Sport Trac is rated at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you are probably receiving a discount.

Rates and statistics

The data table shown below showcases different coverage costs for Ford Explorer Sport Trac models. Learning a little about how rate quotes are calculated can help drivers make smart policy decisions.

Prices above based on married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Wisconsin minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, safe-driver, and claim-free. Estimates do not factor in vehicle location which can lower or raise insurance rates substantially.

Where to set your deductibles

When comparing insurance rates, the most common question is where should you set your physical damage deductibles. The comparisons below may help you to understand the differences in price when you buy lower versus higher deductibles. The first data set uses a $100 physical damage coverage deductible and the second pricing table uses a $1,000 deductible.

Data rating is based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Wisconsin minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, and homeowner. Price estimates do not factor in specific Madison garaging location which can impact auto insurance rates greatly.

Based on the figures above, using a $100 deductible will cost you approximately $23 more each month or $276 a year across all Ford Explorer Sport Trac models than selecting the higher $1,000 deductible. Since the policyholder would be required to pay $900 more out-of-pocket with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you average at a minimum 39 months between claims, you would more than likely save some money going with the higher deductible.

One thing to be aware of is that higher deductibles means you will have to pay more when you have a physical damage claim. That will force you to have enough disposable income in the event you need to pay more to get your vehicle repaired.

The example below highlights how deductible choice and can increase or decrease Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance costs for different age groups. The data is based on a single male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.

Ford Explorer Sport Trac full coverage rates compared to liability only

The diagram below illustrates the comparison of Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance prices when comparing full coverage to state minimum liability only. The rate quotes are based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied.

Guidelines for dropping full coverage

There isn’t a written rule to exclude physical damage insurance, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of having full coverage is about 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.

For example, let’s say your Ford Explorer Sport Trac replacement value is $5,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, you would only receive $4,000 after paying your deductible. If you are currently paying more than $400 a year for full coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

There are some situations where only buying liability is not in your best interest. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you have to maintain full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not eliminate full coverage.

Auto insurance discounts are available for cheaper rates

Auto insurance is neither fun to buy or cheap, but you may be missing some discounts that can help lower your rates. Certain credits will be shown at quote time, but less common discounts must be requested specifically before you get the savings.

• Resident Student – Children who live away from home at college and do not have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
• Claim-Free Discount – Drivers with accident-free driving histories have much lower rates as compared to drivers with a long claim history.
• Military Discounts – Having an actively deployed family member may lower your premium rates slightly.
• Buy New and Save – Buying a new car model can get you a discount since new model year vehicles have better safety ratings.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child enroll in driver’s education if it’s offered in school.
• One Accident Forgiven – This isn’t a discount exactly, but companies like GEICO and Liberty Mutual allow you one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
• Multiple Policy Discount – When you combine your auto and home insurance and insure them with the same company they may give you a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
• Low Miles Discount – Driving less may allow you to get cheaper auto insurance rates.
• Discounts for Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.

A little disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.

The example below shows the difference between Ford Explorer Sport Trac yearly insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The information is based on a male driver, no claims, a clean driving record, Wisconsin state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, and marriage discounts applied.

A few popular companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are detailed below.

• GEICO discounts include air bags, emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, and defensive driver.
• Travelers may include discounts for student away at school, new car, multi-policy, save driver, and IntelliDrive.
• Nationwide offers premium reductions for good student, easy pay, family plan, multi-policy, and anti-theft.
• Farmers Insurance offers discounts for early shopping, pay in full, electronic funds transfer, youthful driver, business and professional, good student, and distant student.
• Esurance has savings for renters, homeowner, Switch & Save, online shopper, online quote, Pac-12 alumni, and paid-in-full.
• State Farm may have discounts that include good driver, safe vehicle, anti-theft, multiple policy, and driver’s education.
• Progressive may offer discounts for multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, online signing, good student, continuous coverage, and online quote discount.
• Mercury Insurance has discounts for good student, accident-free, multi-car, ease of repair, location of vehicle, and anti-theft.

When quoting, ask each insurance company how many discounts you can get. Some discounts listed above might not be offered in Madison. To choose insurance companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Madison, click here.

In Summary

When shopping online for insurance, it’s not a good idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. Too many times, consumers will sacrifice full coverage and learned later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The aim is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

You just learned a lot of techniques to compare Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance car insurance rates in Madison. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest car insurance rates come from a small mutual company. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

More detailed insurance information can be found in these articles:

• Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)
• How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for Teenagers in Madison? (FAQ)
• Auto Insurance 101 (About.com)
• Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)
• Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)