Having to pay for pricey insurance in Madison can sap your checking account and force you to tighten up your finances. Comparison shopping is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to cut your insurance bill.
Unimaginable but true, the vast majority of consumers have remained with the same insurance company for over three years, and just short of a majority have never even compared quotes to find cheaper rates. With the average insurance premium being $1,343, Wisconsin drivers could pocket nearly 30% a year just by getting comparison quotes, but they won’t spend time to go online and compare rates.
How to find affordable Ford Freestyle insurance in Madison
Truthfully, the best way to find low-cost car insurance rates is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from companies that insure vehicles in Madison.
- Read about what is in your policy and the measures you can take to prevent rate increases. Many rating criteria that cause high rates such as your driving record and an unfavorable credit rating can be rectified by making lifestyle changes or driving safer.
- Compare price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide rate quotes for a wide range of insurance providers. Start a quote
- Compare the quotes to your current policy premium to see if cheaper Freestyle coverage is available. If you can save some money and make a switch, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.
- Tell your current company of your decision to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit payment and a completed application to your new agent or company. Once received, keep your new proof of insurance paperwork along with your vehicle registration.
One important bit of advice is that you use similar limits and deductibles on every quote request and to quote with as many different insurance providers as possible. This provides the most accurate price comparison and a good representation of prices.
Insurance companies such as Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm continually bombard you with TV and radio ads and it is difficult to see past the geckos and flying pigs and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
The providers in the list below provide comparison quotes in Wisconsin. To get cheap auto insurance in Madison, it’s highly recommended you compare several of them to find the most affordable car insurance rates.
Why you need insurance for your Freestyle
Despite the high insurance cost for a Ford Freestyle in Madison, paying for insurance may be required for several reasons.
- Just about all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to buy a minimum amount of liability insurance coverage in order to license the vehicle. In Wisconsin these limits are 25/50/10 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your vehicle has a loan, most lenders will require you to have physical damage coverage to guarantee loan repayment. If you default on your policy, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Ford at an extremely high rate and force you to reimburse them the higher price.
- Insurance protects not only your Ford Freestyle but also your assets. It will also pay for most medical and hospital costs for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability insurance also pays expenses related to your legal defense if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of insuring your Freestyle more than cancel out the cost, especially with large liability claims. The average driver in Wisconsin is currently overpaying as much as $855 a year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at least once a year to ensure rates are inline.
Informed Consumers Can Slash Their Insurance Rates
Lots of things are considered when pricing auto insurance. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but other factors are more obscure like your vehicle usage or how safe your car is. A large part of saving on car insurance is knowing some of the elements that are used to determine the rates you pay for car insurance. When consumers understand what controls the rates you pay, this helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower rates.
Listed below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into your rate level.
Do you work long hours in a demanding occupation? – Occupational choices like real estate brokers, social workers, and medical professionals tend to have the highest rates due to intense work requirements and extremely grueling work hours. On the flip side, occupations like actors, athletes and retirees pay lower than average rates.
Proper usage rating affects rates – The higher the mileage driven in a year’s time the more it will cost to insure it. Most insurance companies calculate rates based upon how much you drive. Cars that are left in the garage can be on a lower rate level than vehicles that are driven to work every day. It’s a smart idea to ensure your car insurance coverage properly reflects the right rating data, because improper ratings can cost you money. A policy that improperly rates your Freestyle may be costing you higher rates.
Lower car insurance rates with alarm systems – Owning a car with advanced anti-theft systems can save you some money. Anti-theft features such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all help stop your vehicle from being stolen.
Bad credit hurts insurance premiums – Credit score is a large factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Insureds with good credit tend to be more responsible than those with bad credit. If your credit history is not that good, you could pay less to insure your Ford Freestyle by repairing your credit.
Your location is a factor – Living in small towns and rural areas is a positive aspect when it comes to car insurance. City drivers tend to have more road rage incidents and more severe claims. Fewer drivers on the road means a lower chance of having an accident in addition to lower liability claims.
Discounts can help lower premiums on Ford Freestyle insurance in Madison
Car insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but there’s a good chance there are discounts to cut the cost considerably. Some of these discounts will be visible at the time you complete a quote, but a few must be asked about prior to getting the savings.
- Senior Citizens – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens may be able to get a slight reduction on a Madison auto insurance quote.
- E-sign – Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy digitally online.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Factory options such as air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can get savings up to 30%.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for substantially lower prices.
- Madison Homeowners Discount – Just owning your own home can earn you a little savings because it means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
- Early Signing – Some companies give discounts for renewing your policy prior to your current Freestyle insurance policy expiring. Ten percent is about the average savings.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Despite the fact that it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, nobody gets a free ride.
A list of car insurance companies and their offered discounts include:
- State Farm offers premium reductions for safe vehicle, Steer Clear safe driver discount, student away at school, driver’s education, multiple autos, and good driver.
- Esurance discounts include multi-policy, renters, online quote, DriveSense, anti-theft, Switch & Save, and Pac-12 alumni.
- Progressive may have discounts that include multi-vehicle, online signing, good student, multi-policy, and continuous coverage.
- Liberty Mutual offers discounts for preferred payment discount, multi-car, hybrid vehicle, exclusive group savings, and safety features.
- Auto-Owners Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, mature driver, multiple vehicles, safe vehicle, student away at school, multi-policy, and teen driver.
- GEICO may include discounts for multi-policy, federal employee, membership and employees, emergency military deployment, seat belt use, and daytime running lights.
Before you buy a policy, ask all the companies to apply every possible discount. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not apply in Madison. For a list of providers that offer multiple discounts in Madison, click here.
Do I need special coverages?
When quoting and comparing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Your financial needs are unique and your auto insurance should unique, too.
For instance, these questions might point out whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
- Is motorclub coverage worth it?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- Is my camper covered for physical damage?
- How high should deductibles be on a Ford Freestyle?
- Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
- How can I get my company to pay me more for my totaled car?
- Which companies will insure high-risk drivers?
- Does my personal policy cover me when driving out-of-state?
- What exactly is covered by my policy?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
Local agents and car insurance
Certain consumers would rather visit with an insurance agent and we recommend doing that Good insurance agents can help you build your policy and give you someone to call. An additional benefit of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find cheap car insurance rates but still work with a licensed agent.
After filling out this quick form, the quote information gets sent to local insurance agents in Madison that can give you free Madison auto insurance quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You won’t even need to contact an agency since rate quotes are delivered immediately to you. If for some reason you want to get a rate quote from a specific insurance company, just visit that company’s website and fill out the quote form the provide.
Finding the right company shouldn’t rely on just the price. Any good agent in Madison should know the answers to these questions.
- Do they have 24-hour customer assistance?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
- How often do they review coverages?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
When looking for a local insurance agency, it’s helpful to know the types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents can be classified as either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments. Both can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn the differences because it can influence buying decisions.
Exclusive Agents
Agents in the exclusive channel can only quote rates from one company like Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm, and AAA. Exclusive agents cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they really need to provide good service. Exclusive insurance agents are trained well in insurance sales which aids in selling service over price.
Below are Madison exclusive agents willing to provide rate quotes.
Larry Sain – State Farm Insurance Agent
424 S Park St – Madison, WI 53715 – (608) 257-5132 – View Map
American Family Insurance – Brad Bodden
3821 Nakoma Rd – Madison, WI 53711 – (608) 231-2453 – View Map
Melissa Eckstrom – State Farm Insurance Agent
1771 Thierer Rd – Madison, WI 53704 – (608) 663-5000 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agents do not work for one specific company so they can quote policies with many different companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If you are not satisfied with one company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you won’t have to switch agencies. When comparing car insurance rates, it’s a good idea to include price quotes from a few independent agents so that you can do a thorough price comparison.
The following is a list of independent agencies in Madison that are able to give price quotes.
Dairyland Auto Insurance
1800 Deming Way – Madison, WI 53717 – (608) 836-3000 – View Map
Affiliated Insurance-Wisconsin
3830 Atwood Ave – Madison, WI 53714 – (608) 273-3361 – View Map
Hausmann Johnson Insurance
700 Regent St – Madison, WI 53715 – (608) 257-3795 – View Map
If you feel you receive answers to your satisfaction to all your questions and a good coverage price, chances are good that you have found a car insurance agent that is professional and can properly service your car insurance policy. Just keep in mind you have the power to cancel a policy for any reason so don’t think that you’re stuck with the car insurance policy with no way to switch.
What is the best car insurance company in Madison?
Finding the best auto insurance company can be difficult considering how many companies are available to choose from in Wisconsin. The ranking data displayed below can help you pick which insurers you want to consider when comparing rate quotes.
Top 10 Madison Car Insurance Companies Overall
- USAA
- 21st Century
- GEICO
- Nationwide
- AAA Insurance
- Liberty Mutual
- Safeco Insurance
- State Farm
- Travelers
- American Family
More comparisons equals cheap rates
Low-cost Ford Freestyle insurance in Madison is available online and from local insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers do not offer price quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through local independent agents.
When trying to cut insurance costs, do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible at the best cost, but do not skimp to save money.
Steps to finding discount Ford Freestyle insurance in Madison
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to find the cheapest price for Ford Freestyle insurance is to start doing an annual price comparison from different companies who sell auto insurance in Madison. You can compare rates by following these steps.
- Spend some time learning about how insurance works and the modifications you can make to prevent rate increases. Many rating factors that cause rate increases such as accidents, careless driving, and poor credit history can be eliminated by making minor changes to your lifestyle.
- Obtain price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only quote rates from one company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agents can quote rates for a wide range of companies.
- Compare the price quotes to the premium of your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find better rates and make a switch, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Notify your current company of your intent to cancel your current policy and submit a completed application and payment to your new insurance company. Once the application is submitted, place the new proof of insurance paperwork in an easily accessible location.
The key thing to remember is that you use the same deductibles and limits on each quote request and and to compare every company you can. Doing this ensures a fair price comparison and the best price selection.
Much more information about auto insurance in Wisconsin can be read below:
- Electronic Stability Control FAQ (iihs.org)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Used Cars in Madison? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Police Officers in Madison? (FAQ)
- Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
- New head restraint design cuts injuries (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Credit and Insurance Scores (Insurance Information Institute)