Save Money on Ford Explorer Sport Trac Insurance in Portland

I really doubt anyone likes buying auto insurance, in particular when the price is too high.

It’s an obvious assumption that car insurance companies don’t want you to look for a cheaper policy. Consumers who compare rates annually will probably buy a different policy because they have good chances of finding more affordable rates. A recent survey revealed that people who routinely shopped for cheaper coverage saved about $860 a year as compared to drivers who never shopped for cheaper rates.

If saving money on Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance in Portland is your ultimate objective, then learning about how to get rate quotes and compare cheaper coverage can make it easier for you to save money. Drivers have many insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to be able to choose, more choices can make it harder to compare rates and find the lowest cost auto insurance.

The car insurance companies shown below can provide free quotes in Portland, OR. In order to find cheap car insurance in Portland, we suggest you click on several of them to get the best price comparison.

Coverage information

The premium table displayed next covers a range of insurance rates for Ford Explorer Sport Trac models. Having knowledge of how rates are established can help you make smart choices when buying a car insurance policy.

Data based on single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Oregon minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in vehicle location which can raise or lower insurance rates noticeably.

Physical damage deductible comparison

One common question asked by Portland drivers is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The rates shown below illustrate the rate fluctuation when you buy lower versus higher deductibles. The first set of rates uses a $250 deductible for comp and collision and the second set of rates uses a $1,000 deductible.

Table data represents married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Oregon minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Information does not factor in specific garaging location which can raise or lower coverage prices substantially.

Based on the above data, using a $250 deductible costs about $21 more each month or $252 annually than buying the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would pay $750 more out-of-pocket with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you tend to average at a minimum 36 months between claim filings, you would more than likely save some money if you decide on a higher deductible.

Does full coverage make sense?

The chart below shows the comparison of Ford Explorer Sport Trac annual premium costs with full coverage compared to only the Oregon minimum liability coverage. The rates are based on no violations or accidents, $500 deductibles, single status, and no other discounts are factored in.

Should you buy full coverage or liability only?

There is no specific rule to eliminate physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general school of thought. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your Ford Explorer Sport Trac claim settlement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $5,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If premiums are more than $500 annually for physical damage coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

There are a few situations where eliminating full coverage is not a good idea. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not remove full coverage.

Cheaper rates with discounts

Buying insurance is not cheap, but there are discounts available that can dramatically reduce your bill. Some of these discounts will be visible at the time of purchase, but a few must be inquired about before they will apply.

• Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
• Online Discount – Some of the larger companies will provide an incentive get Portland auto insurance digitally online.
• Use Seat Belts – Forcing all vehicle occupants to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more off PIP or medical payments premium.
• Life Insurance Discount – Select companies reward you with better prices if you take out life insurance.
• Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Insuring primary and secondary vehicles on one policy can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.

A little note about advertised discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Even though it appears all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount will positively reduce your policy cost.

The chart below visualizes the comparison of Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance rates with and without some available policy discounts. Data assumes a male driver, no violations or claims, Oregon state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, multi-car, marriage, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-policy discounts applied.

If you would like to see a list of insurance companies offering insurance discounts in Portland, click this link.

Auto insurance protects more than just your car

Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Ford in Portland, maintaining insurance is required for several reasons.

First, just about all states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means you are required to buy specific limits of liability in order to drive the car legally. In Oregon these limits are 25/50/20 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $20,000 of property damage coverage.

Second, if you took out a loan on your Explorer Sport Trac, almost every bank will require you to have full coverage to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank will be required to insure your Ford at a more expensive rate and require you to reimburse them the higher price.

Third, insurance protects both your assets and your vehicle. It will also reimburse you for hospital and medical expenses for you, any passengers, and anyone injured in an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, will also pay attorney fees if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.

The benefits of insuring your car are definitely more than the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. The average driver in America overpays more than $825 a year so compare rates each time the policy renews to save money.

Portland auto insurance company ratings

Picking the top insurer can be challenging considering how many companies there are in Oregon. The company information shown below can help you decide which coverage providers to look at shopping prices with.

Top 10 Portland Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Service

1. GEICO
2. State Farm
3. The Hartford
4. Mercury Insurance
5. The General
6. Progressive
7. Allstate
8. AAA Insurance
9. American Family
10. Nationwide

Top 10 Portland Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service

1. State Farm
2. Esurance
3. AAA Insurance
4. Progressive
5. Liberty Mutual
6. GEICO
7. Allstate
8. Titan Insurance
9. The Hartford
10. Mercury Insurance

It’s not one size fits all

When it comes to the best auto insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no one-size-fits-all type of policy. Your financial needs are unique and your auto insurance should be unique as well.
These are some specific questions might help in determining if you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
• Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
• What if a claim settlement is too low?
• What does roadside assistance cover?
• Should I pay a claim out-of-pocket?
• What does medical payments coverage do?

If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and you can get the answers you need.

Comparing prices from local Portland insurance agencies

Some people still prefer to sit down with an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Professional agents can point out coverage gaps and help file insurance claims. One of the benefits of comparing rate quotes online is that you can obtain lower rates and still have an agent to talk to. Buying insurance from local insurance agencies is definitely important in Portland.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), the quote information is sent to agents in your area who will give competitive quotes to get your business. There is no reason to contact any agents because quoted prices will be sent to your email. If you need to compare rates from a particular provider, you would need to find their quoting web page and fill out the quote form the provide.

Do you need an independent or exclusive auto insurance agent?

If you need to find a good insurance agency, it’s important to understand the types of agencies to choose from. Agents may be either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive). Both types of agents can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning why they differ since it could factor into the kind of agent you use.

Independent Insurance Agencies or Brokers

Agents that choose to be independent can sell policies from many different companies and that allows them to write policies with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they can switch companies in-house and you don’t have to do anything.

When comparison shopping, it’s a good idea to compare prices from independent agents so that you can do a thorough price comparison.

Featured below is a small list of independent agents in Portland that may be able to provide price quote information.

View more Portland agents

Exclusive Insurance Agents

Agents that elect to be exclusive can only write with one company like State Farm, Allstate, and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agents cannot provide prices from multiple companies so you might not find the best rates. They are very knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them sell on service rather than price.

The following is a list of exclusive agents in Portland that can give you comparison quotes.

View more Portland agents

Deciding on an insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Here are some questions you should ask.

• How long have they been in business?
• How often do they review coverages?
• Which insurance company do they prefer to write with?
• Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
• Is there a 24/7 contact number?