Cheap Insurance for a Ford Freestar in Portland

Being forced to pay for overpriced car insurance premiums can stress out your monthly budget, especially in this economy.

It’s a fact that insurance companies want to keep you from comparing prices. Drivers who shop around for a cheaper policy will most likely buy a new policy because the odds are good of finding a policy with better rates. A survey found that drivers who did price comparisons regularly saved an average of $850 each year compared to people who never compared rates.

If finding the lowest price for auto insurance is your goal, then having some knowledge of the best way to compare insurance rates can make it simple to find affordable coverage.

You have so many auto insurance companies to choose from, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, so many choices can make it hard to locate the cheapest rates for Ford Freestar insurance in Portland.

When shopping for Ford Freestar insurance in Portland there are multiple ways to compare rate quotes from many car insurance companies in Oregon. The recommended way to find the cheapest Ford Freestar insurance rates is to use the internet to compare rates.

It’s so simple to compare car insurance rates online takes the place of having to go to and from local Portland insurance agencies. Comparing Ford Freestar insurance rate quotes online has made agencies unnecessary unless you have a complicated situation and need the trained advice that only an agent can give. It is possible to compare online quotes and still use a local agent.

Just remember that having more price comparisons increases the chance that you will find the best offered rates.

The providers in the list below offer price comparisons in Oregon. To get the cheapest car insurance in Portland, it’s a good idea that you visit several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.

Three reasons to not skimp on car insurance

Despite the high cost, maintaining insurance serves several important purposes.

First, most states have minimum liability requirements which means you are required to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance if you don’t want to risk a ticket. 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 your car has a lienholder, it’s guaranteed your bank will make it mandatory that you buy insurance to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Ford at a more expensive rate and force you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.

Third, car insurance protects both your car and your assets. Insurance will also pay for hospital and medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, will also pay for a defense attorney if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If you have damage to your Ford as the result of the weather or an accident, collision and comprehensive coverages will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.

The benefits of carrying adequate insurance definitely exceed the cost, especially when you need to use it. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver overpays as much as $750 every year so compare rate quotes every year to help ensure money is not being wasted.

Six discounts for cheap car insurance rates

Car insurance can cost a lot, but you might be missing out on some discounts that may help make it more affordable. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you get a quote, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested before you will receive the discount.

• E-sign Discounts – Some car insurance companies will provide an incentive just for signing your application on the web.
• Anti-theft System – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles are less likely to be stolen and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Defensive Driver – Taking part in a defensive driver course could cut 5% off your bill if you qualify.
• More Vehicles More Savings – Drivers who insure several vehicles on the same car insurance policy can get a discount for every vehicle.
• Discount for Life Insurance – Not all companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a break if you buy some life insurance too.
• Data Collection Discounts – Insureds that choose to allow data collection to scrutinize vehicle usage by using a telematics device in their vehicle such as Drivewise from Allstate or Snapshot from Progressive could save a few bucks as long as the data is positive.

Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So when it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, it’s just not the way it works.

Car insurance companies that may offer some of the above discounts include:

• GEICO
• Auto-Owners Insurance
• American Family
• Esurance
• Progressive
• State Farm
• AAA

When comparing rates, check with each company which discounts they offer. Some discounts may not be offered everywhere. To view companies that offer multiple discounts in Oregon, click this link.

Local Portland car insurance agents and insurance

A small number of people would prefer to talk to a local agent and that is not a bad decision One of the great benefits of comparing rate quotes online is you may find cheap rate quotes and still choose a local agent. And providing support for neighborhood insurance agencies is definitely important in Portland.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this quick form, the quote information is instantly submitted to agents in your area that give free quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to search for an agent as quotes are delivered instantly to you. Get lower rates and a licensed agent to work with. If you need to get a rate quote from a specific company, you just need to visit that company’s website and fill out the quote form the provide.

When looking for a good insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they can quote your rates. Portland agents may be either exclusive or independent.

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Agents of this type do not have single company limitations and that is an advantage because they can write policies through many companies and potentially find a lower price. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can just switch to a different company and you can keep the same agent. When comparison shopping, you should always get several quotes from independent agents so that you can do a thorough price comparison.

Listed below are Portland independent insurance agents that may be able to give pricing information.

View more agents

Exclusive Insurance Agencies

These agents can only provide pricing for a single company like American Family, State Farm, and AAA. Exclusive agents cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive insurance agents are highly trained on their company’s products which helps offset the inability to provide other markets.

Shown below is a short list of exclusive agents in Portland willing to provide rate quotes.

View more agents

Finding a good car insurance agent requires more thought than just the quoted price. These are some valid questions you should ask.

• Do they have a Better Business Bureau rating in Portland?
• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
• Where would glass claims be handled in Portland?
• Will the quote change when the policy is issued?
• Is the agent properly licensed in Oregon?
• Do they specialize in personal lines coverage in Portland?

After getting reasonable responses to any questions you may have and a low price estimate, you may have just found a car insurance agent that is professional and can adequately provide insurance. Keep in mind consumers can terminate your policy when you choose so never assume you are locked into your new company for any length of time.

Car insurance coverages and their meanings

Understanding the coverages of car insurance aids in choosing which coverages you need for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the usual coverages available from car insurance companies.

Collision – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with another car or object. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for claims like rolling your car, sideswiping another vehicle and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible on your Freestar to save money on collision insurance.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your Ford Freestar.

Since many Oregon drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/20 in Oregon), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Normally these limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Insurance for medical payments – Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for immediate expenses for things like rehabilitation expenses, hospital visits, pain medications and funeral costs. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Auto liability – Liability insurance provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 25/50/20 which stand for $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and a limit of $20,000 paid for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for claims like medical services, bail bonds and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible. Oregon state minimum liability requirements are 25/50/20 but it’s recommended drivers buy higher limits.

The next chart demonstrates why minimum state limits may not provide adequate coverage.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – This will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things like theft, hitting a bird, damage from flooding, fire damage and vandalism. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.

What is YOUR best insurance company?

While you’re price shopping online, never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In too many instances, an insured cut full coverage only to find out that they should have had better coverage. Your objective should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best possible price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.

We just showed you a lot of techniques to compare Ford Freestar insurance premium rates in Portland. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote Portland car insurance, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the most savings is with a small mutual company. These companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like Progressive and GEICO.

Steps to finding cheaper Ford Freestar insurance in Portland

The preferred way to get the cheapest Ford Freestar insurance is to start comparing rates regularly from insurance carriers in Portland. Drivers can shop around by following these guidelines.

Step 1: Take a little time to learn about how companies price auto insurance and the factors you can control to prevent high rates. Many factors that result in higher rates such as at-fault accidents and a lousy credit rating can be eliminated by making lifestyle changes or driving safer.

Step 2: Compare rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while agents who are independent can quote rates from multiple companies. View rates

Step 3: Compare the new quotes to the price on your current policy to see if a cheaper rate is available. If you find a lower rate and decide to switch, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.

Step 4: Notify your agent or company of your intention to cancel your current auto insurance policy and submit a signed application and payment for the new policy. As soon as you can, store the proof of insurance certificate in your vehicle’s glove compartment or console.

A tip to remember is to make sure you enter identical limits and deductibles on every quote request and and to get price estimates from as many different companies as possible. Doing this ensures a fair price comparison and a good representation of prices.

Additional detailed information can be found in these articles:

• Older Driver Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest for First-time Drivers in Portland? (FAQ)
• How Much is Portland Auto Insurance for a Nissan Altima? (FAQ)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a Nissan Sentra in Portland? (FAQ)
• Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Rearview cameras reduce backing crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)