It’s safe to assume that insurance companies don’t want you to look for a cheaper policy. Insureds who get comparison quotes at least once a year are likely to buy a new policy because there is a significant possibility of finding more affordable rates. A recent auto insurance study discovered that consumers who compared prices regularly saved over $865 annually compared to those who never shopped for cheaper rates.
If finding budget-friendly rates on Saab 9-5 insurance is why you’re here, then having some knowledge of the best ways to find and compare car insurance can save time and make the process easier.
Truthfully, the best way to save on car insurance rates is to compare prices once a year from companies that insure vehicles in Portland.
- First, read about policy coverages and the changes you can make to lower rates. Many things that are responsible for high rates such as inattentive driving and poor credit rating can be eliminated by paying attention to minor details. This article provides tips to help reduce prices and find additional discounts.
- Second, request price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only provide price estimates from a single company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agents can quote prices from multiple insurance companies. View a list of agents
- Third, compare the new rates to your existing coverage and determine if cheaper 9-5 coverage is available. If you can save some money and buy the policy, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Fourth, provide adequate notice to your current company to cancel your current coverage. Submit a down payment along with a signed application for your new coverage. As soon as you have the new policy, put the new certificate of insurance with your registration paperwork.
One important bit of advice is to use the same coverage limits and deductibles on every quote request and and to analyze all possible companies. Doing this enables a fair price comparison and a complete price analysis.
Auto insurance discounts help lower rates for Saab 9-5 insurance in Portland
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list every discount they offer in an easy-to-find place, so the below list has both the well known as well as the least known credits that you can use to lower your rates.
- Early Payment Discounts – If you can afford to pay the entire bill rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
- E-sign Discounts – Some companies provide a small discount for signing up over the internet.
- Drive Less and Save – Maintaining low annual mileage could qualify for slightly better prices than normal.
- Student in College – Kids who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from Portland and do not have a car may be able to be covered for less.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents can earn big discounts in comparison to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies and insure them both with the same insurance company you may save up to 20% and get you low cost Saab 9-5 insurance.
- Student Discount for Driver Training – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers take driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Early Signing – Some larger companies provide a discount for buying a new policy before your current expiration date. You could save around 10% when you buy Portland auto insurance online.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and can earn a small discount on your policy.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% on medical payment and PIP coverage.
A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck.
The diagram below visualizes the comparison of Saab 9-5 premium costs with and without discounts. The price estimates are based on a male driver, no tickets, no at-fault accidents, Oregon state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, homeowner, and marriage discounts applied.
A list of companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are detailed below.
- American Family offers discounts for Steer into Savings, good student, mySafetyValet, early bird, accident-free, and TimeAway discount.
- Farm Bureau policyholders can earn discounts including renewal discount, 55 and retired, good student, safe driver, multi-vehicle, and youthful driver.
- State Farm includes discounts for passive restraint, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good student, Drive Safe & Save, accident-free, student away at school, and defensive driving training.
- Travelers may have discounts that include continuous insurance, multi-policy, home ownership, early quote, IntelliDrive, and save driver.
- The Hartford offers discounts including bundle, vehicle fuel type, driver training, defensive driver, good student, and anti-theft.
- GEICO discounts include seat belt use, multi-vehicle, daytime running lights, five-year accident-free, membership and employees, good student, and military active duty.
- Progressive may offer discounts for multi-vehicle, online signing, continuous coverage, homeowner, and multi-policy.
When comparing rates, check with every company which discounts can lower your rates. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply to policies in every state. To choose companies that provide some of the discounts listed above in Portland, click here.
When comparison shopping, comparing more quotes increases your odds of finding more affordable insurance.
The companies in the list below can provide comparison quotes in Oregon. To buy the best auto insurance in Portland, OR, it’s highly recommended you get rate quotes from several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Analysis of coverages
The coverage table displayed below outlines different coverage costs for Saab 9-5 models. Having insight into how rates are calculated is important for you to make decisions when shopping around.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9-5 Aero XWD 4-Dr Sedan | $380 | $786 | $432 | $26 | $130 | $1,754 | $146 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data based on single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and Oregon minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, safe-driver, and multi-policy. Estimates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can decrease or increase premiums substantially.
Deductible comparison
The hardest decision when buying coverage is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The tables below may aid in understanding how much more you’ll pay between low and high comp and collision deductibles. The first data table uses a $250 deductible for physical damage and the second rate table uses a $1,000 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9-5 Aero XWD 4-Dr Sedan | $342 | $638 | $320 | $18 | $96 | $1,439 | $120 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9-5 Aero XWD 4-Dr Sedan | $212 | $402 | $320 | $18 | $96 | $1,048 | $87 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Premium data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Oregon minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-policy. Rate information does not factor in zip code location which can increase or decrease rates noticeably.
Based on the data above, we can derive that using a $250 deductible would cost the average driver about $33 more each month or $396 annually averaged for all 9-5 models than requesting the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would pay $750 more to settle a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you have more than 23 months between claim filings, you would save more money if you choose a higher deductible. The numbers below show a better example of how this decision is made.
Average monthly premium for $250 deductibles: | $120 |
Average monthly premium for $1,000 deductibles (subtract): | – $87 |
Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $33 |
Difference between deductibles ($1,000 – $250): | $750 |
Divide difference by monthly savings: | $750 / $33 |
Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 23 months |
One big caveat is that a higher deductible level means you will have to cover more of the damage yourself when you have a physical damage claim. You must have enough extra money in order to pay the deductible to have repairs made.
Cost difference between full coverage and liability
The example below compares Saab 9-5 auto insurance rates with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The premiums assume no accidents or driving violations, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied.
When to stop buying full coverage
There is no definitive formula for eliminating full coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your Saab 9-5 claim settlement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most you would receive is $5,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If you are paying over $500 a year for physical damage coverage, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.
There are some circumstances where eliminating full coverage is not advised. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you have to maintain full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should not drop full coverage.
Don’t assume everyone needs the same auto insurance coverage
Keep in mind that when it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s.
For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.
- Will damage be repaired with OEM parts?
- Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
- What is UM/UIM insurance?
- Should I have a commercial auto policy?
- Does my personal policy cover me when driving out-of-state?
- Are my friends covered when driving my car?
- Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
- How much cheaper are high deductibles?
If you can’t answer these questions, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.
Auto insurance quotes from local Portland insurance agencies
Some people prefer to go talk to an agent and that is just fine! A good thing about comparing rate quotes online is you can get lower premium rates and still buy from a local agent.
After filling out this quick form, your information is transmitted to agents in your area that can provide free Portland auto insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t even need to leave your house because quoted prices will be sent directly to you. You can find better rates and work with a local agent. If you wish to compare rates from a specific insurance company, just navigate to their website to submit a rate quote request.
Finding the right insurance company requires you to look at more than just a cheap quote. The answers to these questions are important, too.
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Can glass claims be handled at your home?
- What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Does the agency have a positive business rating?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
If you are wanting to purchase auto insurance from a local Portland insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Portland agents are either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer.
Exclusive Agencies
Agents of this type generally can only insure with one company and examples are Farmers Insurance and State Farm. They are unable to give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. Exclusive insurance agents are well schooled on the products they sell which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates.
Listed below are exclusive agencies in Portland that are able to give price quote information.
Donna Tallman – State Farm Insurance Agent
6305 SE Powell Blvd – Portland, OR 97206 – (503) 771-2579 – View Map
Dan Lucich – State Farm Insurance Agent
1516 NE 15th Ave – Portland, OR 97232 – (503) 287-3757 – View Map
Kilong Ung – State Farm Insurance Agent
4000 SE 82nd Ave #1400 – Portland, OR 97266 – (503) 777-6762 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with multiple insurance companies and find the cheapest auto insurance rates. If you want to switch companies, your agent can just switch to a different company and that require little work on your part.
If you need lower rates, you definitely need to contact multiple independent agents for the best price selection.
The following are independent insurance agencies in Portland that can give you rate quotes.
Chet Hill Insurance
10402 NE Sandy Blvd – Portland, OR 97220 – (503) 256-2020 – View Map
Wix Insurance Agency
8037 SE Stark St – Portland, OR 97215 – (503) 760-6826 – View Map
Matthew K Barnett Agency
3332 N Lombard St – Portland, OR 97217 – (503) 285-2546 – View Map
More comparisons equals affordable rates
We just showed you some good ideas how to lower your Saab 9-5 insurance premium rates in Portland. It’s most important to understand that the more price quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the lowest premium rates are with the smaller companies.
People leave their current company for a variety of reasons including high prices, lack of trust in their agent, policy cancellation or not issuing a premium refund. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new company can be less work than you think.
When trying to cut insurance costs, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage only to regret that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest cost but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Even more information can be found in the articles below:
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for a Toyota Tacoma in Portland? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for a Hyundai Elantra in Portland? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for a Honda CR-V in Portland? (FAQ)
- Electronic Stability Control FAQ (iihs.org)
- How to Avoid Staged Accidents (State Farm)
- Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
- Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)