Affordable Insurance for a Ford Explorer Sport Trac in Columbus

It takes a few minutes, but the best way to find cheaper car insurance rates in Columbus is to regularly compare price quotes from providers in Ohio.

1. Take a few minutes and learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the factors you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that result in higher rates like inattentive driving and a negative credit rating can be improved by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. Continue reading for more details to prevent rate hikes and find additional discounts you may qualify for.
2. Compare price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agents can quote prices for a wide range of companies.
3. Compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find better rates, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.

A good tip to remember is to try to compare the same liability limits and deductibles on each quote and and to look at every insurance company. Doing this ensures an accurate price comparison and a complete price analysis.

Anyone knows that auto insurance companies don’t want their policyholders to compare prices. Insureds who shop for lower prices are very likely to buy a new policy because they have a good chance of finding good coverage at a lower price. A recent survey discovered that people who regularly compared price quotes saved on average $72 a month compared to people who don’t regularly compare prices.

If finding the best rates on auto insurance in Columbus is your ultimate goal, then learning about how to quote prices and compare coverages can help you succeed in finding affordable rates.

The companies shown below are our best choices to provide price comparisons in Ohio. If multiple companies are listed, it’s a good idea that you click on several of them to get a more complete price comparison.

Rates and data analysis

The table shown next highlights a range of insurance costs for Ford Explorer Sport Trac models. Having a better understanding of how insurance policy rates are established can be valuable when making informed purchases.

Prices based on single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Price estimates do not factor in garaging location in Columbus which can change coverage rates greatly.

The diagram below highlights how deductible choice and can influence Ford Explorer Sport Trac yearly insurance costs for different categories of driver ages. The information is based on a single male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are factored in.

Drive responsibly or pay higher rates

The illustration below demonstrates how citations and accident claims can drive up Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance costs for different age groups. The information is based on a single male driver, full coverage, $500 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Gender differences in car insurance premiums

The illustration below illustrates the comparison of Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance rates for male and female drivers. The data assumes no claims or driving citations, comprehensive and collision coverage, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no other discounts are factored in.

Does full coverage make sense?

The information below compares Ford Explorer Sport Trac insurance costs when comparing full coverage to state minimum liability only. The information is based on no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

When to stop buying full coverage

There is no definitive guideline of when to eliminate comp and collision coverage, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is 10% or more of the settlement you would receive from your company, then it could be time to drop full coverage.

For example, let’s say your Ford Explorer Sport Trac replacement cost is $8,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, you would only receive $7,000 after the deductible is paid. If premiums are more than $700 a year for comprehensive and collision coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

There are a few situations where dropping physical damage coverage is not financially feasible. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you must maintain physical damage coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not buy liability only.

Three reasons to not skimp on insurance

Despite the fact that insurance is not cheap in Columbus, maintaining insurance may be required and benefits you in several ways.

• Almost all states have mandatory insurance requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a minimum amount of liability coverage in order to get the vehicle licensed. In Ohio these limits are 25/50/25 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
• If your vehicle has a loan, it’s guaranteed your bank will force you to buy insurance to guarantee loan repayment. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the lender may insure your Ford at a much higher rate and require you to pay for it.
• Insurance preserves both your Ford and your personal assets. It also can pay for medical expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If your Ford gets damaged, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay to have it repaired.

The benefits of carrying enough insurance definitely exceed the cost, especially if you ever need it. Unknowingly, the average driver is overpaying over $825 a year so it’s important to compare rates once a year at a minimum to be sure current rates are still competitive.

Coverage specifics

Understanding the coverages of a auto insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the usual coverages offered by auto insurance companies.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Ford Explorer Sport Trac.

Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits (Ohio limits are 25/50/25), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.

Collision coverage protection

Collision insurance covers damage to your Explorer Sport Trac from colliding with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision can pay for things such as backing into a parked car, hitting a mailbox, driving through your garage door, sustaining damage from a pot hole and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible on your Explorer Sport Trac in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Liability insurance

This will cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property that is your fault. 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 policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.

Liability coverage pays for claims like loss of income, emergency aid, repair costs for stationary objects, pain and suffering and funeral expenses. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but buy as much as you can afford. Ohio state minimum liability requirements are 25/50/25 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.

The chart below demonstrates why the minimum limit may not provide adequate coverage.

Coverage for medical payments

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses for things like X-ray expenses, hospital visits, ambulance fees and surgery. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover you and your occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Comprehensive coverages

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims like hitting a deer, hail damage, a broken windshield and fire damage. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.