Affordable Insurance for a Ford Transit Connect in Columbus

Really, the only way to get the cheapest Ford Transit Connect insurance in Columbus is to start comparing prices yearly from insurers who sell insurance in Ohio.

• First, it will benefit you to learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the things you can control to keep rates down. Many policy risk factors that drive up the price such as at-fault accidents, careless driving, and bad credit can be amended by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
• Second, compare prices from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can give quotes from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agents can provide prices from multiple companies. View insurance agents
• Third, compare the quotes to the price on your current policy and see if you can save money. If you can save some money and buy the policy, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
• Fourth, notify your company or agent of your intent to cancel your current coverage. Submit payment and a completed application to your new agent or company. Once coverage is bound, keep your new proof of insurance certificate in your vehicle’s glove compartment or console.

An important part of this process is to try to use identical deductibles and limits on each quote and and to get rate quotes from every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure an accurate price comparison and and a good selection of different prices.

It’s hard to believe, but nearly 70% of customers have been with the same company for a minimum of four years, and nearly half have never compared rates from other carriers. Many consumers in Columbus could save 55% a year by just comparing rate quotes, but they don’t know how much they could save if they switched to a cheaper policy.

Locating the most cost-effective insurance policy in Columbus seems hard but is not really that difficult. If you have a current insurance policy, you will surely be able to save money using the techniques presented in this article. Nevertheless, Ohio vehicle owners must understand how companies market on the web because it can help you find the best coverage.

Get Lower-cost Insurance Prices by Understanding These Factors

The best way to find cheaper insurance is to take a look at some of the things that aid in calculating the price you pay for insurance. If you have some idea of what influences your rates, this helps enable you to make changes that can earn you cheaper rates. Multiple criteria are considered when you get your auto insurance bill. Some factors are common sense such as your driving record, although some other factors are less apparent like where you live or how financially stable you are.

• Advanced alarm systems – Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features such as OnStar found on GM vehicles, advanced tracking like LoJack, and vehicle immobilization systems all hinder vehicle theft.

• Premiums are lower the older you get – Older people are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents, and are safer drivers. Young drivers have been known to be inattentive when driving so insurance rates are higher.

  The following chart assumes a single driver, full coverage with $500 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.

• Certain employers pay higher rates – Did you know your career choice can influence rates? Occupational choices like judges, social workers, and stock brokers usually pay higher rates than the rest of us because of high stress and incredibly demanding work hours. On the flip side, occupations such as actors, students and retirees receive lower rates.
• Incidental coverages you don’t need – Policies have extra add-on coverages that can add up if you aren’t diligent. Insurance for replacement cost coverage, towing coverage, and extra life insurance coverage could be just wasting money. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so get rid of them and save.
• Combine policies to earn discounts – Many insurance companies give better rates to policyholders that purchase more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you already get this discount, it’s in your best interest to comparison shop to guarantee you are still saving the most. Drivers may still find a better deal by buying insurance from more than one company.

• Drive a fast car and pay more – The performance of the vehicle you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a substantial difference in determining your rates. Smaller low performance passenger cars receive the most favorable rates, but that’s not the only thing that factors into the final price.

  The next chart uses these assumptions: married female driver age 50, full coverage with $100 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. It shows Ford Transit Connect policy rates compared to other models that have different risk factors.

• Bump up physical damage deductibles to lower rates – Comp and collision deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay in the event of a claim. Physical damage coverage, aka comp and collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered could be rear-ending another vehicle, animal collisions, and damage from wind. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.

• Are men or women drivers cheaper? – Statistics demonstrate females are less aggressive when driving. Now that doesn’t mean women are better drivers. Women and men tend to get into fender benders in similar percentages, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. In addition to higher claims, males also get higher numbers of serious violations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Young men ages 16 to 20 are the most expensive to insure and thus pay the highest rates.

  The diagram below compares Ford Transit Connect insurance costs for male and female drivers. The prices are based on no claims or driving citations, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, single marital status, and no policy discounts are applied.

Ford Transit Connect coverage statistics

The premium table shown next highlights estimates of insurance costs for Ford Transit Connect models. Learning more about how premiums are established can benefit drivers when making smart choices when selecting a policy.

Above prices assume single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Premium amounts do not factor in specific location which can influence auto insurance rates greatly.

Can higher deductibles save money?

When shopping for insurance, a common question is how high should the physical damage deductibles be. The data tables below may help to illustrate the price difference when you select higher and lower comp and collision deductibles. The first rate comparisons uses a $250 physical damage coverage deductible and the second set of rates uses a $1,000 deductible.

Prices based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and safe-driver. Premium costs do not factor in garaging location in Columbus which can impact auto insurance rates significantly.

We can derive from the above data that using a $250 deductible will cost you roughly $16 more each month or $192 each year averaged for all Transit Connect models than selecting the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would pay $750 more if you file a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you tend to have at least 47 months between claim filings, you would come out ahead by selecting a higher deductible.

Ford Transit Connect liability-only versus full coverage

The illustration below shows the difference between Ford Transit Connect insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in Ohio. The prices are based on no accidents, no driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no other discounts are factored in.

When to stop buying full coverage

There is no definitive formula of when to drop physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is about 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s pretend your Ford Transit Connect claim settlement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would get paid by your company is $2,000 after paying your deductible. If you are paying more than $200 a year for full coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

There are a few cases where buying only liability insurance is not financially feasible. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you are required to maintain full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should maintain full coverage.

Do you qualify for discounts on Ford Transit Connect insurance in Columbus?

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you may qualify for discounts that could help you make your next renewal payment. Many discounts should be triggered at the time of quoting, but a few must be requested specifically before you will receive the discount.

• Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents so companies give up to a 10% discount.
• Claim-Free Discount – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can save substantially in comparison to drivers who are more careless.
• Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may receive a discount up to 45% compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
• Defensive Driver – Taking part in a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
• Payment Discounts – If you can afford to pay the entire bill as opposed to paying monthly you can actually save on your bill.

Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though you would think you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way. But all discounts will reduce the amount you pay for coverage.

The illustration below illustrates the comparison of Ford Transit Connect car insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The rate quotes are based on a female driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, Ohio state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with safe-driver, multi-policy, marriage, claim-free, multi-car, and homeowner discounts applied.

A few of the larger companies and the discounts they provide can be read below.

• Farm Bureau may include discounts for multi-vehicle, renewal discount, safe driver, good student, driver training, 55 and retired, and youthful driver.
• MetLife may offer discounts for claim-free, good driver, multi-policy, accident-free, defensive driver, and good student.
• Progressive offers discounts including multi-policy, online signing, good student, continuous coverage, and online quote discount.
• AAA offers premium reductions for good driver, AAA membership discount, multi-policy, anti-theft, good student, and pay-in-full.
• American Family policyholders can earn discounts including good driver, mySafetyValet, air bags, defensive driver, accident-free, multi-vehicle, and TimeAway discount.
• GEICO includes discounts for multi-vehicle, driver training, anti-theft, five-year accident-free, membership and employees, and defensive driver.
• State Farm may have discounts that include multiple policy, accident-free, student away at school, defensive driving training, driver’s education, and safe vehicle.

When quoting, ask each company the best way to save money. Some discounts may not be available in your state. To locate insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Columbus, click this link.

More quotes mean more auto insurance savings

When shopping online for auto insurance, make sure you don’t skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed collision coverage only to regret they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

Budget-conscious Ford Transit Connect insurance is attainable on the web and also from your neighborhood Columbus agents, so you should compare both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance providers don’t offer price quotes online and many times these regional carriers prefer to sell through independent agents.

Additional resources

• Understanding your Policy (NAIC.org)
• Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for Used Cars in Columbus? (FAQ)
• How Much is Columbus Auto Insurance for Infrequent Drivers? (FAQ)
• How Much is Auto Insurance for High Risk Drivers in Columbus? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Car Insurance for Active Military in Columbus? (FAQ)
• Electronic Stability Control FAQ (iihs.org)
• Comprehensive Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
• Coverage Information (Progressive Insurance)
• Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)