Sad but true, almost 70% of drivers have stayed with the same insurance company for a minimum of four years, and approximately 40% of consumers have never even compared quotes to find affordable rates. Consumers in Durham could save 10% every year, but they assume it’s a waste of time to shop their coverage around.
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to find low-cost prices for car insurance rates in Durham is to start doing an annual price comparison from insurance carriers that insure vehicles in North Carolina. You can compare prices by following these steps.
- First, it will benefit you to learn about how insurance works and the factors you can control to keep rates low. Many risk factors that are responsible for high rates such as accidents, careless driving, and a lousy credit rating can be rectified by paying attention to minor details. Later in this article we will cover more information to find cheap prices and get additional discounts.
- Second, get rate quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only provide price estimates from a single company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agencies can provide prices from many different companies. View rates
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to the price on your current policy to see if you can save by switching companies. If you find better rates and decide to switch, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
- Fourth, tell your current company of your intention to cancel your current policy and submit a completed application and payment to the new insurer. Be sure to put the new certificate verifying proof of insurance in an accessible location in your vehicle.
An essential thing to point out is that you’ll want to make sure you compare the same level of coverage on each price quote and and to get prices from every company you can. Doing this enables an apples-to-apples comparison and many rates to choose from.
If you are insured now, you should be able to save money using the techniques covered below. The intent of this article is to instruct you on the best ways to compare prices. But North Carolina car owners can benefit by having an understanding of the way insurance companies compete online and use it to find better rates.
Get affordable Dodge Caliber insurance in Durham with discounts
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there may be some discounts to help bring down the price. Some of these discounts will be visible when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be asked about before they will apply.
- Distant Student Discount – Older children who attend college more than 100 miles from Durham without a vehicle on campus could get you a discount.
- Durham Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
- ABS and Traction Control Discounts – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with ABS braking systems or traction control are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Professional Memberships – Being in certain professional organizations can get you a small discount on insurance.
- Government Employee Discount – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
- Sign Online – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break just for signing your application digitally online.
Please keep in mind that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Despite the appearance that all the discounts add up to a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
The illustration below illustrates the difference between Dodge Caliber insurance rates with and without discounts. The data is based on a male driver, no violations or accidents, North Carolina state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, multi-policy, safe-driver, claim-free, multi-car, and marriage discounts applied.
To see insurance companies that offer multiple discounts in Durham, follow this link.
Just keep in mind that comparing a wide range of rates increases the chance that you will find the best price. Not every company allows you to get online rate quotes, so it’s necessary to compare prices from them as well.
The companies shown below can provide comparison quotes in Durham, NC. If multiple companies are listed, we suggest you click on several of them in order to find the cheapest rates.
Dodge Caliber insurance analysis
The coverage table shown next highlights estimates of insurance costs for Dodge Caliber models. Having a better understanding of how rate quotes are figured is important to be able to make smart choices when choosing a car insurance company.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Caliber Express | $180 | $438 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,058 | $88 |
Caliber Heat | $180 | $438 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,058 | $88 |
Caliber SE | $180 | $438 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,058 | $88 |
Caliber Mainstreet | $180 | $438 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,058 | $88 |
Caliber Rush | $180 | $438 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,058 | $88 |
Caliber SXT | $180 | $438 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,058 | $88 |
Caliber Uptown | $180 | $438 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,058 | $88 |
Caliber R/T | $206 | $516 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,162 | $97 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data assumes single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and claim-free. Estimates do not factor in zip code location which can modify auto insurance rates noticeably.
The illustration below demonstrates how choosing different deductibles and can influence Dodge Caliber insurance rates for each age group. The data is based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
How much more does full coverage cost?
The example below visualizes the comparison of Dodge Caliber car insurance costs with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The data is based on a clean driving record, no claims, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are factored in.
When to buy liability coverage only
There is no specific rule for phasing out physical damage insurance, but there is a general school of thought. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is 10% or more of the settlement you would receive from your company, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your Dodge Caliber book value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most your company will settle for is $7,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If you are currently paying more than $700 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some situations where eliminating full coverage is not a good idea. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you have to keep full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not opt for liability only.
Dodge Caliber Insurance Rate Factors
It’s important that you understand a few of the rating criteria that come into play when calculating insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates, this enables informed choices that could result in lower premium levels.
The items below are some of the most common factors used by insurance companies to determine rates.
- What are good liability limits? – Your insurance policy’s liability coverage is the protection when you are found to be at fault for an accident. It will provide legal defense starting from day one. It is affordable coverage as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
- Vehicles with better crash test results save money – Vehicles with good safety scores can get you lower premiums. Vehicles built for safety help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and lower rates of occupant injuries means less claims paid and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Bundle policies and save – The majority of insurers allow lower prices to buyers who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to as much as ten percent or more If you currently are using one company, drivers will still want to get quotes from other companies to guarantee you are still saving the most.There is a chance you can save even more than the discount by buying from different companies
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Performance influences insurance costs – The type of car you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a substantial difference in your rates. The lowest base rates tend to be for low performance passenger models, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
The following chart assumes a married male driver age 50, full coverage with $500 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. The data compares Dodge Caliber policy rates compared to other makes and models that have different performances.
- Extra policy coverages are wasting money – There are a ton of additional extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t diligent. Insurance for coverage for rental cars, towing coverage, and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. You may think they are a good idea when deciding what coverages you need, but if you’ve never needed them in the past consider taking them off your policy.
- Single vs. married – Having a significant other actually saves money when buying insurance. Having a spouse demonstrates that you tend to be less irresponsible and statistics show drivers who are married file infrequent claims.
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Which gender costs less? – Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, don’t assume that females are better at driving than males. Males and females have fender benders at about the same rate, but the males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. In addition to higher claims, males also get ticketed for serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving. Young males are several times more likely to be in an accident and are penalized with high insurance rates.
The example below illustrates the difference between Dodge Caliber auto insurance rates for male and female drivers. Data assumes no accidents, no driving violations, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.
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Tickets cost more than a fine – Being a careful driver influences premium rates substantially. Having just one chargeable violation may cause rates to rise substantially. Careful drivers get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with multiple tickets like DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding might be required by their state to prove financial responsibility to the state department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.
The chart below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault claims can impact Dodge Caliber insurance rates for different age groups of insureds. The price estimates are based on a single female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $250 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.
When to get professional advice
When buying coverage, there really is not a one-size-fits-all type of policy. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions may help highlight whether your personal situation could use an agent’s help.
- Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Do I have newly-acquired coverage?
- At what point should I drop full coverage?
- How do I insure my teen driver?
- How can I get my company to pay me more for my totaled car?
- Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?
- How long can I keep a teen driver on my policy?
- What is the minimum liability in North Carolina?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Insurance agents near you
Many people still like to go talk to an agent and that is not a bad decision The best thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that drivers can get cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local.
After completing this short form, your insurance coverage information is instantly submitted to companies in Durham who will gladly provide quotes for your insurance coverage. You never need to find an agent on your own because quoted prices will be sent to you directly. You’ll get the best rates AND a local agent. If you want to quote rates from a specific company, you can always visit that company’s website and fill out the quote form the provide.
Picking an provider should include more criteria than just the price. Some important questions to ask are:
- What companies can they write with?
- What is their Better Business Bureau rating?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
- What company do they have the most business with?
Buying the right Dodge Caliber insurance in North Carolina is an important decision
Despite the fact that auto insurance is not cheap in Durham, maintaining insurance is a good idea for several reasons.
- Almost all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a minimum amount of liability in order to drive the car legally. In North Carolina these limits are 30/60/25 which means you must have $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
- If you have a lien on your Dodge Caliber, almost all lenders will require you to buy insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If you do not keep the policy in force, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Dodge at a much higher rate and require you to reimburse them for the much more expensive policy.
- Auto insurance protects both your vehicle and your personal assets. It will also pay for hospital and medical expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if you are sued as the result of an accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.
The benefits of insuring your car greatly outweigh the cost, particularly for liability claims. Unknowingly, the average driver overpays as much as $700 annually so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at least once a year to save money.
Smart consumers save more
While you’re price shopping online, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, an accident victim reduced collision coverage only to regret that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the lowest possible cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
We covered a lot of information how to lower your Dodge Caliber insurance prices in Durham. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding the cheapest Dodge Caliber rate quotes. Consumers may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from an unexpected company. Some small companies often have lower rates on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.
Even more information is available in these articles:
- New vehicle ratings focus on headlights (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for a Nissan Sentra in Durham? (FAQ)
- Eight Auto Insurance Myths (Insurance Information Institute)
- How do I File a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Should I Buy a New or Used Car? (Allstate)
- Choosing a Car for Your Teen (State Farm)