Being forced to pay for high-priced insurance premiums can bleed your checking account and possibly require postponing other expenditures. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to cut your insurance bill.
We don’t have to tell you that auto insurance companies don’t want you to look for a cheaper policy. Consumers who shop around once a year are very likely to switch companies because there is a great chance of finding a lower-priced policy. A survey found that drivers who compared price quotes annually saved on average $70 a month compared to other drivers who don’t regularly compare prices.
If finding the cheapest price for auto insurance is your goal, then learning a little about how to quote and compare insurance can help simplify the task of finding more affordable coverage. You have multiple auto insurance companies to buy insurance from, and though it is a good thing to have multiple companies, having more insurers makes it harder to find a good deal for Saturn Outlook insurance in Durham.
It is always a good idea to take a look at other company’s rates before your next renewal because insurance prices go up and down regularly. Even if you think you had the lowest quotes on Saturn Outlook insurance in Durham a couple years back other companies may now be cheaper. Block out anything you think you know about insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the best way to find great coverage at a great price.
Quoting and comparing rates for more affordable auto insurance policy in Durham can be fairly easy. If you’re already insured or want to find a cheaper company, use these money-saving tips to get lower rates without reducing coverage. Shoppers just need to know the proper way to find the lowest price from many companies at once.
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide free quotes in North Carolina. To get the cheapest car insurance in Durham, we suggest you visit two to three different companies in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Car insurance protects more than just your car
Despite the high insurance cost for a Saturn Outlook in Durham, insurance is required in North Carolina but also provides important benefits.
First, just about all states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means you are required to buy specific limits of liability protection if you want to drive 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.
Second, if your Saturn Outlook has a loan, it’s most likely the lender will require that you buy insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the lender will be forced to insure your Saturn at a much higher premium rate and force you to reimburse them for the expensive policy.
Third, insurance protects both your Saturn and your personal assets. Insurance will pay for most medical and hospital costs that are the result of an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance will also pay to defend you if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of having insurance more than offset the price you pay, particularly if you ever have a claim. Today the average American driver is overpaying over $855 a year so compare rate quotes once a year at a minimum to ensure rates are competitive.
Coverage statistics and figures
The premium table displayed next covers different insurance policy prices for Saturn Outlook models. Learning more about how rate quotes are calculated can benefit drivers when making decisions on which coverage to buy.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outlook XE 2WD | $210 | $318 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $874 | $73 |
Outlook XV 2WD | $210 | $318 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $874 | $73 |
Outlook XE Premium 2WD | $234 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $954 | $80 |
Outlook XE AWD | $234 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $954 | $80 |
Outlook XE Premium AWD | $234 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $954 | $80 |
Outlook XR-L 2WD | $234 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $954 | $80 |
Outlook XR-L AWD | $234 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $954 | $80 |
Outlook XR-L Premium 2WD | $234 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $954 | $80 |
Outlook XR-L Premium AWD | $234 | $374 | $254 | $16 | $76 | $954 | $80 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data based on married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-policy. Information does not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can change premium rates considerably.
Higher deductibles lower rates
One of the hardest decisions when shopping for auto insurance is the level to set your comp and collision deductibles. The comparison tables below may help to conceptualize the rate fluctuation between low and high insurance deductibles. The first table uses a $100 physical damage coverage deductible and the second price chart uses a $1,000 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outlook XE 2WD | $242 | $386 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $991 | $83 |
Outlook XV 2WD | $242 | $386 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $991 | $83 |
Outlook XE Premium 2WD | $270 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,089 | $91 |
Outlook XE AWD | $270 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,089 | $91 |
Outlook XE Premium AWD | $270 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,089 | $91 |
Outlook XR-L 2WD | $270 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,089 | $91 |
Outlook XR-L AWD | $270 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,089 | $91 |
Outlook XR-L Premium 2WD | $270 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,089 | $91 |
Outlook XR-L Premium AWD | $270 | $456 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $1,089 | $91 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outlook XE 2WD | $134 | $204 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $676 | $56 |
Outlook XV 2WD | $134 | $204 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $676 | $56 |
Outlook XE Premium 2WD | $150 | $240 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $728 | $61 |
Outlook XE AWD | $150 | $240 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $728 | $61 |
Outlook XE Premium AWD | $150 | $240 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $728 | $61 |
Outlook XR-L 2WD | $150 | $240 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $728 | $61 |
Outlook XR-L AWD | $150 | $240 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $728 | $61 |
Outlook XR-L Premium 2WD | $150 | $240 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $728 | $61 |
Outlook XR-L Premium AWD | $150 | $240 | $250 | $14 | $74 | $728 | $61 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data variables include married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, homeowner, safe-driver, and claim-free. Premium amounts do not factor in specific location information which can affect auto insurance rates considerably.
Using the data above, we can ascertain that using a $100 deductible costs approximately $29 more each month or $348 for a full year than selecting the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would pay $900 more if you file a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you tend to go at a minimum 31 months between claim filings, you would save more money if you choose a higher deductible.
How much more does full coverage cost in Durham?
The information below illustrates the comparison of Saturn Outlook insurance prices when comparing full coverage to liability only. The prices are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $100 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
When to drop comprehensive and collision
There is no clear-cut rule of when to phase out comp and collision coverage, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s assume your Saturn Outlook claim settlement value is $9,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company would pay you is $8,000 after paying your deductible. If you are currently paying more than $800 annually for physical damage coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some cases where dropping full coverage is not advised. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you have to keep full coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not eliminate full coverage.
Slash your insurance rates with discounts
Insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that you may not know about. A few discounts will automatically apply when you quote, but some must be specially asked for in order for you to get them.
- Theft Deterrent Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Discounts for Government Workers – Federal government employees can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
- Driver Training Discounts – Participating in a course teaching driver safety skills is a good idea and can lower rates and also improve your driving technique.
- Responsible Driver Discounts – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accidents.
- Military Discounts – Being deployed in the military could qualify you for better insurance rates.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one is not really a discount per se, but certain companies may permit one accident without raising rates if you are claim-free for a specific time period.
- Good Student Discount – Being a good student may save you up to 25%. Most companies allow this discount up until you turn 25.
It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though you would think adding up those discounts means a free policy, that’s just not realistic.
The information below compares Saturn Outlook auto insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The premiums assume a male driver, no accidents or driving violations, North Carolina state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-policy, claim-free, multi-car, homeowner, marriage, and safe-driver discounts applied.
A few popular companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts include:
- State Farm may offer discounts for multiple autos, multiple policy, Drive Safe & Save, defensive driving training, passive restraint, and safe vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include switch companies, bundle discounts, good student, teen driver, and pay in full.
- Progressive has discounts for online quote discount, multi-policy, homeowner, continuous coverage, good student, and online signing.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including emergency military deployment, seat belt use, air bags, defensive driver, anti-theft, multi-policy, and good student.
- Auto-Owners Insurance offers premium reductions for anti-theft, paperless, safe driver, student away at school, anti-lock brakes, and group or association.
- The Hartford has savings for anti-theft, vehicle fuel type, good student, defensive driver, and air bag.
- Farm Bureau includes discounts for good student, multi-vehicle, 55 and retired, renewal discount, safe driver, and youthful driver.
- USAA offers discounts for multi-vehicle, family discount, military installation, safe driver, multi-policy, defensive driver, and loyalty savings.
It’s a good idea to ask each insurance company how you can save money. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be available in your state. For a list of providers that provide some of the discounts listed above in North Carolina, click here.
Auto insurance can get complicated
Always remember that when buying your policy, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
For instance, these questions may help highlight whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Will my insurance pay for OEM parts?
- Do I have coverage if I rent a car in Mexico?
- Can I use my car for my catering business?
- Why are teen drivers so expensive to add on to my policy?
- Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
- Is pet coverage available?
If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.
North Carolina auto insurance company ratings
Ending up with the right insurer can be a challenge considering how many choices there are in Durham. The company rank data shown below can help you analyze which car insurance companies to look at when comparing rate quotes.
Top 10 Durham Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- Travelers
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- State Farm
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- American Family
- Esurance
- Titan Insurance
- AAA Insurance