Car Insurance Quotes for a Kia Optima Hybrid in Greensboro

It’s an obvious conclusion that car insurance companies don’t want their policyholders to compare prices. Insureds who shop for lower rates are highly likely to switch auto insurance companies because there is a significant possibility of finding a cheaper policy. A recent auto insurance study discovered that consumers who faithfully checked for cheaper rates saved approximately $3,450 over four years compared to policyholders who never compared prices.

If finding the cheapest price for Kia Optima Hybrid insurance in Greensboro is your objective, learning how to get price quotes and compare insurance coverage can make the process more efficient.

The preferred way to save money on Kia Optima Hybrid insurance is to compare prices once a year from companies who provide auto insurance in Greensboro. This can be done by following these guidelines.

1. Try to learn about coverages and the steps you can take to lower rates. Many rating factors that cause high rates like accidents, traffic violations, and an unfavorable credit rating can be controlled by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
2. Request price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from one company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes from many different companies.
3. Compare the new rates to your current policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a better price and change companies, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
4. Tell your current agent or company of your intention to cancel the current policy. Submit a down payment along with a completed application for your new policy. As soon as coverage is bound, place your new certificate verifying coverage along with your vehicle registration.

One key aspect of rate comparisons is to try to use identical coverages on each quote request and and to compare all possible companies. This enables a fair rate comparison and the best rate selection.

Finding more affordable Kia Optima Hybrid car insurance quotes can be surprisingly simple. Just take time to compare rates online with multiple companies.

Getting rates online is very simple and it takes the place of having to actually drive to insurance agencies in your area. Shopping for car insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you require the professional guidance of an agent trained in personal lines coverage. If you prefer, some companies allow you to find lower rates online but have a local agent actually write the policy.

The car insurance companies shown below offer price quotes in Greensboro, NC. If multiple companies are listed, we suggest you click on several of them to get the best price comparison.

Auto insurance protects more than just your car

Even though it can be expensive, auto insurance serves a purpose in several ways.

First, just about all states have mandatory insurance requirements which means state laws require a minimum amount of liability insurance coverage if you drive a vehicle. 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 Kia Optima Hybrid has a lienholder, almost every bank will have a requirement that you have comprehensive coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the bank will be required to insure your Kia at a significantly higher premium and require you to fork over for it.

Third, auto insurance preserves not only your Kia Optima Hybrid but also your financial assets. It will also reimburse you for hospital and medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to have it repaired.

The benefits of having insurance are without a doubt worth the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. But the average American driver is overpaying more than $825 a year so compare rates at every policy renewal to help ensure money is not being wasted.

Get cheap rates by getting these six discounts

Some providers don’t always advertise the entire discount list very clearly, so the following list contains some of the more common and the more hidden credits that you can use to lower your rates.

• Senior Citizen Rates – Drivers over the age of 55 may receive a slight reduction on a Greensboro car insurance quote.
• Save with a New Car – Putting insurance coverage on a new Optima Hybrid can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
• Accident Forgiveness – This one is not really a discount per se, but some insurance companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
• Pay Upfront and Save – By paying your policy upfront as opposed to paying monthly you may have a lower total premium amount.
• Greensboro Homeowners Discount – Just being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because it shows financial diligence.
• Membership in Organizations – Being in certain professional organizations could earn you a nice discount on car insurance.

Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.

To see companies with the best discounts in North Carolina, click here.

When should I talk to an insurance agent?

Some people would rather have an agent’s advice and we recommend doing that Professional insurance agents can make sure you are properly covered and help submit paperwork. An additional benefit of price shopping on the web is the fact that drivers can get cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local.

Once you complete this form (opens in new window), the quote information is sent to local insurance agents in Greensboro who can give free rate quotes to get your business. There is no reason to find an agent since price quotes are sent immediately to you. If you want to get a comparison quote from a specific car insurance provider, you can always jump over to their website and fill out the quote form the provide.

Selecting an insurance company should depend on more than just a low price. Any agent in Greensboro should be forthright in answering these questions:

• Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
• Will the agent or a CSR service your policy?
• How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
• Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
• Which companies can they place coverage with?
• Does the company have a solid financial rating?
• Is working in the agency their full-time job?
• Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?

If you need to find a reliable insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agencies that you can select. Insurance agencies in Greensboro can be classified as either exclusive or independent. Either one can sell and service car insurance coverage, but it’s a good idea to understand why they differ since it may influence buying decisions.

Exclusive Agencies

Agents that choose to be exclusive can only write with one company and examples are Farmers Insurance, Allstate, or State Farm. Exclusive agents are unable to compare rates from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. They receive a lot of sales training on their company’s products which aids in selling service over price.

Shown below are exclusive agents in Greensboro willing to provide price quotes.

More Greensboro agents

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent agencies often have many company appointments so they can write business through many companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If prices rise, they simply move your policy to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies.

When comparing rates, you will want to include rate quotes from a couple of independent agencies to get the most accurate price comparison.

The following is a list of independent agencies in Greensboro who can help you get price quotes.

More Greensboro agents

Car insurance coverage basics

Understanding the coverages of car insurance aids in choosing which coverages you need for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are the usual coverages found on the average car insurance policy.

Collision insurance

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as crashing into a building, colliding with another moving vehicle and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible on your Optima Hybrid in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Medical expense insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for immediate expenses for things like chiropractic care, rehabilitation expenses and X-ray expenses. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

This coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your Kia Optima Hybrid.

Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (30/60/25 in North Carolina), their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as a broken windshield, damage from flooding and fire damage. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Liability insurance

Liability coverage will cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property that is your fault. This coverage protects you against other people’s claims. Liability doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show limits of 30/60/25 that translate to a limit of $30,000 per injured person, a limit of $60,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.

Liability coverage pays for claims such as legal defense fees, structural damage and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. North Carolina state minimum liability requirements are 30/60/25 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.

The next chart demonstrates why low liability limits may not be adequate.

Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how you can reduce Kia Optima Hybrid insurance car insurance rates online in Greensboro. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get premium rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding inexpensive Greensboro car insurance quotes. You may even find the lowest priced insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier. These companies may often insure only within specific states and give better rates as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive and GEICO.

More affordable insurance in Greensboro can be sourced both online and also from your neighborhood Greensboro agents, so you need to shop Greensboro car insurance with both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these smaller providers work with independent insurance agencies.

Helpful articles

• Winter Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for a 20 Year Old Male in Greensboro? (FAQ)
• Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)
• Front crash protection reduces rear-end crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Institute)