The recommended way to get cheaper Kia Optima Hybrid insurance is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from insurance carriers in Cleveland. Rates can be compared by following these steps.
- Try to comprehend how insurance works and the measures you can take to lower rates. Many risk factors that cause rate increases such as accidents, traffic tickets, and a lousy credit rating can be remedied by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
- Quote rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive and direct companies can give quotes from a single company like Progressive or Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide price quotes from multiple companies.
- Compare the new rate quotes to the premium of your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find a lower rate, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
- Notify your current company of your intention to cancel the current policy. Submit a down payment and signed policy application for your new policy. As soon as you can, keep your new certificate verifying proof of insurance somewhere easily accessible.
One important bit of advice is to use the same liability limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to get prices from as many different insurance providers as possible. This enables an apples-to-apples comparison and the best price selection.
Unbelievably, most drivers have stayed with the same insurance company for a minimum of four years, and just under half have never compared rates to find lower-cost insurance. Cleveland consumers could save themselves approximately $730 a year by just comparing rate quotes, but they don’t believe the amount of savings they would get if they just switched companies.
Decisions You Make Can Impact Your Insurance Rates
A large part of saving on car insurance is knowing some of the things that help determine your car insurance rates. When consumers understand what determines base rates, this helps enable you to make changes that can help you get better car insurance rates.
Listed below are a partial list of the pieces used by companies to determine rates.
Defend yourself with liability coverage – Your car insurance policy’s liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if ever you are determined to be liable for physical damage or personal injury to other. It provides for a legal defense starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
Bundle policies and save money – The majority of insurance companies afford discounts to people that purchase more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, consumers should still shop around to help guarantee you have the best rates.
What are your deductibles? – Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, covers damage that occurs to your Kia. A few examples of covered claims would be a broken windshield, hail damage, and damage from a fallen tree branch. Comp and collision deductibles define the amount you are required to spend out-of-pocket if a covered claim is submitted. The more you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the better rate you will receive.
Premiums increase with driving tickets – Having just one driving citation may increase your cost by twenty percent. Drivers who don’t get tickets get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who have received dangerous violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions might be required by their state to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
The type of car you drive affects your prices – The make and model of the car or truck you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a huge difference in your premium level. The most favorable rates will normally be found when insuring low performance passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
Poor credit decisions can cost you – Having a bad credit rating is a large factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. So if your credit is low, you could pay less to insure your Kia Optima Hybrid if you clean up your credit. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have lower credit scores.
Certain employers pay higher prices – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Jobs such as fire fighters, architects, and medical professionals usually pay higher premiums than the average policyholder because of intense work-related stress and lots of time spent at work. Other jobs such as actors, athletes and the unemployed pay the least.
Claims statistics for a Kia Optima Hybrid – Insurance companies factor in insurance loss information in order to profitably underwrite each model. Models that tend to have higher prevalence or dollar amount of losses will cost more for specific coverages.
The table below illustrates the actual insurance loss data for Kia Optima Hybrid vehicles. For each policy coverage type, the loss probability for all vehicles compiled together is represented as 100. Values that are under 100 are indicative of better than average losses, while numbers above 100 indicate frequent claims or a tendency for losses to be larger than average.
Make and Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kia Optima Hybrid | 143 | 115 | 116 | 139 | 158 | 151 |
Statistics from IIHS.org for 2013-2015 Model Years
The easiest way to compare insurance rates from multiple companies is to know almost all companies allow for online access to quote your coverage. To begin a comparison, all you need to do is give the companies some data including whether you are married, how many miles driven, whether the vehicles are used for commuting, and your general credit rating. Your details is then submitted to many highly-rated insurers and you get price estimates quickly.
If you would like to start a quote now, click here and enter your coverage details.
The companies shown below can provide free quotes in Cleveland, OH. If your goal is to find the best car insurance in Cleveland, OH, we recommend you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Insurance protects more than just your car
Even though Cleveland Optima Hybrid insurance rates can get expensive, maintaining insurance is required in Ohio but also provides important benefits.
First, just about all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a specific minimum amount of liability coverage if you drive a vehicle. 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.
Second, if you bought your Kia Optima Hybrid with a loan, it’s guaranteed your bank will require that you buy full coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Kia for a much higher rate and force you to reimburse them for it.
Third, insurance preserves both your assets and your vehicle. It also can pay for medical transport and hospital expenses that are the result of an accident. Liability insurance also pays expenses related to your legal defense if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If your Kia gets damaged, your policy will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of carrying adequate insurance definitely exceed the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver is overpaying more than $820 a year so you should quote your policy with other companies every year to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Save money by getting discounts
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you might be missing out on some discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you quote, but some must be specifically requested before you will receive the discount.
- Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% than their less cautious counterparts.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of 25 to 30%.
- Sign Early and Save – A few insurance companies give discounts for switching policies prior to your current Optima Hybrid insurance policy expiring. You can save around 10% with this discount.
- Claim-Free Discount – Good drivers with no accidents pay less when compared with accident-prone drivers.
- Discount for Life Insurance – If the company offers life insurance, you could get a lower price if you buy a life policy as well.
- E-sign – Some of the larger companies will give you a small discount just for signing your application on the internet.
- Use Seat Belts – Forcing all vehicle occupants to buckle up before driving may be able to save a few bucks off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Onboard Data Collection – Insureds that choose to allow driving data collection to analyze driving habits by using a telematics device such as Progressive’s Snapshot might see lower rates as long as they are good drivers.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you may earn at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
- Pay Upfront and Save – By making one initial payment instead of paying each month you can avoid the installment charge.
As a sidenote, some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. If you do the math and it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.
Companies who may offer some of the above discounts are:
Before purchasing a policy, check with every prospective company the best way to save money. Depending on the company, some discounts may not apply in every state. To locate companies who offer discounts in Ohio, follow this link.
Are car insurance agents of importance?
A lot of people would rather buy from a licensed agent and that can be a smart move Insurance agents can help you choose the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. An additional benefit of comparing rate quotes online is the fact that drivers can get cheap insurance quotes and still have an agent to talk to.
By using this short form, the coverage information gets sent to companies in Cleveland who will gladly provide quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t even need to search for any insurance agencies due to the fact that quote results will go to you. If you have a need to quote rates from a particular provider, just visit that company’s website and fill out their quote form.
Selecting an provider requires you to look at more than just a cheap price quote. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Where would glass claims be handled in Cleveland?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage in Cleveland?
- Do they offer claims assistance after hours?
- Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
Car insurance agents in Cleveland come in two varieties
When narrowing the list to find a reliable agent, there are a couple of types of insurance agents and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Insurance agents in Cleveland may be either exclusive or independent. Both sell insurance policies, but it is a good idea to know the difference between them because it can influence the kind of agent you use.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
These type of agents generally can only insure with one company such as American Family, State Farm, and Allstate. They generally cannot place coverage with different providers so always compare other rates. Exclusive agents are trained well on what they offer and that enables them to sell even at higher rates.
Below are exclusive agencies in Cleveland who can help you get comparison quotes.
Wendy Narad Agency – Farmers Insurance
24800 Chagrin Blvd #100 – Cleveland, OH 44122 – (216) 292-3803 – View Map
Garrett C Estes – State Farm Insurance Agent
4219 W 210th St – Fairview Park, OH 44126 – (440) 331-3111 – View Map
Allstate Insurance: Teresa C. Paez
15105 Puritas Ave – Cleveland, OH 44135 – (216) 362-6526 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
These type of agents often have affiliation with several companies and that gives them the ability to insure with many different companies and potentially find a lower price. If premiums increase, they simply switch companies in-house and that require little work on your part. When shopping rates, you should always contact several independent insurance agents to maximize your price options.
Shown below are Cleveland independent insurance agencies who can help you get price quotes.
Zito Insurance Inc
1249 Smith Ct – Cleveland, OH 44116 – (440) 333-6020 – View Map
Marsh Insurance
200 Public Square #100 – Cleveland, OH 44114 – (216) 937-1700 – View Map
Pilat Insurance Agency, Inc.
5925 Ridge Rd – Cleveland, OH 44129 – (440) 888-1150 – View Map
Which auto insurance company is best in Cleveland?
Choosing the top insurer is difficult considering how many different insurance companies sell coverage in Cleveland. The ranking data displayed below can help you decide which car insurance providers you want to consider when comparing rate quotes.
Top 10 Cleveland Car Insurance Companies Overall
- USAA
- 21st Century
- GEICO
- Nationwide
- AAA Insurance
- Liberty Mutual
- Safeco Insurance
- State Farm
- Travelers
- American Family
Top 10 Cleveland Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- Progressive
- Travelers
- Liberty Mutual
- Nationwide
- USAA
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- Safeco Insurance
- Mercury Insurance
- Esurance
Persistent drivers can save
Discount Kia Optima Hybrid insurance in Cleveland is possible from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, so you need to shop Cleveland auto insurance with both to have the best rate selection. Some car insurance companies may not offer the ability to get quotes online and these small, regional companies only sell coverage through independent agents.
When getting Cleveland auto insurance quotes online, don’t be tempted to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many instances, someone sacrificed collision coverage only to regret at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
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