Best Ways to Save on Charlotte Ford F-350 Insurance

Paying for overpriced Ford F-350 insurance in Charlotte can sap your savings account and force you to make tough financial choices.

Unfortunately, over 70% of North Carolina drivers have stayed with the same insurance company for more than four years, and approximately 40% of consumers have never shopped around. American consumers could save an average of almost $850 each year, but most just don’t grasp the large savings they would see if they just switched companies.

Steps to finding the cheapest rates for Ford F-350 insurance in Charlotte

The recommended way to get low-cost car insurance rates in Charlotte is to do a yearly price comparison from insurers who provide car insurance in North Carolina.

1. Get an understanding of policy coverages and the factors you can control to keep rates down. Many rating criteria that are responsible for high rates such as at-fault accidents and a less-than-favorable credit score can be eliminated by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes. Continue reading for ideas to help reduce prices and get additional discounts.
2. Compare prices from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only quote rates from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote rates from many different companies.
3. Compare the new rates to your existing policy to see if a cheaper price is available. If you find a better price, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
4. Provide adequate notice to your current company of your decision to cancel your current car insurance policy and submit the required down payment along with the signed application to your new company or agent. As soon as coverage is bound, keep the new proof of insurance paperwork in an accessible location in your vehicle.

One bit of advice is to try to use similar deductibles and liability limits on every quote request and and to look at as many different companies as possible. This enables the most accurate price comparison and a complete rate analysis.

With so many companies and agents to choose from, it’s nearly impossible to pick a more affordable insurance provider.

You should make it a habit to check insurance prices periodically because rates change frequently. Even if you think you had the lowest rate on Ford F-350 insurance in Charlotte two years ago a different company probably has better prices today. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding F-350 insurance out there, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn some excellent ideas to put money back in your pocket.

Our objective is to tell you how to effectively get price quotes and some tips to save money. If you are already insured, you will surely be able to buy cheaper insurance using the following tips. Although North Carolina vehicle owners must know how the larger insurance companies price insurance differently and take advantage of how the system works.

To find cheaper rates, there are a couple of ways to compare quotes from auto insurance companies in your area. The fastest way to do a complete rate comparison is to jump online and get quotes.

It’s so simple to compare auto insurance quotes online makes it obsolete to go to insurance agencies in your area. Quoting Ford F-350 insurance online reduces the need to sit down with an agent unless you’re the type of person who wants the peace of mind that you can only get from talking to an agent. If you prefer, some companies allow you to comparison shop online but have your policy serviced through an agent. It’s important to know that more quotes helps you find a lower rate. Not every company does online Charlotte F-350 insurance quotes, so you need to compare rates from them, too.

The companies shown below can provide comparison quotes in North Carolina. If your goal is to find cheap car insurance in NC, we recommend you visit as many as you can in order to find the most competitive rates.

These discounts can lower your insurance rates

Insurance is not an enjoyable expense, but you may qualify for discounts to help bring down the price. Most are applied at quote time, but some need to be manually applied in order for you to get them.

• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with ABS and/or traction control are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Multi-policy Discount – If you can bundle your auto and home insurance and insure them with the same company you could save up to 20% and get you low cost Ford F-350 insurance.
• Accident Forgiveness – This isn’t a discount exactly, but companies like Allstate, State Farm and GEICO will allow you to have one accident without getting socked with a rate hike with the catch being you have to be claim-free prior to being involved in the accident.
• Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle up could cut 10% or more off the PIP or medical payment premium.
• Professional Memberships – Participating in a civic or occupational organization in Charlotte could trigger savings when shopping for insurance.

Don’t be shocked that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Even though the math looks like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.

The illustration below illustrates the comparison of Ford F-350 annual premium costs with and without discounts applied. The data is based on a female driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, North Carolina state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, marriage, and safe-driver discounts applied.

A list of companies and a partial list of their discounts are outlined below.

• State Farm includes discounts for anti-theft, good driver, student away at school, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, and driver’s education.
• Farmers Insurance has discounts for early shopping, bundle discounts, good student, electronic funds transfer, and switch companies.
• GEICO offers discounts for good student, five-year accident-free, membership and employees, driver training, and defensive driver.
• American Family may offer discounts for Steer into Savings, bundled insurance, air bags, defensive driver, mySafetyValet, TimeAway discount, and good driver.
• Nationwide offers discounts including multi-policy, good student, Farm Bureau membership, family plan, and business or organization.
• Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including homeowner, continuous coverage, good student, online signing, online quote discount, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle.

If you need affordable Charlotte auto insurance quotes, ask all companies you are considering how many discounts you can get. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply to policyholders in Charlotte. To view insurance companies offering insurance discounts in Charlotte, click here to view.

Coverage analysis

The premium table shown below covers a range of insurance costs for Ford F-350 models. Having a good grasp of how auto insurance premiums are determined can benefit drivers when making smart choices when buying a policy.

Premium data assumes married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, and homeowner. Premium amounts do not factor in specific zip code location which can increase or decrease rates greatly.

Driving violations and accidents

The chart below highlights how speeding tickets and at-fault collisions drive up Ford F-350 yearly insurance costs for different age categories. The premiums assume a single female driver, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Cost comparison with and without full coverage

The chart below compares Ford F-350 insurance prices with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The premiums are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

When to stop buying full coverage

There isn’t a steadfast formula to delete physical damage insurance, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your Ford F-350 replacement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $2,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If it’s costing you more than $200 a year to have full coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

There are some cases where dropping full coverage is not advised. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not buy liability only.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Insurance Premiums

Many factors are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable like a motor vehicle report, although some other factors are more obscure like your continuous coverage or how safe your car is. An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that are used to determine your policy premiums. When consumers understand what determines premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.

• Safer the car lower the rate – Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. Vehicles built for safety result in less severe injuries and better occupant protection means your insurance company pays less and lower rates for you. If your Ford scored better than four stars on Safercar.gov you are probably receiving a discount.
• Car and home together may be cheaper – Some car insurance companies allow lower prices for people that have more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can be as much as ten percent or more Even with this discount applied, you still need to compare other Charlotte F-350 insurance rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.

• Older drivers are lower risk – More experienced drivers have been proven to be more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents, and get fewer tickets. Young drivers are known to be inattentive when at the wheel of a vehicle so car insurance rates are higher.

  The following data uses these variables: single driver, full coverage with $250 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.

• Better credit means lower premiums – An insured’s credit score can be an important factor in determining premium rates. So if your credit score can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your Ford F-350 by improving your credit score. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with lower ratings.
• Never let your car insurance policy expire – Driving without insurance is not a good idea and any future policy may cost more because you let your coverage lapse. Not only will rates go up, getting caught without coverage can result in fines or a revoked license.
• Don’t buy extra policy coverages you don’t use – Insurance policies have a lot of extra add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t careful. Coverages like replacement cost coverage, high-cost glass coverage, and extra life insurance coverage are some examples. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but if you’ve never needed them in the past eliminate them to save money.

• Performance makes a difference – The type of vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a big difference in your rates. Lower cost passenger cars generally receive the lowest base rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.

  The chart below uses these assumptions: single female driver age 30, full coverage with $100 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. It compares Ford F-350 policy rates compared to other models of vehicles that have a range of performances.

• Insurance loss data for Ford F-350 vehicles – Car insurance companies factor in historical loss data when they set coverage costs for each model. Models that are shown to have higher prevalence or dollar amount of losses will cost more for specific coverages. The table below illustrates the collected loss data for Ford F-350 vehicles.

  For each insurance policy coverage type, the claim probability for all vehicles as a whole equals 100. Values that are below 100 suggest losses that are better than average, while values that are above 100 show a trend for more claims or statistically larger losses.

  
  

  Ford F-350 Insurance Loss Statistics

  Make and Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Ford F-350 4WD	78		54
  Ford F-350 SuperCab 4WD	66	90	98
  Ford F-350 SuperCrew 2WD	108		232
  Ford F-350 SuperCrew 4WD	96	134	179	47	44	90

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Empty fields indicate not enough data collected
  Statistics from IIHS.org for 2013-2015 Model Years