Kia Rio Insurance Rates in Charlotte

Are you sick and tired of wondering where the money will come from to buy car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other North Carolina drivers.

Astonishing but true, a large majority of drivers renewed their policy with the same company for a minimum of four years, and approximately 40% of consumers have never shopped around. With the average premium in the U.S. being $1,847, drivers can save hundreds of dollars each year by just shopping around, but they just assume it’s a time-consuming process to save money by comparing rate quotes.

Companies like State Farm, GEICO and Farmers Insurance continually bombard you with TV and radio ads and it can be hard to sift through the bull and do the work needed to find the best deal.

If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to shop for the lowest rates using the concepts covered in this article. Locating the best rates in Charlotte is quite easy. Although North Carolina car owners benefit from understanding the methods companies use to calculate your policy premium because rates fluctuate considerably.

To get low cost Charlotte car insurance quotes, there a variety of ways to compare rate quotes from companies that offer auto insurance in North Carolina. The best way to lower the rate you pay for Kia Rio insurance consists of shopping online.

It’s so easy to compare quotes online that it makes it a waste of time to drive around to all the different Charlotte insurance agencies. The fact that you can get quotes online has reduced the need for local agents unless you’re the type of person who wants the trained advice that only an agent can give. Drivers can compare online quotes and have a local agent actually service the policy.

It’s important to know that comparing more quotes helps you find a better price. Not every company does rate quotes online, so you need to compare price estimates from them as well.

The companies in the list below can provide quotes in North Carolina. In order to find cheap car insurance in Charlotte, it’s a good idea that you visit two to three different companies to get the most competitive price.

Rates and data analysis

The rate information shown below highlights different insurance costs for Kia Rio models. Understanding more about how policy rates are determined is important for you to make smart policy decisions.

Table data assumes single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and homeowner. Price estimates do not factor in Charlotte location which can increase or decrease insurance rates considerably.

Raise deductibles and save

When buying insurance, a common question is which deductibles should you choose. The following tables lay out the cost difference when you buy lower versus higher insurance deductibles. The first rate table uses a $250 physical damage deductible and the second rate table uses a $500 deductible.

Table data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and safe-driver. Table data does not factor in Charlotte location which can revise coverage prices noticeably.

We can estimate from the data above that using a $250 deductible costs roughly $10 more each month or $120 each year than choosing the higher $500 deductible. Since the policyholder would be required to pay $250 more if you turn in a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you tend to have more than 25 months between claim filings, you would come out ahead if you choose the higher deductible.

One thing to note is that higher deductibles means you will have to pay more when you file a claim. That will require enough money in the bank in order to pay more for the deductible.

Impact of careless driving on insurance rates

The chart below shows how traffic citations and at-fault accidents raise Kia Rio insurance costs for different age groups. Data assumes a married male driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Price comparison of only insuring for liability

The example below illustrates the difference between Kia Rio premium costs with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The rate quotes are based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no other discounts are factored in.

Deciding between full coverage and liability only

There is no definitive rule of when to drop comp and collision coverage, but there is a guideline you can use. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is about 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s say your Kia Rio claim settlement value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company will settle for is $7,000 after paying your policy deductible. If it’s costing you more than $700 annually to have full coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

There are some situations where removing full coverage is not financially feasible. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you have to carry full coverage to satisfy the loan requirements. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should keep full coverage on your policy.

Why you need insurance

Despite the high cost, insuring your vehicle is not optional due to several reasons.

• The majority of states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a specific level of liability protection in order to drive the car. 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 your Rio has a loan, almost all lenders will make it a condition of the loan that you have full coverage to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the lender may insure your Kia at a more expensive rate and force you to pay the higher premium.
• Insurance protects your Kia and your assets. It will also pay for medical bills that are the result of an accident. Liability insurance will also pay for a defense attorney if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your Kia gets damaged, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.

The benefits of carrying enough insurance are definitely more than the cost, especially for larger claims. Despite what companies tell you, the average driver is overpaying more than $855 a year so you should quote and compare rates once a year at a minimum to ensure rates are inline.

Save a ton on Kia Rio insurance in Charlotte with these six discounts

Some insurance providers don’t list every discount available in an easy-to-find place, so we researched both the well known as well as the least known car insurance savings. If you are not receiving all the discounts available, you could be getting lower rates.

• ABS Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents so companies give up to a 10% discount.
• Government Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government may reduce rates when you quote Charlotte car insurance depending on your company.
• Student Discounts – A discount for being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
• Paperless Signup – Some car insurance companies will provide an incentive shop Charlotte car insurance on your computer.
• Life Insurance – Select companies reward you with lower premium rates if you buy some life insurance too.
• Telematics Data Discounts – Insureds who allow driving data submission to track where and when they drive by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as Progressive’s Snapshot and State Farm’s In-Drive might get better premium rates if they exhibit good driving behavior.

Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to the whole policy. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it appears all those discounts means the company will pay you, it’s just not the way it works.

The information below visualizes the comparison of Kia Rio auto insurance rates with and without discounts. The information is based on a female driver, no claims or violations, 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-policy, multi-car, safe-driver, marriage, homeowner, and claim-free discounts applied.

A few popular companies and a selection of discounts are shown below.

• GEICO offers discounts for emergency military deployment, anti-lock brakes, five-year accident-free, multi-vehicle, air bags, and driver training.
• Travelers may offer discounts for student away at school, new car, payment discounts, home ownership, and multi-policy.
• Farm Bureau offers discounts including youthful driver, multi-policy, driver training, renewal discount, good student, 55 and retired, and safe driver.
• Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include exclusive group savings, multi-policy, new move discount, good student, multi-car, new graduate, and teen driver discount.
• American Family has discounts for bundled insurance, TimeAway discount, good student, air bags, accident-free, and good driver.
• Progressive has savings for multi-vehicle, multi-policy, online signing, good student, and homeowner.

Check with each company or agent which credits you are entitled to. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be available in your area. For a list of car insurance companies with significant discounts in North Carolina, follow this link.

When should I have guidance from an agent?

Some people just want to get professional advice from a licensed agent. One of the benefits of getting online price quotes is you may find cheap insurance rates but still work with a licensed agent. And supporting local agents is important especially in Charlotte.

Once you complete this short form, your insurance data is instantly submitted to agents in your area that give free quotes for your business. You won’t even need to contact any insurance agencies since rate quotes are delivered directly to your email. You can find the lowest rates without the usual hassles of price shopping. If you have a need to compare prices from one company in particular, you just need to jump over to their website to submit a rate quote request.

If you would like to find a reliable insurance agency, you must know there are a couple different types of agents and how they are distinctly different. Insurance agencies in Charlotte are categorized either independent agents or exclusive agents.

Independent Agents

Agents in the independent channel are appointed with more than one company and that allows them to write policies with an assortment of companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If your premiums go up, your agent can switch companies and you won’t have to switch agencies.

If you are comparing rate quotes, it’s recommended you include price quotes from a couple of independent agencies to get the most accurate price comparison.

Below is a partial list of independent agencies in Charlotte who can help you get price quote information.

View more Charlotte agents

Exclusive Insurance Agents

Exclusive insurance agents generally can only insure with one company and some examples include American Family, State Farm, and AAA. They are unable to provide other company’s prices so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive agents are trained well on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage.

Below are exclusive insurance agencies in Charlotte who can help you get price quote information.

View more Charlotte agents

Picking a auto insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a cheap quote. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

• Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
• Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
• Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
• Can they give you a list of client referrals?
• Do they have 24-hour customer assistance?
• Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in North Carolina?
• How long have they been in business?

Auto insurance coverages

Having a good grasp of your insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find the normal coverages found on most insurance policies.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance

Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Kia Rio.

Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (North Carolina limits are 30/60/25), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Collision protection

This covers damage to your Rio resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against things such as colliding with another moving vehicle, damaging your car on a curb and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible on your Rio in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Insurance for medical payments

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for immediate expenses for nursing services, X-ray expenses, ambulance fees, pain medications and doctor visits. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover both the driver and occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like falling objects, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from getting keyed, a broken windshield and vandalism. The most your insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Auto liability insurance

This coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to a person or their property in an accident. This insurance protects YOU against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 30/60/25 which stand for a limit of $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 for the entire accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for things like court costs, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and attorney fees. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but you should buy as much as you can afford. North Carolina state law requires minimum liability limits of 30/60/25 but you should think about purchasing more coverage.

The chart below shows why low liability limits may not provide adequate coverage.

Persistence will pay off

When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, someone sacrificed physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The goal is to get the best coverage possible at the best cost.

We just presented a lot of ways to compare Kia Rio insurance premium rates in Charlotte. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest premium rates are with an unexpected company. These smaller insurers often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

Steps to finding affordable quotes for Kia Rio insurance in Charlotte

If saving money is your primary concern, then the best way to find lower priced Kia Rio insurance is to regularly compare price quotes from insurance carriers in Charlotte. You can compare rates by following these guidelines.

1. Spend a few minutes and learn about the different coverages in a policy and the things you can control to lower rates. Many rating criteria that increase rates such as accidents, traffic tickets, and a less-than-favorable credit rating can be remedied by being financially responsible and driving safely.
2. Obtain price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give rate quotes from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide prices from many different companies.
3. Compare the new rate quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if a cheaper rate is available. If you find a better price and make a switch, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.

A good tip to remember is that you’ll want to compare identical coverage information on every price quote and and to compare as many different companies as possible. This provides a fair price comparison and the best price selection.

To read more, feel free to browse the resources below:

• Property Damage Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
• Who Has Affordable Charlotte Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers Under 25? (FAQ)
• What Insurance is Cheapest for Police Officers in Charlotte? (FAQ)
• Rollover Crash FAQ (iihs.org)
• What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Institute)
• Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Institute)
• Tools for Teen Driving Safety (State Farm)