Auto Insurance Quotes for a Buick Enclave in Seattle

No one in their right mind loves paying for car insurance, especially when they are aware that they are paying too much.

Unimaginable but true, most Washington car insurance customers kept buying from the same company for at least the last four years, and virtually 40% of consumers have never even compared quotes to find cheaper rates. U.S. insurance shoppers could save 46.5% a year just by comparing rates, but most just don’t grasp how much savings they would realize if they just switched companies. Because you have many insurance providers from which to choose, it is very difficult to pick a lower cost company.

Smart Consumers Can Save Money

A large part of saving on insurance is knowing the factors that come into play when calculating your insurance rates. When consumers understand what determines base rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that may result in lower rates.

Credit history impact insurance prices – An insured’s credit score is a large factor in calculating your insurance rates. So if your credit history could use some work, you could be paying less to insure your Buick Enclave by repairing your credit. Insureds that have high credit scores tend to be better risks to insure than drivers with lower credit scores.

Tickets will cost you – Good drivers get better prices as compared to careless drivers. Even one driving citation may increase your cost by as much as twenty percent. Drivers with severe citations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may face state-mandated requirements to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state’s department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.

High physical damage deductibles cost less – Physical damage insurance, also called ‘full coverage’, helps pay for damage to your vehicle. Examples of some claims that would be covered could be a dented fender, damage caused by hail, and burglary. The deductibles you choose are how much you are required to pay if a claim is determined to be covered. The more of the claim you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.

Vehicle features that lower insurance rates – Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your premiums. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack all help prevent car theft.

Liability coverage limits should be high – Your insurance policy’s liability coverage will provide protection if ever a court rules you are at fault for physical damage or personal injury to other. This coverage provides for a legal defense to attempt to prove you were not liable. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to comp and collision, so drivers should make sure they buy enough to cover all assets.

Buick Enclave historical loss data – Insurers include the past claim history for a vehicle when setting rates for each model. Models that are shown to have higher prevalence or dollar amount of losses will have increased rates. The data below shows the collected loss data for Buick Enclave vehicles.

For each coverage category, the statistical loss for all vehicles averaged together is set at 100. Percentage numbers below 100 indicate a favorable loss history, while numbers that are greater than 100 point to more frequent losses or larger claims.

The companies shown below have been selected to offer price comparisons in Washington. If multiple providers are shown, we suggest you visit as many as you can to get the most affordable price.

Prices above based on single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and homeowner. Rate quotes do not factor in zip code location which can revise rates greatly.

Buick Enclave liability-only versus full coverage

The example below illustrates the difference between Buick Enclave insurance costs with full coverage and liability only. The rate quotes are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $250 deductibles, married female driver, and no other discounts are factored in.

Guidelines for dropping full coverage

There is no definitive formula of when to exclude physical damage coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than about 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s pretend your Buick Enclave claim settlement value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most your company will settle for is $6,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If premium cost is more than $600 a year for full coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

There are some circumstances where dropping physical damage coverage is not advised. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you have to keep full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should maintain full coverage.

Age, gender, and Buick Enclave insurance

The chart below visualizes the comparison of Buick Enclave annual premium costs for male and female drivers. The information is based on no violations or accidents, comprehensive and collision coverage, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Analysis of deductible levels

The hardest decision when buying coverage is the level to set your comp and collision deductibles. The following insurance rates can help illustrate the difference in cost when you choose different deductibles. The first rate comparisons uses a $100 deductible and the second rate table uses a $500 deductible.

Data rating is based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Washington minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-policy. Price information does not factor in your specific Seattle location which can increase or decrease insurance rates significantly.

We can derive from the above data that using a $100 deductible would cost the average driver about $23 more each month or $276 a year than opting for the higher $500 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $400 more if you turn in a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you tend to go at least 17 months between claims, you would more than likely save some money if you choose a higher deductible. The illustration below shows the way you can do this calculation yourself.

One thing to note is that raising deductibles to save money means you pay more out-of-pocket when you file a claim. That will necessitate enough extra money in order to pay more to get your vehicle repaired.

Choosing Buick Enclave insurance is an important decision

Despite the high cost of buying insurance for a Buick Enclave in Seattle, buying car insurance is most likely required but also gives you several important benefits.

First, almost all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to buy a minimum amount of liability coverage in order to be legal. In Washington these limits are 25/50/10 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.

Second, if you bought your Buick Enclave with a loan, almost every bank will force you to have physical damage coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the bank will be required to insure your Buick at a much higher rate and require you to fork over much more than you were paying before.

Third, car insurance preserves both your car and your assets. Insurance will pay for all forms of medical expenses for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, will also pay to defend you if you are sued as the result of an accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, your car insurance policy will cover the repair costs.

The benefits of buying car insurance more than offset the price you pay, especially for larger claims. But the average American driver overpays more than $830 a year so it’s recommended you shop around once a year at a minimum to make sure the price is not too high.

Discounts for lower-cost insurance quotes

Car insurance companies do not advertise every discount they offer very clearly, so we researched both well-publicized and the more hidden credits available to bring down your rates.

• E-sign – A few companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them enroll in driver’s education as it can save substantially.
• Pay Now and Pay Less – By making one initial payment rather than spreading payments over time you could save up to 5%.
• Life Insurance – If the company offers life insurance, you could get better premium rates if you take out a life policy as well.
• Low Mileage – Driving fewer miles may enable drivers to earn slightly better insurance rates than normal.

A little disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Even though the math looks like you can get free auto insurance, nobody gets a free ride.

Auto insurance companies that possibly offer some of the discounts shown above are:

• Progressive
• SAFECO
• American Family
• MetLife
• GEICO
• The Hartford

If you need lower rates, check with each insurance company which discounts they offer. Some credits may not apply to policyholders in Seattle. To view providers that offer some of these discounts in Seattle, click here to view.

Don’t I need to talk to an agent?

Many drivers still prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and that is not a bad decision Insurance agents are highly skilled in risk management and help in the event of a claim. One of the benefits of getting free rate quotes online is that you can find the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to.

Once you complete this quick form, the coverage information is transmitted to agents in your area who want to provide quotes for your business. There is no reason to contact an agency since price quotes are sent to you instantly. If you have a need to get a rate quote from a specific company, you just need to visit that company’s website and fill out the quote form the provide.

Picking a company is decision based upon more than just a cheap quote. Any agent in Seattle should have no problem answering these questions:

• Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Washington?
• Do they specialize in personal lines coverage in Seattle?
• How long has their agency been in business in Seattle?
• By raising physical damage deductibles, how much would you save?
• If they are an independent agency in Seattle, which companies do they recommend?

Persistent drivers can save

The cheapest Buick Enclave insurance in Seattle can be purchased on the web in addition to many Seattle insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance providers do not offer online rate quotes and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent agents.

When getting Seattle auto insurance quotes online, never buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where an insured cut physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best possible price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

Additional detailed information can be found in these articles:

• Understanding your Policy (NAIC.org)
• Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for a Honda CR-V in Seattle? (FAQ)
• What Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers with Good Credit in Seattle? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Low Mileage Drivers in Seattle? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for a Learners Permit in Seattle? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for a Company Car in Seattle? (FAQ)
• What Insurance is Cheapest for Felons in Seattle? (FAQ)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest in Seattle, Washington? (FAQ)
• Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Crash Avoidance Technologies FAQ (iihs.org)