How to Compare Chicago Scion xB Insurance

Looking for more competitive Scion xB insurance in Chicago? Searching for cheaper insurance for your Scion xB in Illinois can turn out to be a lot of work, but you can follow these tips to find lower rates.

There is a right way and a wrong way to shop for auto insurance so we’re going to tell you the best way to quote coverages for a Scion and find the best price possible.

If you have insurance now or just want to reduce your rates, take advantage of these tips to find the best rates and possibly find even better coverage. Obtaining price quotes for the lowest cost car insurance in Chicago is actually quite simple. Drivers only have to learn how to quote multiple rates online.

Buy Chicago Scion xB insurance online

The companies shown below provide price quotes in Illinois. If the list has multiple companies, we suggest you click on several of them to get the most competitive price.

Premium data assumes married male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and Illinois minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Rate information does not factor in specific location information which can lower or raise premium rates considerably.

Choosing deductibles

The information below illustrates how choosing a deductible and can affect Scion xB premium costs for different ages of insureds. The premiums assume a single female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.

Full coverage versus liability-only in Chicago

The chart below visualizes the comparison of Scion xB insurance rates with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The premiums are based on no claims or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, married female driver, and no other discounts are factored in.

When to stop buying physical damage coverage

There is no clear-cut rule of when to phase out full coverage, but there is a general guideline. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is about 10% or more of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

For example, let’s assume your Scion xB settlement value is $4,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company will settle for is $3,000 after paying your policy deductible. If premium cost is more than $300 annually to have full coverage, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.

There are some cases where eliminating full coverage is not financially feasible. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you have to maintain full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should keep full coverage on your policy.

Analysis of deductible levels

One frequently asked question is how high should your deductibles be. The tables below can help illustrate the price difference of buying low and high comp and collision deductibles. The first rate comparisons uses a $250 physical damage coverage deductible and the second set of rates uses a $500 deductible.

Data rating is based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Illinois minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, safe-driver, claim-free, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Estimates do not factor in specific zip code location which can change prices greatly.

Based on this data, we can arrive at the conclusion that using a $250 deductible could cost the average driver approximately $10 more each month or $120 each year than choosing the higher $500 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $250 more to file a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you have at least 25 months between claims, you would save money if you decide on a higher deductible.

Insurance is not optional but you don’t have to overpay

Despite the potentially high cost of Scion xB insurance, maintaining insurance serves an important purpose.

• Just about all states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage in order to drive the car. In Illinois these limits are 20/40/15 which means you must have $20,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $40,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $15,000 of property damage coverage.
• If you bought your Scion with a loan, it’s most likely the lender will make it a condition of the loan that you buy insurance to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank will be required to insure your Scion at an extremely high rate and require you to reimburse them a much higher amount than you were paying before.
• Insurance safeguards not only your Scion but also your assets. It will also cover hospital and medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, also pays for attorney fees and expenses if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If you have damage to your Scion as the result of the weather or an accident, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay to have it repaired.

The benefits of carrying adequate insurance definitely exceed the price paid, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. But the average American driver is wasting up to $810 a year so compare quotes from several companies at least once a year to ensure rates are competitive.

Ads can be misleading

Consumers can’t get away from all the ads that claim the cheapest prices by companies like Allstate and Progressive. All the ads say the same thing that people will save if you just switch to their company.

It sounds good, but how can they all charge you a lower premium? This is the trick they use.

Most companies are able to cherry pick for the type of insured that will most likely be profitable. An example of a desirable insured might be a mature driver, has other policies, and has a short commute. Any person who meets those qualifications will probably get the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

People who fall short of those criteria will probably have to pay higher rates which leads to business going elsewhere. The trick companies use is to say “drivers that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” will save that much if they switch. That is how companies can make claims like that.

Because of this risk profiling, it’s extremely important to compare free Chicago car insurance quotes often. It is impossible to guess which insurance companies will be your best fit.

Earn discounts on Chicago insurance

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you may be missing some discounts that may help make it more affordable. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time you complete a quote, but less common discounts must be asked for before you will receive the discount. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount available, you’re paying more than you need to.

• Anti-lock Brake System – Vehicles that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are much safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Pay Upfront and Save – By making one initial payment as opposed to paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
• Bundled Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles and place coverage with the same company you could earn a discount of at least 10% off all policies.
• Discount for Swiching Early – Select larger companies give a discount for signing up before your current expiration date. You could save around 10% when you buy Chicago car insurance online.
• Save with a New Car – Putting coverage on a new xB can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
• Driver’s Education for Students – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course in high school.
• Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts can save a little on medical payment and PIP coverage.
• Membership in Organizations – Joining qualifying clubs or civic groups could trigger savings on insurance.

It’s important to note that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, nobody gets a free ride. Any amount of discount will lower your policy premiums.

The best insurance companies and the discounts they provide can be read below.

• American Family discounts include Steer into Savings, defensive driver, mySafetyValet, bundled insurance, early bird, and good driver.
• State Farm has discounts for multiple autos, Drive Safe & Save, multiple policy, good driver, passive restraint, student away at school, and good student.
• 21st Century may have discounts that include homeowners, air bags, good student, anti-lock brakes, and theft prevention.
• Travelers offers premium reductions for multi-policy, driver training, hybrid/electric vehicle, new car, good student, student away at school, and save driver.
• GEICO may include discounts for seat belt use, military active duty, good student, membership and employees, daytime running lights, and multi-vehicle.

When comparing rates, check with every insurance company which discounts they offer. A few discounts might not apply in every state.

Insurance agent or online?

Some people prefer to talk to a local agent and that can be a great decision Professional insurance agents can help you choose the best coverages and help you file claims. The best thing about comparing rates online is that you can obtain cheap rate quotes and still have a local agent. Putting coverage with neighborhood agents is important particularly in Chicago.

By using this quick form, the coverage information is sent to agents in your area that provide free Chicago car insurance quotes for your business. You never need to search for an agent due to the fact that quote results will go to your email. If you wish to get a comparison quote from a particular provider, you can always search and find their rate quote page to submit a rate quote request.

When researching a reliable insurance agency, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents that you can select. Agents in Chicago are categorized either exclusive agents or independent agents. Both types of agents can write insurance policies, but it’s worth learning how they differ because it can impact buying decisions.

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Agents in the independent channel often have affiliation with several companies so they can quote policies with a variety of different insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your policy is moved internally and you can keep the same agent.

If you are trying to find cheaper rates, you need to get several quotes from a few independent agents to get the best comparison. Many write coverage with smaller mutual companies which can save you money.

The following is a small list of independent agencies in Chicago who can help you get cheap rate quotes.

• Amigo Insurance Agency
  5902 W Fullerton Ave – Chicago, IL 60639 – (877) 999-2644 – View Map
• Lincoln Auto Insurance
  855 W Washington Blvd – Chicago, IL 60607 – (312) 666-8800 – View Map
• W.A. George Insurance Agency
  155 N Michigan Ave #300 – Chicago, IL 60601 – (312) 729-5265 – View Map

More Chicago agents

Exclusive Insurance Agencies

These type of agents write business for a single company and some examples include State Farm, Allstate, and Farm Bureau. They are unable to provide other company’s prices so keep that in mind. These agents receive a lot of sales training on sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Drivers often choose to use an exclusive agent mainly due to the prominent brand name and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.

The following is a list of exclusive insurance agencies in Chicago that are able to give comparison quotes.

• Kathleen McKenzie – State Farm Insurance Agent
  725 W 31st St – Chicago, IL 60616 – (312) 791-1200 – View Map
• Jim Mays Jr – State Farm Insurance Agent
  4465 N Milwaukee Ave – Chicago, IL 60630 – (773) 282-1500 – View Map
• Mark Yun – State Farm Insurance Agent
  223 W Cermak Rd, Fl-2 – Chicago, IL 60616 – (312) 225-8311 – View Map

More Chicago agents

Choosing a insurance agent requires more thought than just a cheap quote. Any agent in Chicago should be forthright in answering these questions:

• Are they primarily personal or commercial lines agents in Chicago?
• What is the financial rating for the quoted company?
• If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
• What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
• Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
• How long have they been in business?
• Which insurance company do they prefer to write with?
• Do they get paid more for recommending certain coverages?

After getting reasonable responses to your questions and locked in a price quote, it’s a good possibility that you have found an insurance agency that will adequately provide insurance. Just keep in mind it’s your policy and you can cancel your coverage at any time so don’t feel you’re contractually obligated to a specific agent indefinitely.

Cheaper auto insurance rates are available

The cheapest Scion xB insurance in Chicago can be purchased online in addition to many Chicago insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who don’t offer rate quotes online and most of the time these regional carriers sell through local independent agencies.

You just learned many ideas to find lower-cost Scion xB insurance in Chicago. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding inexpensive Chicago car insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest premium rates are with a lesser-known regional company.

People change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, an unsatisfactory settlement offer, policy cancellation or questionable increases in premium. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new company is not as hard as you think.

Much more information about auto insurance in Illinois can be read on the following sites:

• Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)
• How Much are Chicago Car Insurance Rates for Unemployed Drivers? (FAQ)
• Keeping Children Safe in Crashes Video (iihs.org)
• Cellphones, Texting and Driving (iihs.org)