Affordable Insurance for a Dodge Journey in New Orleans

Getting lower-cost New Orleans Dodge Journey insurance quotes can be difficult for people new to price shopping online. With such a big selection of agents and online companies, how are we expected to be able to compare every one to find the cheapest rates?

How to find low-cost rates for Dodge Journey insurance in New Orleans

It takes a few minutes, but the best way to get low-cost car insurance rates in New Orleans is to compare prices once a year from providers in Louisiana. Rate comparisons can be done by following these guidelines.

1. It will benefit you to learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the modifications you can make to keep rates in check. Many policy risk factors that drive up the price such as traffic violations and an unacceptable credit score can be eliminated by making minor changes in your lifestyle. This article gives the details to get cheaper rates and earn a bigger discount.
2. Compare prices from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can provide rates from a single company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agencies can quote prices from multiple insurance companies. Click to view companies
3. Compare the new quotes to your current policy to see if cheaper Journey coverage is available. If you find a lower rate quote, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
4. Notify your agent or company of your intention to cancel your current auto insurance policy and submit payment along with a signed and completed policy application for your new policy. As soon as you can, place your new certificate of insurance in your vehicle.

The most important part of shopping around is to use the same deductibles and limits on every quote and and to look at as many carriers as you can. This helps ensure an accurate price comparison and a better comparison of the market.

It’s well known that car insurance companies don’t want policyholders to shop around. Consumers who shop around for a cheaper policy are inclined to buy a new policy because they have good chances of finding a more affordable policy premium. A survey found that drivers who made a habit of comparing rates saved on average $865 annually as compared to drivers who don’t make a habit of comparing rates.

If finding budget-friendly rates on car insurance is the reason you’re here, learning how to get rate quotes and compare cheaper coverage can help make the process easier and more efficient.

Smart Consumers Save on Insurance

The best way to find cheaper car insurance is to take a look at the rating factors that aid in calculating your premiums. If you have a feel for what influences your rates, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to cheaper rates.

The itemized list below are some of the items companies use to determine your rates.

• Annual miles is a factor – The more miles you rack up on your Dodge every year the higher your rates will be. Almost all companies calculate rates based upon how much you drive. Vehicles that are left in the garage can be on a lower rate level than those that get driven frequently. It’s a smart idea to ensure your vehicle rating correctly shows the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money. A policy that improperly rates your Journey can cost quite a bit.
• Physical damage deductibles – Comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles tell how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. Physical damage protection, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims are colliding with a stationary object, vandalism, or theft of your vehicle. The more you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
• Know your vehicle’s crash test rating – Cars with high safety ratings cost less to insure. Highly rated vehicles reduce occupant injuries and fewer injuries means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.

• Gender and auto insurance premiums – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. It does not mean females are better drivers. Males and females are in at-fault accidents in similar percentages, but guys have accidents that have higher claims. Not only are claims higher, but men get higher numbers of serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Young males are several times more likely to be in an accident and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.

  The illustration below illustrates the difference between Dodge Journey car insurance rates for male and female drivers. The rate quotes are based on no violations or claims, full coverage, $250 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are factored in.

• Your liability insurance limits – Liability insurance provides coverage in the event that you are determined to be liable for damages caused by your negligence. Your policy’s liability insurance provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. This coverage is relatively inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.

• Accidents cost more than a fine – Your driving citation history impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Drivers who don’t get tickets have lower premiums as compared to those with violations. Even one ticket can increase rates to the point where it’s not affordable. Drivers who have careless tickets such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions might be required by their state to submit a SR-22 form with their state in order to legally drive.

  The example below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault claims increase Dodge Journey car insurance rates for different categories of driver ages. The prices are based on a single female driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.

• GPS tracking and theft deterrents systems cut prices – Choosing a vehicle with advanced anti-theft systems can get you a discount on your car insurance. Advanced theft deterrents such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can thwart your car from being stolen.

• Dodge Journey claim statistics – Insurance companies include the past claim trends for vehicles in order to profitably underwrite each model. Models that have high amounts or severity of claims will have higher rates. The next table illustrates the insurance loss data used by companies for Dodge Journey vehicles.

  For each type of coverage, the loss probability for all vehicles, without regard to make or model, is a value of 100. Values under 100 represent a good loss history, while numbers above 100 indicate higher probability of having a loss or larger claims.

  
  

  Insurance Loss Ratings for Dodge Journey Vehicles

  Vehicle Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Dodge Journey 4dr 2WD	80	92	80	148	163	131
  Dodge Journey 4dr 4WD	96	116	71	96

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Empty fields indicate not enough data collected
  Data Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years

Analysis of coverages

The premium information displayed below covers estimates of coverage prices for Dodge Journey models. Having knowledge of how rates are formulated can be of help when making decisions on which insurance to purchase.

Data variables include married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and Louisiana minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, homeowner, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and safe-driver. Price estimates do not factor in specific zip code location which can modify rates substantially.

Should you buy full coverage?

The example below shows the difference between Dodge Journey auto insurance rates with and without full coverage. The price estimates are based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no policy discounts are applied.

When to drop comp and collision

There is no clear-cut formula to eliminate comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your Dodge Journey replacement cost is $3,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would receive is $2,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If you are paying in excess of $200 annually to have full coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

There are a few situations where buying only liability insurance is not a good idea. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not consider dropping full coverage.

Affordable Dodge Journey insurance in New Orleans

Some providers don’t list every available discount very clearly, so the following list contains both the well known and also the lesser-known discounts that may be available. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, it’s possible you qualify for a lower rate.

• Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than spreading payments over time you can actually save on your bill.
• Accident Waiver – Not really a discount, but a few companies such as Allstate and State Farm permit an accident without getting socked with a rate hike so long as you haven’t had any claims for a specific time period.
• Discount for Swiching Early – A few insurance companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to the expiration date on your current Journey insurance policy. This can save 10% or more.
• Good Student Discount – This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts up to age 25.
• No Claim Discounts – Drivers with accident-free driving histories are rewarded with significantly better rates on New Orleans auto insurance quote in comparison to drivers with a long claim history.
• Distant College Student Discount – College-age children who live away from home to go to college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle can receive lower rates.
• Safety Course Discount – Participating in a course that instructs on driving safety is a good idea and can lower rates and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Bundle and Save – If you combine your homeowners and auto policies with the same insurance company you may earn 10% to 20% off each policy.
• Anti-lock Brake System – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.
• Paper-free Discount – Some companies will give you a small discount simply for signing digitally online.

It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to the whole policy. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.

The diagram below illustrates the comparison of Dodge Journey car insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The data assumes a male driver, no violations or claims, Louisiana state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with safe-driver, marriage, claim-free, multi-car, homeowner, and multi-policy discounts applied.

A few of the larger companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are included below.

• State Farm may have discounts that include defensive driving training, Steer Clear safe driver discount, anti-theft, passive restraint, driver’s education, accident-free, and multiple policy.
• Progressive offers discounts for multi-policy, online signing, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and online quote discount.
• Progressive may offer discounts for good student, homeowner, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy.
• MetLife offers discounts including good driver, multi-policy, claim-free, good student, and accident-free.
• Farm Bureau has discounts for good student, multi-vehicle, driver training, youthful driver, safe driver, and 55 and retired.
• GEICO offers premium reductions for federal employee, emergency military deployment, membership and employees, anti-lock brakes, seat belt use, and military active duty.
• SAFECO discounts include accident prevention training, multi-car, teen safe driver, anti-lock brakes, drive less, anti-theft, and bundle discounts.

When quoting, ask every insurance company to apply every possible discount. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not apply to policyholders in New Orleans. To see a list of insurance companies offering auto insurance discounts in New Orleans, click this link.

Best car insurance company in New Orleans

Selecting the highest-rated car insurance company is hard considering how many companies are available to choose from in Louisiana. The company ratings displayed below may help you analyze which car insurance providers to look at to insure your vehicles.

Insurance savings summarized

As you shop your coverage around, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many instances, an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford.

We just covered a lot of techniques to shop for Dodge Journey insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote New Orleans auto insurance, the better likelihood of getting affordable Dodge Journey insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the most savings is with some of the lesser-known companies. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.

How to find the cheapest rates for Dodge Journey insurance in New Orleans

The recommended way to find more affordable car insurance rates in New Orleans is to start comparing rates regularly from insurance carriers in Louisiana. Rate comparisons can be done by following these steps.

Step 1: Learn about car insurance and the changes you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that result in higher rates such as accidents, traffic violations, and bad credit can be rectified by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.

Step 2: Compare prices from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can only quote rates from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes from multiple sources.

Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy and determine if cheaper Journey coverage is available in New Orleans. If you find a better price, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.

An important part of this process is that you’ll want to make sure you compare identical coverage information on each quote and and to compare as many companies as feasibly possible. Doing this provides an apples-to-apples comparison and a complete price analysis.

For more information, take a look at the articles below:

• Uninsured Motorists: Threats on the Road (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has the Cheapest New Orleans Auto Insurance Quotes for Business Use? (FAQ)
• Older Drivers FAQ (iihs.org)
• Auto Insurance Basics (Insurance Information Institute)