It goes without saying that insurance companies don’t want you to look at other companies. Consumers who shop for lower rates will most likely switch companies because there is a good chance of finding a more affordable policy. Remarkably, a study showed that drivers who did price comparisons regularly saved an average of $3,400 over four years compared to other drivers who don’t make a habit of comparing rates.
If finding budget-friendly car insurance in Kansas City is your goal, then knowing the best ways to shop for coverages can save time, money, and frustration.
The recommended way to find affordable quotes for BMW X1 insurance is to compare prices at least once a year from different companies who sell insurance in Kansas City. Prices can be compared by completing these steps.
Step 1: Spend a few minutes and learn about policy coverages and the factors you can control to drop your rates. Many rating criteria that are responsible for high rates like speeding and an unacceptable credit score can be controlled by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. Read the full article for more details to get lower rates and find overlooked discounts.
Step 2: Request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give prices from a single company like Progressive or Allstate, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes from multiple sources.
Step 3: Compare the price quotes to your existing coverage and see if you can save money. If you can save money and switch companies, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
Step 4: Provide written notification to your current company of your decision to cancel your existing policy. Submit the signed application along with the required initial payment for your new coverage. As soon as you can, keep the new certificate verifying proof of insurance with your vehicle’s registration.
The key thing to remember is that you’ll want to compare similar limits and deductibles on each quote request and and to get price estimates from as many car insurance companies as possible. This provides a level playing field and a good representation of prices.
If you are already insured or need new coverage, follow these tips to save money while maximizing coverage. Locating the most cost-effective insurance policy in Kansas City is really quite easy. Drivers just have to know how to get comparison quotes from multiple carriers.
All the larger auto insurance companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive allow you to get pricing online. Doing online quotes for BMW X1 insurance in Kansas City is quite easy because you just enter the coverages you want into the form. After you complete the form, their quoting system pulls credit information and your driving record and generates pricing information based on these and other factors. Being able to quote online for BMW X1 insurance in Kansas City makes it a lot easier to compare rates and it is important to have as many quotes as possible if you want to find a better rate.
To compare rates using this form now, compare rate quotes from the providers shown below. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend that you enter the limits and deductibles exactly as shown on your declarations page. This helps ensure you’re receiving rate comparison quotes based on identical coverages.
The car insurance companies shown below can provide free rate quotes in Missouri. If multiple companies are listed, we recommend you visit two to three different companies to find the most competitive car insurance rates.
Why auto insurance is not optional
Despite the high cost of buying insurance for a BMW X1 in Kansas City, insuring your vehicle serves several important purposes.
First, most states have minimum liability requirements which means you are required to buy specific minimum amounts of liability insurance coverage in order to be legal. In Missouri 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 X1 with a loan, it’s guaranteed your bank will require that you buy insurance to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank may insure your BMW at a much higher rate and require you to pay the higher price.
Third, auto insurance protects not only your BMW but also your financial assets. Insurance will also pay for all forms of medical expenses for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. Liability insurance also pays for attorney fees and expenses if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of carrying adequate insurance definitely exceed the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. Unknowingly, the average driver overpays as much as $850 per year so compare quotes from several companies at every renewal to be sure current rates are still competitive.
Take advantage of these five discounts
Not too many consumers would say insurance is affordable, but you may be missing some discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Certain discounts will be applied when you purchase, but a few must be specifically requested in order for you to get them.
- Full Payment Discount – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than spreading payments over time you may reduce your total bill.
- Distant College Student Discount – Youth drivers living away from Kansas City attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Good Grades Discount – Maintaining excellent grades can earn a discount of 20% or more. Many companies even apply the discount to college students up to age 25.
- No Accidents – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can save substantially in comparison to drivers with a long claim history.
- Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems could see savings as much as 30%.
You should keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the whole policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So even though you would think you could get a free insurance policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
Popular insurance companies and some of the discounts can be read below.
- Farm Bureau has savings for youthful driver, safe driver, 55 and retired, good student, and multi-vehicle.
- Liberty Mutual has discounts for safety features, preferred payment discount, new vehicle discount, good student, new move discount, newly retired, and teen driver discount.
- State Farm may include discounts for good driver, anti-theft, multiple autos, student away at school, and defensive driving training.
- Auto-Owners Insurance discounts include good student, anti-theft, safe driver, group or association, paid in full, mature driver, and paperless.
- GEICO may have discounts that include defensive driver, anti-theft, driver training, membership and employees, and seat belt use.
- SAFECO may offer discounts for safe driver, drive less, teen safe driver, accident prevention training, anti-theft, bundle discounts, and anti-lock brakes.
Before buying, ask every prospective company how you can save money. Some discounts listed above may not apply to policyholders everywhere. For a list of insurance companies that offer multiple discounts in Missouri, click here.
Local Kansas City auto insurance agents
Some consumers just want to talk to an insurance agent and that is OK! Good agents can help you build your policy and give you someone to call. A good thing about comparing insurance online is that you can obtain cheaper rates and also buy local.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, the coverage information is transmitted to insurance agents in Kansas City who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to search for an agent due to the fact that quote results will go straight to your inbox. If you need to compare prices for a specific company, just search and find their rate quote page and complete a quote there.
Choosing the best company needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price quote. These are valid questions to ask:
- Do they see any coverage gaps in your plan?
- Is coverage determined by price?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- Is the agency active in community causes in Kansas City?
- How much training do they have in personal risk management?
- Do they have 24-hour customer assistance?
When narrowing the list to find a reputable agency, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents to choose from. Insurance agents can be described as either exclusive or independent. Either one can write policy coverage, but it is important to understand how they differ since it may influence the type of agent you choose.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Agents in the exclusive channel can only place business with one company and examples are AAA, Allstate, State Farm, or Farmers Insurance. Exclusive agencies are unable to compare rates from other companies so you need to shop around if the rates are high. Exclusive agents are usually well trained on their company’s products which aids in selling service over price.
Listed below are exclusive agencies in Kansas City who can help you get rate quotes.
Allstate Insurance: Steve Marshall
7000 NW Prairie View Rd Ste 100 – Kansas City, MO 64151 – (816) 587-5200 – View Map
American Family Insurance – Gary Woods Agency Inc.
7211 NW 83 St Ste 140 – Kansas City, MO 64152 – (816) 587-8033 – View Map
American Family Insurance – Jeff Williams Agency Inc.
6505 N Prospect Ave #100 – Kansas City, MO 64119 – (816) 459-7779 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agencies
Independent agents are normally appointed by many insurers so as a result can place your coverage with an assortment of companies depending on which coverage is best. If prices rise, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing insurance rates, we recommend you include price quotes from several independent agencies so that you can do a thorough price comparison.
The following is a short list of independent insurance agents in Kansas City willing to provide price quote information.
Nestel Insurance Agency
9233 Ward Pkwy #124 – Kansas City, MO 64114 – (816) 361-6442 – View Map
Daniel Crawford Insurance Agency
1201 NW Briarcliff Pkwy #345 – Kansas City, MO 64116 – (816) 390-4790 – View Map
Francisco Banuelos Insurance
536 Benton Blvd – Kansas City, MO 64124 – (816) 920-5400 – View Map
Insurance policy specifics
Having a good grasp of insurance can help you determine appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are the normal coverages available from insurance companies.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your BMW X1.
Since many Missouri drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.
Collision protection
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for claims such as crashing into a building, rolling your car and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to raise the deductible on your X1 to bring the cost down.
Coverage for medical expenses
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for expenses like nursing services, X-ray expenses, surgery and pain medications. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Liability coverages
This coverage protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property that is your fault. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 25/50/10 which stand for $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $10,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers things such as repair bills for other people’s vehicles, repair costs for stationary objects, court costs and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but consider buying higher limits if possible. Missouri state law requires minimum liability limits of 25/50/10 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.
The illustration below demonstrates why buying the state minimum limits may not be enough coverage.
Comprehensive insurance
This coverage covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers things like falling objects, fire damage, damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a deer and hitting a bird. The maximum payout a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Missouri auto insurance companies ranked
Buying coverage from the right company can be a challenge considering how many companies sell coverage in Missouri. The company rank data below can help you choose which coverage providers to look at shopping your coverage with.
Top 10 Kansas City Car Insurance Companies Overall
- USAA
- 21st Century
- GEICO
- Nationwide
- AAA Insurance
- Liberty Mutual
- Safeco Insurance
- State Farm
- Travelers
- American Family
Top 10 Kansas City Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Value
- USAA
- GEICO
- AAA Insurance
- State Farm
- Liberty Mutual
- Allstate
- Safeco Insurance
- 21st Century
- Travelers
- Titan Insurance
Cheaper car insurance is a realistic goal
In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can shop for BMW X1 insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding affordable BMW X1 insurance quotes. You may even discover the lowest rates are with a lesser-known regional company. Smaller companies may often insure only within specific states and give better rates as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or GEICO.
Budget-conscious BMW X1 insurance can be sourced online and from local insurance agents, so you need to quote Kansas City car insurance with both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers do not offer rates over the internet and most of the time these small insurance companies only sell through local independent agencies.
More detailed car insurance information is available in these articles:
- Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance for a Toyota RAV4 in Kansas City? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for Homeowners in Kansas City? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Government Employees in Kansas City? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for College Graduates in Kansas City? (FAQ)
- How Much is Kansas City Auto Insurance for Drivers with Good Credit? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Low Credit Scores in Kansas City? (FAQ)
- Young Drivers: The High Risk Years Video (iihs.org)
- Vehicle Insurance (Wikipedia)