Being forced to pay for overpriced car insurance premiums can dry up your savings and force you to make tough financial choices. Shopping your coverage around can help to slash your bill and have more diposable income.
It’s easy to assume that auto insurance companies want to keep you from shopping around. Drivers who shop around are likely to move their business because of the good chance of finding good coverage at a lower price. Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that people who make a habit of shopping around saved an average of $3,500 over four years as compared to drivers who never compared rates.
If finding the cheapest price for auto insurance is your objective, then having a good understanding how to shop for cheaper coverage can help make the process easier and more efficient.
How to buy discount Audi A4 insurance in Detroit
Really, the only way to quote cheaper car insurance rates is to start comparing rates regularly from companies who can sell car insurance in Detroit.
First, try to understand how your policy works and the measures you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many rating criteria that cause rate increases such as multiple speeding tickets and poor credit can be improved by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
Second, request rate estimates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct and exclusive agents can only quote rates from one company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agents can provide price quotes from multiple sources.
Third, compare the new rate quotes to the premium of your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find better rates and change companies, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
Fourth, give notification to your current company of your intent to cancel your existing policy and submit the application along with any required down payment to the new insurer. Immediately store the certificate verifying coverage in your glove compartment.
The most important part of shopping around is to compare the same level of coverage on each quote request and and to get price estimates from every company you can. This enables the most accurate price comparison and many rates to choose from.
Due to the large number of choices of insurance companies that have cheap insurance for an Audi A4 in Detroit, it can be difficult for drivers to choose the lowest cost car insurance provider.
It’s a good idea to get comparison quotes once or twice a year because insurance rates trend upward over time. Even if you got the lowest premium rates on Audi A4 insurance in Detroit two years ago a different company probably has better prices today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the right way to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
What Affects Audi A4 Insurance Costs?
Many things are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. A few of the factors are predictable such as your driving history, but others are more obscure like where you live or your vehicle rating. An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the factors that go into determining the rates you pay for insurance. When you understand what controls the rates you pay, this helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to lower insurance prices.
Long commutes cost more – The more you drive each year the more it will cost to insure it. Many insurance companies charge rates based upon how much you drive. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage get more affordable rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Improper usage on your A4 can result in significantly higher rates. Double check that your insurance coverage is rated on how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money.
Your credit rating is important – Having a bad credit score is a big factor in determining premium rates. So if your credit rating is low, you could pay less to insure your Audi A4 by taking the time to improve your credit score. Consumers who have very good credit scores tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit ratings.
Vocation can influence rates – Careers such as doctors, executives, and accountants tend to pay higher premiums than the average policyholder because of high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, jobs such as farmers, engineers and performers have lower than average premiums.
If you don’t need it don’t buy it – There are quite a few add-on coverages that can add up if you aren’t diligent. Insurance for things like coverage for rental cars, towing, and extra life insurance coverage may not be needed and are just wasting money. They may sound like good ideas when deciding what coverages you need, but if you don’t need them remove them and pocket the money.
Obey driving laws and save – Being a careful driver impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Having a single ticket could increase your next policy renewal twenty percent or more. Careful drivers get better prices than bad drivers. Drivers who get serious violations such as DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may find that they have to to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
The illustration below shows how traffic citations and accidents raise Audi A4 yearly insurance costs for each age group. The rate quotes are based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
Audi A4 claim statistics – Car insurance companies take into consideration historical loss data for every vehicle as a way to help calculate a profitable premium price. Models that tend to have increased losses will have higher premium rates. The data below shows the collected loss data for Audi A4 vehicles.
For each type of coverage, the statistical loss for all vehicles, as a total average, is a value of 100. Values under 100 indicate a favorable loss history, while numbers that are greater than 100 indicate frequent claims or an increased chance of larger losses than average.
Specific Audi Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audi A4 4dr 2WD | 179 | 107 | 103 | 80 | 112 | 100 |
Audi A4 4dr 4WD | 160 | 94 | 118 | 66 | 68 | 77 |
Audi A4 Allroad Station Wagon 4WD | 145 | 84 | 110 | 47 | 47 | 70 |
Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
The companies shown below provide comparison quotes in Michigan. If your goal is to find the best cheap auto insurance in Michigan, it’s highly recommended you visit as many as you can in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Rates and detailed analysis
The information displayed next outlines different insurance premium costs for Audi A4 models. Learning as much as possible about how auto insurance premiums are established can be of help when making decisions when shopping your coverage around.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A4 2.0T Quattro Premium Turbo Station Wagon | $764 | $1456 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,448 | $287 |
A4 2.0T Premium Turbo 4-Dr Sedan | $764 | $1264 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,256 | $271 |
A4 2.0T Quattro Premium Turbo 4-Dr Sedan | $764 | $1264 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,256 | $271 |
A4 2.0T Quattro Premium Plus Turbo Station Wagon | $764 | $1456 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,448 | $287 |
A4 2.0T Premium Plus Turbo 4-Dr Sedan | $852 | $1456 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,536 | $295 |
A4 2.0T Quattro Premium Plus Turbo 4-Dr Sedan | $852 | $1456 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,536 | $295 |
A4 2.0T Quattro Premium Plus 4-Dr Sedan | $852 | $1456 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,536 | $295 |
A4 2.0T Quattro Prestige Turbo Station Wagon | $852 | $1456 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,536 | $295 |
A4 2.0T Quattro Prestige 4-Dr Sedan | $852 | $1456 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,536 | $295 |
A4 2.0T Quattro Prestige Turbo 4-Dr Sedan | $852 | $1456 | $904 | $54 | $270 | $3,536 | $295 |
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Above prices assume single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and Michigan minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Prices do not factor in vehicle location which can affect auto insurance rates substantially.
The example below highlights how deductible choice and can influence Audi A4 premium costs for different ages of insureds. The prices are based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, and no policy discounts are applied.
Auto insurance rates by age and gender
The example below compares Audi A4 insurance rates for male and female drivers. The price estimates are based on no violations or claims, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Do you need full coverage?
The illustration below illustrates the difference between Audi A4 yearly insurance costs with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The data assumes a clean driving record, no claims, $500 deductibles, single marital status, and no other discounts are factored in.
Guidelines for dropping full coverage
There is no exact rule for dropping physical damage insurance, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than about 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it might be time to buy liability only.
For example, let’s say your Audi A4 replacement value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would get paid by your company is $7,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If you are paying over $700 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.
There are some scenarios where only buying liability is not financially feasible. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should not remove full coverage.
Buying the right Audi vehicle insurance in Michigan is an important decision
Despite the high cost, maintaining insurance is required for several reasons.
- The majority of states have minimum liability requirements which means state laws require specific minimum amounts of liability coverage in order to license the vehicle. In Michigan these limits are 20/40/10 which means you must have $20,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $40,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your vehicle has a lienholder, most banks will stipulate that you have comprehensive coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If you default on your policy, the bank may buy a policy for your Audi at a more expensive rate and force you to reimburse them for the expensive policy.
- Insurance safeguards both your car and your assets. It will also pay for medical bills that are the result of an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, will also pay attorney fees if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, your auto insurance policy will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of buying auto insurance are definitely more than the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. Today the average American driver overpays more than $810 a year so you should quote your policy with other companies at least once a year to make sure the price is not too high.
Get cheaper Audi A4 insurance rates in Detroit
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but there may be some discounts that can dramatically reduce your bill. Most are applied when you purchase, but a few need to be asked about prior to getting the savings. If you’re not getting every credit possible, you may be paying too high a price.
- Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Purchasing coverage when you have multiple vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Use Seat Belts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to fasten their seat belts can save up to 15% on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
- Multi-policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same company you may save up to 20% and get you inexpensive Audi A4 insurance in Detroit.
- Accident Waiver – Not a discount per se, but a handful of insurance companies permit an accident before your rates go up if you have no claims before the accident.
- Military Discounts – Being deployed in the military could be rewarded with lower prices.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Teen drivers should take driver’s ed class in school.
As a sidenote, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies don’t profit that way.
The diagram below shows the comparison of Audi A4 annual premium costs with and without discounts. The premiums are based on a female driver, no claims or driving violations, Michigan state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision 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, multi-policy, multi-car, marriage, homeowner, and claim-free discounts applied.
A few companies that may offer policyholders some of the discounts shown above may include but are not limited to:
If you are trying to find affordable Audi A4 insurance quotes, ask every insurance company which discounts they offer. Some discounts listed above may not apply in your area. To see a list of insurance companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Michigan, click here to view.
Do I need an insurance agency?
Some people still prefer to buy from a local agent and that is a smart decision Agents can make sure you are properly covered and help file insurance claims. A good thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that drivers can get the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to.
For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, the coverage information is sent to agents in your area that can provide free Detroit car insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to contact any insurance agencies because quoted prices will be sent to you directly. If you need to compare prices from a specific insurance provider, just go to their quote page and fill out their quote form.
Deciding on an insurance company requires more thought than just the bottom line cost. Any agent in Detroit should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Do they write coverage based solely on cost?
- Will they give you a referral list?
- How often do they review coverages?
In Summary
More affordable car insurance in Detroit can be bought online as well as from independent agents in Detroit, so you need to shop Detroit car insurance with both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies do not provide online price quotes and many times these small, regional companies only sell coverage through independent agents.
We just presented some good ideas how to lower your Audi A4 insurance prices in Detroit. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding affordable Detroit car insurance quotes. You may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small local company. Smaller companies often have lower rates on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
Steps to finding cheaper Audi A4 insurance in Detroit
The best way to find better pricing on auto insurance rates in Detroit is to start doing a yearly price comparison from insurers in Michigan. Prices can be compared by following these guidelines.
- Try to learn a little about coverages and the steps you can take to keep rates down. Many rating criteria that drive up the price like traffic tickets, fender benders, and a lousy credit rating can be eliminated by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
- Get rate quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can provide rates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide price quotes from many different companies. View a list of agents
- Compare the new quotes to your current policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find better rates, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
- Notify your current company of your intention to cancel your existing policy and submit a signed application and payment for the new coverage. As soon as you receive it, place the new certificate verifying coverage with your registration paperwork.
The most important part of shopping around is to use similar deductibles and liability limits on each quote request and and to look at as many auto insurance providers as possible. Doing this ensures the most accurate price comparison and a complete selection of prices.
Additional detailed information is located in the articles below:
- Property Damage Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for Drivers Under 21 in Detroit? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Drivers with Bad Credit in Detroit? (FAQ)
- Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)