Best Insurance for a GMC Sierra 2500HD in Columbus

If you want to save the most money, the best way to find affordable GMC Sierra 2500HD insurance in Columbus is to do an annual price comparison from providers who sell auto insurance in Ohio.

• First, spend a few minutes and learn about how companies price auto insurance and the modifications you can make to keep rates in check. Many policy risk factors that drive up the price like speeding tickets, careless driving and a low credit score can be improved by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
• Second, obtain price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only quote rates from a single company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while independent agents can provide prices from many different companies.
• Third, compare the new rate quotes to your current policy premium to see if you can save by switching companies. If you find a better price and make a switch, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
• Fourth, give proper notification to your current agent or company of your intent to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit a completed policy application and payment to the newly selected company. Once the application is submitted, keep your new certificate of insurance somewhere easily accessible.

The key aspect of shopping around is to compare the same liability limits and deductibles on each price quote and and to get price estimates from as many companies as feasibly possible. This guarantees an accurate price comparison and a complete price analysis.

Amazingly, a recent NerdWallet.com study showed that the majority of drivers kept buying from the same company for over three years, and just short of a majority have never even compared rates from other companies. With the average premium in Ohio being $1,340, drivers can cut their rates by nearly $700 a year, but they don’t want to spend time to find cheap insurance by shopping around.

Keep in mind that making a lot of price comparisons helps locate lower pricing.

The companies shown below provide free rate quotes in Columbus, OH. If multiple companies are shown, we suggest you visit as many as you can in order to get a fair rate comparison.

Cheaper rates by earning discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always publicize every discount they offer in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of a few of the more well known and also the more inconspicuous credits that may apply to you.

• Claim-Free Discount – Insureds with no claims or accidents can earn big discounts as opposed to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
• Good Driver Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents could pay up to 40% less compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
• Active Service Discounts – Having a family member in the military may lower your rates slightly.
• Discount for Swiching Early – Select insurance companies give a discount for switching policies before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Telematics Data Discounts – Drivers who elect to allow their insurance company to look at where and when they drive by using a telematics device in their vehicle such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system could save a few bucks if they have good driving habits.
• First Accident Forgiveness – This one isn’t a discount, but a few companies such as Allstate and State Farm may permit one accident before raising your premiums if you are claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
• E-sign Discounts – Certain companies will provide an incentive for buying a policy and signing up on the internet.
• Theft Deterrent – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and that can save you a little bit as well.

You can save money using discounts, but many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though the math looks like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn’t work that way. Any amount of discount will reduce your policy cost.

The diagram below illustrates the comparison of GMC Sierra 2500HD insurance rates with and without discounts. The premiums are based on a male driver, no accidents, no driving violations, Ohio state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, safe-driver, multi-car, multi-policy, marriage, and claim-free discounts applied.

Larger insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are included below.

• State Farm offers premium reductions for student away at school, driver’s education, multiple autos, accident-free, passive restraint, anti-theft, and good student.
• Progressive may include discounts for online signing, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, good student, and online quote discount.
• Travelers offers discounts including student away at school, new car, multi-policy, good student, and continuous insurance.
• American Family policyholders can earn discounts including Steer into Savings, accident-free, bundled insurance, multi-vehicle, and good driver.
• Liberty Mutual offers discounts for safety features, new graduate, newly retired, exclusive group savings, teen driver discount, multi-car, and new vehicle discount.

If you need lower rates, check with every insurance company which discounts they offer. Some discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state.

GMC Sierra 2500HD insurance coverage information

The coverage table displayed below covers estimates of insurance prices for GMC Sierra 2500HD models. Having knowledge of how insurance policy rates are figured can assist in making smart choices when buying a car insurance policy.

Data assumes married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, homeowner, claim-free, and safe-driver. Price estimates do not factor in zip code location which can lower or raise rates considerably.

Analysis of deductible levels

When comparing auto insurance rates, the most common question is how high or low should comp and collision deductibles be. The figures shown below may aid in understanding the rate difference between low and high insurance deductibles. The first rate comparisons uses a $100 deductible and the second set of rates uses a $1,000 deductible.

Table data represents married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, and homeowner. Table data does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can modify coverage prices substantially.

Based on this data, we can arrive at the conclusion that using a $100 deductible will cost you roughly $28 more each month or $336 a year than opting for the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would pay $900 more to settle a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you average at a minimum 32 months between claims, you would probably save some money if you decide on a higher deductible.

Men versus women drivers and insurance cost

The example below compares GMC Sierra 2500HD auto insurance rates for male and female drivers. The premiums assume no violations or claims, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, single status, and no other discounts are factored in.

Liability only or full coverage

The illustration below shows the comparison of GMC Sierra 2500HD auto insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage. The information is based on no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

When to stop buying comprehensive and collision coverage

There is no written rule for dropping full coverage on your policy, but there is a general school of thought. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than about 10% of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your GMC Sierra 2500HD claim settlement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most your company will settle for is $2,000 after paying your deductible. If premium cost is more than $200 a year for your policy with full coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

There are some cases where removing full coverage is not a good plan. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not eliminate full coverage.

When to contact an insurance agency

Some people would rather sit down and talk to an agent and that is a smart decision A nice benefit of price shopping on the web is the fact that drivers can get better rates and still have a local agent. And providing support for neighborhood agents is important particularly in Columbus.

By using this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is submitted to local insurance agents in Columbus that provide free Columbus auto insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t even need to contact any insurance agencies since price quotes are sent to you directly. You can most likely find cheaper rates without requiring a lot of work. If you want to get a comparison quote from one company in particular, you just need to find their quoting web page to submit a rate quote request.

If you want to buy insurance from a local agent, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they can write your policy. Agents in Columbus can be categorized as either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer.

Independent Insurance Agents

Agents that elect to be independent are normally appointed by many insurers so they can insure your vehicles with an assortment of companies and find the cheapest insurance rates. If premiums increase, they simply move your policy to a different company and you don’t have to do anything.

When comparison shopping, you need to compare prices from a few independent agents to get the most accurate price comparison.

Listed below is a small list of independent agencies in Columbus that may be able to provide cheap rate quotes.

More insurance agents

Exclusive Insurance Agents

Agents in the exclusive channel have only one company to place business with and some examples include State Farm, Allstate, and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agents cannot place coverage with different providers so keep that in mind. Exclusive agents receive a lot of sales training on their company’s products which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates.

Listed below are exclusive agencies in Columbus who can help you get price quotes.

More insurance agents

Finding the right insurance agent should include more criteria than just the bottom line cost. You should also get answers to these questions.

• If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
• If your car is totaled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
• Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
• Is the agency active in community causes in Columbus?
• Are they involved in claim handling?
• Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?

After receiving satisfactory answers to these questions as well as a price you’re happy with, most likely you have located an auto insurance agent that meets the requirements to provide insurance coverage.

Do I just need basic coverages?

When choosing the best auto insurance coverage, there is no one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance should reflect that
Here are some questions about coverages that might point out if your insurance needs will benefit from professional help.

• Am I covered when driving a rental car?
• What does UM/UIM cover?
• How does medical payments coverage work?
• Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?
• Can my babysitter drive my car?
• If my car is totaled with they pay enough to replace it?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

How Your Sierra 2500HD Insurance Prices are Determined

Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. When you understand what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this allows you to make educated decisions that may result in big savings. Multiple criteria are used when premium rates are determined. Most are fairly basic such as your driving history, but other factors are more transparent like where you live and annual miles driven.

• Single vs. married – Having a wife or husband can get you a discount on your auto insurance policy. It translates into being more responsible and insurance companies reward insureds because married drivers get in fewer accidents.

• Careless drivers pay higher rates – Only having one moving violation may increase your cost forty percent or more. Attentive drivers get better prices as compared to those with violations. Drivers who have gotten license-revoking citations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.

  The information below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault collisions can increase GMC Sierra 2500HD annual premium costs for different ages of insureds. The premiums are based on a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

• More people means more accidents – Living in less populated areas of the country can save you money when trying to find low car insurance rates. People who live in big cities have to deal with traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. Fewer drivers and short commutes means fewer accidents and lower theft and vandalism rates.
• Keep rates low by being claim-free – If you frequently file small claims, you should expect increased rates or even have your policy non-renewed. Insurance companies in Ohio provide the best rates to drivers who only file infrequent claims. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.

Three good reasons to insure your GMC Sierra 2500HD

Despite the high cost, paying for auto insurance is mandatory in Ohio but it also protects more than you think.

First, most states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means you are required to carry a specific level of liability if you want to drive legally. In Ohio these limits are 25/50/25 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.

Second, if you took out a loan on your GMC Sierra 2500HD, almost every bank will stipulate that you buy insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If you let the policy lapse, the bank may insure your GMC at a much higher premium rate and force you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.

Third, insurance safeguards not only your GMC but also your assets. It will also cover most medical and hospital costs for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability insurance also covers legal expenses if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to have it repaired.

The benefits of insuring your Sierra 2500HD greatly outweigh the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. The average driver in Ohio overpays more than $850 per year so compare rates at least once a year to be sure current rates are still competitive.

Car insurance savings summarized

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to get a better price on GMC Sierra 2500HD insurance in Columbus. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest auto insurance rates are with an unexpected company. They may often insure only within specific states and give better rates than the large multi-state companies such as GEICO and State Farm.

When getting Columbus auto insurance quotes online, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your objective should be to get the best coverage possible at the lowest possible cost while still protecting your assets.

Some car insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers work with independent agencies. Cheaper car insurance in Columbus is possible online in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money.

Much more information about car insurance in Ohio is available at the links below

• Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Quotes for Business Use in Columbus? (FAQ)
• How Much are Columbus Car Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Camry? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for a Chevrolet Traverse in Columbus? (FAQ)
• Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
• Keeping Children Safe in Crashes Video (iihs.org)
• Rearview cameras reduce backing crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)