Insurance Rates

[kgeissler]

We are getting our Smart Cabrio next month. Currently we have a 2007 Chevy HHR and a 1993 Pontiac Trans Am, both insured with full coverage for $557 every 6 months, thru Progressive.

I called Progressive to see how much it would be to insure the Smart. We will be getting rid of the Trans Am and replacing it with the Smart.

Progressive quoted me $850 every 6 months!!! To me, that seems outrageous, trading in a sports car for an economy car. Did anyone else see a big increase in auto insurance when you got your Smart?

[bull8042]

There is something wrong there! I have State Farm, and the rate for full coverage with very high limits was still a good bit less that the full coverage with average limits on my 2005 Durango hemi.

[JPaul]

So many factors come into an insurance rate that it is impossible to compare one plan to another:
-age and experience of driver
-number of driver(s) (young driver)
-clean traffic violation/accident record
-location (city, suburbia or country)
-parking (secured or street)
-alarm(s) (LoJack)
-deductible
-amount/kind of coverage
-gap coverage
etc...

[vwW12]

Originally Posted by kgeissler

We are getting our Smart Cabrio next month. Currently we have a 2007 Chevy HHR and a 1993 Pontiac Trans Am, both insured with full coverage for $557 every 6 months, thru Progressive.

I called Progressive to see how much it would be to insure the Smart. We will be getting rid of the Trans Am and replacing it with the Smart.

Progressive quoted me $850 every 6 months!!! To me, that seems outrageous, trading in a sports car for an economy car. Did anyone else see a big increase in auto insurance when you got your Smart?

I replaced a 1997 Australian car with a cabrio. The Aussie no longer had comprehensive insurance. The cabrio does.

My insurance went up $260/yr. Geico.

Cheers,

[SylenThunder]

Don't know what my rates are exactly because my wife handles all of the finances, but I have Progressive, and they had the best rates of all the insurance companies we looked at the the area.... I am paying about $15 less a month for insurance on the Smart than I was with the Pontiac Vibe that I replaced. (that's without a discount for the installed LoJack system, keep forgetting to mention that to them.)

[markitect]

Keep in mind your trans am is only worth 4-6k anymore. Insurance premiums are directly related to the cost of a total loss(all other factors being the same).
I saved 300 dollars every 6 months on my smart vs my 2004 civic it replaced(state farm all the coverage you can get).

[chandler]

check State Farm out...I don't remember the rate I have but it is very reasonable

[kgeissler]

After doing research, it looks like Geico will be the cheapest. $511/6 months for both the Smart and the HHR.

[Chassol]

We have Nationwide and have two cars (as they do not write homeowners insurance here, they still give us the discount for that as long as we have homeowners insurance through an insurance company) - the 2008 smart Passion coupe and a 2007 Subaru Outback XT. The smart is $980 @ 6mos and the Subaru is $940. The Outback was about $14k more than the smart. Good credit, long time customer and just about every other discount they have. Quotes from three other companies were within $20 - $30 for the same coverage.

I'm beginning to believe that Nationwide is looking at no base to judge losses at so they are high to start and will, hopefully, go lower if and when they see their loss ratios being low. BUT, I'm wondering how many accidents will result in repair costs exceeding just totaling the vehicle?

Also, everything else is going up at double digit rates - example - 16.8% electricity rate increase just approved, except salaries, that is affecting insurance rates too.

[flywithsean]

Comparing Insurance rates is like trying to figure out the conversion rate of leprechauns to unicorns.

JPaul posted a lot of things that are factors but left out a few that carry the heaviest weight on your rate and that is Credit Score (they don't even have to tell you they are getting it) and what you do for a living.