In most states in the U.S., if you have a car, you’re going to need to have some form of car insurance in order to not be in violation of local law. For example, in the Sunshine State, Florida law requires drivers to have a minimum of $10,000 of coverage for both property damage liability as well as personal injury protection. Florida is a no-fault state, so these are the only forms of car insurance that Florida drivers need to get; however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you might not want more insurance coverage as well. In the world of car insurance, property damage liability helps cover damage to another car or piece of property if you’re in an accident. Personal injury protection, or PIP, helps to cover any medical costs you incur from an accident. Since Florida is a no-fault state, it doesn’t matter if you or the other driver were the cause of the accident, as each driver’s PIP will be the car insurance to cover the issues.
Just because Florida drivers don’t need to get full coverage and have low minimums doesn’t necessarily mean that that’s the type of insurance you’d like to get. For some drivers, the minimum coverage will result in cheap car insurance, but it might not be the best policy for you, especially if you’re a young driver. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to save money and shop around for the lowest rate possible. When it comes to finding the cheapest car insurance out there, the following insurance options are definitely worth looking into.
Look into usage-based car insurance.
One way to find some of the cheapest car insurance in Florida is to look into car insurance companies that offer coverage rates or discounts based on how much you use your car. Allstate, Nationwide, Progressive, and State Farm are all car insurance companies that offer these sorts of discounts, and save you a significant portion of the cost of coverage based on your driving rate. For example, if you pick State Farm as your insurer, you can save up to 30% on your policy through their Drive Safe & Save program. A program like SmartRide from Nationwide can provide discounts of up to 40%. The best way to know which program may work for you is to talk to an insurer about how much drivers with similar profiles to you pay. Knowing your average usage and their average rates can help you choose between programs.
Consider what else you can do to lower your costs with your insurance company.
Getting the best rate from an insurer has more to do than just shopping around and comparing a company like State Farm or Allstate to Geico. Having good credit, being a good driver with a clean driving record, and not having any DUIs can help you get discounts from your auto insurer and ultimately help you access some of the cheapest auto insurers out there. If you can’t afford a high deductible or need specific premiums, then it’s a good idea to shop around and find the right insurer and policy for you in addition to looking for the cheapest auto insurers. The last thing you want is to wind up with medical bills that aren’t covered by your insurer because you chose cheap car insurance over a car insurance company with a deductible and premium that better fit your needs.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways to get cheap insurance in the state of Florida. Even though Florida auto insurance is relatively inexpensive for the average driver due to low coverage limits, it still might be worth looking into the best deal in terms of price and what is offered in order to find the best option for you.
