Eau Claire Car Insurance
Eau Claire, located in the Chippewa Valley of Northern Wisconsin, is slightly north and east of the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The city's population is a comfortable 68,000 to 70,000, growing at a steady rate since the last U.S. Census in 2010. The size and location of the city along with its educational facilities and relatively inexpensive housing attracts families to the area.
A concern of many families is their annual budget and auto insurance is a large portion of that budget, so learning as much as is possible about auto insurance and shopping for auto insurance is important to compare and save premium dollars.
Enter your zip code above for affordable car insurance rates in Eau Claire today!
Basic Facts about Auto Insurance
Each state in the U.S. requires a certain amount of liability insurance to be purchased in order to legally obtain a driving license in the state.
These amounts required vary from state to state. In Wisconsin, information about legally required liability insurance requirements is available from the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.
The legal limits of liability required in Wisconsin as of November 1, 2011 are as follows:
- $25,000 for injury or death of one person
- $50,000 for injury or death of two or more persons
- $10,000 for property damage
- Uninsured Motorists coverage of $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury
Liability coverage pays for your legal liability in the event of an accident for which you are responsible. It does not, however, pay for your injuries or any damage to your own vehicle.
Recommended Automobile Coverage to Purchase
The legal limits of liability required by individual states are usually not adequate to protect your interest in the event of an accident for which you are responsible. Purchase the following limits to adequately protect yourself:
- $100,000 bodily injury liability for one person in an accident
- $300,000 bodily injury liability or death for two or more persons in one accident
- $50,000 property damage liability – your legal responsibility for the property of others in an accident
- Uninsured Motorists coverage of $100,000 per person/$300,000 bodily injury if involved with an individual with no insurance. Statistics say that up to 17% of individuals on the road do not have insurance.
- $5,000 medical payments coverage is recommended even if you have medical insurance. In the event of an accident, there may be questions about payment for emergency services and this will assure payment.
Purchase Physical Damage Coverage on Your Own Vehicle
Most of us have incurred loans to purchase our vehicles, so the lienholder will require that you purchase physical damage to protect their collateral and your loan.
Note that sometimes the pay-off on an automobile accident will not totally pay off the loan, so consider purchasing additional coverage to guarantee the total amount. The coverage you should purchase is:
- Comprehensive coverage – Some of the damages covered are natural disasters, fire, theft and vandalism, damage from impacts with animals, broken glass, and falling objects
- Collision coverage – Provides coverage if you run into another automobile or object, or if you vehicle is damaged by another auto or object
A deductible is applied to physical damage coverage and can vary from $250 per accident to $1000 per accident. Confer with the lien-holder to determine the requirements of your loan, but also calculate what you can legitimately afford to have fixed in the event of a loss.
Saving Money on Car Insurance
There are a number of ways to save money on car insurance. Some involve action that you may take; others are things you can avoid. A brief summary of these strategies is as follows:
- Shop around and check with different companies will help you determine the best price
- Keep your driving record clean because safe drivers are less expensive to insure and pay less for car insurance
- Purchase the insurance you need. If your car does not have a lien or is of a certain age, do not purchase comprehensive and collision coverage.
- Check what insurance on a new vehicle will cost before purchasing the vehicle. Safety devices such as anti-lock brakes or airbags can save money on insurance.
- Good students discounts are available for full-time students if they have a "B" or above average. Defensive driving courses for those over 65 can reduce premiums also.
Take the time to discuss discounts with your insurance agent because many insurance companies have discounts for occupations, organizations, or employment with certain companies.
Find a Reliable Insurance Company and Agent
Begin with querying your friends, neighbors, and family about their insurance company to find where they purchase their insurance and their estimation of that company's efficacy as an insurance company. Then, go through the following steps:
- Go to the website for the Wisconsin Commissioner of Insurance to look at financial records and complaint records for insurance companies.
- Examine insurance agency records and licensing on that same website
Other websites to examine for information about insurance company financials and complaint records include:
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
- A. M. Best Company, a rating company for insurance financial information
- Standard and Poor's Rating Services
Financial ratings are important to be certain that the insurance company from which you purchase insurance has reserves to pay any claims that you might have and remain in business.
Records of complaints can give you clues about possible flaws with insurance settlements or paper-handling errors that can appear in the insurance industry. A high incidence of complaints against a particular company can indicate potential problems for you and your insurance.
Determine Amounts of Coverage
Suggested limits are as follows:
- Bodily injury liability ($100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident)
- Property damage liability ($50,000 per accident)
- $5,000 medical payments coverage
- $100,000/300,000 Uninsured motorists coverage
- $500 deductible comprehensive
- $500 deductible collision
These limits are recommended in general, but it is necessary to request the same quotation from insurance companies in order to obtain comparable quotes. You should obtain quotes from at least three companies to adequately compare prices and coverage.
Statistical Information You Will Need to Obtain Quotes
As you search for reliable car insurance quotes, you will most likely need the following information:
- Names, dates of birth, and drivers license numbers for all drivers
- Marital status of drivers
- Driving records for each individual
- Make, model, and Vehicle Identification Number for all owned vehicles
- Usage of each vehicle, i.e. commuting five miles to work, pleasure use only, etc.
- Average yearly mileage for each vehicle
- Occupation of each driver as well as their education level
- For full-time students, include their Grade Point Average if it is a "B" or higher
- Completion of drivers education courses or defensive driving courses
Getting Quotations for Auto Insurance
At present in the United States, it is possible to purchase insurance from three different types of entities. All have an insurance company behind them, but the way agents are paid varies from type to type:
- Independent Agency – Independent agencies are owned by individuals who choose the companies they represent. In return, their agency does the paperwork, usually handles filing claims, and helps collect premiums. The advantage of this type of agency is the education and expertise of the licensed agents in insurance.
- Agency owned by the Insurance Company – such companies hire the agents, pay a salary to them, and they represent only the particular insurance group that hires them. They must be licensed and educated just as independent agents must be.
- Direct-writing insurance companies – These companies often receive applications and do business only through the Internet. With your permission, policies and binders may be delivered by e-mail and printed on the client's computers. A drawback in the minds of some individuals is that the agent has no personal tie to the individual purchasing the insurance.
Sample Quotations
Recognize that the following quotes are samples only to illustrate the differences that can occur in insurance premiums from company to company.
The proposed insured is a 35-year-old married male, a 32-year-old married female with two children of toddler age. They live in Eau Claire and own their own home. They have a 2009 Toyota Camry and a 2000 Ford Focus.
Both vehicles are used to commute less than ten miles to work. Comprehensive and collision are not purchased for the 2000 Ford Focus because of its age. The male is a mid-level executive at a technology company; the female is an elementary teacher in the schools.
Limits of liability conform to those recommended in this article:
- Company #1 - $491.58 every six months
- Company #2 - $402.90 every six months
- Company #3 - $372.00 every six months
Carefully consider insurance companies, premiums, and coverage before purchasing insurance. Examine rates and coverage at least once a year as a matter of practice because loss experience can cause rate changes for insurance companies in an area.