Best Insurance for a Nissan Versa in Portland

Want lower-priced car insurance rates in Portland, OR? Portland consumers have a choice when looking for affordable Nissan Versa insurance. They can either waste time calling around to get rate comparisons or use the internet to compare rates. There are more efficient ways to compare car insurance rates so you’re going to learn the proper way to get price quotes on a Nissan and find the best price possible from both online companies and Portland agents.

If you already have coverage or just want to save money, use these cost-cutting techniques to find the best rates without sacrificing coverage. Our objective in writing this article is to help you learn how to compare rates easily and also save some money in the process Vehicle owners only need an understanding of the fastest way to compare company rates on the web.

How Insurance Providers Determine Nissan Versa Insurance Premiums

Multiple criteria are taken into consideration when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving record, although others are less apparent like where you live or how financially stable you are. It’s important that you understand some of the things that go into determining your car insurance rates. If you know what determines base rates, this enables you to make decisions that could help you find better car insurance rates.

• Better rates on safer cars – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Vehicles built for safety reduce occupant injuries and fewer serious injuries means your insurance company pays less passed on to you as lower rates.

• Poor driving habits means higher premiums – Good drivers have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Just one chargeable violation can bump up the cost substantially. Drivers who have received license-revoking citations like DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may find they need to maintain a SR-22 with their state in order to prevent a license revocation.

  The chart below highlights how traffic violations and at-fault accidents can impact Nissan Versa insurance rates for each age group. The data is based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.

• Marriage pays dividends – Having a wife or husband may earn you lower rates on your car insurance policy. It may mean you are more mature and responsible and insurance companies like that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
• Vehicle features impact premiums – Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Advanced theft deterrents such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can help prevent auto theft and help lower rates.
• Credit history impacts premium prices – Having a bad credit history can be a huge factor in your rate calculation. If your credit score is lower than you’d like, you could pay less to insure your Nissan Versa by spending a little time repairing your credit. Insureds that have very good credit scores tend to be better risks to insure than drivers who have bad credit.
• Costs are affected by your address – Residing in smaller towns and rural areas of the country may provide you with better prices when trying to find low car insurance rates. People in densely populated areas have to deal with more traffic problems and higher rates of accident claims. Fewer drivers on the road means fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
• Premiums can be impacted by your job – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Careers like military generals, airline pilots, and stock brokers have higher rates than average attributed to intense work situations and long work days. Conversely, careers like farmers, engineers and performers pay lower than average rates.

• Insurance loss data for Nissan Versa vehicles – Car insurance companies take into consideration historical loss data for every vehicle to calculate a price that offsets possible losses. Models that statistically have higher losses will have a higher cost to insure. The table below shows the insurance loss data for Nissan Versa vehicles.

  For each policy coverage type, the statistical loss for all vehicles, regardless of make, model or trim level, is set at 100. Percentage numbers below 100 are indicative of better than average losses, while percentage values above 100 show a trend for more claims or statistically larger losses.

  
  

  Insurance Loss Ratings for Nissan Versa Vehicles

  Make and Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Nissan Versa	116	110	92	190	203	138
  Nissan Versa Note	112	96	85	161	171	133

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Data Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years

The majority of larger companies allow you to get prices for coverage on their websites. Getting Nissan Versa insurance prices online is fairly simple as you simply type in the amount of coverage you want on the page. When the form is submitted, their quoting system pulls reports for credit and driving violations and gives you a price quote based on the information you submitted.

This streamlines rate comparisons, and it’s necessary to compare as many rates as possible if you are searching for a better rate.

If you want to find out how much you can save on car insurance, compare rate quotes from the providers shown below. To compare your current rates, we recommend that you enter deductibles and limits as close as possible to your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will receive an apples-to-apples comparison using the same coverage and limits.

The companies shown below provide price quotes in Oregon. If multiple companies are listed, it’s a good idea that you get rates from several of them in order to find the most competitive rates.

Insurance coverage analysis

The price information shown below outlines different policy rates for Nissan Versa models. Learning how auto insurance prices are established can help you make smart choices when comparing insurance quotes.

Prices above based on single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Oregon minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in vehicle location which can raise or lower coverage prices noticeably.

The information below shows how different deductible levels and can affect Nissan Versa annual premium costs for each different age group. The information is based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are factored in.

Rate comparison of full coverage and liability-only

The example below compares Nissan Versa yearly insurance costs with full coverage and liability only. Data assumes no violations or accidents, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Guidelines for dropping full coverage

There is no set guideline to eliminate full coverage, but there is a general school of thought. If the yearly cost of full coverage is 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your Nissan Versa claim settlement value is $4,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would receive is $3,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If you are paying over $300 a year for your policy with full coverage, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.

There are a few cases where dropping physical damage coverage is not a good plan. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to carry full coverage as part of the loan requirements. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should maintain full coverage.

Here’s why auto insurance is not optional

Despite the potentially high cost of Nissan Versa insurance, buying auto insurance is most likely required but also gives you several important benefits.

• Most states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a specific minimum amount of liability insurance in order to get the vehicle licensed. In Oregon these limits are 25/50/20 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $20,000 of property damage coverage.
• If your Nissan has a loan, most lenders will make it mandatory that you have comprehensive coverage to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the lender may insure your Nissan at an extremely high rate and require you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.
• Insurance safeguards both your car and your assets. It will also provide coverage for all forms of medical expenses for you, any passengers, and anyone injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, collision and comprehensive coverages will cover the repair costs.

The benefits of carrying enough insurance greatly outweigh the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver overpays more than $865 each year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at least once a year to ensure rates are inline.

Save with these premium slashing discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available that can help lower your rates. Many discounts should be triggered at the time of purchase, but some discounts are required to be requested specifically prior to receiving the credit.

• Multiple Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you could earn a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
• Organization Discounts – Joining certain professional organizations is a simple method to lower premiums on your bill.
• Life Insurance – Larger insurance companies have a small discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Low annual miles could earn better prices on cars that stay parked.
• Own a Home and Save – Owning a home in Portland can help you save on car insurance because it demonstrates responsibility.
• Claim Free – Insureds with no claims or accidents are rewarded with significantly better rates on Portland auto insurance quote as compared to bad drivers.
• ABS Brakes – Cars and trucks with ABS braking systems or traction control have fewer accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. If you do the math and it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you aren’t that lucky.

The information below compares Nissan Versa auto insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The costs are based on a female driver, a clean driving record, no claims, Oregon state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with safe-driver, marriage, multi-policy, homeowner, multi-car, and claim-free discounts applied.

Insurance companies who might offer most of these discounts include:

• GEICO
• Mercury Insurance
• Farmers Insurance
• Auto-Owners Insurance
• Liberty Mutual
• SAFECO
• Progressive
• USAA

Before buying, ask every company what discounts are available to you. All car insurance discounts may not be offered in your state. If you would like to view car insurance companies with the best Nissan Versa insurance discounts in Oregon, follow this link.

Shop online but buy locally

Certain consumers just want to get professional advice from a licensed agent and doing that can be a smart decision Good agents are very good at helping people manage risk and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is you can get lower prices and still have a local agent.

To find an agent, once you fill out this short form, the quote information is instantly submitted to companies in Portland who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to do any legwork since price quotes are sent immediately to you. If for some reason you want to get a price quote from a particular provider, don’t hesitate to jump over to their website and fill out the quote form the provide.

Finding the right provider requires more thought than just the price. Here are some questions you should ask.

• Are there any extra charges for paying monthly?
• Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
• Which companies can they place coverage with?
• Do they offer claims assistance after hours?
• Is coverage determined by price?
• If independent agents, which companies do they recommend?
• How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?

If you are wanting to purchase car insurance from a reliable agent, it helps to know the two different agency structures and how they can quote your rates. Car insurance agencies can be classified as either exclusive or independent. Both handle car insurance, but it’s important to know the difference in how they write coverage because it can influence your agent selection.

Exclusive Car Insurance Agents

These agents can only provide pricing for a single company like Allstate, AAA, Farmers Insurance, and State Farm. They usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. They are trained well on their company’s products which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Consumers frequently choose to use a exclusive agent mostly because of high brand loyalty and solid financial strength.

Below are Portland exclusive insurance agents who may provide you with rate quotes.

• Bill Northfield – State Farm Insurance Agent
  5915 SE 43rd Ave – Portland, OR 97206 – (503) 775-8202 – View Map
• Vu Han – State Farm Insurance Agent
  322 NE 82nd Ave – Portland, OR 97220 – (503) 252-1114 – View Map
• Allstate Insurance: Dick Hannah Insurance Agency
  12345 E Burnside St – Portland, OR 97233 – (360) 816-8439 – View Map

More insurance agents

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent insurance agents do not write with just one company so they can quote policies through many different car insurance companies and find the cheapest rate. If they quote lower rates, your agent can switch companies which is easy for the insured.

When comparing car insurance prices, we highly recommend that you get some free quotes from several independent agencies to get the best comparison. Many write coverage with smaller companies which may have better rates.

The following are independent agencies in Portland willing to provide price quotes.

• Fox Insurance Agency
  1819 SW 5th Ave – Portland, OR 97201 – (503) 277-2300 – View Map
• Stamm Stuart Bybee Insurance
  16455 SE Division St – Portland, OR 97236 – (971) 254-1148 – View Map
• Pibal Insurance Brokers of Oregon
  1314 NW Irving St – Portland, OR 97209 – (503) 287-8808 – View Map

More insurance agents

There’s no such thing as the perfect insurance policy

When buying adequate coverage, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Your financial needs are unique.

These are some specific questions may help highlight whether you may require specific advice.

• Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Portland?
• Do I need an umbrella policy?
• If my car is totaled with they pay enough to replace it?
• Should I bundle my homeowners policy with my auto?
• Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
• Am I covered if I back into my garage door?
• Is my custom paint covered by insurance?

If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form. It is quick, free and can provide invaluable advice.

Cover all your bases

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to reduce Nissan Versa insurance auto insurance rates online in Portland. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote Portland auto insurance, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. You may even find the lowest auto insurance rates come from a smaller regional carrier.

Affordable Nissan Versa insurance in Portland can be purchased both online and from local insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some companies may not provide rates over the internet and many times these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits and learned later that it was a big mistake. The proper strategy is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best possible price.

Steps to finding the cheapest rates for Nissan Versa insurance in Portland

The easiest way to find cheaper prices for Nissan Versa insurance in Portland is to compare quotes once a year from providers in Oregon.

1. It will benefit you to learn about the different coverages in a policy and the factors you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many policy risk factors that increase rates like speeding tickets, careless driving and a bad credit rating can be amended by making minor changes in your lifestyle.
2. Obtain price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give prices from a single company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can quote prices for a wide range of insurance providers. Find a Portland insurance agent
3. Compare the new rates to your current policy and see if you can save money. If you find better rates and buy the policy, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.

An important bit of advice to remember is to use the same physical damage deductibles and liability limits on each quote and and to get rate quotes from as many carriers as you can. This helps ensure a fair rate comparison and many rates to choose from.

To learn more, feel free to visit these articles:

• Rental Car Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Affordable Portland Auto Insurance Quotes for Lyft Drivers? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for a Hyundai Elantra in Portland? (FAQ)
• What is the Cheapest Auto Insurance in Portland, Oregon? (FAQ)
• Determining Auto Insurance Rates (GEICO)
• Protecting Teens from Drunk Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
• Teen Driving Statistics (iihs.org)
• Child Safety FAQ (iihs.org)