How long has it been since you shopped around for more competitive insurance rates in Boston, MA? Boston consumers have options when looking for affordable Kia Optima insurance. You can either waste hours calling around to get rate comparisons or leverage the internet to make rate comparisons.
There is a right way and a wrong way to find insurance online so you’re going to learn the proper way to compare rates for a new or used Kia and get the cheapest rates.
You need to price shop coverage once or twice a year due to the fact that insurance prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. If you had the best rates on Kia Optima insurance in Boston six months ago you will most likely find a better premium rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about insurance because it’s time to teach you the things you must know in order to save on insurance.
If you have a policy now or are looking for a new policy, you can use this information to cut your premiums and still have adequate protection. The goal of this article is to teach you the most effective ways to compare rates and how you can save the most money. Smart shoppers just have to know the fastest way to compare rate quotes online from multiple companies.
Five Tips to Get More Affordable Boston Insurance Premiums
Lots of factors are considered when quoting car insurance. Some factors are common sense like an MVR report, but other criteria are less apparent like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating.
Shown below are a few of the things insurance companies consider when setting your prices.
- Stay claim-free and save – If you frequently file small claims, you shouldn’t be surprised to get either higher rates or even cancellation. Companies in Massachusetts provide the lowest premiums to drivers that do not abuse their auto insurance. Your car insurance is intended to be relied upon for claims that you cannot pay yourself.
- Costs are affected by your address – Having an address in a small town has it’s advantages when trying to find low car insurance rates. Fewer people means reduced accidents. Urban drivers tend to have more road rage incidents and much longer commute distances. Higher commute times translates into higher accident risk.
- Consolidate home and auto and save – Most insurance companies give discounts to customers who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you qualify for this discount already, drivers will still want to compare Kia Optima rates in Boston to help ensure you have the lowest rates.
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High performance equals high prices – The type of car you are insuring makes a significant difference in your car insurance bill. The cheapest insurance rates tend to be for lower cost passenger models, but that’s not the only thing that factors into the final price.
The following data assumes a married female driver age 50, full coverage with $1000 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. The chart compares Kia Optima car insurance rates compared to other makes and models that have different performance risks.
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Gender matters – Statistics demonstrate females are less aggressive when driving. Now that doesn’t mean males are worse at driving than females. Both sexes tend to get into at-fault accidents in similar percentages, but men have accidents that have higher claims. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations like driving under the influence (DUI). Males from age 16 to 21 are the most expensive to insure and therefore have the most expensive insurance rates.
The example below visualizes the comparison of Kia Optima auto insurance costs for male and female drivers. The rate quotes are based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are factored in.
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Insurance losses for a Kia Optima – Companies analyze historical claim data to help calculate premium rates. Models that the statistics show to have higher claim frequency or loss amount will have increased rates. The data below shows the collected loss data for Kia Optima vehicles.
For each insurance policy coverage type, the loss probability for all vehicles averaged together is considered to be 100. Values below 100 indicate better than average losses, while numbers above 100 indicate frequent claims or an increased probability of a larger loss.
Insurance Loss Ratings for Kia Optima Vehicles Make and Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Kia Optima 115 101 107 133 142 120 Kia Optima Hybrid 143 115 116 139 158 151 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEData Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Premium rates and analysis
The table shown below highlights estimates of insurance policy prices for Kia Optima models. Learning how insurance policy rates are calculated can help drivers make decisions on which coverage to buy.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Optima LX | $138 | $268 | $396 | $24 | $118 | $944 | $79 |
Optima EX | $154 | $316 | $396 | $24 | $118 | $1,008 | $84 |
Optima SX | $154 | $316 | $396 | $24 | $118 | $1,008 | $84 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data assumes married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Massachusetts minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, claim-free, homeowner, and safe-driver. Premium amounts do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can decrease or increase prices considerably.
Choosing deductibles
One common question asked by Boston drivers is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The following tables can help you visualize the difference in cost between high and low coverage deductibles. The first data set uses a $100 deductible and the second set of rates uses a $500 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Optima LX | $288 | $520 | $378 | $22 | $114 | $1,347 | $112 |
Optima EX | $324 | $612 | $378 | $22 | $114 | $1,475 | $123 |
Optima SX | $324 | $612 | $378 | $22 | $114 | $1,475 | $123 |
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Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Optima LX | $210 | $350 | $378 | $22 | $114 | $1,074 | $90 |
Optima EX | $236 | $414 | $378 | $22 | $114 | $1,164 | $97 |
Optima SX | $236 | $414 | $378 | $22 | $114 | $1,164 | $97 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Massachusetts minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Price estimates do not factor in vehicle location which can influence coverage rates noticeably.
Based on the figures above, using a $100 deductible will cost you approximately $24 more each month or $288 for a full year across all Kia Optima models than choosing the higher $500 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $400 more if you turn in a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you normally average at a minimum 17 months between claims, you would probably come out ahead if you elect the higher deductible. Below is the way you can decide this on your own policy.
Average monthly premium for $100 deductibles: | $119 |
Average monthly premium for $500 deductibles (subtract): | – $95 |
Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $24 |
Difference between deductibles ($500 – $100): | $400 |
Divide difference by monthly savings: | $400 / $24 |
Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 17 months |
An important thing to remember is that raising deductibles means you will have to cover more of the damage yourself if you have a claim. It will be required that you have enough savings in order to pay the higher deductible.
Cost of full coverage in Boston
The chart below visualizes the comparison of Kia Optima insurance premiums with full coverage compared to only the Massachusetts minimum liability coverage. The premiums assume no violations or claims, $1,000 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Should you pay for full coverage?
There is no definitive guideline of when to phase out physical damage insurance, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.
For example, let’s pretend your Kia Optima settlement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $5,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If it’s costing you more than $500 a year for physical damage coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are a few cases where removing full coverage is not a good plan. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you have to keep full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not remove full coverage.
Get cheaper Kia Optima insurance rates in Boston
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available to cut the cost considerably. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of purchase, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested in order for you to get them.
- Active Military Service – Being on active deployment in the military may lower your auto insurance rates slightly.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Successfully completing a course that instructs on driving safety could cut 5% off your bill if you qualify.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents can save substantially as opposed to accident-prone drivers.
- ABS Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with ABS braking systems or traction control are much safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or former government employment could cut as much as 10% off with a few auto insurance companies.
- New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a vehicle that is new is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
- Driver Education Discount – Require your teen driver to successfully take a driver’s education course as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
- Distant College Student Discount – College-age children who are enrolled in higher education away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
- E-sign Discounts – A handful of insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for completing your application on the web.
- Own a Home – Owning a house in Boston can get you a discount because owning a home means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
The chart below shows the comparison of Kia Optima auto insurance rates with and without discounts. The information is based on a female driver, no violations or accidents, Massachusetts 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, claim-free, multi-car, safe-driver, marriage, and multi-policy discounts applied.
For a list of auto insurance companies with discount rates in Boston, follow this link.
The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest
A few companies do not provide online quoting and usually these regional carriers only sell through independent insurance agents. Lower-priced Kia Optima insurance in Boston can be purchased online and from local insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from.
When getting Boston car insurance quotes online, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your goal is to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest cost, not the least amount of coverage.
How to find low-cost Kia Optima insurance in Boston
It takes a few minutes, but the best way to find cheaper Kia Optima insurance is to start comparing prices regularly from different companies who sell insurance in Boston. Drivers can shop around by following these guidelines.
- First, try to learn about how companies set rates and the factors you can control to prevent rate increases. Many rating criteria that result in higher prices like at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and an unacceptable credit history can be rectified by being financially responsible and driving safely.
- Second, get rate quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can provide rates from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while independent agents can provide price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers. Find a Boston insurance agent
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to your current policy premium to see if you can save by switching companies. If you can save some money and decide to switch, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
A valuable tip to remember is to try to compare similar deductibles and liability limits on every quote request and and to get price quotes from as many companies as feasibly possible. Doing this helps ensure the most accurate price comparison and a complete price analysis.
To learn more, link through to the resources below:
- What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Boston Car Insurance for a Toyota Highlander? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a Honda Civic in Boston? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Boston Auto Insurance Quotes for College Graduates? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for Low Income Drivers in Boston? (FAQ)
- How Much is Boston Auto Insurance for State Employees? (FAQ)
- Comprehensive Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- Coverage Information (Progressive Insurance)