Cranston Car Insurance

Since 2006, when Money Magazine selected Cranston as one of the "100 Best Places to Live" in the United States, Cranston has endeavored to keep that honor by improving safety and amenities in the city.

If you are a newcomer to Cranston, Rhode Island, here are a few tips for acquiring car insurance in the state.

Once you've read this insurance guide, enter your zip code above for a FREE car insurance comparison of the top companies in the area!

Limits of Liability Required by State Law

Insurance is necessary in most states to comply with licensing laws designed to protect the people of the state. Rhode Island requires that licensed drivers carry the following minimums of insurance coverage:

• $25,000 bodily injury/$50,000 total
• $25,000 property damage

You can access the Rhode Island Department of Insurance at this link. Select Insurance Regulation as an option.

Recommended Limits of Liability for Protection

These limits of liability are set by the state's legislature but are not necessarily the most practical to be purchased to protect you financially as you drive. To protect yourself, your finances, and your family, the following limits of liability are recommended:

• $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident for bodily injury liability to others
• $50,000 per incident for property damage liability to the property of others
• $5,000 medical payments coverage to defray the costs of emergency services and treatment for you and your family. This is useful if your health insurance does not extend to this coverage.
• $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident for Uninsured or Underinsured Motorists coverage. This pays for injury to you and your family if involved in an accident with someone who does not have insurance or does not have adequate insurance.

It is necessary to protect your financial assets adequately. Additional limits are available from insurance companies, but use these limits as a basis for requesting quotations for your own automobile insurance.

Physical Damage Coverage for Your Own Automobile

Liability insurance does not protect you from damage to your own automobile. This coverage must be purchased as a separate portion of your auto policy. Two types of coverage are offered:

• Collision coverage – pays for damage by collision to your vehicle
• Comprehensive coverage – pays for a number of types of damage to your vehicle: theft, fire, vandalism, weather, falling objects, and animal damage.

Costs of comprehensive and collision coverage are based on the age, model, and type of vehicle you own as well as factors with regard to the driver.

Deductibles may be applied to this type of coverage and begin at $250 per occurrence up to $1,000 per occurrence.

Be certain that you can afford the deductible chosen.

Saving Money on Car Insurance

Car insurance rates vary widely and the following factors can affect your premiums:

• Driving records of everyone who drives your vehicles
• Credit-based insurance score – check with your state to be sure if this is legal
• Marital status, age, and gender – people under 25, males, singles, and families with young drivers tend to have more accidents and their premiums are higher as are the premiums for individuals over 65.
• Comprehensive and collision coverage costs more for expensive vehicles such as sports cars and high-performance vehicles.
• Urban areas usually cost more than rural areas for insurance.
• Previous claims under insurance policies

Discounts Available

Many insurance companies offer the following discounts:

• Multi-car discounts
• Insuring both auto and home with the same company
• Protections such as airbags, anti-lock brakes, and anti-theft devices
• Drivers education courses and defensive driving courses
• Some organizations are offered discounts – ask your agent or representative if the company offers these.

Quotations for Your Car Insurance

In order to find the most accurate car insurance quotes, you will need to take the following steps.

- Do Your Research

To decide on an insurance company, ask your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members about their experiences. You could also check the insurance companies' financial status and complaint ratios on the following sites:

You could also check the insurance companies' financial status and complaint ratios on the following sites:

• National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)
• A. M. Best Insurance Ratings
• Standard and Poor's Ratings Services
• Your state's insurance website

- Provide the Necessary Information

When you search for coverage, you will need to provide companies with the following:

• Full names, dates of birth, and license numbers for every licensed driver in the household
• Recent traffic violation record and record of accidents for the last three to five years
• Make, model, VIN number for all owned vehicles
• Usage and mileage for all vehicles
• Person who is the primary driver of the vehicle

- Consider the Suggested Limits

Though you are only required to purchase the minimum amount of coverage required in Cranston, the suggested limits of coverage include:

• 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 per person/$300,000 per accident underinsured and uninsured motorists coverage
• $500 deductible comprehensive coverage
• $500 deductible collision coverage

Be certain to ask for the same limits from all three quotations to make certain that the prices are comparable. After you have obtained the quotations, you may adjust the coverage to fit the recommendation given by your agent or insurance company.

Examples of Quotations for Cranston, Rhode Island

Insurance prices can vary from company to company depending upon the company's experience in the area. Here is an example of quotes from three separate companies.

The quote was for a married couple. The husband is 36 and the wife is 32. Both have bachelor's degrees and jobs in the public sector. They live in Cranston and commute around 20 miles one way to each workplace.

They have one infant, no teen drivers, and clear driving records. Their vehicles are a 2013 Ford Focus and a 2009 Nissan Sentra.

• Company Number 1 - $193.00 per month
• Company Number 2 - $242.00 per month
• Company Number 3 - $237.88 per month

Note that one of the companies is an online company that does not have insurance agents while the other two have agents that will answer clients' questions and provide aid when necessary.

Even though the monthly premiums are reasonably close, this is not always the case. Your personal information can cause differing quotations. For this reason, it is best to do your own research and compare car insurance rates from multiple companies at the same time.