Sick and tired of trying to scrape together enough money to buy car insurance? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers. Companies like Progressive, State Farm and Geico constantly blast consumers with TV and radio ads and it can be hard to ignore the propoganda and do the work needed to find the best deal.
Consumers should take time to do rate comparisons quite often because prices change quite often. Even if you got the lowest rates a year ago there may be better deals available now. There is too much inaccurate information about auto insurance on the internet, so I’m going to show you some proven techniques to find affordable auto insurance.
If you have a policy now or need a new policy, you can use this information to find better prices and still get good coverage. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Clifton is not that difficult. New Jersey drivers just need to learn the most effective way to shop on the web.
How to Compare Auto Insurance in Clifton, New Jersey
Finding a better price on auto insurance is not a difficult process. The only thing you need to do is take a few minutes to compare quotes online from several insurance companies. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
The best way to find the lowest comparison rates is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This form keeps you from doing separate quotes for every auto insurance company. One quote request gets you price quotes .
A different way to find lower rates requires visiting the website for each individual company to complete their respective quote request forms. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want rates from Geico, Progressive and Travelers. You would have to spend time on each company’s site and enter your information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Clifton, click here.
Which method you use is up to you, but make sure you use apples-to-apples coverage information with each company. If you enter different liability limits it will be impossible to decipher which rate is best in Clifton.
The auto insurance bait and switch
Consumers constantly see and hear ads for car insurance savings by companies like Progressive, Allstate and Geico. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save if you switch to them.
But how can every company make the same claim? It’s all in the numbers.
Different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer they prefer to insure. For example, a driver they prefer could be over the age of 40, is a homeowner, and chooses high deductibles. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Consumers who don’t qualify for the requirements will be quoted higher prices and ends up with the customer not buying. The ads say “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. That is how insurance companies can make those claims.
This emphasizes why you absolutely need to quote coverage with many companies. It’s not possible to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.
Save Money with These Tips
It’s important that you understand the different types of things that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates enables informed choices that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.
- Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying when buying auto insurance. Insurance for rental car reimbursement, accidental death and membership fees may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good when you first buy your policy, but your needs may have changed so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
- Your occupation can affect rates – Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations such as lawyers, executives and stock brokers are shown to have the highest rates because of high stress levels and long work days. On the other hand, professions such as farmers, students and homemakers pay the least.
- Bump up deductibles to save – The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. Coverage for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, insures against damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The higher the amount you have to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
- Don’t skimp on liability – Liability insurance is the protection if you are found to be at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Liability insurance provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.
- Men fork out a little more – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, don’t assume that men are worse drivers. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI.
These discounts can lower your rates
Car insurance can cost a lot, but you may find discounts to help offset the cost. A few discounts will automatically apply when you get a quote, but a few need to be asked about before being credited. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you’re paying more than you need to.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Buying coverage for multiple cars or trucks with the same company can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Save over 55 – Mature drivers may qualify for reduced rates.
- Sign Online – A few companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
- Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Employee of Federal Government – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount with a few auto insurance companies.
- Drive Safe and Save – Safe drivers can pay as much as 50% less than drivers with accidents.
It’s important to note that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.
To choose insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in New Jersey, click here.
In Summary
Cheap auto insurance can be bought online and with local Clifton insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best selection. Some auto insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
When shopping online for auto insurance, it’s very important that you do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big mistake. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price.
To learn even more about auto insurance
Additional auto insurance information can be found on the website for the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance through this link. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and find disaster information.