Overpriced auto insurance can empty your savings and force you to cut corners elsewhere. Doing a price comparison is recommended to cut your insurance bill.
Insurance companies such as Allstate, Progressive and Geico all claim big savings, bombarding you with fancy advertisements and it can be hard to see past the corporate glitz and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
You should take the time to do price comparisons quite often because prices trend upward over time. Just because you found the best deal a few years ago you will most likely find a better premium rate today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in how to use the internet to reduce your cost while increasing coverage.
If you have car insurance now, you should be able to save some money using this information. Finding the best rates in Boonton is not that difficult. Although New Jersey drivers benefit from understanding how the larger insurance companies market on the web because it can help you find the best coverage.
How much is auto insurance in Boonton, NJ?
Shopping for lower auto insurance rates can be a lot of work if you don’t know the fastest way to get free quotes. You can spend countless hours talking about coverages with agents in Boonton, or you could use the web to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.
The majority of car insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace where prospective buyers submit their information once, and each company can give them a price for coverage. This system prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions for every auto insurance company.
To compare rates now click here (opens in new window).
The single downside to getting quotes like this is you can’t choose which insurance companies you want to price. If you prefer to choose from a list of companies to compare, we have a listing of companies who write auto insurance in New Jersey. Click to view list.
Whichever way you choose to compare rates, make sure you use the same coverage limits and deductibles for each price quote. If your comparisons have unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s not possible to make a fair rate comparison in Boonton. Quoting even small variations in insurance coverages can make a big difference in price. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that more quotes gives you a better chance of getting better pricing. Not every company allows you to get rate quotes online, so it’s important to also get rates from them, too.
Auto insurance quotes and discounts
Auto insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but you can get discounts to cut the cost considerably. Some of these disounts will be visible at quote time, but occassionally some discounts must be asked about before they will apply.
- Auto/Life Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a break if you buy life insurance from them.
- Active Military Service – Being deployed in the military can result in better premium rates.
- Save over 55 – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens can possibly qualify for better auto insurance rates.
- Early Payment Discounts – If you can afford to pay the entire bill instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may have a lower total premium amount.
- Save with a New Car – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can get you a discount compared to insuring an older model.
- Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Insuring primary and secondary vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Drive Safe and Save – Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% compared to accident prone drivers.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars optioned with advanced anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and that can save you a little bit as well.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you combine your auto and homeowners policies with the same insurance company you could earn a discount of over 10 percent off each policy depending on the company.
- Telematics Data Discounts – Policyholders that allow driving data collection to scrutinize driving habits by using a telematics device in their vehicle like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot could possibly reduce rates if they have good driving habits.
Don’t be surprised that some credits don’t apply the the whole policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck.
If you would like to choose from a list of insurers that offer discounts in Boonton, follow this link.
Situations that may require an agent’s advice
When choosing adequate coverage, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out whether you may require specific advice.
- Should I buy more coverage than the required New Jersey minimum liability coverage?
- Who is covered when they drive my vehicle?
- Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
- Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
- Will I lose any money if I cancel my policy before it expires?
- Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
More information is located on the through this link. New Jersey drivers can find disaster information, file complaints about a company, and find out industry alerts.
Other useful links include BankRate.com’s Car Insurance: When not to Skimp and this link which helps you find a Boonton agent.
Auto insurance savings promises
Companies like State Farm and Allstate seem to constantly run ads in print and on television. All the ads make an identical promise of big savings if you change to them. That’s great but how can every company offer you a better deal? Just pay attention to how they say it.
Insurance companies quote their cheapest rates for the type of customer that earns them the most money. For example, a profitable risk profile could be over the age of 50, has few claims, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. Any customer who meets those qualifications may get the lowest premium rates in Boonton and will most likely save a lot if they switch.
Potential insureds who do not match these standards may be required to pay a higher rate and this can result in the customer not purchasing. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “all people who quote” can get the lowest rates when switching. This is how insurance companies can confidently make it sound like they have such great rates.
That is why it is so important to get a wide range of price quotes. It’s not possible to predict which insurance companies will give you lower prices than your current company.
Car insurance coverages
Having a good grasp of your policy can help you determine which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are typical coverage types offered by auto insurance companies.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage
This coverage provides protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family and damage to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (15/30/5), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Collision coverage protection
Collision insurance covers damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for things such as colliding with another moving vehicle, sideswiping another vehicle, rolling your car, crashing into a building and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Medical payments and PIP coverage
Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for expenses for surgery, doctor visits and dental work. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Liability car insurance
This coverage will cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property by causing an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have liability limits of 100/300/100 which means a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Some companies may use one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability coverage pays for claims like legal defense fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, loss of income and court costs. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford. New Jersey requires minimum liability limits of 15,000/30,000/5,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy better liability coverage.
Comprehensive auto coverage
Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as hail damage, rock chips in glass and damage from flooding. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Buy online or local, you save
We just showed you a lot of techniques to compare auto insurance rates online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get car insurance rates for, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the biggest savings come from the smaller companies. These smaller insurers often have lower car insurance rates on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
When trying to cut insurance costs, make sure you don’t skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big error on their part. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage at the best cost and still be able to protect your assets.