If you’re new to shopping for , most likely you are baffled by the vast number of online companies all claiming to save you money.
Consumers should take time to do price comparisons once or twice a year since insurance prices fluctuate regularly. Just because you had the lowest price six months ago you will most likely find a better rate quote today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because it’s time to teach you one of the best ways to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.
Car insurance companies offer many discounts
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you can get discounts to help offset the cost. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at quote time, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before you will receive the discount. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you could be getting lower rates.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags may get savings of 20% or more.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Buying a policy with more than one vehicle on one policy qualifies for this discount.
- Resident Student – Children who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and leave their car at home can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – Not really a discount, but companies like Progressive, State Farm and Geico allow you one accident before your rates go up as long as you don’t have any claims before the accident.
- Driving Data Discount – Rome drivers who agree to allow their car insurance company to scrutinize driving manner by using a telematics device such as State Farm’s In-Drive may see discounts if their driving habits are good.
- Lower Rates for Military – Being on active deployment in the military could mean lower prices.
A quick disclaimer, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount will lower your premiums.
To view companies that offer the discounts shown above in New York, click this link.
Do I just need basic coverages?
When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Every insured’s situation is different.
These are some specific questions may help highlight if you might need professional guidance.
- Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
- Should I buy more coverage than the required New York minimum liability coverage?
- Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Rome?
- Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
- Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?
- Is borrowed equipment or tools covered if stolen or damaged?
If you can’t answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form. It is quick, free and you can get the answers you need.
Informative consumer insurance sites
Much more information about car insurance in New York is available on the website for the New York Department of Financial Services found here. New York drivers can learn about specific coverages, report car insurance fraud, discover disciplinary actions, and view a list of available companies.
Other related articles:
Car insurance coverage basics
Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
This coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Comprehensive insurance
This will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things such as hitting a bird, fire damage, damage from flooding and falling objects. The maximum amount your car insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision insurance
Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole, rolling your car, damaging your car on a curb and driving through your garage door. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Liability auto insurance
This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see limits of 100/300/100 which stand for $100,000 bodily injury coverage, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for claims like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, emergency aid and pain and suffering. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. New York requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/10,000 but drivers should carry more liability than the minimum.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for expenses like hospital visits, chiropractic care, nursing services, prosthetic devices and ambulance fees. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Cheaper car insurance is a realistic goal
Low-cost car insurance can be bought from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so get from both of them so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies don’t offer rate quotes online and many times these smaller providers prefer to sell through independent agencies.
In this article, we presented some good ideas how you can get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of getting . You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with some of the smallest insurance companies.
As you , it’s very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed liability coverage limits and learned later that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best cost while not skimping on critical coverages.