Are you sick and tired of not being able to afford to pay your car insurance bill each month? Your situation is no different than many other New Hampshire consumers.
Many insurers vie for your insurance dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare auto insurance companies to find the absolute best price available.
You need to compare prices on a regular basis since insurance rates are usually higher with each renewal. Just because you had the lowest price a year ago other companies may now be cheaper. Starting now, ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the things you must know in order to find lower rates on auto insurance.
Where Can I Get Cheap Hampstead Auto Insurance?
Most major insurance companies such as Geico, State Farm and Progressive provide prices for coverage on the web. Obtaining pricing is pretty easy as you simply enter your coverage information as requested by the quote form. Once entered, the company’s rating system automatically retrieves information on your driving record and credit history and provides a quote based on these factors. Online quotes makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the process of having to visit multiple sites and fill out multiple forms is not the best way to spend an afternoon. Unfortunately, it is important to compare as many rates as possible if you are searching for the lowest auto insurance rates.
The easiest way to find lower prices uses one simple form to obtain quotes from several different companies. It’s a real time-saver, reduces the work, and makes quoting online much easier to do. As soon as the form is sent, it gets priced and you are able to buy any of the pricing results. If you find a better price you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. It takes 15 minutes at the most and could lower your rates considerably.
In order to compare rates now, simply click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you type in just like they are on your policy. This helps ensure you will have a rate comparison for similar insurance coverage.
The fine print in auto insurance ads
Companies like Geico, State Farm and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the ads make the same claim that you’ll save big after switching your policy. How do they all claim to save you money?
Different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a preferred risk might be profiled as over the age of 40, is a homeowner, and drives newer vehicles. A driver who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and therefore will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential insureds who don’t qualify for this ideal profile will be quoted more money which leads to the customer not buying. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s why insurance companies can confidently claim big savings. This emphasizes why you need to get as many quotes as possible. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always publicize every available discount very well, so we break down some of the best known and the more hidden ways to save on auto insurance.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Senior Discount – Older drivers may receive a small decrease in premiums.
- Clubs and Organizations – Participating in a qualifying organization may earn a discount on your policy.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle with the same company qualifies for this discount.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with one company you will save up to 20% off your total premium.
- No Charge for an Accident – Some insurance companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up as long as you don’t have any claims for a set time period.
- No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents pay less as compared to accident-prone drivers.
Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck.
When might I need an agent?
When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage, there is no one size fits all plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover whether your personal situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
- Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
- Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Does my insurance cover my expensive audio equipment?
- Should I buy only the required New Hampshire minimum liability coverage?
If you’re not sure about those questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Even more information is located at the New Hampshire Insurance Department website. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read consumer alerts, and read state legal mandates and laws.
Coverages available on your auto insurance policy
Having a good grasp of a auto insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need for your vehicles. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are typical coverage types found on the average auto insurance policy.
Auto liability
This protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property. It protects YOU against other people’s claims. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 bodily injury coverage, $100,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability can pay for things such as bail bonds, structural damage, pain and suffering, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and emergency aid. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but you should buy as much as you can afford. New Hampshire requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/25,000 but you should consider buying more coverage.
Medical expense insurance
Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for expenses such as rehabilitation expenses, pain medications and nursing services. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like damage from getting keyed, hitting a deer, vandalism, fire damage and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
This provides protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.
Since many New Hampshire drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (25/50/25 in New Hampshire), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Collision insurance
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against things like backing into a parked car, rolling your car, hitting a mailbox and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Quote often and quote early
In this article, we covered many ways to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Smaller companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than their larger competitors like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
The cheapest auto insurance is possible online in addition to many Hampstead insurance agents, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.