Finding the lowest price for Pleasantville car insurance might seem complicated at first if you’ve never compared online quoting. Don’t let that stop you because we’re going to show you how.
How to Compare Pleasantville Car Insurance Costs
All the larger car insurance companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive provide price estimates on the web. This process doesn’t take a lot of time as you simply enter the coverages you want into a form. After you complete the form, the company’s rating system automatically orders credit information and your driving record and generates a price based on many factors.
Online quotes simplifies rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit several different sites and complete many quote forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it’s absolutely necessary to do this in order to find better prices.
Compare rates the easy way
The smarter way to find cheaper rates uses one form that gets price quotes from multiple companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes rate comparisons much easier to do. Once the form is submitted, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the returned quotes. If you find a better price it’s easy to complete the application and purchase coverage. This process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
To compare pricing, simply click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you complete the form with your coverages identical to your current policy. This makes sure you are getting comparison quotes using the exact same coverages.
Don’t listen to company ads
Allstate, Geico and Progressive consistently run television and radio advertisements. All the companies have a common claim that you can save if you change your coverage to them. How can each company say the same thing?
Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For example, a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, owns a home, and has a short commute. A customer who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.
Potential customers who do not match these standards will have to pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. This is how companies can advertise the savings. Because of the profiling, drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.
How much can you save with these six discounts?
Car insurance companies don’t list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the best known and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using.
- Driver Safety – Successfully completing a defensive driving course could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- E-sign – A few companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy online.
- Passive Restraints – Factory air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Driver’s Ed – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education in high school.
- Senior Discount – Older drivers can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck.
To choose insurers with the best car insurance discounts in Pleasantville, click this link.
What about my local Pleasantville agents?
Some people would rather talk to a local agent. One of the great benefits of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find lower rates and still choose a local agent.
Once you complete this simple form, your insurance coverage information is transmitted to participating agents in Pleasantville who will battle for your coverage. You won’t need to even leave your home because quoted prices will be sent to your email. You can find the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.
Selecting an provider needs to be determined by more than just the price. These are valid questions to ask:
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
Types of insurance agents
When searching for a good Pleasantville insurance agent, there are two different agency structures to choose from. Pleasantville agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive).
Captive Insurance Agents
These agents write business for a single company like Allstate, AAA, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. They are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captive agencies are trained well on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents. Consumers sometimes buy insurance from these agents partially due to high brand loyalty and solid financial strength.
Independent Agents
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company so they have the ability to put coverage amongst many companies depending on which coverage is best. If your agent finds better pricing, the business is moved internally without you having to go to a different agency.
When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to get quotes from at a minimum one independent agency for maximum quote selection. They often place coverage with smaller companies who may have lower rates.
Below is a list of independent agencies in Pleasantville willing to provide price quote information.
- Heckman Insurance – 201 E Black Horse Pike – Pleasantville, NJ 08232 – (609) 872-1130
- ABCO Insurance – 49 S Main St – Pleasantville, NJ 08232 – (609) 641-5600
For a full directory of insurance agents in Pleasantville, view this link.
Once you have acceptable answers and a low price estimate, you have narrowed it down to an auto insurance agent that can properly insure your vehicles. But keep in mind you can always terminate your policy whenever you wish so never feel you’re contractually obligated to the car insurance policy with no way out.
Specifics of your car insurance policy
Learning about specific coverages of your car insurance policy helps when choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (15/30/5 in New Jersey), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.
Medical expense insurance
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for immediate expenses such as EMT expenses, hospital visits, rehabilitation expenses, X-ray expenses and dental work. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things such as falling objects, fire damage and hitting a deer. The maximum amount your car insurance company will pay 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.
Collision protection
Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against claims such as hitting a mailbox, rolling your car, scraping a guard rail, crashing into a building and backing into a parked car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are older. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Liability coverages
This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on other’s property or people by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 which means $100,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $300,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers things such as emergency aid, medical services, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, attorney fees and medical expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. New Jersey requires drivers to carry at least 15,000/30,000/5,000 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.
More tips and info about car insurance is located at the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website. Consumers can read industry bulletins, learn about specific coverages, get help finding coverage, and download brochures.
More quotes mean more savings
As you restructure your insurance plan, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Budget-conscious car insurance is available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Pleasantville agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies may not provide online price quotes and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.
We covered a lot of ways to save on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with some of the lesser-known companies.