Are you confused by the crazy number of car insurance options in West New York? Lot’s of other consumers are too. Drivers have so many companies to choose from that it can turn into a real challenge to find the lowest price.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but companies offer discounts to help offset the cost. Certain discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before they will apply.
- Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy life insurance.
- Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you can actually save on your bill.
- Senior Citizens – If you’re over the age of 55, you may receive better car insurance rates.
- Use Seat Belts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
- Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit can result in better rates.
- Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts as compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.
- Bundle and Save – If you have multiple policies with the same company you may earn at least 10% off all policies.
It’s important to understand that most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, you won’t be that lucky. But any discount will bring down the cost of coverage.
How to Buy West New York Car Insurance Online
There are a lot of ways you can shop for car insurance and some are less time-consuming than others. You can spend your afternoon discussing policy coverages with insurance companies in West New York, or you could use the web to get the quickest rates.
Many companies belong to a marketplace where insurance shoppers enter their policy data once, and at least one company provides a quote based on that information. This system prevents you from having to do form submissions to each individual car insurance company.
To access this free quoting program, click here to start a free quote.
The only drawback to comparing rates this way is that consumers can’t choose which companies to get quotes from. If you would rather choose specific providers for rate comparison, we have a page of low cost car insurance companies in New Jersey. Click here for list of insurance companies in New Jersey.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but be sure to compare exactly the same information for each comparison quote. If you have different liability limits you can’t possibly decipher which rate is best in West New York. Slightly different insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. It’s important to know that obtaining a wide range of quotes will increase your chances of finding the best rates.
Coverages available on your policy
Having a good grasp of your car insurance policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. Car insurance terms can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when the “other guys” either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Since many New Jersey drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (15/30/5), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time these limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for immediate expenses for things like X-ray expenses, hospital visits and nursing services. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision coverage
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against claims like sustaining damage from a pot hole, sideswiping another vehicle and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Liability coverages
Liability coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to people or other property that is your fault. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 100/300/100 which means a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for things like court costs, loss of income, structural damage and emergency aid. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy higher limits if possible. New Jersey requires drivers to carry at least 15,000/30,000/5,000 but you should think about purchasing more coverage.
Comprehensive insurance
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as falling objects, damage from flooding, hitting a bird, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and fire damage. The maximum payout 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 consider removing comprehensive coverage.
A little work can save a LOT of money
People switch companies for many reasons like unfair underwriting practices, extreme rates for teen drivers, not issuing a premium refund and even poor customer service. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a great new company can be less work than you think.
We just covered many ideas to save on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with an unexpected company.
Cheap car insurance can be bought online and also from your neighborhood West New York agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.
More New Jersey car insurance information
Additional car insurance information can be found on the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website. Click here for link. Visitors are able to read consumer alerts, learn about insurance regulations, and get help finding coverage.