Price shopping your Burlington car insurance can be quite difficult for drivers not familiar with quoting and comparing rates online. With such a big selection of agents and companies competing online, it can easily be a lot of work to find the best prices.
Lower Your Rates with these tips
When buying car insurance it’s important to understand some of the elements that aid in calculating your premiums. If you understand what controls the rates you pay, this helps enable you to make changes that could help you find much lower annual insurance costs.
- Your location is a factor – Residing in a rural area can be a good thing when buying car insurance. Residents of big cities have to deal with more aggressive driving styles and more severe claims. Fewer drivers and short commutes corresponds to lower accident rates in addition to fewer liability claims.
- Avoid coverage lapses – Driving your car without having proper coverage can get your license suspended and you may have a hard time finding new coverage because you let your coverage lapse. Not only will you pay higher rates, the inability to provide proof of insurance could earn you a license revocation or jail time. You may need to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the New Jersey motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
- Prevent theft and lower rates – Choosing to buy a car with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Systems that thwart theives such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar help track and prevent car theft and help bring rates down.
- Drive less and pay lower prices – Driving a lot of miles each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most insurance companies charge rates based on how the vehicle is used. Cars that have low annual miles can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Ask your agent if your vehicle rating properly reflects the right rating data, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Too many car insurance claims and you’ll pay more – If you tend to file frequent claims, you shouldn’t be surprised to get higher rates. Insurance companies in New Jersey award cheaper rates to insureds who do not file claims often. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for claims that pose a financial burden.
- Your job and car insurance rates – Occupations like lawyerspolice officers and accountants tend to pay higher premium rates due to stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, jobs like scientists, engineers and the unemployed generally pay rates lower than average.
The quickest method to compare car insurance company rates is to know the trick most of the bigger providers have advanced systems to give rate comparisons. The only thing you need to do is give them rating details like your general credit rating, the make and model of your vehicles, if you have an active license, and whether you are single or married. The rating information is instantly submitted to insurance carriers in your area and they return rate quotes almost instantly.
To get price quotes for your car now, click here and complete the quick form.
Car insurance policy discounts
Car insurance companies do not advertise all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the next list breaks down a few of the more common and the harder-to-find credits that may apply to you.
- Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Organization Discounts – Being a member of specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations can get you a small discount when shopping for car insurance.
- Good Students Pay Less – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. Most companies allow this discount up until you turn 25.
- Cautious Driver Discount – Drivers without accidents may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Larger car insurance companies have lower premium rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
- Sign Early and Save – Select larger companies give a discount for switching companies prior to the expiration date on your current policy. Ten percent is about the average savings.
- First Accident Forgiveness – This isn’t a discount exactly, but a handful of insurance companies permit an accident before raising your premiums so long as you are claim-free prior to the accident.
As is typical with insurance, most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount should help lower your policy premiums.
Larger car insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are outlined below.
- Geico policyholders can earn discounts including membership and employees, federal employee, seat belt use, anti-theft, air bags, and daytime running lights.
- Travelers offers discounts including IntelliDrive, multi-car, continuous insurance, home ownership, and good student.
- Farm Bureau offers discounts for youthful driver, good student, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe driver, renewal discount, and 55 and retired.
- Liberty Mutual may include discounts for new move discount, newly retired, hybrid vehicle, good student, and preferred payment discount.
- American Family includes discounts for multi-vehicle, good driver, good student, accident-free, early bird, and mySafetyValet.
- Progressive may offer discounts for online signing, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, and continuous coverage.
When getting , it’s a good idea to each company or agent which credits you are entitled to. Some discounts might not be available to policyholders in every state. To see companies who offer free car insurance quotes in Burlington, click here.
More information can be read on the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website through this link. New Jersey consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, read consumer alerts, file complaints about a company, and report car insurance fraud.
More related Burlington car insurance information:
- Pricing Comparisons for South Burlington Auto Insurance Providers
- Methods for Saving Money on Burlington Vermont Auto Insurance Rates
Be persistent and save
When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at the best possible price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Some insurance companies may not offer online quoting and these small insurance companies work with local independent agents. Budget-friendly car insurance is possible from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, so compare prices from both to have the best selection.
Drivers leave their current company for a number of reasons such as lack of trust in their agent, high prices, an unsatisfactory settlement offer and even denial of a claim. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new insurance company can be pretty painless.