Have you had enough of scraping the payment together to pay your car insurance bill each month? Your situation is no different than many other New York drivers.
Insurance companies such as Progressive, Geico and Farmers Insurance all promote huge savings with ads and it is challenging if not impossible to avoid their marketing magic and find the best price available.
It is always a good idea to take a look at other company’s rates before your policy renews because insurance rates fluctuate regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rates six months ago you may be paying too much now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to learn the best way to get good coverage at a lower rate.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Rye is not rocket science. Nevertheless, New York consumers must comprehend how the larger insurance companies determine prices and take advantage of how the system works.
Don’t pay full price with these discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there are discounts available to help bring down the price. Some trigger automatically at quote time, but less common discounts must be specifically requested before being credited.
- Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount with a few car insurance companies.
- Good Students Pay Less – This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
- Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for buying your policy digitally online.
- Student in College – Kids in college who are attending college and don’t have a car can receive lower rates.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than their less cautious counterparts.
- Auto/Life Discount – Some companies give lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car is cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less as compared to accident-prone drivers.
Drivers should understand that most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.
For a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in Rye, click here.
Rye Car Insurance Quote Comparison
To find the best car insurance prices, there are several ways to compare rate quotes from car insurance companies in your area. The easiest way to compare insurance prices is to perform an online rate comparison. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.
- The fastest way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This form saves time by eliminating separate quotation requests to each individual car insurance company. In just a few minutes this one form will get you price quotes direct from many companies.
- A less efficient way to get quotes online is to manually visit each individual company website to complete a price quote. For instance, we’ll assume you want rates from USAA, Farmers and State Farm. You would have to spend time on each company’s site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to insurance companies in Rye, click here.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but compare exactly the same deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you compare mixed coverages it will be next to impossible to determine the best price in Rye. Just a small difference in coverage limits could mean much higher rates. Just keep in mind that more quotes will increase your chances of finding a better price.
Make smart decisions and save
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to big savings.
Shown below are some of the items that factor into prices.
- High numbers of claims are not good – Auto insurance companies in New York generally give cheaper rates to people who do not file claims often. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Your insurance policy is designed for the large, substantial claims.
- Do you know your deductibles? – Your deductibles define the amount you are required to spend in the event of a claim. Coverage for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims would be running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, or theft. The higher the amount you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
- How’s your driving record? – Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Drivers who don’t get tickets receive lower rates than bad drivers. Just one citation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers with serious tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
- Proper usage rating affects rates – The higher the mileage driven each year the higher your rate. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos that are left in the garage receive lower rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Verify your car insurance declarations sheet properly reflects the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Extra add-on coverages are wasting money – There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can buy on your car insurance policy. Coverages like roadside assistance, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage are some examples. They may seem good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
- Type of vehicle determines base rates – The performance level of the vehicle you are insuring makes a substantial difference in your rates. The lowest rates are generally reserved for low performance passenger models, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Poor credit can mean higher rates – Having a bad credit score is a huge factor in calculating your car insurance rates. If your credit rating is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your rating. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than those with poor credit.
- Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. The safest vehicles have better occupant injury protection and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
Your personal situation dictates your coverage
When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a “perfect” insurance plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions can aid in determining whether you might need an agent’s assistance.
- Does my policy pay for OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
- Do I have coverage when making deliveries for my home business?
- Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
- Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Summing up your car insurance search
You just learned some good ideas how to shop for car insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the most savings is with a small local company. They may only write in your state and offer lower rates compared to the large companies like Progressive or Geico.
Discount car insurance can be sourced from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Rye, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies don’t offer you the ability to get quotes online and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.
While you’re price shopping online, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many situations where an insured dropped full coverage only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.
New York insurance information
Much more information about car insurance in New York can be found on the website for the New York Department of Financial Services located here. New York consumers can find a variety of consumer forms, find out industry alerts, read consumer alerts, and find disaster information.