I can’t think of a single person who loves paying for auto insurance, especially when they are paying too much. With drivers having so many online and local companies to choose from, it can be challenging to locate the most affordable auto insurance provider.
It’s a good idea to compare rates before your policy renews because prices tend to go up over time. Even if you got the lowest rates a year ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate quote today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because I’m going to teach you the best methods to find better rates and still maintain coverage.
Buying car insurance in South Amboy is quite easy. If you have car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. But New Jersey car owners benefit from understanding the way companies sell insurance online because it can help you find the best coverage.
More discounts mean lower premiums
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always publicize every disount available very well, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the more hidden credits that may apply to you.
- Distant Student Discount – Any of your kids who are enrolled in higher education away from home and won’t have access to an insured vehicle could qualify for this discount.
- ABS Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Air Bag Discount – Factory options such as air bags or motorized seat belts may earn rate discounts as much as 30%.
- Good Student Discount – Being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or former government employment could cut as much as 10% off with a few auto insurance companies.
A little disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Despite the fact that it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn’t quite work that way. But any discount will positively reduce your auto insurance premiums.
Companies and their offered discounts are outlined below.
- Farm Bureau includes discounts for 55 and retired, driver training, youthful driver, multi-policy, renewal discount, and good student.
- State Farm may include discounts for anti-theft, Drive Safe & Save, good driver, multiple autos, and accident-free.
- Progressive offers discounts including homeowner, multi-policy, good student, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and online signing.
- Allstate offers premium reductions for economy car, utility vehicle, good payer, EZ pay plan discount, teenSMART discount, and safe driver.
- Nationwide has savings for defensive driving, business or organization, multi-policy, Farm Bureau membership, and good student.
- MetLife offers discounts for good driver, multi-policy, defensive driver, accident-free, and good student.
It’s a good idea to ask each company or agent to give you their best rates. Savings might not apply everywhere. If you would like to see a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in New Jersey, click this link.
Good decisions result in lower premiums
Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that help determine your policy premiums. If you understand what determines base rates, this enables informed choices that could result in lower premium levels.
Shown below are a partial list of the pieces utilized by car insurance companies to help set your rate level.
- More people means more accidents – Being located in smaller towns and rural areas of the country can be a good thing when it comes to auto insurance. Less people corresponds to lower accident rates as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Drivers in populated New Jersey areas have much more traffic and longer commute times. Longer commute distances means a statistically higher chance of an accident.
- Gender matters – Statistics demonstrate females are less aggressive when driving. Now that doesn’t mean females are better at driving than males. Men and women are responsible for fender benders in similar numbers, but the men have costlier accidents. In addition to higher claims, males also have more aggressive citations like driving under the influence (DUI). Young men ages 16 to 20 generally have the highest accident percentage and thus pay the highest rates.
- Consolidate policies and save money – Many auto insurance companies provide discounts to people who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, it’s always a smart idea to get quotes from other companies to make sure you are getting the best deal.
- Higher premiums for tough employers – Do you work in a high-stress field? Occupational choices like doctorsairline pilots and medical professionals generally have higher average rates because of job stress and lots of time spent away from family. On the flip side, professions such as professors, students and the unemployed get better rates.
- Good credit equals lower prices – Having a bad credit score can be an important factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. Consumers who have very good credit scores tend to file fewer claims than drivers with poor credit. If your credit score can be improved, you may save money insuring your vehicle by repairing your credit.
- Always keep your auto insurance in force – Allowing your auto insurance policy to lapse is a sure-fire way to increase your auto insurance rates. In addition to paying higher premiums, not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a steep fine or even jail time.
Everyone needs different auto insurance coverages
When it comes to buying proper insurance coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.
- Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
- When should I drop full coverage on my vehicle?
- Do no-fault laws apply in New Jersey?
- When would I need additional glass coverage?
- Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
- Should I buy more coverage than the required New Jersey minimum liability coverage?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.
Independent versus captive insurance agents
Many drivers would rather have an agent’s advice and that can be a smart move One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is that you can find the best rates and still have an agent to talk to.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, your information is submitted to companies in South Amboy who will return price quotes for your auto insurance coverage. You won’t even need to contact an agency since price quotes are sent to your email. You can get cheaper auto insurance rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you wish to compare rates for a specific company, just find their quoting web page and complete a quote there.
Selecting an company shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. These questions are important to ask:
- Which companies can they place coverage with?
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- Will one accident increase rates?
If you are wanting to find a good South Amboy insurance agent, it’s important to understand the types of insurance agents and how they can write your policy. Insurance agencies in South Amboy are either independent or captive.
Captive Auto Insurance Agents
These type of agents can only place business with one company and examples are State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They generally cannot place coverage with different providers so you need to shop around if the rates are high. They are highly trained on the products they sell and that enables them to sell even at higher rates.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
These type of agents do not have single company limitations and that is an advantage because they can write policies through lots of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move the coverage in-house and that require little work on your part. When comparing auto insurance prices, you should always get insurance quotes from at least one independent agent to ensure the widest selection of prices.
Below are South Amboy independent insurance agents that are able to give price quote information.
Braunsdorf Insurance – 980 Us Highway 9 – South Amboy, NJ 08879 – (732) 721-5055
D and D Insurance – 104 S Broadway – South Amboy, NJ 08879 – (732) 316-9384
For more auto insurance agents in South Amboy, here is a list of South Amboy New Jersey auto insurance agents.
After receiving positive responses to any questions you may have and an acceptable price quote, you’ve probably found an insurance agent that can be trusted to adequately provide auto insurance.
More tips and info about auto insurance can be found at the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website. Consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, read consumer alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.
In conclusion
Throughout this article, we presented many tips how you can lower your auto insurance car insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more you , the higher your chance of finding . Consumers could even find that the biggest savings come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to find out that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the lowest possible cost, not the least amount of coverage.