When searching for lower-priced insurance, do you get overwhelmed by the wide range of car insurance companies available to you? Drivers have so many options that it can turn into a chore to find the lowest price. Lots of people think New Windsor is a great place to live, but pricey car insurance can make it hard for many residents to afford coverage.
Smart consumers take time to shop coverage around quite often due to the fact that insurance prices change quite often. Even if you got the lowest rates two years ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you’re about to learn the right way to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
There are multiple methods to compare car insurance prices but some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can spend your afternoon talking to insurance agencies in New Windsor, or you can utilize the internet for quick rates.
Most car insurance companies participate in a marketplace where prospective buyers only type in their quote data once, and each participating company then returns a price quote based on the submitted data. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions for each company.
To compare pricing click here (opens in new window).
One minor caviat to comparing rates this way is you don’t know exactly the insurers you will receive quotes from. If you would rather choose specific insurance companies to compare rates, we have a listing of low cost car insurance companies in New York. View list of New York insurance companies.
How you compare quotes is your choice, just make sure you compare the same coverages on every price quote you get. If each company quotes different liability limits it will be nearly impossible to make a fair rate comparison in New Windsor.
The car insurance bait and switch
Consumers in New York can’t get away from ads that claim the lowest prices from companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive. All the ads tend to make the same promise about saving some big amount if you move your coverage.
But how can every company have lower policy pricing? This is the way they can do it.
Many companies look for specific characteristics for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a driver they prefer may need to be over the age of 40, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Someone that fits those parameters gets the lowest premium rates and will most likely save a lot if they switch.
Insureds who are not a match for this stringent profile must pay a higher premium and this can result in business going elsewhere. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. This is how companies can make it sound like they have such great premium rates.
This really illustrates why you need to compare as many as you can. It’s not possible to predict which insurance companies will have the best auto insurance rates at this point in time.
Car insurance discounts are available to cut your rates
Car insurance companies don’t list every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details both the well known and also the lesser-known discounts that you can inquire about if you . If they aren’t giving you every credit available, it’s possible you qualify for a lower rate.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Organization Discounts – Participating in a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break on your next renewal.
- Resident Student – Youth drivers who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car can receive lower rates.
- Save over 55 – Drivers over the age of 55 may qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
We need to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Even though the math looks like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.
A few popular companies and some of their more popular discounts are shown below.
- Mercury Insurance has discounts for multi-policy, ease of repair, professional/association, age of vehicle, accident-free, multi-car, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts including switch companies, electronic funds transfer, good student, pay in full, and youthful driver.
- Farm Bureau offers premium reductions for safe driver, youthful driver, 55 and retired, multi-policy, renewal discount, and multi-vehicle.
- State Farm discounts include passive restraint, multiple policy, multiple autos, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, and driver’s education.
- Allstate offers discounts for resident student, passive restraint, 55 and retired, early signing, premier discount, and multi-policy.
- Geico may include discounts for multi-vehicle, emergency military deployment, multi-policy, anti-theft, driver training, five-year accident-free, and membership and employees.
Check with all companies you are considering how many discounts you can get. A few discounts might not be available to policyholders in your state.
Everyone needs different car insurance coverages
When choosing the best car insurance coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s needs are different.
Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining if you would benefit from professional advice.
- Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
- Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
- What if I total my vehicle and owe more than it’s worth?
- Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
- Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- When would I need rental car insurance?
- Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
- Are my friends covered when driving my vehicle?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form. It’s fast, doesn’t cost anything and can help protect your family.
Additional car insurance information is available on the through this link. New York consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, read industry bulletins, and find out industry alerts.
Also read more on this site for rates in New York and this list of agents in New Windsor, NY.
One last thing about your coverage
When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, someone sacrificed comprehensive coverage or liability limits and learned later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate, but do not skimp to save money.
There are still a few companies who may not offer rates over the internet and these small, regional companies provide coverage only through independent agencies. Affordable car insurance is available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood New Windsor agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best chance of saving money.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to lower your car insurance prices. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of getting . Drivers may discover the best prices are with a small local company.