Searching for the cheapest Plainfield auto insurance over the internet can seem to be somewhat difficult for consumers new to buying insurance on the web. With so many insurance companies available, how can you possibly compare them all to find the lowest rates?
If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. The purpose of this article is to instruct you on the most effective way to quote insurance and some money-saving tips. Although New Jersey consumers need to learn the way insurance companies sell online.
How your Plainfield rates are determined
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.
Shown below are some of the factors that factor into premiums.
- Performance influences rates – The performance level of the car you own makes a big difference in how high your rates are. The cheapest insurance rates tend to be for low performance passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Pay less if you’re married – Having a spouse actually saves money on auto insurance. Having a significant other is viewed as being more responsible it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
- Your car’s features help determine rates – Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention features like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder car theft.
- Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Careers like judges, architects and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates due to high stress levels and long work hours. Other professions such as farmers, historians and the unemployed pay the least.
- How many coverages with the same company – Most insurers will award you with lower prices to policyholders who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount you still need to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money.
- Men fork out a little more – Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn’t mean women are better drivers. They both cause accidents in similar numbers, but the men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also statistically have more aggressive citations like reckless driving and DUI.
- With age comes lower rates – Older drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets. Youthful drivers are statistically proven to be more careless behind the wheel therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
How much can you save with discounts?
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you may find discounts to help bring down the price. A few discounts will automatically apply when you quote, but some must be asked for before they will apply.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
- Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.
- Auto/Home Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
- Anti-theft Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- No Charge for an Accident – A handful of insurance companies permit an accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems prevent accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of companies with discount auto insurance rates in New Jersey, click here to view.
For more New Jersey auto insurance information
Much more information about auto insurance in New Jersey can be found on the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website located here. New Jersey consumers can learn about specific coverages, report car insurance fraud, get help finding coverage, and learn about insurance regulations.
Final thoughts
The cheapest auto insurance is definitely available both online in addition to many Plainfield insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not provide online price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
While you’re price shopping online, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just showed you a lot of information how to shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the best price on auto insurance is with a small local company.