When searching for more affordable insurance, are you intimidated by the sheer number of car insurance companies that you can choose from? Lot’s of other people are too. You have such a vast assortment of companies available that it can be a real hassle to find lower premium rates. Brigantine is an awesome place to live, but expensive premiums for car insurance can make it hard for many residents to pay for enough car insurance coverage.
The quickest way to compare insurance rates from multiple companies takes advantage of the fact most of the bigger providers participate in online systems to give free rates quotes. The only thing you need to do is provide a little information such as distance driven, if a SR-22 is required, what your job is, and your credit rating estimate. The rating information is then submitted to insurance carriers in your area and you should receive rate quotes very quickly.
If you wish to get multiple quotes for your car now, click here and enter your zip code.
Car insurance quotes and discounts
Not too many consumers would say car insurance is affordable, but you might already qualify for some discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. A few discounts will automatically apply when you purchase, but a few need to be specifically requested prior to receiving the credit.
- New Vehicle Savings – Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper because newer vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- No Charge for an Accident – This one isn’t a discount, but some companies like Liberty Mutual and Geico will turn a blind eye to one accident before hitting you with a surcharge with the catch being you have to be claim-free prior to the accident.
- Distant Student Discount – College-age children who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Discount for Multiple Policies – If you combine your auto and home policies and insure them with the same company you could earn a discount of at least 10% off all policies.
- Brigantine Homeowners Discount – Owning your own home or condo may earn you a small savings since owning and maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Purchasing coverage when you have primary and secondary vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
- Auto/Life Discount – Larger insurance carriers have a discounted car insurance rate on car insurance if you buy a life policy as well.
- Drivers Education – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers complete a driver education course as it can save substantially.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, nobody gets a free ride.
The best car insurance companies and the discounts they provide include:
- Progressive may include discounts for multi-policy, continuous coverage, online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and good student.
- SAFECO has savings for homeowner, anti-lock brakes, drive less, safe driver, bundle discounts, and accident prevention training.
- American Family policyholders can earn discounts including early bird, TimeAway discount, good student, accident-free, defensive driver, and good driver.
- MetLife may have discounts that include good student, multi-policy, good driver, defensive driver, claim-free, accident-free
- Geico offers discounts for defensive driver, daytime running lights, multi-policy, anti-theft, multi-vehicle, air bags, and seat belt use.
- The Hartford includes discounts for defensive driver, bundle, vehicle fuel type, driver training, air bag, and good student.
Before buying, ask each insurance company which discounts can lower your rates. All car insurance discounts may not be offered in every state. To choose car insurance companies that offer multiple discounts in New Jersey, click this link.
You may require the services of a local insurance agent
A lot of people would prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and that is OK! Licensed agents can make sure you are properly covered and help in the event of a claim. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is that you can obtain cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local.
Upon completion of this short form, your coverage information is sent to companies in Brigantine who will give competitive quotes for your business. There is no reason to contact an agency as quotes are delivered to you. If for some reason you want to get a comparison quote from a specific company, you can always find their quoting web page and complete a quote there.
Finding a good company requires more thought than just the premium amount. Get answers to these questions too.
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- How are they compensated?
- What is their Better Business Bureau rating?
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- Where are claims handled?
- How does the company pay claims for a total loss?
Types of car insurance agents in Brigantine
If you want to use a local Brigantine insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the different types of agencies that you can choose from. Car insurance policy providers are classified as either captive or independent. Both types can write car insurance policies, but it’s a good idea to understand why they differ since it can impact which agent you choose.
Captive Agents
Agents in the captive channel have only one company to place business with like American Family, State Farm, and Allstate. They are unable to compare other company’s rates so you need to shop around if the rates are high. Captive agents are very knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them sell on service rather than price. Consumers frequently buy from the same agent for years mostly because of the brand and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
Independent Agents
Independent agencies are not limited to a single company so they can insure your vehicles with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. If you want to switch companies, they can switch companies in-house and the insured can keep the same agent.
If you need lower rates, you absolutely need to get some free quotes from independent agents to get the best comparison. Most can insure with smaller companies that may provide cheaper car insurance rates.
More tips and info about car insurance is available at the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website. New Jersey consumers can find disaster information, download brochures, read consumer alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.
In conclusion
Consumers leave their current company for many reasons like policy non-renewal, an unsatisfactory settlement offer, delays in responding to claim requests and even lack of trust in their agent. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a great new company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that it was a big error on their part. Your goal is to find the BEST coverage at the best cost and still be able to protect your assets.
We covered many ways to save on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. You may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from a lesser-known regional company.