Wish you could get a refund on an expensive car insurance policy? Believe me, there are many people just like you. People have so many insurance companies to buy insurance from, and although it’s nice to have a selection, it makes it harder to find the lowest cost provider.
Do you qualify for these five discounts?
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but companies offer discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but a few need to be specially asked for before you will receive the discount.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may get savings of 20% or more.
- ABS Brakes – Cars with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Student in College – Any of your kids who live away from home to go to college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to buckle their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
- Student Discount for Driver Training – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
Policy discounts save money, but many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your overall premium however.
For a list of companies who offer cheap car insurance quotes in New York, click here.
Are insurance agents of importance?
Many people just prefer to talk to an insurance agent and doing so can bring peace of mind Agents can answer important questions and help submit paperwork. The best thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local. Supporting neighborhood agents is especially important in Carmel.
By using this short form, your insurance coverage information is sent to participating agents in Carmel who will gladly provide quotes for your business. It makes it easy because there is no need to search for an agent due to the fact that quote results will go directly to you. If for some reason you want to quote rates from a specific insurance company, you can always search and find their rate quote page and complete a quote there.
To make it easy to view and select a local agent near you, please view this complete selection of insurance agencies in Carmel.
Choosing the best company shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price quote. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- Is the quote a firm price?
- Is there any savings for paying the full premium?
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- Do they see any coverage gaps in your plan?
- Do they offer rental car reimbursement?
Misconceptions in car insurance advertisements
New York drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price car insurance by State Farm and Allstate. They all seem to advertise the message of big savings just by moving to their company.
How can each company say the same thing? Just pay attention to how they say it.
All companies look for specific characteristics for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a desirable risk might be between 25 and 40, carries full coverage, and has a short commute. A customer who meets those qualifications will most likely get cheap prices and will save a lot of money.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-108.jpg" alt="Carmel NY car insurance prices“/>
People who don’t measure up to those standards will get a higher rate which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The trick is to say “people that switch” not “all people who quote” will save that much if they switch. That is how companies can advertise the way they do.
That is why you absolutely need to compare often. Because you never know with any certainty which company will have the lowest rates for your situation.
More consumer information in New York
Much more information about car insurance in New York can be read on the website for the New York Department of Financial Services located here. Visitors are able to get help finding coverage, file complaints about a company, learn about specific coverages, and report car insurance fraud.
More related Carmel car insurance information:
Specific coverages
Understanding the coverages of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are typical coverage types found on most car insurance policies.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your vehicle.
Since many New York drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Most of the time these coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Liability auto insurance – This will cover damage that occurs to people or other property in an accident. It protects you from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 50/100/50 that translate to a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a limit of $100,000 in injury protection per accident, and property damage coverage for $50,000. Alternatively, you may have a combined limit that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability can pay for claims like emergency aid, bail bonds, funeral expenses, court costs and structural damage. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford. New York state minimum liability requirements are 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should think about purchasing higher limits.
Comprehensive protection – This pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from flooding, vandalism, hail damage and hitting a deer. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Collision coverages – Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your vehicle caused by collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against things such as driving through your garage door, colliding with another moving vehicle and rolling your car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Medical expense coverage – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills like dental work, chiropractic care, doctor visits, rehabilitation expenses and surgery. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Don’t give up on cheaper premiums
Some insurance providers don’t offer the ability to get a quote online smaller companies work with local independent agencies. Low-cost car insurance is available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Carmel agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection.
When you , you should never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are too many instances where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.