Buying the cheapest Smithtown car insurance on the internet can seem to be rather challenging for consumers new to comparison shopping online. With so many insurance companies available, how can Smithtown drivers have a chance to compare the different rates to find the best price?
You need to compare prices before your policy renews since rates go up and down regularly. If you had the best rates a couple years back you will most likely find a better rate today. Starting now, block out anything you think you know about car insurance because it’s time to teach you the things you must know in order to find better rates and still maintain coverage.
Take advantage of discounts
Car insurance companies don’t necessarily list every available discount in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down some of the best known and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving.
- Life Insurance – Some companies give a discount if you purchase life insurance.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to take driver’s ed class in high school.
- Student in College – Children who are attending college and do not have a car may be able to be covered for less.
- Defensive Driving Course – Successfully completing a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill depending on where you live.
- Claim Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less as compared to bad drivers.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Discount for New Cars – Putting insurance coverage on a new car is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
- Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for switching policies before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
To see a list of insurers with discount car insurance rates in Smithtown, click here.
How to Lower Your Car Insurance Cost in Smithtown
Comparing car insurance rates can be challenging if you don’t utilize the best way to get rate quotes. You could waste a few hours driving to local insurance agents in Smithtown, or you could use the web to get the quickest rates.
Most car insurance companies participate in an industry program that allows shoppers to only type in their quote data once, and every company can provide price quotes determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating form submissions for each company you want a rate for. To find out what other companies charge click to open in new window.
The only downside to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose which carriers to receive prices from. So if you prefer to pick individual companies to request quotes from, we have assembled a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in New York. Click to view list.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just double check that you are using the exact same coverage limits for each price quote. If the quotes have higher or lower deductibles it’s not possible to find the best deal in Smithtown. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages may result in large price differences. Just keep in mind that quoting more will increase your chances of finding the best price.
Components of your insurance rates
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. Understanding what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to big savings.
- Your car insurance rates can be influenced by your job – Occupations like doctors, executives and dentists tend to pay the highest average rates due to job stress and lots of time spent at work. Other professions such as scientists, historians and retirees have the lowest average rates.
- Safer cars cost less to insure – Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. These vehicles have better occupant injury protection and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
- Don’t skimp on liability – Your policy’s liability coverage will protect you if ever a court rules you are at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It will provide legal defense coverage starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Where you live can impact rates – Choosing to live in a rural area is a positive aspect when it comes to car insurance. City drivers regularly have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Fewer people means fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
- Tickets mean higher rates – Your driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don’t get tickets get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Only having one moving violation can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers who get dangerous violations like DUI or reckless driving may be required to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
Summing up your car insurance search
Cheap car insurance is attainable from both online companies in addition to many Smithtown insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.
Consumers who switch companies do it for many reasons like poor customer service, high rates after DUI convictions, being labeled a high risk driver and even denial of a claim. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new company is not as difficult as it may seem.
We just covered a lot of ways to compare car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the most savings is with some of the lesser-known companies.
Even more information is located at the New York Department of Financial Services website. Visitors are able to learn about specific coverages, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and learn about insurance regulations.
More related Smithtown car insurance information: