Have you fallen victim to high-priced car insurance? Trust us, there are many New York consumers feeling the pinch from expensive car insurance. Drivers have multiple auto insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and although it’s a good thing to have a choice, having more car insurance companies makes it harder to get the best deal.
You need to compare rates yearly due to the fact that insurance rates change quite often. Just because you had the lowest rates a couple years back there is a good chance you can find better rates now. So block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to teach you the best methods to find lower rates on car insurance.
Components of your insurance rates
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates enables informed choices that could result in better car insurance rates.
- Older drivers pay less – More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets. Youthful drivers tend to be careless and easily distracted when driving and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
- Sex matters – Statistics have proven that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women have accidents in similar numbers, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also get more serious tickets such as reckless driving.
- Cautious drivers pay less – Just one speeding ticket can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who don’t get tickets have lower premiums than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers who have severe citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- Safer occupants lowers premiums – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. Safer cars have better occupant injury protection and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
- Where you reside plays a part – Choosing to live in a small town has it’s advantages when talking about car insurance. Fewer drivers translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate. Drivers in populated New York areas have congested traffic and longer commute times. More time commuting can result in more accidents.
- Performance influences rates – The performance of the car you are insuring makes a substantial difference in your rates. Economy passenger vehicles usually have the lowest rates, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations like real estate brokers, social workers and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates due to high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, jobs such as pilots, engineers and performers pay the least.
- Pleasure use saves money – The more you drive in a year the higher your rate. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars determined by how the vehicle is used. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Double check that your car insurance policy shows the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
Cheap New York Car Insurance Comparisons
Finding lower car insurance rates is not a difficult process. Drivers just need to take time to compare quotes provided by online insurance companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
- The fastest way to compare a lot of rates at once is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This type of form eliminates the need for repetitive form entry for every car insurance company. One simple form gets you coverage quotes .
- A harder way to find lower rates requires a visit to each individual company website to complete a price quote. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want to compare Nationwide, Liberty Mutual and Travelers. To get rate quotes you would need to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in New York, click here.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just ensure you’re using exactly the same coverages and limits on every quote you get. If your comparisons have different values for each quote it’s not possible to make a fair comparison in New York.
Don’t overlook these discounts
Companies that sell car insurance don’t list all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so here is a list some of the more common and the harder-to-find car insurance savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you are throwing money away.
- Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have a break if you buy life insurance from them.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying monthly you could save 5% or more.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Accident Waiver – A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accident claims.
- Accident Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents can earn big discounts as compared to accident-prone drivers.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
- Discount for Good Grades – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
- Seat Belt Usage – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
- Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a house in New York may trigger a car insurance policy discount because maintaining a house requires personal responsibility.
It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way.
For a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in New York, click here.
Even more information can be found at the New York Department of Financial Services website. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, download brochures, and find a variety of consumer forms.
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One last thing about your coverage
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to save on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even find the best prices are with an unexpected company. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate and Progressive.
When you buy insurance online, never skimp on coverage in order to save money. Too many times, consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to regret at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.