I can’t think of anyone who likes paying for auto insurance, especially when they know the price is too high. There is such a variety of insurers to insure vehicles with, and although it’s nice to have a selection, having more insurance companies makes it harder to find the lowest rates.
Shopping for affordable auto insurance in Glenville is quite easy. In a nutshell, everyone who carries auto insurance stands a good chance to be able to cut their insurance bill. But New York vehicle owners do need to understand how the larger insurance companies compete online because it can help you find the best coverage.
These seven discounts can lower your auto insurance rates
Some providers don’t necessarily list the complete list of policy discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details some of the more common and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving when you .
- Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time as opposed to paying monthly you can avoid the installment charge.
- Clubs and Organizations – Joining a civic or occupational organization in Glenville could trigger savings on auto insurance.
- Own a Home and Save – Owning your own home or condo can get you a discount because of the fact that having a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Requiring all passengers to buckle up before driving could save 15% off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Buy New and Save – Putting insurance on a new car can save you some money since new vehicles have better safety ratings.
- Policy Bundle Discount – When you combine your homeowners and auto insurance with the same company you could earn a discount of as much as 10 to 15 percent.
- Sign Online – A few larger online companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.
Discounts lower rates, but most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So even though you would think you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way.
A few popular companies and a selection of discounts are included below.
- Progressive offers discounts for online signing, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, good student, continuous coverage, and homeowner.
- The Hartford offers premium reductions for defensive driver, air bag, bundle, good student, anti-theft, vehicle fuel type, and driver training.
- Mercury Insurance may offer discounts for type of vehicle, multi-car, multi-policy, annual mileage, accident-free, good student, and age of vehicle.
- Geico has savings for seat belt use, good student, anti-lock brakes, defensive driver, anti-theft, driver training, and multi-policy.
- AAA has discounts for education and occupation, AAA membership discount, multi-car, good student, and multi-policy.
- State Farm may have discounts that include multiple autos, anti-theft, Drive Safe & Save, accident-free, and good driver.
When quoting, ask each insurance company which discounts you qualify for. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be offered on policies in Glenville. To see insurance companies that have a full spectrum of discounts in New York, click this link.
Most larger insurance companies allow you to get prices for coverage on their websites. Obtaining pricing is very simple as you simply type in your required coverages on the page. Upon sending the form, their rating system will order information on your driving record and credit history and generates pricing information based on these factors. This makes it simple to compare prices but the time required to go to different websites and type in the same information can be a bit repetitive. But it’s very important to do this in order to get lower prices.
There is a better way to compare rates
An easier way to locate the lowest prices is to use a quote form that obtains quotes from more than one company. The form is fast, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes rate comparisons much more enjoyable. After sending the form, it gets priced and you are able to buy your choice of the resulting price quotes.
If the quotes result in lower rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. It takes 15 minutes at the most and can result in significant savings.
To save time and find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and input your coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you input the coverages identical to your current policy. Doing this assures you’re receiving a rate comparison for exact coverage.
Parts of your auto insurance policy
Learning about specific coverages of auto insurance can help you determine the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are typical coverage types offered by auto insurance companies.
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as hitting a bird, vandalism, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, damage from getting keyed and theft. The highest amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Med pay and PIP coverage pay for bills for things like nursing services, EMT expenses and rehabilitation expenses. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover both the driver and occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision coverage – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against things like hitting a mailbox, hitting a parking meter and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Liability auto insurance – Liability coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to other people or property in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have policy limits of 25/50/25 that translate to $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Another option is one number which is a combined single limit which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability can pay for claims such as funeral expenses, pain and suffering, court costs, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and bail bonds. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. New York state law requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/10,000 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and damage to your vehicle.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 25/50/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Normally the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Compare but don’t skimp
As you restructure your insurance plan, never buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
We just showed you many tips how you can shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company. They often have lower rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like Progressive and Geico.