Tired of not being able to afford each month for car insurance? You’re in the same situation as most other vehicle owners in New Mexico. There is such a variety of insurers to purchase coverage from, and though it is a good thing to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to locate the cheapest rates.
The purpose of this post is to help educate you on how to effectively get price quotes and some tips to save money. If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. But New Mexico vehicle owners do need to know how companies determine prices and take advantage of how the system works.
Most larger insurance companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive give coverage price quotes on the web. The process is pretty painless as all you need to do is type in the coverage amounts you desire as detailed in the form. After you submit the form the company’s rating system orders reports for credit and driving violations and provides a quote based on these and other factors. This makes it easy to compare insurance prices but having to visit a lot of sites and type in the same data is monotonous and tiresome. But it’s also necessary to have as many quotes as possible if you want to find the best price on car insurance.
The quickest way to lower your rates uses one simple form to return rates from several companies at one time. It’s a real time-saver, eliminates repetitive work, and makes online shopping much more enjoyable. As soon as the form is sent, it is quoted and you can select any one of the resulting price quotes.
If you find a better price it’s easy to complete the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and may result in a nice savings.
To quickly compare rates using this form now, click here to open in new window and submit your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you replicate your coverages just like they are on your policy. This ensures you’re receiving a fair comparison based on similar coverages.
Smart buyers can cut their costs
Part of the car insurance buying process is learning a few of the rating criteria that go into determining your policy premiums. If you have a feel for what determines base rates, this allows you to make good choices that may reward you with lower rates. Lots of factors are considered when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable like a motor vehicle report, although some other factors are not quite as obvious such as your credit history or your vehicle rating.
- Lower premiums for cars with good safety ratings – Safe vehicles get lower rates. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and fewer serious injuries means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Cars with good safety ratings can affect premiums – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can save you a little every year. Advanced theft deterrents such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system all hinder car theft.
- Never allow your car insurance policy to lapse – Not having insurance is a big no-no and any future policy may cost more because you let your insurance expire. And not only will your rates increase, failure to provide proof of insurance may result in fines or a revoked license.
- Save money by having multiple policies – The majority of car insurance companies will award a discount to buyers that buy multiple policies, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. The amount of the discounts can be as much as ten percent or more Even if you’re getting this discount drivers will still want to comparison shop to help ensure you have the lowest rates.
- Annual miles is a factor – Driving a lot of miles in a year’s time the more you’ll pay to insure it. A lot of companies price each vehicle’s coverage based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Cars and trucks used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your vehicle rating reflects the correct driver usage.
- Liability coverage – Liability coverage kicks in in the event that you are found to be at fault for an accident. Your policy’s liability insurance provides for a legal defense to defend your case. Liability is cheap compared to comp and collision, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
- Only buy what you need – There are many optional add-on coverages that can add up on your car insurance policy. Things like personal injury protection, accidental death, and motor club memberships are examples of these. They may sound like good ideas when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so think about removing them and cutting costs.
- Younger vs. older drivers – Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.Beginning drivers are known to be easily distracted when behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher.
Don’t miss with these discounts
Some insurance providers do not advertise all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we researched some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious savings tricks you should be using when you .
- Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll and complete driver’s education as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
- No Claim Discounts – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less as opposed to bad drivers.
- Early Renewal Discounts – Some larger companies reward drivers for switching companies before your current coverage expires. Ten percent is about the average savings.
- ABS Braking Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles have fewer accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts as much as 30%.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military could trigger a small discount.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same company you could earn a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Save with More Vehicles Insured – Drivers who insure multiple cars or trucks on a single policy can get a discount for every vehicle.
- E-sign – Some companies will provide an incentive on their website.
As a footnote on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Even though the math looks like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Some of the insurance companies that may offer quotes with many of the previously listed discounts possibly include:
If you want , ask every prospective company how you can save money. Discounts may not apply in your state. If you would like to view insurers that offer the discounts shown above in Cuba, click this link.
When to talk to a local insurance agent
Many people still prefer to get professional advice from a licensed agent and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the best bonuses of comparing rate quotes online is that you can obtain cheap car insurance quotes and also buy local. And supporting local insurance agencies is definitely important in Cuba.
To find an agent, once you fill out this short form, your insurance data is transmitted to local insurance agents in Cuba that can give you to get your business. You won’t even need to contact an agency since price quotes are sent instantly to you. You can find the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you want to quote rates from a specific insurance company, you would need to search and find their rate quote page and complete a quote there.
When finding a reliable insurance agency, you need to know there are two different agency structures and how they function. Agencies in Cuba can be categorized as either independent agents or captive agents depending on their employer.
Independent Insurance Agents
These agents do not write with just one company and that enables them to quote your coverage through lots of different companies and find you the best rates. If premiums increase, they simply switch companies in-house which is easy for the insured. If you are comparing car insurance prices, it’s recommended you get rate quotes from multiple independent agents in order to compare the most rates.
Captive Car Insurance Agents
Agents of this type generally can only insure with one company such as Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm, and AAA. Captive agents are unable to provide other company’s prices so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. They receive a lot of sales training on their products and sales techniques which helps them compete with independent agents.
Choosing the best car insurance agent should include more criteria than just a cheap price. Below are some questions you should ask.
- Do they see any coverage gaps in your plan?
- How often do they review coverages?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
- Has the agent ever had any license suspensions?
- Are they full-time agents?
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
Final considerations
When buying insurance coverage, you should never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your aim should be to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate, but do not skimp to save money.
In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to reduce car insurance premium rates online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with some of the smallest insurance companies. They can often insure niche markets at a lower cost as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate and Progressive.
Learn more about New Mexico car insurance
Additional car insurance information can be found on the located here. New Mexico consumers can view agent and company licensing information, read state legal mandates and laws, learn about insurance regulations, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
Other useful links include this page for car insurance in New Mexico and this list of insurance agents in Cuba, NM.