When looking for lower-cost insurance, do you get overwhelmed by the number of car insurance providers available to you? Lot’s of other drivers are too. You have so many choices that it can be a real challenge to find lower prices. Everyone knows Linwood is a great city to live in, but pricey car insurance can make it very difficult to afford coverage.
It’s a good habit to compare prices every six months since rates change regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest premium rates on your last policy a different company probably has better prices today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re about to find out the fastest way to buy cheaper car insurance.
If you have a policy now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use this information to reduce the price you pay and possibly find even better coverage. Buying affordable car insurance in Linwood can be fairly easy. New Jersey consumers just need to learn the proper methods to compare rates online.
Get cheap car insurance with these tips
One of the most helpful ways to save on car insurance is to to have a grasp of a few of the rating criteria that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. If you understand what determines base rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that may result in better car insurance rates.
- Tickets inflate rates – Attentive drivers have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Having just one speeding ticket can increase rates forty percent or more. Drivers who get careless citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state’s licensing department in order to legally drive.
- Drivers with good credit save – A driver’s credit score factor in calculating your car insurance rates. People with high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure than those with lower credit ratings. So if your credit history is low, you could be paying less to insure your vehicle by repairing your credit.
- Liability insurance preserves assets – The liability coverage on your policy is the protection if ever you are responsible for personal injury or accident damage. This coverage provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared to the cost of physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
- Save mileage and save money – The more miles you rack up on your car in a year the higher your rate. Most companies apply a rate partially by how you use the vehicle. Autos that are left in the garage qualify for better rates than those used for commuting. Verify your vehicle rating properly reflects the right rating data.
- Being married is a good thing – Getting married helps lower the price compared to being single. Having a significant other usually means you are more responsible and it’s statistically proven that married couples file fewer claims.
- Cut premiums and deter theft – Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all aid in stopping vehicle theft.
- Women tend to be lower risk – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, don’t assume that men are WORSE drivers than women. They both cause fender benders in similar numbers, but the males have costlier accidents. Not only are claims higher, but men receive more major tickets like reckless driving and DUI.
Lower rates by qualifying for discounts
Auto insurance companies do not advertise their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of a few of the more common and also the lesser-known credits available to bring down your rates.
- Driver Education Discount – Have your child enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.
- Good Grades Discount – Maintaining excellent grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. Most companies allow this discount well after school through age 25.
- Discount for Multiple Policies – If you can combine your homeowners and auto policy with one insurance company you will save as much as 10 to 15 percent.
- One Accident Forgiven – This one isn’t a discount, but a handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident without getting socked with a rate hike as long as you don’t have any claims prior to being involved in the accident.
- Theft Prevention System – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices are stolen with less frequency and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Early Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying in monthly installments you could save 5% or more.
- Organization Discounts – Having an affiliation with qualifying employment or professional organizations could earn you a nice discount when shopping for car insurance.
Discounts lower rates, but most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you aren’t that lucky.
A few of the larger companies and their possible discounts are included below.
- State Farm offers discounts for good driver, anti-theft, passive restraint, student away at school, and good student.
- Geico includes discounts for anti-lock brakes, good student, federal employee, multi-vehicle, and air bags.
- SAFECO may include discounts for multi-car, safe driver, drive less, anti-lock brakes, accident prevention training, bundle discounts, and homeowner.
- Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including pay in full, youthful driver, distant student, bundle discounts, good student, and homeowner.
- AAA may have discounts that include anti-theft, education and occupation, pay-in-full, AAA membership discount, good driver, and good student.
- USAA offers premium reductions for defensive driver, driver training, loyalty savings, safe driver, military installation, multi-policy, and family discount.
If you need , ask each company how you can save money. Some credits may not be available in Linwood. To locate companies with the best car insurance discounts in New Jersey, click here.
Can’t I compare rates from local Linwood car insurance agents?
Some consumers just want to get advice from a local agent and that can be a smart move Experienced insurance agents can help you choose the best coverages and help submit paperwork. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is the fact that drivers can get the best rates and still buy from a local agent. Buying insurance from local insurance agencies is still important in Linwood.
Once you complete this short form, your insurance coverage information is sent to agents in your area that can provide to get your business. You never need to contact any insurance agencies because prices are sent immediately to you. In the event you want to quote rates from a specific company, you can always go to their quote page and submit a quote form there.
If you want a good insurance agency, it’s helpful to know the different types of agencies from which to choose. Agencies in Linwood are classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive. Either one can insure your vehicles, but it’s worth mentioning the difference in the companies they write for since it could factor into which type of agent you select.
Independent Agents
Independent agents are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles through many companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If your premiums go up, they simply move your policy to a different company and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to get rate quotes from at a minimum one independent agency for maximum quote selection. They often place coverage with additional companies that you may not be familiar with that may have much lower rates than larger companies.
Featured below is a partial list of independent insurance agents in Linwood who can help you get price quote information.
- Wachovia Insurance Svc – 1401 New Rd – Linwood, NJ 08221 – (609) 927-9983
- J C Leap Insurance Svc – 700 New Rd # 102 – Linwood, NJ 08221 – (609) 927-9440
- J Swilky Agency – 3 Candlewood Ct – Linwood, NJ 08221 – (609) 601-7642
Captive Agencies
Agents in the captive channel have only one company to place business with and examples are Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They generally cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They are highly trained in insurance sales and that can be a competitive advantage. Some insured continue to use the same captive agent mostly because of the brand legacy instead of buying on price only.
Selecting an car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the premium amount. These are some valid questions you should ask.
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- How long has their agency been open in Linwood?
- Is the agent CPCU or CIC certified?
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- If your car is totalled, how to they determine the replacement cost?
Brand name doesn’t guarantee savings
New Jersey drivers can’t escape the ads that claim the cheapest prices from the likes of Geico, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to make the promise that you’ll save big just by switching to them.
Is it even possible that every company can make the same claim? This is how they do it.
Insurance providers offer their best rates for the type of customer they prefer to insure. For example, a profitable customer should be between the ages of 40 and 55, has no claims, and has excellent credit. A customer that fits those parameters gets the lowest auto insurance rates and as a result will probably save when switching.
Potential customers who fall outside the ideal profile will probably be forced to pay higher premium rates which results in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “drivers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That’s why companies can truthfully make claims like that.
Different companies use different criteria so it is so important to quotes from several different companies. Because you never know with any certainty which company will give you the biggest savings.
More information about car insurance
Additional information is located on the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website located here. Visitors are able to read consumer alerts, find disaster information, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and read state legal mandates and laws.
Affordable car insurance is out there
In this article, we presented a lot of information how to shop for car insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with the least-expected company.
People who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including high prices, extreme rates for teen drivers, policy cancellation or even delays in responding to claim requests. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new company is less work than it seems.
Discount car insurance is definitely available online in addition to local insurance agencies, so you need to with both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online rate quotes and many times these smaller providers provide coverage only through local independent agencies.