Buy Cheap Annandale Auto Insurance

Expensive auto insurance can empty your checking account and put a big crunch on your finances. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.

There are many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to be able to choose, it makes it harder to compare rates.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

The following are some of the factors companies use to determine premiums.

  • Liability insurance protects assets - Liability coverage is the protection if you are found liable for damages from an accident. Liability provides legal defense coverage starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.
  • Your spouse saves you money - Being married can get you a discount when buying auto insurance. Having a spouse is viewed as being more mature it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
  • Teen drivers pay high rates - Youthful drivers in New Jersey are known to get distracted easily when driving so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Adding a young driver to your policy can break the bank. More mature drivers are more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
  • Better credit means lower rates - A driver's credit history is a huge factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. If your credit score is not that good, you could save money insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than those with lower credit scores.
  • Occupation reflects on rates - Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for auto insurance? Occupations such as doctors, architects and financial analysts tend to pay higher average rates in part from high stress and lengthy work days. Conversely, occupations such as pilots, engineers and performers have the lowest average rates.
  • Frequent auto insurance claims increase rates - If you file claims often, you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Auto insurance companies in New Jersey provide lower rates to drivers who file claims infrequently. Auto insurance is intended for the bigger claims that can't be paid out-of-pocket.

How to Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost in Annandale, New Jersey

All major auto insurance companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive allow you to get prices for coverage online. This process is fairly straightforward as you just enter the coverages you want as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, the system will obtain your driving and credit reports and returns a price quote. Being able to quote online makes comparing rates easy, but the time required to go to several different sites and fill out multiple forms is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it's very important to perform this step in order to find the best price on auto insurance.

The preferred way to find lower prices uses one form to get prices from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates repetitive work, and makes online shopping much more enjoyable. After your information is entered, it is rated and you can select any one of the resulting price quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. The entire process takes just a few minutes to complete and could lower your rates considerably.

To find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you input the limits and deductibles exactly as shown on your declarations page. This makes sure you will be getting rate comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies offering auto insurance don't always advertise all available discounts very clearly, so here is a list both the well known and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings.

  • Multiple Vehicles - Buying coverage for multiple vehicles with the same company qualifies for this discount.
  • Paperless Signup - Certain companies may give you up to $50 just for signing your application over the internet.
  • Student in College - Children who live away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts up to 30%.
  • Accident Free - Drivers who don't have accidents can earn big discounts when compared with accident-prone drivers.

It's important to note that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you're out of luck.

To choose insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in New Jersey, follow this link.

How can Allstate, GEICO and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads on television and other media. All the companies say the same thing that you can save after switching to them. How does each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

All companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer might be between 25 and 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save when switching.

Potential customers who are not a match for these standards must pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. This is how insurance companies can make those claims. This illustrates why you need to get as many quotes as possible. It's impossible to know which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Additional detailed information is available at the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, get help finding coverage, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and find out industry alerts.

Shop smart and save

Lower-priced auto insurance can be sourced both online and with local Annandale insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some companies do not offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

While you're price shopping online, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

We covered a lot of tips how to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company. These smaller insurers often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as .