How to Get Cheap Highland Park Auto Insurance

Saving money on Highland Park auto insurance is hard for consumers not familiar with shopping for insurance online. People have so many options available that it can easily become a lot of work to compare prices in Highland Park.

Locating the lowest cost protection in Highland Park can be fairly easy. Basically, every vehicle owner who has to buy auto insurance will most likely be able to save money. Nevertheless, New Jersey consumers do need to know how the larger insurance companies price insurance differently.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what determines base rates enables informed choices that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

  • Safer cars are cheaper to insure - Vehicles with high crash test scores are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
  • Keep rates low by being claim-free - If you file claims often, you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance companies in New Jersey provide lower rates to policyholders who are claim-free. Your insurance policy is intended for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
  • More people means more accidents - Being located in small towns and rural areas is a positive aspect when talking about auto insurance. City drivers regularly have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Less people living in that area translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.
  • Teen drivers pay high rates - Youthful drivers in New Jersey are known to get distracted easily in a vehicle so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Mature drivers are more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.
  • Your spouse saves you money - Getting married can get you a discount when buying auto insurance. Having a spouse means you're more mature and responsible and it's proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Save money with special equipment - Driving a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder your car from being stolen.
  • Bump up deductibles to save - Your deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, covers damage that occurs to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply would be colliding with a building, damage caused by hail, or theft. The more expense you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
  • Proper usage rating affects rates - Driving more miles every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Most insurance companies charge to insure your cars determined by how the vehicle is used. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates than those used for commuting. Double check that your auto insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage.

auto insurance in Highland Park

Compare Highland Park Auto Insurance Costs

There are several ways of comparing rates and find the best price. One of the best ways to find the lowest rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.

  1. The fastest way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This method saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. In just a few minutes this one form gets rate comparisons from multiple companies. Recommended for those who want to invest the least amount of time.
  2. A slightly less efficient method to get quotes online is spending the time to visit the website for every company you want to comare to complete a price quote. For example, let's say you want rates from , and . To get each rate you have to visit each site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Highland Park, click here.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just ensure you're using identical information with each company. If you have higher or lower deductibles it's impossible to make an equal comparison in Highland Park. Just a small difference in coverage limits may cause a big price difference. And when price shopping your coverage, obtaining a wide range of quotes helps locate the best price.

Save big with these discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but you can get discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested before you will receive the discount.

  • Service Members Pay Less - Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Employee of Federal Government - Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
  • Discount for Life Insurance - Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance.
  • Student in College - Children living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may qualify for this discount.
  • Paperless Signup - A few companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing over the internet.
  • Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a home in Highland Park may trigger a auto insurance policy discount due to the fact that maintaining a home demonstrates responsibility.
  • Theft Prevention Discount - Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.

It's important to understand that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your overall premium however.

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

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the companies say the same thing of big savings after switching to their company. How does each company claim to save you money?

Insurance companies can use profiling for the driver that makes them money. A good example of a profitable customer might be between the ages of 40 and 55, is a homeowner, and has excellent credit. A customer getting a price quote who fits that profile will get very good rates and most likely will save when switching.

Potential insureds who fall outside these standards must pay more money which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much. That's why insurance companies can confidently make those claims.

This illustrates why you need to compare as many rates as you can. It's impossible to know the company that will have the lowest rates.

Additional auto insurance information can be read on the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website located here. Visitors are able to find disaster information, download brochures, and view agent and company licensing information.

Affordable insurance is out there

Low-cost auto insurance can be purchased both online and also from your neighborhood Highland Park agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Consumers change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as delays in responding to claim requests, high rates after DUI convictions, delays in paying claims or even not issuing a premium refund. Whatever your reason, choosing a new insurance company is easier than you think.

While you're price shopping online, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced full coverage and found out when filing a claim they didn't purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.