Compare Hillsborough Auto Insurance Prices With These Techniques

Are you intimidated by the wide range of auto insurance options in Hillsborough? Many other consumers are too. People have so many options that it can turn into a big hassle to find the perfect company for you.

If you have insurance now or are shopping for new coverage, you can learn to find the best rates and possibly find even better coverage. This information will help educate you on the most effective way to quote insurance and some tricks to saving. New Jersey drivers only need an understanding of the most effective way to compare rates online.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Companies offering auto insurance don't always publicize every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of both well-publicized as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving. If they aren't giving you every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

Payment Discounts - By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
Multi-car Discount - Buying insurance for more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Theft Prevention Discount - Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
Low Mileage Discounts - Driving fewer miles could qualify for a substantially lower rate.
Defensive Driver - Successfully completing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
Save over 55 - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Federal Government Employee - Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with a few auto insurance companies.
Clubs and Organizations - Participating in certain professional organizations may earn a discount when shopping for auto insurance.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don't profit that way.

Tips to Get Lower Hillsborough Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

Listed below are some of the items used by your company to calculate prices.

Car features impact rates - Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system can thwart auto theft.
Do you know your deductibles? - The deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. A few examples of covered claims could be running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, and burglary. The more expense you have to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? - Most insurance companies provide better rates to customers who have multiple policies with them. It's known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can add up to 10 percent or more. If you currently are using one company, you still need to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find a better deal by buying auto insurance from a different company.
High crash test scores lower rates - Vehicles with high crash test scores get lower rates. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts and lower rates for you.
Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are many extra coverages that can waste your money on your auto insurance policy. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage are some examples. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
Battle of the sexes - Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes have accidents at a similar rate, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically get more serious tickets such as DWI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.

Save $429 a year? Really?

New Jersey consumers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings from the likes of State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all have a common claim of big savings if you switch your coverage to them.

How do they all make almost identical claims?

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a driver they prefer could possibly be a mature driver, has no driving citations, and has a high credit rating. A driver that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Consumers who don't qualify for the "perfect" profile will be quoted higher rates and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way insurance companies can confidently state the savings. This emphasizes why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. It is impossible to predict which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Learn more about New Jersey auto insurance

More tips and info about auto insurance can be read at the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website. New Jersey consumers can view a list of available companies, report car insurance fraud, and read consumer alerts.

A tidy conclusion

Drivers switch companies for a number of reasons such as extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent, policy non-renewal and even delays in responding to claim requests. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new insurance company is less work than it seems.

Cost effective auto insurance can be found online as well as from independent agents in Hillsborough, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where someone sacrificed collision coverage and discovered at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.