5 Top Tips to Lower Car Insurance Costs in Altamont

Shopping for the most affordable Altamont car insurance online can be somewhat difficult for people who are new to price shopping online. With so many choices of online companies available, how can consumers have a chance to compare them all to find the lowest price available?

It's important to compare rates on a regular basis since rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the lowest price a year ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you're about to learn the quickest way to find better coverage at a better price.

How to Lower Your Car Insurance Cost in Altamont, New York

All major car insurance companies allow you to get prices on the web. Getting quotes is quite easy as you just type in the coverages you want as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, their rating system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and generates pricing information based on these and other factors.

This simplifies rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit many different websites and fill out multiple forms is monotonous and tiresome. But it's very important to have as many quotes as possible in order to find the best price on car insurance.

The preferred way to find lower prices is to use a quote form that gets price quotes from several companies at one time. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes rate comparisons much more enjoyable and efficient. After your information is entered, it is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any or none of the resulting price quotes.

If the quotes result in lower rates, you simply finish the application and buy the policy. The entire process just takes a couple of minutes and could lower your rates considerably.

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

Are you getting all your discounts?

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts that you may not know about. Most are applied at quote time, but less common discounts must be specifically requested in order for you to get them. If you don't get every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Sign Online - A handful of insurance companies will give a small break just for signing your application online.
  • Own a Home - Owning a house in Altamont can save you money because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
  • Anti-lock Brakes - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Bundle and Save - If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
  • Discount for Swiching Early - A few companies offer discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. The savings is around 10%.

It's important to note that some credits don't apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you're out of luck. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To choose companies with discount car insurance rates in New York, click here.

How can State Farm, GEICO and Progressive save drivers who switch?

Consumers can't ignore all the ads for car insurance savings by State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save if you change to their company.

But how can every company make the same claim?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that makes them money. For instance, a desirable insured could be over the age of 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. Any new insured that hits that "sweet spot" will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay more money and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ad wording is "people who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. This is how insurance companies can make those claims.

Because of the profiling, you need to compare many company's rates. It's just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

More information is located on the New York Department of Financial Services website through this link. Consumers can get help finding coverage, report car insurance fraud, and find out industry alerts.

Other informative sites include this site for New York car insurance information and see this list of insurance agents in Altamont.

In the end, you save

Lower-priced car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Altamont agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

You just learned a lot of ways to compare car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the lowest premiums are with an unexpected company.

While you're price shopping online, don't be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, drivers have reduced liability coverage limits only to discover later they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate.