Tightwads Guide for Saving on Dundee Auto Insurance

Tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as most other car owners in New York.

Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive promote their brand names with advertising and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to take a look at other company's rates once or twice a year because insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best price a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you're about to find out how to quote online to find better coverage at a better price.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you can get discounts to help bring down the price. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you purchase, but less common discounts must be asked about before being credited.

Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Dundee can save you money because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
Drivers Ed for Students - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course if offered at their school.
Drive Less and Save - Low mileage vehicles can earn a substantially lower rate.
Safety Course Discount - Taking a course in driver safety could save 5% or more if you qualify.
Sign Online - Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application digitally online.

It's important to note that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you could get a free auto insurance policy, you're out of luck. But any discount will reduce the amount you have to pay.

Dundee Rates are Influenced by These Factors

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates enables informed choices that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.

Being married is a good thing - Having a spouse helps lower the price on auto insurance. It means you're more mature and it's statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
Optional equipment can affect rates - Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder auto theft.
High crash test scores lower rates - Safer cars get lower rates. These vehicles reduce injuries and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
Add-on coverages can add up - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can buy on your auto insurance policy. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and term life insurance are some examples. These coverages may sound good at first, but if they're wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Your stress level may be raising your rates - Jobs such as lawyers, social workers and dentists tend to have the highest average rates attributed to high stress and long work hours. Other occupations like farmers, historians and retirees receive lower rates.
Credit scores impact auto insurance rates - Credit score is a large factor in your rate calculation. Drivers who have good credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with lower credit scores. If your credit history is low, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your credit score.
Traffic violations increase rates - Your driving citation history has a huge affect on how much you pay. Just one moving violation can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Careful drivers receive lower rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who have dangerous citations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.

Is there truth in advertising?

Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive consistently run television and radio advertisements. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save if you change to their company. How can each company make almost identical claims?

Different companies can use profiling for the driver that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured could possibly be a mature driver, has no tickets, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Consumers who don't measure up to the requirements will have to pay higher prices and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say "people who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. That's why insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, drivers should compare many company's rates. It is impossible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

More information can be found on the website for the New York Department of Financial Services through this link. New York consumers can get help finding coverage, view a list of available companies, find disaster information, and discover disciplinary actions.

Final considerations

Lower-priced auto insurance is attainable online and also from your neighborhood Dundee agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some auto insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it's not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many cases, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to discover later that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate.