Easy Tips to Cut Costs on Farmingdale Car Insurance

Saving money on Farmingdale car insurance is a challenge for beginners to comparison shopping online. There are so many options that it can easily become a big hassle to locate the lowest price in Farmingdale.

It's important to get comparison quotes once or twice a year because rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the best deal on your last policy the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. So forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you're going to learn the proper way to save on car insurance.

The purpose of this post is to instruct you on how car insurance quotes work and some money-saving tips. If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using these methods. New York drivers only need an understanding of how to get comparison rates online.

Save big with these discounts

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but companies offer discounts that many people don't even know exist. Most are applied when you complete an application, but some must be inquired about before they will apply. If you're not getting every credit available, you're paying more than you need to.

Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Farmingdale may trigger a car insurance policy discount because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
Military Discounts - Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
New Car Discount - Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Air Bag Discount - Factory air bags may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
Employee of Federal Government - Being employed by or retired from a federal job may qualify you for a discount with select insurance companies.
Early Signing - A few companies offer discounts for switching to them before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
Good Students Pay Less - A discount for being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your overall premium however.

To see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in New York, follow this link.

Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Farmingdale

Finding cheaper car insurance prices is not a difficult process. You just have to spend a little time comparing rate quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be done in several different ways.

The best way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This method keeps you from doing separate quote forms to each individual car insurance company. Taking the time to complete one form compares rates from many national carriers. Recommended for those who want to invest the least amount of time.
Another way to get quotes online is going to each individual company website and complete a new quote form. For example, let's say you want rates from , and . To find out each rate you need to visit each site and enter your information, which is why most consumers use the first method. To view a list of companies in Farmingdale, click here.
The least efficient way to compare rates to different agent offices. The ability to buy insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you prefer the professional guidance only provided by licensed agents. You can, however, obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent and we'll talk about that later.

Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using identical coverage limits and deductibles on every quote. If you have different liability limits it will be impossible to make a fair comparison in Farmingdale.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with big savings.

Listed below are some of the factors that factor into rates.

Marriage brings a discount - Being married can actually save you money when buying car insurance. It usually means you are more mature and responsible and it's statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
Car features impact rates - Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Anti-theft features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all hinder your car from being stolen.
More than one policy can earn a discount - Most companies will give a discount to policyholders who carry more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you may still want to compare rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still be able to find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.
Mature drivers pay less - Young drivers in New York are statistically proven to be more careless in a vehicle so they pay higher car insurance rates. Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.
Clean credit earns discounts - Credit score is a large factor in your rate calculation. So if your credit rating is lower than you'd like, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with poor credit.
More claims means more premium - If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on higher rates. Car insurance companies in New York provide lower rates to policyholders who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
High performance equals high price - The make and model of the car you own makes a big difference in the rate you pay. The most favorable rates are for small economy passenger vehicles, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Consumers can't get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to say the same thing of big savings if you switch your policy.

How does each company make the same claim?

All the different companies can use profiling for the right customer that is profitable for them. An example of a desirable insured could be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has great credit. A customer who fits that profile will get very good rates and most likely will save when switching.

Consumers who fall outside these standards will have to pay higher rates which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads say "people who switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. That's why insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get as many comparisons as possible. Because you never know the company that will fit your personal profile best.

In the end, you save

Cost effective car insurance can be found from both online companies in addition to many Farmingdale insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

Consumers switch companies for many reasons like an unsatisfactory settlement offer, unfair underwriting practices, policy cancellation or not issuing a premium refund. Whatever your reason, finding the right car insurance provider is actually quite simple.

When you buy insurance online, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, an insured dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your aim should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate.

More New York car insurance information

Additional car insurance information is available on the New York Department of Financial Services website through this link. Consumers can get help finding coverage, view a list of available companies, and read consumer alerts.