Consumer Tested Strategies to Save on Hartsdale Auto Insurance

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your checking account and force you to make sacrifices. Doing a price comparison is a smart way to cut your insurance bill. Multiple compete for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare to get the lowest rate

If you have a policy now or are shopping for new coverage, you can follow these tips to find the best rates while maximizing coverage. Finding affordable coverage in Hartsdale is easy if you know what you're doing. New York vehicle owners just need to know the proper methods to compare rates on the web.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Companies offering auto insurance don't list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list some of the best known and also the lesser-known auto insurance savings. If they aren't giving you every credit you deserve, you're paying more than you need to.

Safety Course Discount - Taking a course teaching defensive driving skills could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Discount for Life Insurance - Select insurance companies reward you with lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Low mileage vehicles can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Lower Rates for Military - Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premiums.
Claim Free - Drivers who don't have accidents can earn big discounts when compared with bad drivers.
Good Student Discount - A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
Accident Waiver - A few companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums so long as you haven't had any claims for a certain period of time.
Auto/Home Discount - When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company you could get a discount of 10% to 20% off each policy.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and will save you 10% or more.
Anti-theft System - Anti-theft and alarm systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10%.

Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn't make money that way.

To see a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Hartsdale, follow this link.

How to Get Cheap Auto Insurance in Hartsdale, NY

Finding cheaper auto insurance prices is surprisingly easy. Consumers just need to invest a few minutes to get quotes online with multiple companies. This is very easy and can be done using a couple different methods.

The best way to find low rates is a comparison rater form (click to open form in new window). This method saves time by eliminating multiple quote forms for each company. A single, simple form will get you price quotes from multiple low-cost companies.
A harder way to shop for auto insurance online requires a visit to the website for every company you want to comare to complete a price quote. For instance, we'll pretend you want comparison quotes from , and . You would have to go to every website to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is quicker.

For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Hartsdale, click here.
The least efficient way of getting rate comparisons is to spend time driving to and from local Hartsdale insurance agencies. Shopping for auto insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you want the personal advice of a licensed agent. You can, however, obtain prices from the web but buy from a local insurance agent and we'll touch on that later.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just make sure you use the exact same coverage limits with each company. If you are comparing differing limits you can't possibly make an equal comparison in Hartsdale.

Tips to Get Lower Hartsdale Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Understanding what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

Policy add-ons can waste money - There are quite a few add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying if you aren't careful. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea initially, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
Please use or commuting - The higher the mileage driven in a year's time the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies price each vehicle's coverage based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles that are left in the garage can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Verify your auto insurance declarations sheet is showing the correct usage for each vehicle, because it can save money.
Better crash test results mean better rates - Safer cars are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and better occupant protection translates into savings for insurance companies and lower rates for you.
Your stress level may be raising your rates - Occupations such as doctors, architects and accountants have higher rates than average due to stressful work requirements and long work hours. On the flip side, occupations like pilots, athletes and retirees get better rates.
A clean driving record saves money - Only having one speeding ticket can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with dangerous tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.

Insurance agents can help

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Your needs are not the same as everyone else's and a cookie cutter policy won't apply. For example, these questions can help discover whether your personal situation might need professional guidance.

Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in New York?

If you don't know the answers to these questions, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.

Save $429 a year? Really?

New York drivers can't get away from ads for car insurance savings from the likes of 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies say the same thing that you'll save big if you change your coverage to them.

How do they all say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and chooses high deductibles. A propective insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Potential insureds who don't qualify for the "perfect" profile must pay more money which usually ends up with business not being written. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. This is how companies can state the savings. This illustrates why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

In the end, you save

Budget-conscious auto insurance is attainable on the web as well as from independent agents in Hartsdale, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies don't offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When buying insurance coverage, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The proper strategy is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

More detailed New York auto insurance information is available at the New York Department of Financial Services website. New York drivers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find disaster information, and read industry bulletins.