Top 7 Ways to Pay Less on Car Insurance in Long Island City

No one in their right mind likes having to buy car insurance, particularly when they are paying too much.

Because there are so many companies and agents to choose from, it is hard for the average consumer to pick the lowest price company.

It's important to do rate comparisons periodically since rates are constantly changing. Even if you think you had the best rates a few years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding car insurance on the web, but we're going to give you some great ways to save money.

Locating the cheapest car insurance in Long Island City can be fairly easy. Essentially everyone who has to buy car insurance will most likely be able to reduce their rates. Nevertheless, New York consumers do need to know how big insurance companies market insurance on the web.

More discounts equal less premium

Car insurance is not cheap, but you may find discounts to help bring down the price. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before you will receive the discount.

Anti-lock Brake System - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
Safety Course Discount - Completing a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Multi-policy Discount - When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may earn up to 20% off your total premium.
Pay Now and Pay Less - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.
E-sign - Certain companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing online.
Accident Forgiveness - Some insurance companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums if you are claim-free prior to the accident.

It's important to understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your premiums.

To see a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in New York, click here to view.

How to Get Long Island City Car Insurance Comparison Quotes

Most companies quote pricing online. Getting quotes is pretty easy as you simply enter your personal and coverage information into the quote form. Once you submit the form, the system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and returns a price quote. This makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit different websites and type in the same information gets old quite quickly. Unfortunately, it is important to do this if you are searching for a lower rate.

There is an easier way!

The preferred way to compare rates is to use a quote form to return rates from a bunch of companies at once. It's a real time-saver, requires much less work on your part, and makes online price comparison much more enjoyable. As soon as you send your information, it is quoted with multiple companies and you can pick any or none of the price quotes you receive.

If a lower price is quoted, you can click and sign and purchase coverage. It can be completed in a matter of minutes and can result in significant savings.

To find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and begin entering your coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you replicate the insurance coverages exactly as they are listed on your policy. This makes sure you're receiving an apples-to-apples comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

It's not one size fits all

When choosing coverage for your vehicles, there really is no "best" method to buy coverage. Everyone's situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight if you might need professional guidance.

Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?

If you're not sure about those questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Companies like Allstate and Progressive consistently run ads in print and on television. All the ads make an identical promise of big savings if you change to them. But how can every company claim to save you money?

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a preferred risk might be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any new insured who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who do not match this ideal profile will be charged more money and ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save money. That is how insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do.

That is why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's just too difficult to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Affordable insurance is out there

When shopping online for car insurance, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, someone dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The aim is to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

We just covered some good ideas how you can compare car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as .

Low-cost car insurance is attainable both online and with local Long Island City insurance agents, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

Additional car insurance information can be read on the website for the New York Department of Financial Services located here. Visitors are able to find out industry alerts, file complaints about a company, discover disciplinary actions, and view agent and company licensing information.

Additional helpful sites include NAIC.org's Understanding your Policy and this directory of Long Island City insurance agents.