Tightwads Guide to Saving on Ocean Beach Auto Insurance

Expensive auto insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and put a big crunch on your finances. Shopping your coverage around is a great way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.

Because there are so many options when it comes to auto insurance, it's difficult to locate the cheapest insurance company.

It's important to check auto insurance prices yearly because insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the lowest rates last year you will most likely find a better rate today. So ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you're about to learn the tricks you need to know to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.

Are you getting all your discounts?

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there are discounts available that you may not know about. Most are applied when you purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for before being credited.

  • Life Insurance Discount - Some companies give a break if you buy life insurance from them.
  • Accident Waiver - Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before your rates go up as long as you don't have any claims for a certain period of time.
  • Driver Safety - Taking a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill if you qualify.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts up to 30%.
  • Drive Less and Save - Fewer annual miles can earn a substantially lower rate.

It's important to note that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think you could get a free auto insurance policy, you're out of luck. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

New York auto insurance quotes

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no one size fits all plan. Every insured's situation is different and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions can help discover whether you could use an agent's help.

  • When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
  • What are the financial responsibility laws in New York?
  • Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
  • Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
  • Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
  • Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
  • Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?

If you can't answer these questions then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don't have a local agent, complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

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

Auto insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive continually stream ads on television and other media. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save after switching to them. But how can every company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that earns them a profit. For example, a desirable insured could possibly be over the age of 40, has no prior claims, and drives newer vehicles. A driver that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Consumers who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay higher prices and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. This is how insurance companies can claim big savings.

Because of the profiling, you should compare many company's rates. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

More information can be found on the website for the New York Department of Financial Services. Click here for link. New York consumers can view agent and company licensing information, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, learn about insurance regulations, and file complaints about a company.

Also read more on Wikipedia and this page where you can research Ocean Beach insurance agents.

New York auto insurance quotes

Do the work, save more money

When trying to cut insurance costs, don't be tempted to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price.

Lower-priced auto insurance can be sourced online and with local Ocean Beach insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

In this article, we presented a lot of techniques to reduce auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the lowest premiums are with a lesser-known regional company. Regional companies often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as .