5 Best Tricks to Cut Car Insurance Costs in Poughkeepsie, NY

Are you intimidated by the crazy number of car insurance options in Poughkeepsie? Lot's of other consumers are too. Consumers have so many choices that it can turn into a big hassle to find better rates.

It's important to compare rates every six months since rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best price last year the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you're about to find out the quickest way to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Companies that sell car insurance don't always advertise every available discount in a way that's easy to find, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the harder-to-find car insurance savings.

  • Discount for Good Grades - A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
  • Memberships - Belonging to a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break on your policy.
  • Federal Government Employee - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with certain companies.
  • New Car Discount - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
  • Homeowners Discount - Being a homeowner may trigger a car insurance policy discount because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

To see a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in Poughkeepsie, follow this link.

New York car insurance

How to Compare Car Insurance Quotes in Poughkeepsie, New York

The are a couple different ways to compare rate quotes from car insurance companies in your area. The best method to compare insurance prices consists of shopping online. This can be done using a couple different methods.

  • The best way to find the lowest comparison rates is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This method eliminates the need for separate forms for every car insurance company. Filling out one form gets you price quotes from several companies.It's the quickest way to get rates.
  • A different way to shop for car insurance online requires a trip to each company website to complete their respective quote request forms. For instance, let's assume you want to compare rates from , and . To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website to input your insurance information, and that's why the first method is more popular.

    For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Poughkeepsie, click here.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just ensure you are comparing exactly the same quote information on every quote you get. If you are comparing mixed coverages it will be very difficult to determine which rate is truly the best in Poughkeepsie. Just a small difference in coverages may result in a large different in cost. Just remember that getting more free quotes will improve the odds of getting a better price.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Companies like State Farm and Allstate consistently run television and radio advertisements. All the ads say the same thing about savings if you change to their company. How can each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. For example, a preferred risk could be a mature driver, has no driving citations, and has great credit. Any new insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who don't qualify for the requirements will be charged a higher premium which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. That's the way companies can truthfully advertise the savings. That is why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Shop smart and save

You just learned a lot of tips how to compare car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with a smaller regional carrier.

Cheap car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Poughkeepsie agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get a quote online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.

Consumers leave their current company for any number of reasons including poor customer service, questionable increases in premium, extreme rates for teen drivers or delays in paying claims. No matter why you want to switch, switching car insurance companies is actually quite simple.

Even more information can be found at the New York Department of Financial Services website. Consumers can file complaints about a company, find out which companies have the most complaints, and download brochures.