Comparing Cheap Rochester Auto Insurance

Are you tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than the majority of other car owners in New York.

You have so many to pick from, and although it's nice to have multiple companies, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

Locating affordable protection in Rochester can be fairly easy. Essentially every vehicle owner who carries auto insurance will most likely be able to save money. Although New York drivers do need to know the way insurance companies sell online.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before you will receive the discount.

  • Clubs and Organizations - Participating in a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break when buying auto insurance.
  • Payment Method - If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
  • One Accident Forgiven - Certain companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up so long as you haven't had any claims for a certain period of time.
  • Discount for Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
  • Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Fewer annual miles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • Drivers Education - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver's education if it's offered in school.
  • No Claims - Claim-free drivers pay less when compared with drivers who are more careless.

A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free auto insurance policy, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down your premiums.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

  • Don't skimp on liability - Liability coverage will protect you if a court rules you are at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.
  • Save money with special equipment - Driving a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all hinder your car from being stolen.
  • Marriage brings a discount - Getting married can get you a discount when buying auto insurance. Having a spouse usually means you are more responsible and it's proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Pleasure use saves money - Driving more miles every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers apply a rate based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles that are left in the garage get more affordable rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Verify your auto insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage.
  • Better crash test results mean better rates - Safer cars are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles have better occupant injury protection and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
  • Small claims can cost you - Auto insurance companies in New York provide lower rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you frequently file small claims, you can definitely plan on either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Car insurance is designed for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
  • Occupation reflects on rates - Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Occupations such as real estate brokers, architects and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates because of high stress levels and long work hours. Conversely, jobs such as farmers, engineers and performers pay the least.

The auto insurance bait and switch

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. All the companies say the same thing about savings after switching your policy. How does each company make almost identical claims?

Different companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be a mature driver, has no tickets, and has a short commute. A driver who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't measure up to these standards must pay more money which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that kind of money. That's why companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why drivers should quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Additional information can be read on the website for the New York Department of Financial Services located here. New York consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, view a list of available companies, get help finding coverage, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Also read more on this link for New York auto insurance quotes and this link which helps you find a Rochester agent.

compare Rochester auto insurance rates

Shop smart and save

The cheapest auto insurance can be sourced online in addition to many Rochester insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance providers do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you shop your coverage around, make sure you don't skimp on coverage in order to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.