Our content editors always give us grief that when writing about auto insurance, the word affordable really should not be used anywhere in the article as a descriptor for auto insurance rates. It’s a simple fact that cheap car insurance for a Nissan Altima is pretty hard to find. Don’t let that ruin your day, because we are going to show you how you can find and buy car insurance that is cheaper than your current rate.
Your ability to find cheaper coverage for a Nissan Altima in New Jersey is dependent upon many rating factors like whether the vehicle is new, if you are currently insured, and violations on your driving record. Drivers in New Jersey on average will pay $1,560 a year to buy Nissan Altima insurance, but that amount is an approximation based on cost data for a 30-year-old married male driver who purchased full coverage including both comprehensive and collision and $250 deductibles.
It’s highly likely you are not 30 and maybe not even a male, single instead of married, and you need different coverage limits than the sample rates. Every driver has different characteristics, so the way we recommend to find cheap insurance rates for your Nissan is to make a habit of comparing prices at least once a year. It only takes a few minutes and you can get rates from the cheapest companies that sell coverage in New Jersey.
The specific model of Altima impacts the cost of coverage, so the price you pay to insure a Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan trim level will be $356 cheaper than the price to insure the more expensive Altima 3.5 SR 2-Dr Coupe trim level, as shown by the rates below.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $372 | $626 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,650 | $138 |
Altima 2.5 S 4-Dr Sedan | $372 | $738 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,762 | $147 |
Altima Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $420 | $738 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,810 | $151 |
Altima 2.5 S 2-Dr Coupe | $420 | $738 | $544 | $32 | $162 | $1,896 | $158 |
Altima 3.5 SR 4-Dr Sedan | $420 | $738 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,810 | $151 |
Altima 3.5 SR 2-Dr Coupe | $420 | $848 | $544 | $32 | $162 | $2,006 | $167 |
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Data based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and New Jersey minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Table data does not factor in your specific New Jersey location which can change prices considerably.
Choosing a highly-rated auto insurance company can be rather challenging considering how many different companies sell coverage in New Jersey. The company information displayed below can help you decide which car insurance companies to look at when trying to find the cheapest insurance for a Nissan Altima.
These rankings only include companies who write in the majority of U.S. states, so companies without a large exposure are not taken into consideration for this list. If you’d like to compare prices from the most competitive companies in New Jersey, follow this link.
Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mercury Insurance | 87 | 96 | 100 | 87% | A+ | 93.4 |
The Hartford | 88 | 96 | 91 | 93% | A+ | 92.6 |
Progressive | 84 | 94 | 99 | 90% | A+ | 92.4 |
Travelers | 84 | 93 | 100 | 87% | A++ | 92.3 |
State Farm | 84 | 93 | 95 | 87% | A++ | 91 |
Farmers Insurance | 87 | 92 | 90 | 85% | A | 90.6 |
Safeco Insurance | 85 | 91 | 87 | 86% | A | 88.4 |
USAA | 71 | 93 | 98 | 87% | A++ | 88 |
GEICO | 73 | 93 | 95 | 85% | A++ | 87.1 |
21st Century | 85 | 85 | 91 | 89% | A | 86.9 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Finding the best cheap insurance for a Nissan Altima in New Jersey is important to the majority of drivers, and one good way to find cheaper insurance is to buy only liability coverage. The example below shows the difference between insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The premium estimates are based on no claims or driving citations, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no additional discounts are factored in.
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Averaged for all ages 20 through 70, comp and collision coverage costs an additional $3,628 per year more than insuring for liability only. That proposes the question if physical damage coverage is worth the money. There is no written rule of when to eliminate full coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is about 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s replacement cost is $7,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, you would only receive $6,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If you are currently paying more than $600 a year for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some conditions where eliminating full coverage is not advised. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you have to keep full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not drop full coverage.
When comparing insurance for an Altima in New Jersey, four companies to consider are State Farm, Progressive, Allstate, and Geico. All four can cover your vehicle for liability and physical damage, but each one has different options that shoppers can choose from. The following table points out ratings for price and service, as well as some optional coverages shoppers can find with each company.
State Farm | Progressive | Allstate | Geico | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Price Rank | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 1st |
Customer Satisfaction | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st |
Claims Service | 2nd | 4th | 1st | 3rd |
Number of Discounts | 3rd | 4th | 1st | 2nd |
Amount of market share | 18.3% | 8.8% | 10% | 11.4% |
Customer recommendation | 88% | 88% | 86% | 87% |
Mechnical breakdown | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating based on usage | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Accident forgiveness | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Emergency roadside assistance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
New car replacement insurance | No | No | Yes | No |
Rideshare coverage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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Lowering your rates is not difficult, and here are some thrifty solutions that can help you quote cheap car insurance.
The last tip in the list is very valuable, as was pointed out in this piece. Coverage rates adjust often, so drivers shouldn’t be resistant to buy from a different company if a more affordable rate is found. We understand brand loyalty, but it isn’t a good idea if that stubbornness costs you a lot of money. Take a few minutes and compare rates to find cheaper insurance for a Nissan Altima.
There are quite a few ways to comparison shop for auto insurance in New Jersey, but the most prevalent ways are through a captive (or exclusive) agency such as State Farm or Liberty Mutual, an independent insurance agent, or direct either online or via phone. They all have the same end result, but each is slightly different in how they work.
Independent agents have contracts with many companies and can compare rates with each one. Independent agents have the ability to give you more rate choices, which can help you get more bang for your buck. If a cheaper rate is found, your policy can be easily switched to a new company which requires no work on your part.
An exlusive, or captive, agency is contracted to just one company, a couple examples are Allstate and Liberty Mutual agents. Exclusive agencies are unable to shop your coverage around, so you will not be able to compare their rates to other companies.
The third popular method of shopping for auto insurance is direct, which means you bypass an independent or exclusive agent and instead shop direct online or over the phone from a company like Esurance or Progressive. Buying auto insurance direct is a good choice for families who have lower risk management needs and have an above average understanding of what is covered and what is not.
Which way works best to find the best cheap insurance for a Nissan Altima in New Jersey? The quick answer would be buying from a direct company yields the cheapest rates since that eliminates agent commissions, but unfortunately, that is not always true. We could also assume that going through an independent agent can save the most money because they can shop around, but that assumption is not true either. For some people, the exclusive agents have really good rates that cannot be beaten by either independent or direct companies.
Due to that fact that auto insurance uses so many rating variables, the only true way to ensure you are not overpaying for auto insurance is to obtain price quotes and compare them. Smart shoppers will get rate quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies in order to find the best price. For a list of companies with online discounts, click here to view.