We always joke that when we write about car insurance, the words “cheap” or “affordable” should not appear anywhere in the article as a descriptor for car insurance rates. Excuse the oxymoron, but cheap car insurance for high mileage drivers can be extremely hard to find. Don’t let that spoil your day, because there may be ways you can still find and buy car insurance that won’t break the bank.
One of the key factors that help determine car insurance rates is where your home is located. Urban areas that are densely populated like New Haven, Bridgeport, and West Haven tend to have more expensive auto insurance rates, whereas areas with less traffic congestion and claims have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.
The table below shows the most costly cities in Connecticut for high mileage drivers to buy auto insurance in.
Rank | City | Annual Rate |
---|---|---|
1 | New Haven | $2,038 |
2 | Hartford | $2,003 |
3 | Bridgeport | $1,987 |
4 | Waterbury | $1,888 |
5 | West Haven | $1,870 |
6 | East Haven | $1,828 |
7 | Milford | $1,738 |
8 | East Hartford | $1,725 |
9 | Naugatuck | $1,717 |
10 | Stratford | $1,697 |
11 | Trumbull | $1,683 |
12 | Shelton | $1,672 |
13 | New Britain | $1,663 |
14 | Stamford | $1,633 |
15 | Middletown | $1,625 |
16 | Meriden | $1,605 |
17 | West Hartford | $1,591 |
18 | Bristol | $1,567 |
19 | Norwalk | $1,554 |
20 | Manchester | $1,535 |
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Annual rates are approximated as the specific garaging location can revise price quotes considerably.
The vehicle model you are seeking coverage for is probably the largest consideration when shopping around for the most affordable coverage for high mileage drivers. Vehicles with average performance, advanced safety features, or a low likelihood of having liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than adrenaline junky models.
The data below presents car insurance costs for a handful of the more afforable vehicles to buy insurance for.
Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $912 |
Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $916 |
Honda CR-V EX 4WD | $925 |
Hyundai Santa Fe SE 2WD | $937 |
Hyundai Tucson Limited 2WD | $944 |
Chevrolet Traverse LS 2WD | $939 |
Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $960 |
Subaru Outback 2.5I Premium | $967 |
Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $972 |
Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $1,001 |
Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $1,011 |
Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $1,018 |
Toyota Prius | $1,013 |
Chevrolet Malibu LTZ | $1,015 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 2WD | $1,024 |
Toyota Sienna Limited AWD | $1,015 |
Volkswagen Jetta S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,065 |
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Prices based on married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Connecticut minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Rates do not factor in specific location which can change insurance rates significantly.
Based on these rates, you can infer that vehicles like the Ford Escape, Honda Odyssey, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Hyundai Tucson should be the cheaper vehicles to insure for high mileage drivers.
The information below demonstrates how deductible levels can change insurance rates when researching cheap insurance for high mileage drivers. The rate quotes are based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
A 30-year-old driver could reduce rates by $382 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $574 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the 20-year-old, could reduce their rates as much as $812 or even more by choosing a larger deductible amount. If you make the decision to raise deductibles, it’s a good idea to have enough savings set aside to enable you to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the main disadvantage of using high deductibles.
The recommended way to earn low auto insurance premiums for high mileage drivers is to be a cautious driver and avoid accidents and traffic violations. The illustration below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault fender-benders influence insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The prices are based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.
In the previous example, the average cost of car insurance per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $1,875. Get written up for two speeding tickets and the average cost increases to $2,521, an increase of $646 each year. Then include two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of auto insurance for high mileage drivers increases to an average of $4,814. That’s an increase of $2,939, or $245 per month, just for not paying attention while driving!
Consumers have many ways to buy auto insurance in Connecticut, but the three most common are through an independent agent, a captive (or exclusive) agent such as Auto-Owners or State Farm, or from a direct company like Geico. All three ways are similar, but it’s important to understand the differences in how they function.
Independent agents have contracts with multiple insurance companies and can quote your policy with each one. These agents can quote with many companies and get prices from more than one company, which may give you a better comparison. If cheaper coverage is found, you can get a different policy which is easy for the insured.
An exclusive ageny is restricted to one company such as an Allstate or Liberty Mutual agent. Exclusive agents cannot provide a range of price quotes, so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do.
Buying from a direct company means do not use local agents and instead shop from a direct company like Geico or Progressive. Shopping for auto insurance direct is good for people who have little risk and have a decent understanding of what specific coverages and deductibles they need.
Out of those three methods, which one works best to buy the best cheap auto insurance for high mileage drivers in Connecticut? It would be premature to say buying from a direct car insurance company saves the most money since that prevents the need to pay agent commissions, but that generally is not the case. A good argument could also be made that buying auto insurance from an independent agent results in the cheapest rates due to having more companies to select from, but again, that’s not accurate. And occasionally, the exclusive agents have extremely competitive rates that are the cheapest in Connecticut.
Due to the large number of rating factors, really the best method to make sure you’re not overpaying for auto insurance is to compare lots of quotes. The best approach is to get price quotes from all three in order to have the best selection to choose from. For a list of auto insurance companies with low rates, click here to view.
Here are some of the better thrifty suggestions that can help you find lower-cost car insurance.
That last idea is incredibly significant, as we emphasized in this piece. Car insurance prices in Connecticut change constantly, so don’t be tentative to switch companies if you can find a cheaper rate. Being loyal to a particular company is commendable, but it’s not a good idea if that dedication is costing money that could be spent on other things. Take a few minutes and compare rates and find cheaper auto insurance for high mileage drivers.