Are you intimidated by the sheer number of car insurance companies in Trenton? You’re not alone. Consumers have so many choices that it can turn into a real challenge to locate the lowest price.
Smart consumers take time to get comparison quotes quite often since insurance rates tend to go up over time. Just because you found the best price a year ago a different company probably has better rates today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re about to learn the quickest way to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using these techniques. Pricing the best car insurance in Trenton is not that difficult. Nevertheless, New Jersey vehicle owners can benefit from knowing the methods companies use to determine prices and apply this information to your search.
You probably qualify for some discounts
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you can get discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some trigger automatically at the time of quoting, but a few must be manually applied before you get the savings.
- Student in College – Kids in college who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% off your medical payments premium.
- No Claims – Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts when compared with frequent claim filers.
- Student Driver Training – Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.
- Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give lower rates if you buy auto and life insurance together.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
- Save over 55 – If you’re over the age of 55, you may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
- Paperwork-free – Some insurance companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
- Own a Home – Owning a house in Trenton may trigger a car insurance policy discount because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
It’s important to note that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any amount of discount will help reduce the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in New Jersey, click this link.
Vehicle Insurance Comparison
When shopping for car insurance there are multiple ways of comparing rate quotes from different in Trenton, New Jerseyinsurance companies. One of the best ways to compare insurance prices consists of shopping online. This is very easy and can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.
- Probably the best way consumers can analyze rates would be an industry-wide quote request form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form prevents you from having to do multiple quote forms for each company you want a rate for. In just a few minutes this one form gets you price quotes from all major companies. It’s the fastest way to compare.
- A slightly less efficient method to compare rate quotes is to take the time to go to each company’s website to request a price quote. For instance, we’ll pretend you want to compare rates from Nationwide, Progressive and Travelers. You would have to go to every website to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Trenton, click here.
It’s up to you which method you use, but ensure you are comparing the exact same information with each company. If you are comparing different liability limits you can’t possibly determine which rate is truly the best in Trenton. Having just a slight variation in coverages can make a big difference in price. Just keep in mind that having more price comparisons gives you a better chance of getting better pricing.
Decisions you make can impact your rates
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. Understanding what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.
- An active claims history can cost you – Insurance companies in New Jersey generally give lower rates to people who are claim-free. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.
- Credit scores impact car insurance rates – Your credit rating is a large factor in determining your rates. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible than drivers with lower credit scores. If your credit can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
- Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates – Letting your insurance expire is a quick way to increase your car insurance rates. Not only will rates go up, but not being able to provide proof of insurance may earn you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
- Rural vs Urban Areas – Living in a small town is a positive aspect when it comes to car insurance. Drivers who live in large cities have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Fewer drivers means fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.
- The type of vehicle makes a difference – The type of car you are buying insurance for makes a substantial difference in determining your rates. Low performance passenger cars generally receive the lowest base rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- Mature drivers pay less – Teen drivers in New Jersey are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when driving so they pay higher car insurance rates. If you’ve ever had to add a teenage driver onto a policy can break the bank. More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
- Cautious drivers pay less – A bad driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Careful drivers get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Even one moving violation can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. If you have dangerous violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may find they need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Liability insurance protects assets – The liability section of your policy is the coverage that protects you in the event that you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability provides legal defense starting from day one. Liability is cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.
There’s no such thing as the perfect policy
When choosing coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a “perfect” insurance plan. Each situation is unique.
These are some specific questions might point out if your insurance needs will benefit from professional help.
- Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
- Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
- Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
- Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
- When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Does liability extend to a camper or trailer?
- Am I getting all the discounts available?
- Does my vehicle qualify for pleasure use?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form.
Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal
As you shop your coverage around, you should never buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are too many instances where an insured cut full coverage and found out when filing a claim that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Drivers switch companies for any number of reasons including extreme rates for teen drivers, policy cancellation, policy non-renewal or poor customer service. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new car insurance company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
Affordable car insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Trenton insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies do not provide online quoting and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.
Additional car insurance links
More information can be found on the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance website. Click here for link. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, read state legal mandates and laws, and find disaster information.
Additional helpful sites include Wikipedia and this page where you can also get Trenton car insurance quotes.