Expert Techniques to Cheaper Tonawanda New York Auto Insurance

Nobody cherishes buying auto insurance, particularly when the cost is too high. Insurance companies such as GEICO and Progressive all promote huge savings with TV and radio ads and it is challenging if not impossible to separate fact from fiction and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

Smart consumers take time to check auto insurance prices at least once a year since rates change quite often. Even if you think you had the best rates a year ago you can probably find a better price now. Starting now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re about to learn the things you must know in order to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.

If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you can use these techniques to reduce the price you pay while maximizing coverage. Finding the best rates in Tonawanda is easy if you know what you’re doing. New York drivers just need to know the most efficient way to shop for auto insurance on the web.

Auto Insurance Prices in Tonawanda, NY

Finding lower auto insurance rates can be relatively painless. The only thing you need to do is invest a few minutes to compare quotes online with multiple companies. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.

1. One of the simplest ways to compare a lot of rates at once would be an industry-wide quote request form click here to open form in new window. This type of form prevents you from having to do repetitive form entry for each company you want a rate for. Just one form will return quotes from several companies.
2. A different way to get quotes online requires a trip to the website for every company you want to comare to complete their respective quote request forms. For instance, let’s assume you want to compare Farmers, Safeco and GMAC. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular.

   For a list of links to insurance companies in Tonawanda, click here.

3. The most time-consuming way of comparing rate quotes is to waste gas driving to insurance agents’ offices. Shopping for auto insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you want the trained guidance that only a license agent can provide. It is possible to obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just double check that you are using exactly the same information for each price quote. If you are comparing different values for each quote it will be next to impossible to determine the lowest rate in Tonawanda.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t necessarily list all available discounts very well, so we break down both the well known and the more hidden auto insurance savings. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

• Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of more than 20%.
• Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
• Club Memberships – Affiliation with a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break when shopping for auto insurance.
• Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
• Distant Student – Kids in college living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.
• Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
• Senior Citizens – Older drivers may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
• Anti-lock Brake Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and will save you 10% or more.
• Drive Safe and Save – Insureds without accidents can pay as much as 50% less than their less cautious counterparts.

Drivers should understand that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. Just because you may think you could get a free auto insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.

To choose companies with discount auto insurance rates in New York, click this link.

How your Tonawanda rates are determined

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that go into determining auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

• Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Safer cars tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity means less money paid by your insurance company and lower rates for you.
• Rates may be lower depending on your job – Jobs such as judges, architects and dentists have the highest average rates in part from high stress and long work days. Other occupations such as scientists, historians and retirees get better rates.
• The type of vehicle makes a difference – The make and model of the car you are insuring makes a significant difference in determining your rates. Small economy passenger cars usually have the lowest rates, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
• Teen drivers pay high rates – Older drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel. Young drivers are known to be more careless behind the wheel therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.

Neighborhood insurance agents

A small number of people prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that is a personal choice. Professional agents can help determine the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find better rates but still work with a licensed agent.

By using this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information gets sent to agents in your area who will battle for your business. You never need to even leave your home as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. It doesn’t get any easier!

Choosing a company should depend on more than just a low price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

• What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
• Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
• Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
• Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in New York?
• Is working in the agency their full-time job?
• How are they compensated?

What types of insurance agents are in Tonawanda?

When looking for a local agent, there are two types of insurance agents to choose from. Agents are either independent (non-captive) or captive. Either one can do a good job, but it’s worth mentioning how they differ because it can impact buying decisions.

Agency Captives

These agents can only place business with one company and examples are State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They are unable to place coverage with different providers so it’s a take it or leave it situation. These agents are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales and that can be a competitive advantage.

The following are captive agencies in Tonawanda that are able to give rate quotes.

State Farm Insurance – 1876 Niagara Falls Blvd # 3 – Tonawanda, NY 14150 – (716) 692-8518
Allstate Insurance Co – 2120 Niagara Falls Blvd – Tonawanda, NY 14150 – (716) 694-9400

Independent Agencies or Brokers

These agents are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles with multiple insurance companies and potentially find a lower price. If your agent finds better pricing, the business is moved internally without you having to go to a different agency.

When searching for an agent, it’s recommended you include at least one independent agent to get the best comparison.

The following is a list of independent insurance agents in Tonawanda that can give you price quotes.

Bill Barber Agency Inc – 2343 Sheridan Dr – Tonawanda, NY 14150 – (716) 837-6550
Eddy Short and Cesar Insurance – 2468 Niagara Falls Blvd – Tonawanda, NY 14150 – (716) 743-1200
Kirsch Agency – 935 Sheridan Dr – Tonawanda, NY 14150 – (716) 874-3800
Chrzanowski Agency – 2746 Eggert Rd – Tonawanda, NY 14150 – (716) 832-6000
John Boyle Insurance – 2708 Eggert Rd – Tonawanda, NY 14150 – (716) 835-8833

For a complete listing of insurance agents in Tonawanda, view this link.

After receiving acceptable answers to these questions and a low price estimate, most likely you have located an auto insurance agent that meets your needs to provide auto insurance coverage.

Additional detailed information is available at the New York Department of Financial Services website. Consumers can discover disciplinary actions, read industry bulletins, and get help finding coverage.

Can you really save $459 a year?

New York consumers can’t ignore all the ads for cheaper car insurance by Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. All the ads have a common claim that you’ll save big after switching to their company.

How can each company make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.

Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that earns them a profit. An example of a preferred risk could be between 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and chooses high deductibles. A driver who fits that profile will get the preferred rates and most likely will save when switching.

Potential customers who do not match this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate which leads to business not being written. The ads say “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. This is how companies can truthfully make those claims. This illustrates why you should quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Quote often and quote early

Budget-conscious auto insurance is definitely available on the web in addition to many Tonawanda insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some companies do not provide you the ability to get quotes online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

When shopping online for auto insurance, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many situations where consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to find out they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to reduce auto insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the lowest premiums are with some of the lesser-known companies. They may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Allstate and Progressive.