It’s hard to miss the catchy commercials from car insurance companies like Progressive and State Farm guaranteeing enormous savings, so you should just choose one randomly, right?
It’s just not that simple, as there are a whole bunch of unknowns like how old you are, where you live in Buffalo, and if you are currently insured. This article will detail the types of situations that result in high rates and will hopefully give the reader a good start in finding the cheapest insurance.
The vehicle to be insured is a large factor that determines the availability of the best cheap car insurance for drivers over age 60. Vehicles with limited top-end speed, advanced safety features, or a track record of few liability claims will cost less to insure than fast, unsafe models.
The table below estimates insurance premiums for a selection of the cheapest automobiles to buy coverage for.
Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $1,988 |
Ford Escape Limited 2WD | $2,030 |
Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $2,059 |
Volkswagen Jetta S 2.5 Station Wagon | $2,156 |
Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $2,166 |
Ford F-150 XL Super Cab 2WD | $2,188 |
Toyota Prius | $2,198 |
Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $2,230 |
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $2,356 |
Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD | $2,361 |
Toyota RAV4 Sport 2WD | $2,356 |
Dodge Ram Quad Cab ST 2WD | $2,398 |
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4WD | $2,403 |
Honda Civic LX-S 4-Dr Sedan | $2,440 |
Ford Edge Sport AWD | $2,482 |
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Prices above based on single male driver age 60, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and New York minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Rate quotes do not factor in specific garaging location which can modify insurance rates significantly.
Looking at the rates, we can presume that makes and models like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Jeep Wrangler will be a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for older drivers.
One of the more important components that are looked at to determine the amount you pay for auto insurance is where your car is garaged in Buffalo. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents receive better rates.
The following table sorts the highest-priced areas in New York for drivers over age 60 to buy an auto insurance policy in. Buffalo ranks #13 with an annual premium of $1,548 on average, which is approximately $129 per month.
Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | New York | $2,654 |
2 | Hempstead | $2,301 |
3 | Freeport | $2,235 |
4 | Levittown | $1,981 |
5 | Mount Vernon | $1,978 |
6 | West Babylon | $1,913 |
7 | Yonkers | $1,900 |
8 | Brentwood | $1,872 |
9 | Hicksville | $1,843 |
10 | Coram | $1,732 |
11 | White Plains | $1,678 |
12 | New Rochelle | $1,659 |
13 | Buffalo | $1,548 |
14 | Niagara Falls | $1,225 |
15 | Cheektowaga | $1,216 |
16 | West Seneca | $1,189 |
17 | Tonawanda | $1,165 |
18 | Utica | $1,136 |
19 | Syracuse | $1,119 |
20 | Troy | $1,085 |
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Premium costs are comparative as specific location information can impact premiums significantly.
Discounts on Buffalo auto insurance rates
Insurers that offer quotes for drivers over age 60 may have policy discounts that may potentially lower prices by 35% or more if you are eligible. A few of the larger companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are detailed below.
- GEICO offers discounts for anti-lock brakes, membership and employees, anti-theft, seat belt use, and military active duty.
- MetLife offers premium reductions for good student, good driver, multi-policy, accident-free, claim-free, defensive driver
- Progressive offers discounts including good student, multi-vehicle, homeowner, online signing, multi-policy, and online quote discount.
- Travelers policyholders can earn discounts including continuous insurance, save driver, payment discounts, good student, hybrid/electric vehicle, new car, and multi-policy.
- SAFECO has savings for teen safe driver, bundle discounts, anti-lock brakes, multi-car, homeowner, safe driver, and drive less.
- AAA discounts include education and occupation, multi-car, pay-in-full, good driver, and anti-theft.
The illustration below compares insurance costs with and without discounts applied. The information is based on a male driver, a clean driving record, no claims, New York state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with passive restraint, multiple vehicle, defensive driving course, safe-driver, claim-free, and marriage discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, theaverage yearly reduction on car insurance for drivers over age 60 is 30% or $372.
Careless driving habits raise car insurance rates
In a perfect world, the best way to score good car insurance premiums in New York for older drivers is to drive carefully and not receive tickets or have accidents. The chart below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault claims increase insurance costs for different categories of driver ages. The premiums assume a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, $100 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
The data charted above shows the average cost of car insurance in Buffalo per year with no violations or accidents is $1,565. Receive one speeding ticket and the average cost jumps to $1,822, an increase of $257 each year. Now throw in two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of car insurance for drivers over age 60 increases to an average of $3,998. That’s an increase of $2,432, or $203 per month, just for a couple of infractions!
Buffalo car insurance companies
Buying coverage from the highest-rated auto insurance provider is difficult considering how many companies sell coverage in New York. The information shown next could help you decide which car insurance companies to look at when comparing rate quotes.
These rankings are only comprised of the largest companies in the United States, so companies that may only write in New York are not included in the list. If you’d like to compare prices from these and other competitive companies, click this link.
Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The General | 96 | 100 | 92 | 91% | A- | 95 |
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 |
Erie Insurance | 92 | 90 | 82 | 88% | A+ | 88.5 |
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 |
Liberty Mutual | 72 | 91 | 97 | 83% | A | 86.4 |
AAA Insurance | 85 | 85 | 88 | 86% | A | 85.8 |
Nationwide | 71 | 90 | 93 | 83% | A+ | 84.9 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies