One of the more important components that are used to help calculate the price you pay for insurance is where you live. Areas with a lot of weather claims or more people are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims have the luxury of lower rates.
The illustration below lists the most expensive areas in New York for first-time drivers to purchase a policy in. Buffalo makes the list at #13 with the yearly price of $1,488 for the average insurance policy, which is approximately $124 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $2,708 |
| 2 | Freeport | $2,281 |
| 3 | Hempstead | $2,279 |
| 4 | Levittown | $1,981 |
| 5 | Mount Vernon | $1,978 |
| 6 | Brentwood | $1,929 |
| 7 | Hicksville | $1,919 |
| 8 | West Babylon | $1,913 |
| 9 | Yonkers | $1,900 |
| 10 | Coram | $1,784 |
| 11 | White Plains | $1,678 |
| 12 | New Rochelle | $1,610 |
| 13 | Buffalo | $1,488 |
| 14 | Niagara Falls | $1,237 |
| 15 | Cheektowaga | $1,216 |
| 16 | Tonawanda | $1,213 |
| 17 | West Seneca | $1,201 |
| 18 | Syracuse | $1,119 |
| 19 | Utica | $1,092 |
| 20 | Troy | $1,053 |
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Table data uses estimated as vehicle location can revise coverage rates noticeably.
Determining which insurers offer the most affordable car insurance rates for first-time drivers requires a bit more work than just picking a company at random. Each insurance company uses a little different formula to set their prices, so let’s look at the rankings for the car insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in New York.
Cheapest Insurance Rates for Inexperienced Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,199 |
| 2 | Erie | $1,242 |
| 3 | Utica National | $1,534 |
| 4 | Allstate | $1,541 |
| 5 | Progressive | $1,542 |
| 6 | Travelers | $1,575 |
| 7 | MetLife | $1,620 |
| 8 | Amica | $1,628 |
| 9 | Preferred Mutual | $1,737 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,850 |
| 11 | New York Central Mutual | $1,874 |
| 12 | Safeco | $1,908 |
| 13 | Central Mutual | $1,968 |
| 14 | State Farm | $1,982 |
| 15 | Liberty Mutual | $2,026 |
| 16 | Hanover | $2,369 |
| 17 | Encompass | $2,689 |
| 18 | Nationwide | $3,147 |
| 19 | Mercury | $3,809 |
| 20 | 21st Century | $4,324 |
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USAA may have some of the lowest car insurance rates in Buffalo at around $1,199 annually. This is $876 less than the average price paid by New York drivers of $2,075. Erie, Utica National, Allstate, and Progressive also are some of the best Buffalo, NY insurance companies.
As shown in the rates above, if you are a customer of Erie and switched to USAA, you may realize a yearly savings of in the neighborhood of $43. New York drivers with Utica National could save as much as $335 a year, and Allstate policyholders might lower prices by up to $342 a year.
If you want to find out if you’re overpaying, click here to begin a quote or visit any of the low-priced companies below.
Understand that those rates are averaged for all insureds and vehicles and and are not calculated with a specific location for first-time drivers. So the company that fits you best may not even be in the top 20 companies in the list above. That underscores the importance of why you need to get quotes using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
The type of vehicle you are trying to insure is one of the primary factors when shopping for low-priced coverage for first-time drivers. Vehicles with more horsepower, poor passenger safety features, or high incidents of liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than safer models. The information below shows coverage costs for the cheapest automobiles to insure in New York.
| Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $8,530 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $9,125 |
| Toyota Prius | $9,205 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $9,600 |
| Ford F-150 XL Crew Cab 2WD | $9,610 |
| Honda Civic DX 4-Dr Sedan | $10,043 |
| Ford Edge SE AWD | $10,049 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $10,043 |
| Toyota Tacoma 2WD | $10,051 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $10,119 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $10,126 |
| Ford Explorer Limited 4WD | $10,199 |
| Ford Focus SES 4-Dr Sedan | $10,561 |
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Prices based on single female driver age 16, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and New York minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Premium costs do not factor in garaging location in Buffalo, NY which can impact auto insurance rates significantly.
Looking at the data, we can tell that vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota Prius, Dodge Grand Caravan, and Ford F-150 are likely to be a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for new drivers. The price for car insurance will be more costly because of the fact that there is more liability exposure for first-time drivers, but generally speaking those specific models will probably have the best rates that you are likely to find.
Liability rates compared to full coverage
Saving money on car insurance should be important to the majority of vehicle owners, and one common way to lower the cost of insurance for first-time drivers is to buy only liability coverage. The chart below shows the difference between yearly insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The premiums are based on no claims or violations, $100 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied.
If averaged for all ages, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs $1,523 per year more than insuring for liability only. That amount may make you wonder if buying full coverage is worth the money. There is no clear-cut rule to drop comp and collision coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s replacement value is $4,500 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most you would get paid by your company is $3,500 after paying your deductible. If it’s costing you more than $350 annually for physical damage coverage, then it could be time to drop full coverage.
Bad driving habits will cost you more
The easiest method to score cheap car insurance premiums in New York for new drivers is to drive carefully and not receive tickets or have accidents. The diagram below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault claims impact insurance prices for each different age category. The information is based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
In the chart above, the average cost of car insurance per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,305. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost jumps to $1,848, an increase of $544 each year. Now include two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for first-time drivers increases to an average of $3,963. That’s an increase of $2,659, or $222 per month, just for not driving responsibly!
Last year’s bargain might be this year’s rip off
Buffalo, NY car insurance rates are determined by lots of factors that can increase the cost of your policy. Simply having a birthday, buying a new vehicle, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign may generate price changes that can make some companies affordable when they were higher priced.
Also, insurers change prices every year in order to offset underwriting gains or losses. Unexpectedly high claims can result in higher rates, while long-term profits can result in lower-priced Buffalo car insurance rates.
For example, the data below shows the cheapest car insurance in Buffalo, NY for a 40-year-old male driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and good financial standing. If we estimate prices based on his current situation, USAA might offer the best car insurance rates in Buffalo at $1,934 a year. This is $141 less than the average policy premium paid by New York drivers of $2,075. Erie, Utica National, Progressive, and Travelers are the rest of the most affordable Buffalo, NY auto insurance companies.
Now let’s give the driver in the first example a chargeable claim, poor credit, and a speeding citation. Since each auto insurance company uses a different method to set their prices, comparing prices could now result in a substantially altered list of affordable companies as shown below.
Allstate now has the cheapest price in Buffalo with Amica, Erie, Preferred Mutual, and GEICO now rounding out the top five. This example proves why consumers need to compare as many rates as possible when trying to find affordable insurance quotes for first-time drivers.
Insurance prices are impacted by many things and can change substantially, so the most affordable company when you bought your policy may now cost much more than other companies.
The Buffalo car insurance agencies listed below are a good start to help you determine which auto insurance policy fits you best, since some drivers have questions and prefer to have some advice when trying to find lower insurance rates for new drivers. It can be complicated to find coverage yourself, and a professional agent can provide satisfaction knowing your coverage gives you adequate coverage if you have an accident or claim. To find a Buffalo insurance agency using an interactive map, click the button at the bottom of the list or click here to get price quotes now.
- Nationwide Insurance: Kevin K Conley
2521 Niagara Falls Blvd – Buffalo, NY 14228 – (716) 691-4000 - Hsbc Insurance Agency: Chiarenza John
95 Washington St – Buffalo, NY 14203 – (716) 447-2556 - Joe Czaja – State Farm Insurance Agent
1021 Union Rd – Buffalo, NY 14224 – (716) 674-3654