It’s impossible to miss the catchy commercials from insurers like The General and GEICO that guarantee the cheapest rates. So drivers just need to pick the company with the best ad, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple as there are a whole bunch of unknowns such as if you are currently insured, the neighborhood you live in, and the level of liability coverage you want, that all impact the cost of your policy. The information below covers the best ways to maintain low rates and hopefully give you enough understanding to have some help in finding cheaper rates.
For the unemployed, one of the more important considerations that are looked at to help calculate the cost of insurance is where you live in Buffalo. Areas with more people or even just a higher incidence of claims tend to have higher rates, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents tend to receive cheaper rates.
The information below rates the highest-priced places in New York for unemployed drivers to purchase car insurance in. Buffalo is ranked #13 with a yearly premium of $1,533 for the average insurance policy, which is around $128 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $2,627 |
| 2 | Freeport | $2,281 |
| 3 | Hempstead | $2,233 |
| 4 | Levittown | $2,061 |
| 5 | Mount Vernon | $1,978 |
| 6 | Yonkers | $1,900 |
| 7 | Brentwood | $1,872 |
| 8 | Hicksville | $1,862 |
| 9 | West Babylon | $1,856 |
| 10 | Coram | $1,766 |
| 11 | White Plains | $1,661 |
| 12 | New Rochelle | $1,610 |
| 13 | Buffalo | $1,533 |
| 14 | Cheektowaga | $1,240 |
| 15 | Niagara Falls | $1,237 |
| 16 | Tonawanda | $1,213 |
| 17 | West Seneca | $1,189 |
| 18 | Utica | $1,125 |
| 19 | Syracuse | $1,086 |
| 20 | Rochester | $1,067 |
| 21 | Troy | $1,063 |
| 22 | Schenectady | $1,051 |
| 23 | Albany | $1,036 |
| 24 | Irondequoit | $1,031 |
| 25 | Binghamton | $922 |
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Prices are estimated as vehicle location can influence rates substantially.
Finding out which companies have the lowest-priced auto insurance rates for unemployed drivers may require a little more effort than just comparing a company or two. Each insurance company has their own formula for setting prices, so we’ll go over the most competitive auto insurance companies in Buffalo.
It’s important to know that New York auto insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can significantly increase or decrease the price of your policy. Getting older, filing a claim, or getting a reckless driving citation can produce rate changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than before.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance for Job Seekers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USAA | $1,187 |
| 2 | Erie | $1,242 |
| 3 | Utica National | $1,504 |
| 4 | Travelers | $1,529 |
| 5 | Allstate | $1,556 |
| 6 | Progressive | $1,558 |
| 7 | Amica | $1,596 |
| 8 | MetLife | $1,620 |
| 9 | Preferred Mutual | $1,703 |
| 10 | New York Central Mutual | $1,874 |
| 11 | Safeco | $1,908 |
| 12 | State Farm | $1,924 |
| 13 | GEICO | $1,926 |
| 14 | Central Mutual | $2,028 |
| 15 | Liberty Mutual | $2,066 |
| 16 | Hanover | $2,323 |
| 17 | Encompass | $2,583 |
| 18 | Nationwide | $3,178 |
| 19 | Mercury | $3,926 |
| 20 | 21st Century | $4,412 |
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USAA may offer some of the best car insurance rates in Buffalo at around $1,187 a year. Erie, Utica National, Travelers, and Allstate would also be considered some of the more affordable Buffalo, NY insurance companies.
As illustrated above, if you have coverage with Utica National and switched to USAA, you could realize savings of in the vicinity of $317. Insureds with Travelers could save as much as $342 a year, and Allstate insureds might lower prices by $369 a year.
To find cheaper insurance rates for your vehicle, click here to start a quote or visit several of the following companies.
Understand that those premiums are averages across all drivers and vehicles in New York and are not factoring in an exact location for unemployed drivers. So the company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the top 20 companies shown above. That helps illustrate why you need to compare prices as often as possible using your own individual information.
Cost difference between full coverage and liability
Buying cheaper auto insurance is probably important to most people, and one of the best ways to lower the cost of insurance for unemployed drivers is to buy only liability coverage. The chart below shows the comparison of annual premium costs with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The rate quotes are based on no claims or driving violations, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are factored in.
Averaged out for all age groups, physical damage coverage costs an extra $1,697 per year over having just liability coverage. Many drivers may wonder if physical damage coverage is worth the money. There isn’t a steadfast formula that works best for making the decision to drop comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the annual cost of having full coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.
Auto insurance companies ranked
Buying coverage from the highest-rated insurance provider is difficult considering how many different companies sell coverage in New York. The ranking information below could help you pick which coverage providers to look at comparing rate quotes with. These ratings are only comprised of companies with a national presence, so companies that focus mainly on New York business are not included in the list.
Top 10 Major Auto Insurers Overall in Buffalo
- The General
- Mercury Insurance
- The Hartford
- Progressive
- Travelers
- State Farm
- Farmers Insurance
- Erie Insurance
- Safeco Insurance
- USAA
The illustration below shows how choosing a deductible can raise or lower insurance rates when getting quotes for cheap insurance for unemployed drivers. The rate quotes are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are applied.
The data above shows that a 40-year-old driver could reduce rates by $184 a year by changing from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $280 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Youthful drivers, such as the 20-year-old example, could lower their rates $616 or even more by choosing larger deductibles on their policy. When using a larger deductible, it is essential to have additional funds in a savings account to be able to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one shortcoming of high deductibles.