Do you get confused by the crazy number of car insurance providers that you can choose from? Consumers have so many options that it can turn into a ton of work to find a cheaper company. Buffalo is a great city to raise a family in, but the high cost of car insurance makes it very hard to affordably insure vehicles.
Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that most car insurance customers have been with the same company for more than four years, and almost half have never compared car insurance rates at all. Many consumers in Buffalo could pocket nearly 45% a year just by shopping around, but they don’t know the amount of savings they would get if they changed companies.
It’s smart to get comparison quotes yearly since rates change frequently. If you had the lowest premium rates on car insurance at your last renewal you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the proper way to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.
Shop car insurance online
Keep in mind that comparing more quotes gives you a better chance of getting the best rates. Some companies don’t provide quotes over the internet, so you should also compare price quotes on coverage from those companies, too.
The companies shown below offer comparison quotes in Buffalo, NY. To buy cheap car insurance in Buffalo, we suggest you visit as many as you can to get the best price comparison.
Make, Model, and Trim Level | Annual Policy Premium | 6-month Policy Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|
Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $854 | $427 | $71 |
Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Crew Cab 4WD | $876 | $438 | $73 |
Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $804 | $402 | $67 |
Dodge Ram Crew Cab ST 4WD | $874 | $437 | $73 |
Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $752 | $376 | $63 |
Ford Explorer Limited 4WD | $826 | $413 | $69 |
Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 4WD | $826 | $413 | $69 |
Ford Focus SE 2-Dr Coupe | $902 | $451 | $75 |
GMC Sierra SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $804 | $402 | $67 |
Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $680 | $340 | $57 |
Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $680 | $340 | $57 |
Honda Civic LX-S 4-Dr Sedan | $832 | $416 | $69 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 2WD | $876 | $438 | $73 |
Nissan Altima Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $876 | $438 | $73 |
Toyota Camry LE | $804 | $402 | $67 |
Toyota Corolla LE | $854 | $427 | $71 |
Toyota Prius | $774 | $387 | $65 |
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Prices based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and New York minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and homeowner. Premium costs do not factor in zip code location which can increase or decrease premiums considerably.
Why insurance is not optional
Despite the high cost of buying insurance in Buffalo, maintaining insurance may be mandatory for several reasons.
First, the majority of states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means the state requires specific limits of liability insurance coverage if you drive a vehicle. In New York these limits are 25/50/10 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
Second, if you bought your car with a loan, most lenders will require that you have physical damage coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If the policy lapses, the bank may buy a policy for your vehicle at a more expensive rate and force you to reimburse them the higher premium.
Third, insurance preserves your vehicle and your assets. It will also reimburse you for many types of medical costs for you, any passengers, and anyone injured in an accident. Liability coverage will also pay attorney fees if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, collision and comprehensive coverages will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of insuring your car definitely exceed the price paid, particularly for liability claims. But the average American driver is currently overpaying as much as $700 annually so you should quote your policy with other companies once a year at a minimum to ensure rates are inline.
Get cheaper rates by earning discounts
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but there could be significant discounts to cut the cost considerably. Many discounts should be triggered when you complete an application, but some discounts are required to be manually applied before they will apply.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once rather than spreading payments over time you may have a lower total premium amount.
- Good Student Discount – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. Many companies even apply the discount to college students well after school through age 25.
- Good Driver Discounts – Safe drivers can save as much as half off their rates than less cautious drivers.
- Professional Organizations – Joining specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could qualify you for a break on car insurance.
- No Claim Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims are rewarded with significantly better rates on Buffalo auto insurance quote in comparison to drivers who are more careless.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- First Accident Forgiveness – This isn’t a discount exactly, but a handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident without the usual rate increase so long as you are claim-free before the accident.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Insurance companies who offer life insurance give better prices if you take out auto and life insurance together.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Just owning your own home may trigger a policy discount on car insurance because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
- Active Service Discounts – Having a deployed family member could mean lower premium rates.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the whole policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. Despite the appearance that adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.
To choose companies with the best discounts in Buffalo, follow this link.
Best auto insurance company in New York
Choosing the top car insurance company can be challenging considering how many companies sell coverage in Buffalo. The information below may help you choose which auto insurers you want to consider buying from.
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 |
Allstate | 69 | 92 | 92 | 83% | A+ | 84.4 |
American Family | 77 | 96 | 80 | 85% | A | 83.8 |
Esurance | 70 | 80 | 89 | 77% | A+ | 79.2 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies