No car owner enjoys paying for auto insurance, especially when the price is too high.
It’s a known fact that car insurance companies want to keep you from shopping around. Consumers who shop around annually will presumably buy a new policy because the odds are good of finding a lower-priced policy. A recent auto insurance study revealed that people who compared price quotes annually saved on average $850 each year compared to policyholders who never shopped for cheaper rates.
If finding the cheapest price on insurance in Buffalo is your ultimate objective, then having an understanding of how to choose a company and compare insurance coverage can make it easier to find better rates.
Companies like State Farm, Farmers Insurance, GEICO and Allstate continually bombard you with advertising and consumers find it hard to avoid their marketing magic and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
It’s a good habit to price shop coverage yearly because auto insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal on Subaru WRX insurance in Buffalo on your last policy you will most likely find a better price today. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you’re about to learn the fastest way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.
If you are already insured, you will surely be able to shop for the lowest rates using the ideas you’re about to read. Locating the most cost-effective car insurance policy in Buffalo is really quite easy. But New York consumers must know the way companies price online insurance and use it to your advantage.
How Insurance Companies Calculate Subaru WRX Insurance Rates
Many factors are used when you get a price on insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as traffic violations, although others are less apparent such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.
- Buy a safe car and pay less – Safer cars tend to have lower insurance rates. Safe vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and reduced instances of injuries means less claims paid passed on to you as lower rates. If your Subaru WRX is rated at least four stars on Safercar.gov it may cost less to insure.
- Annual miles is a factor – The more miles you rack up on your Subaru every year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers calculate rates based on their usage. Vehicles that do not get driven very much qualify for better rates than cars that get driven a lot. An incorrectly rated WRX is just wasting money. It’s a smart idea to ensure your declarations sheet is showing the right rating data.
- Vehicle features can affect premiums – Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can help lower your premiums. Anti-theft devices like GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can help prevent car theft.
- Do you know your coverage deductibles? – Insurance for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your Subaru. Examples of some claims that would be covered would be a dented fender, vandalism, and burglary. The deductibles you choose define how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if a covered claim is submitted. The more money you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the lower your rates will be.
- Teenagers are high risk – Young drivers in New York are known to be easily distracted when driving with friends so insurance rates are higher. If you’ve ever had to add a teen driver to your insurance policy will cause a huge premium hike. Older, more experienced drivers are shown to be more cautious, cause fewer claims and accidents, and are generally more financially stable.
- Employer stress can affect premiums – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Occupations like lawyers, executives, and emergency personnel generally have higher rates than average in part from high stress levels and extremely grueling work hours. Conversely, jobs like professors, students and homemakers pay the least.
- Are you male or female? – The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Males and females cause fender benders in similar percentages, but the men cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also get ticketed for serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
- What are good liability protection limits? – Liability insurance kicks in when a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides legal defense coverage up to the limits shown on your policy. This coverage is relatively inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
-
Insurance losses for a Subaru WRX – Insurance companies use past loss statistics for each vehicle when setting premium prices. Vehicles that tend to have a trend towards higher claims will have increased rates. The next table illustrates the compiled insurance loss statistics for Subaru WRX vehicles.
For each insurance policy coverage type, the claim probability for all vehicles compiled together equals 100. Values below 100 indicate better than average losses, while percentages above 100 indicate frequent claims or larger claims.
Subaru WRX Insurance Claim Statistics Specific Subaru Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Subaru WRX 4WD 141 82 158 94 81 84 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEStatistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
When comparing insurance rates, know that comparing a large number of companies increases your odds of finding lower pricing.
The companies in the list below can provide comparison quotes in New York. If you want the best auto insurance in Buffalo, we suggest you visit two to three different companies in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Why you need auto insurance
Even though it can be expensive, insuring your vehicle serves a purpose in several ways.
- Almost all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to buy a specific level of liability coverage in order to license the 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.
- If you have a lien on your WRX, almost all lenders will stipulate that you have comprehensive coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If the policy lapses, the bank may insure your Subaru at a much higher rate and force you to pay the higher price.
- Insurance protects both your assets and your vehicle. It will also reimburse you for medical transport and hospital expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. One policy coverage, liability insurance, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if you are sued as the result of your driving. If you have damage to your Subaru as the result of the weather or an accident, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of having insurance are definitely more than the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver overpays as much as $869 every year so it’s recommended you shop around at every renewal to make sure the price is not too high.
Do you qualify for discounts on Subaru WRX insurance in Buffalo?
Some companies don’t always advertise the entire discount list very well, so the list below contains both well-publicized in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits available to bring down your rates. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount available, it’s possible you qualify for a lower rate.
- Sign Early and Save – A few larger companies allow discounts for signing up before your current coverage expires. You can save around 10% with this discount.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Completing a safe driver class could cut 5% off your bill and easily pay for the cost of the class.
- Telematics Discount – Insureds that choose to allow their insurance company to look at when and where they use their vehicle by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as In-Drive from State Farm or Allstate’s Drivewise system could possibly reduce rates as long as they are good drivers.
- E-sign – A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 get Buffalo auto insurance on the web.
- Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Buying a policy with all your vehicles on a single policy qualifies for this discount.
- Student Driver Training – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them take driver’s ed class in school or through a local driver safety program.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Select companies reward you with a small discount if you purchase some life insurance too.
- Government Employee Discount – Simply working for the federal government could qualify for a slight premium decrease depending on your company.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles may enable drivers to earn substantially lower prices.
Just know that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. Even though the math looks like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.
To find companies with the best discounts in New York, follow this link.
Do I need an insurance agency?
Some consumers still like to visit with an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is that drivers can save money and get lower rates but still work with a licensed agent. And providing support for local insurance agents is especially important in Buffalo.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this simple form, your information is instantly submitted to companies in Buffalo who will return price quotes for your coverage. You won’t even need to find an agent because prices are sent to the email address you provide. You can find better rates without the usual hassles of price shopping. If you want to compare prices from a specific company, you would need to jump over to their website and fill out their quote form.
Pick the best car insurance agent in Buffalo for you
If you would like to find a local Buffalo insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agents and how they function. Buffalo agents can be described as either independent agents or exclusive agents.
Independent Car Insurance Agencies
These type of agents are not employed by one company so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If they find a cheaper price, the agent simply finds a different carrier which is easy for the insured.
When shopping rates, we recommend you get some free quotes from independent agents to maximize your price options.
Shown below is a short list of independent agencies in Buffalo who can help you get price quote information.
Consolidated Insurance Agents
3814 Seneca St – Buffalo, NY 14224 – (716) 674-1700 – View Map
The Decker Agency, Inc.
37 Elmwood Ave – Buffalo, NY 14201 – (716) 883-1455 – View Map
Vanner Insurance Agency
11 Pinchot Ct # 2 – Buffalo, NY 14228 – (716) 688-8888 – View Map
Exclusive Car Insurance Agencies
Agents that elect to be exclusive can only quote rates from one company and examples are State Farm, AAA, and Liberty Mutual. Exclusive agents are unable to provide rate quotes from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive agents are trained well on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Shown below are Buffalo exclusive insurance agencies that can give you comparison quotes.
Marc Scherrer – State Farm Insurance Agent
2165 Sheridan Dr – Buffalo, NY 14223 – (716) 875-0524 – View Map
State Farm: Dan Hawrylczak
1335 Hertel Ave – Buffalo, NY 14216 – (716) 873-3771 – View Map
Progressive Insurance – Buffalo Service Center
6699 Transit Road – Buffalo, NY 14221 – (716) 810-1500 – View Map
Finding a good auto insurance agent requires more thought than just a cheap price quote. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- If independent agents, which companies do they recommend?
- How would your car be valued if totaled?
- Does their agency support local causes in Buffalo?
- Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
If you receive positive responses for all questions you ask as well as a affordable price, you may have just found an insurance agency that is a good match to service your policy.
Buffalo auto insurance companies
Buying coverage from the top car insurance provider can be challenging considering how many different companies insure vehicles in New York. The ranking information displayed below could help you analyze which auto insurers you want to consider purchasing coverage from.
Top 10 Buffalo Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- Progressive
- USAA
- Liberty Mutual
- State Farm
- GEICO
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- The General
- The Hartford
- 21st Century
Top 10 Buffalo Car Insurance Companies by A.M. Best Rank
- USAA – A++
- GEICO – A++
- Travelers – A++
- State Farm – A++
- Allstate – A+
- Nationwide – A+
- Esurance – A+
- Erie Insurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- Mercury Insurance – A+
Cheaper auto insurance rates are possible
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, an insured dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
Budget-friendly auto insurance in Buffalo is possible online and also from your neighborhood Buffalo agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not provide rates over the internet and most of the time these smaller providers prefer to sell through independent agents.
How to buy cheaper Subaru WRX insurance in Buffalo
The preferred way to find lower priced auto insurance rates in Buffalo is to compare prices regularly from companies in New York. Price quotes can be compared by following these steps.
- Try to comprehend what is in your policy and the measures you can take to keep rates low. Many factors that are responsible for high rates like accidents, careless driving, and an unacceptable credit history can be improved by being financially responsible and driving safely.
- Compare rates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can give quotes from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agents can provide rate quotes from multiple insurance companies. Find a Buffalo insurance agent
- Compare the quotes to the price on your current policy and determine if cheaper WRX coverage is available. If you find better rates and change companies, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.
- Provide notification to your current agent or company of your intention to cancel the current policy. Submit a signed application and payment to the new company. As soon as coverage is bound, keep the new certificate verifying coverage along with your vehicle registration.
A good tip to remember is that you’ll want to make sure you compare the same level of coverage on each price quote and and to get rates from every company you can. Doing this ensures an accurate price comparison and a thorough selection of prices.
Additional resources
- Top Signs Your Brakes are Giving Out (State Farm)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Highlander in Buffalo? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Buffalo Auto Insurance for a 20 Year Old Female? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Police Officers in Buffalo? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for Drivers with Good Credit in Buffalo? (FAQ)
- How Much is Car Insurance for Drivers with a DUI in Buffalo? (FAQ)
- Credit and Insurance Scores (Insurance Information Institute)
- What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)