If your goal is the lowest price, then the best way to get the cheapest auto insurance rates in Jersey City is to compare prices once a year from different companies who can sell car insurance in New Jersey.
- Gain an understanding of the different coverages in a policy and the steps you can take to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that increase rates such as accidents, traffic violations, and poor credit rating can be eliminated by making minor changes to your lifestyle.
- Request rate estimates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agents can provide rate quotes from multiple companies.
- Compare the new rates to the premium of your current policy to see if a cheaper price is available. If you can save money, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.
- Tell your current company to cancel your existing policy and submit payment and a signed application for your new policy. As soon as you receive it, place your new certificate verifying proof of insurance in an easily accessible location.
One piece of advice is to try to use the same level of coverage on each price quote and and to get rate quotes from every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure an accurate price comparison and a complete price analysis.
A recent survey discovered that over 70% of New Jersey drivers have bought car insurance from the same company for more than four years, and approximately 38% of consumers have never shopped around. American consumers could save themselves nearly $850 a year by just shopping around, but they underestimate the benefits if they replace their high priced policy.
Our goal in writing this article teach you how car insurance companies work and also save some money in the process If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will be able to reduce premiums using these techniques. Nevertheless, New Jersey car owners can benefit by having an understanding of how the larger insurance companies charge you for coverage and use it to find better rates.
How You Can Control Mercury Mountaineer Insurance Costs
The best way to find cheaper auto insurance is to take a look at some of the elements that help determine auto insurance rates. If you have some idea of what determines premiums, this enables informed choices that can earn you cheaper rates. Lots of things are used when pricing auto insurance. A few of the factors are predictable like a motor vehicle report, although others are not as apparent like where you live or how financially stable you are.
- Liability is critical – Your auto insurance policy’s liability coverage provides coverage when you are found liable for damages caused by your negligence. Your policy’s liability insurance provides legal defense coverage which can cost a lot. Liability is cheap when compared to the cost of physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
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High premiums for younger drivers – Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, cost insurance companies less in claims, and usually have better credit. Teen drivers are known to be inattentive when behind the wheel therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
The following chart uses these variables: single driver, full coverage with $1000 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.
- Always keep your policy in force – Driving with no insurance can get you a ticket and auto insurance companies will penalize you for letting your coverage cancel without a new policy in place. Not only will you pay more, being ticketed for driving with no insurance may result in a fine, jail time, or a revoked license. You may then be required to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the New Jersey motor vehicle department.
- Your job can affect rates – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Jobs like real estate brokers, business owners, and dentists generally pay higher rates than the rest of us attributed to intense work-related stress and extremely grueling work hours. Conversely, occupations such as actors, athletes and the unemployed pay the least.
- Only buy what you need – Insurance policies have a lot of optional add-on coverages you can purchase if you aren’t careful. Things like vanishing deductibles, accidental death, and term life insurance are examples of these. They may sound like good ideas initially, but if you don’t need them remove them and pocket the money.
- Keep auto insurance rates low by being claim-free – Car insurance companies in New Jersey award better rates to insureds that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Your car insurance is intended for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Drive a safer car and pay less – Safer cars tend to be cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles reduce occupant injuries and reduced instances of injuries translates into savings for insurance companies which can mean better rates for you.
- Low comp and collision deductibles can be expensive – Coverage for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your Mercury. A few examples of covered claims would be a broken side mirror, hitting a deer, and burglary. Your deductibles are how much the insured will be required to pay if a claim is determined to be covered. The larger the amount you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the lower your rates will be.
When quoting insurance, remember that comparing a wide range of rates helps locate the best rates. Not every company does online rate quotes, so it’s important to compare price quotes from them as well.
The car insurance companies shown below provide free quotes in New Jersey. To locate cheap car insurance in Jersey City, NJ, we suggest you compare several of them to get the best price comparison.
Rates and statistics
The coverage table displayed below showcases detailed analysis of insurance policy prices for Mercury Mountaineer models. Having a better understanding of how rates are calculated is important for drivers to make smart buying decisions.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Mountaineer 2WD | $286 | $520 | $452 | $26 | $136 | $1,420 | $118 |
Mountaineer AWD | $322 | $520 | $452 | $26 | $136 | $1,456 | $121 |
Mountaineer Premier 2WD | $322 | $612 | $452 | $26 | $136 | $1,548 | $129 |
Mountaineer Premier AWD | $322 | $612 | $452 | $26 | $136 | $1,548 | $129 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data variables include married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and New Jersey minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and claim-free. Rates do not factor in specific zip code location which can impact auto insurance rates significantly.
Choosing deductibles
One of the most common insurance questions is how high or low should comp and collision deductibles be. The comparison tables below may help to illustrate the rate differences when you select higher and lower physical damage coverage deductibles. The first rate estimation uses a $100 deductible for comprehensive and collision coverage and the second rate chart uses a $500 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mountaineer 2WD | $414 | $746 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,837 | $153 |
Mountaineer AWD | $466 | $746 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,889 | $157 |
Mountaineer Premier 2WD | $466 | $880 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $2,023 | $169 |
Mountaineer Premier AWD | $466 | $880 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $2,023 | $169 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mountaineer 2WD | $302 | $504 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,458 | $122 |
Mountaineer AWD | $340 | $504 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,496 | $125 |
Mountaineer Premier 2WD | $340 | $594 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,586 | $132 |
Mountaineer Premier AWD | $340 | $594 | $480 | $28 | $144 | $1,586 | $132 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and New Jersey minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in your specific Jersey City location which can raise or lower coverage rates considerably.
Based on the figures above, using a $100 deductible will cost you approximately $34 more each month or $408 annually than requesting the higher $500 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $400 more out of your own pocket with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you normally average at least 12 months between claims, you would save money going with the higher deductible.
The information below illustrates how your deductible choice and can affect Mercury Mountaineer insurance rates for each different age category. The data assumes a married female driver, full coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Does full coverage make sense?
The diagram below shows the difference between Mercury Mountaineer auto insurance costs with full coverage compared to only the New Jersey minimum liability coverage. Data assumes no accidents or driving violations, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
When to drop full coverage
There is no exact rule to exclude physical damage coverage, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
For example, let’s assume your Mercury Mountaineer settlement value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, you would only receive $6,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If you are paying over $600 annually to have full coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some conditions where only buying liability is not a good idea. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you have to maintain full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should keep full coverage in place.
Car insurance just makes sense
Even though Jersey City Mountaineer insurance rates can get expensive, insuring your vehicle may be required and benefits you in several ways.
- The majority of states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to buy specific limits of liability in order to license the vehicle. In New Jersey these limits are 15/30/5 which means you must have $15,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $5,000 of property damage coverage.
- If you have a lien on your Mercury Mountaineer, most banks will stipulate that you have full coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If you let the policy lapse, the lender will be forced to insure your Mercury at a much higher premium rate and force you to pay for the expensive policy.
- Insurance safeguards your Mercury and your assets. It will also pay for most medical and hospital costs that are the result of an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney in the event you are sued. If your Mercury gets damaged, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of buying car insurance definitely exceed the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. According to a recent study, the average American driver overpays more than $820 a year so compare quotes from several companies every year to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Mercury Mountaineer insurance discounts in Jersey City
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there are discounts available to help offset the cost. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of quoting, but a few need to be asked about prior to getting the savings.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with ABS braking systems or traction control can reduce accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking a course that instructs on driving safety could earn you a small percentage discount if you qualify.
- Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying in monthly installments you could save up to 5%.
- Theft Deterrent Discount – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices have a lower chance of being stolen so companies will give you a small discount.
- Use Seat Belts – Forcing all vehicle occupants to fasten their seat belts could cut 10% or more off the medical payments premium.
- Claim-Free Discount – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially when compared with drivers who are more careless.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying a policy with more than one vehicle on a single policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Discounts save money, but please remember that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it appears you can get free auto insurance, insurance companies aren’t that generous.
The chart below visualizes the comparison of Mercury Mountaineer annual premium costs with and without some available policy discounts. The premium estimates are based on a male driver, no accidents, no driving violations, New Jersey state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, safe-driver, multi-policy, claim-free, homeowner, and marriage discounts applied.
A list of insurance companies and their possible discounts can be read below.
- American Family has discounts for good driver, air bags, TimeAway discount, defensive driver, early bird, bundled insurance, and Steer into Savings.
- Farm Bureau offers premium reductions for 55 and retired, renewal discount, good student, safe driver, multi-policy, and driver training.
- State Farm may offer discounts for multiple policy, good student, safe vehicle, accident-free, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- Travelers includes discounts for continuous insurance, multi-policy, early quote, multi-car, IntelliDrive, and new car.
- The Hartford offers discounts including anti-theft, good student, defensive driver, air bag, driver training, vehicle fuel type, and bundle.
- GEICO offers discounts for membership and employees, anti-theft, federal employee, multi-vehicle, air bags, five-year accident-free, and daytime running lights.
- Progressive has savings for good student, online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and homeowner.
Before purchasing a policy, check with every insurance company what discounts are available to you. Savings might not apply everywhere. To locate insurance companies that provide some of the discounts listed above in Jersey City, follow this link.
Car insurance agents near you
Some consumers still prefer to go talk to an agent and that can be a great decision A good thing about getting free rate quotes online is the fact that drivers can get the best rates and still buy from a local agent. Supporting local agents is still important in Jersey City.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), the coverage information is immediately sent to insurance agents in Jersey City who want to provide quotes for your coverage. There is no reason to contact any insurance agencies because prices are sent instantly to you. Get lower rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you need to get a rate quote from a specific insurance company, you would need to search and find their rate quote page and fill out their quote form.
Selecting an company should include more criteria than just the bottom line cost. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Do they have a Better Business Bureau rating in Jersey City?
- Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
- Will they make sure you get an adequate claim settlement?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- How long has the business existed?
- Do you need full coverage on every vehicle?
- When do they do policy reviews?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
Auto insurance company ratings
Picking the highest-rated insurance company is difficult considering how many choices there are in New Jersey. The ranking information listed below may help you decide which car insurance companies you want to consider buying from.
Top 10 Jersey City Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- Progressive
- USAA
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- State Farm
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- 21st Century
- The Hartford
- Farmers Insurance
Top 10 Jersey City Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Service
- Mercury Insurance
- The Hartford
- American Family
- Progressive
- GEICO
- USAA
- State Farm
- Travelers
- Farmers Insurance
- Allstate
Cheaper auto insurance premiums are possible
As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many situations where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The goal is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to save on Mercury Mountaineer insurance in Jersey City. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the best price on auto insurance is with the least-expected company. Smaller companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.
Cheap Mercury Mountaineer insurance in Jersey City is attainable on the web and also from your neighborhood Jersey City agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and many times these regional insurance providers work with independent insurance agencies.
Additional articles
- Should I Purchase an Umbrella Liability Policy? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Jersey City Car Insurance Rates for Business Use? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for High Mileage Drivers in Jersey City? (FAQ)
- Determining Your Vehicle’s Value and Repair Cost (Insurance Information Institute)
- Drunk Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Can I Save Money on Auto Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)