Truthfully, the best way to get more affordable auto insurance rates in Jersey City is to compare prices at least once a year from providers that sell auto insurance in New Jersey.
- It will benefit you to learn about car insurance and the factors you can control to keep rates in check. Many policy risk factors that cause high rates like accidents, careless driving, and an unacceptable credit score can be controlled by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. Keep reading for the details to help prevent costly coverage and find discounts that you may qualify for.
- Compare price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agents can provide price quotes from multiple companies.
- Compare the quotes to your existing coverage and see if there is a cheaper rate. If you can save some money, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to make sure you enter identical coverage information on each quote request and and to get price estimates from every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure a fair rate comparison and a complete price analysis.
It’s well known that insurance companies want to prevent you from shopping around. Consumers who shop around once a year are inclined to buy a different policy because they have good chances of finding good coverage at a lower price. A recent survey found that drivers who routinely shopped around saved an average of $865 a year compared to drivers who didn’t regularly shop around.
If finding discount rates on auto insurance in Jersey City is the reason you’re reading this, then having a grasp of how to choose a company and compare insurance coverage can help make the process easier and more efficient.
Eight Tips to Get More Affordable Jersey City Insurance Costs
Many things are used in the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving history, although others are more obscure like where you live or your commute time. An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that are used to determine the level of your policy premiums. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this enables you to make decisions that may reward you with lower insurance prices.
The following are just a few of the factors used by companies to determine premiums.
- Always keep your policy in place – Having an insurance coverage lapse is a quick way to pay more for insurance. Not only will you pay higher rates, being ticketed for driving with no insurance can result in a license revocation or jail time. You may then have to file a SR-22 with the New Jersey DMV.
- Bad credit will cost you – Having a good credit score can be a huge factor in your rate calculation. Therefore, if your credit history leaves room for improvement, you could pay less to insure your Chevrolet Spark EV by improving your rating. People with excellent credit scores tend to be more responsible than drivers who have bad credit.
- Traffic violations inflate rates – Just one driving citation can increase the cost of insurance substantially. Attentive drivers get better prices as compared to careless drivers. Drivers who have received serious violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state’s licensing department in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Get better rates if married – Getting married may earn you lower rates on your policy. Having a spouse generally demonstrates drivers are more mature and responsible and it’s statistically proven that married drivers tend to have fewer serious accidents.
- When should you file insurance claims? – If you frequently file small claims, you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Car insurance companies in New Jersey provide lower rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. Your car insurance is intended to be relied upon for claims that pose a financial burden.
- Add-on coverages can waste money – There are a ton of add-on coverages that can waste your money if you don’t pay attention. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, towing coverage, and extra life insurance coverage are probably not needed. They may sound like good ideas when talking to your agent, but if you have no use for them remove them from your policy.
- Drive lots and pay more – The more you drive your Chevy every year the higher your rates will be. Many insurance companies calculate rates based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Vehicles that do not get driven very much cost less to insure than cars that get driven a lot. An improperly rated Spark EV is just wasting money. Verify your declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- Teenage drivers pay more – Mature drivers are proven to be safer behind the wheel, tend to file fewer claims, and usually have better credit. Inexperience drivers are statistically proven to be easily distracted behind the wheel so they pay higher insurance rates.
Just remember that comparing more rates from different companies increases your odds of finding a lower rate.
The following companies can provide quotes in Jersey City, NJ. If your goal is to find cheaper car insurance in Jersey City, we recommend you visit two to three different companies to find the cheapest car insurance rates.
Car insurance just makes sense
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Chevy in Jersey City, buying car insurance may be mandatory for several reasons.
- Almost all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means state laws require specific limits of liability in order to drive the car legally. 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 bought your Chevy Spark EV with a loan, more than likely the lender will require you to have full coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the bank may insure your Chevy for a much higher rate and require you to pay the higher premium.
- Car insurance preserves your Chevy Spark EV and your assets. Insurance will also pay for medical bills that are the result of an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, also pays for attorney fees and expenses if you cause an accident and are sued. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, your policy will pay to restore your vehicle to like-new condition.
The benefits of carrying enough insurance are definitely more than the cost, particularly for liability claims. The average driver in New Jersey is wasting up to $869 every year so it’s important to compare rates each time the policy renews to save money.
Get cheaper Chevy Spark EV insurance rates in Jersey City
Companies that sell car insurance do not list every policy discount very well, so the next list breaks down a few of the more well known and the harder-to-find credits that you can use to lower your rates.
- No Accidents – Insureds with no claims or accidents pay much less when compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one is not really a discount per se, but some insurance companies will let one accident slide before raising your premiums if you are claim-free prior to being involved in the accident.
- Driving Data Discount – Insureds who allow data collection to spy on driving manner by using a small device installed in their vehicle like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot might get better premium rates if they are good drivers.
- Government Employee Discount – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with some auto insurance companies.
- New Car Discount – Buying a new car instead of a used Spark EV can cost up to 25% less due to better safety requirements for newer vehicles.
- Safety Course Discount – Taking time to complete a course that instructs on driving safety may get you a small discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
We need to note that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. But any discount will cut the cost of your policy.
Some of the insurance companies who may offer these benefits include:
If you need low cost Jersey City car insurance quotes, ask all the companies what discounts are available to you. Some discounts listed above may not apply to policyholders in Jersey City.
Compare rate quotes but buy from a local neighborhood Jersey City car insurance agent
Many people prefer to talk to an insurance agent and that is OK! An additional benefit of getting free rate quotes online is you may find cheaper prices but still work with a licensed agent. Supporting neighborhood agents is important particularly in Jersey City.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this simple form, the coverage information is emailed to participating agents in Jersey City that can give you free Jersey City car insurance quotes to get your business. You won’t need to visit any agencies since rate quotes are delivered directly to you. You’ll get the best rates without having to waste a lot of time. In the event you want to compare prices for a specific company, feel free to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
If you need to find a reliable insurance agent, you should know the types of insurance agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Car insurance policy providers may be either independent (non-exclusive) or exclusive.
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents that choose to be independent are not employed by any specific company so as a result can place your coverage with an assortment of companies and find you cheaper rates. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move the coverage in-house which is easy for the insured.
If you are comparing car insurance prices, it’s recommended you get some free quotes from a few independent agents in order to have the best price comparison.
Shown below is a partial list of independent insurance agencies in Jersey City that may be able to provide comparison quotes.
Preferred Choice Insurance Agency
225 Newark Ave – Jersey City, NJ 07302 – (201) 616-7644 – View Map
Lou Schloss Agency Inc
31 River Ct – Jersey City, NJ 07310 – (201) 626-7589 – View Map
All Insurance Services Inc
574 Newark Ave – Jersey City, NJ 07306 – (201) 963-8888 – View Map
Exclusive Agents
These agents generally can only insure with one company and examples are State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Exclusive agencies receive extensive training in insurance sales which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates.
The following is a short list of exclusive agents in Jersey City who can help you get rate quotes.
Joe Nachbaur – State Farm Insurance Agent
505 Central Ave – Jersey City, NJ 07307 – (201) 222-8866 – View Map
Tawanda Jackson – State Farm Insurance Agent
688 NJ-440 – Jersey City, NJ 07305 – (201) 209-0290 – View Map
Farmers Insurance – Karima Panjwani
591 Summit Ave – Jersey City, NJ 07306 – (201) 793-7525 – View Map
Selecting an car insurance agent is decision based upon more than just the bottom line cost. You should also get answers to these questions.
- Is the agent CPCU or CIC certified?
- Are aftermarket or OEM parts used to repair vehicles?
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in New Jersey?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage in Jersey City?
- If they are an independent agency in Jersey City, which companies do they recommend?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
After talking to the agent and getting acceptable answers to your questions as well as a affordable price, you may have just found a car insurance agent that is professional and can provide car insurance coverage.
Shop smart and save
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of information how to get a better price on Chevy Spark EV insurance in Jersey City. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the lowest rates come from the least-expected company. Some small companies may only write in your state and offer lower car insurance rates than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm and Allstate.
Cheaper Chevy Spark EV insurance in Jersey City can be bought from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, and you should compare rates from both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who may not offer rates over the internet and usually these smaller providers work with independent agents.
More resources
- What if I Can’t Find Coverage? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for a Nissan Rogue in Jersey City? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Jersey City Auto Insurance for a Chevrolet Equinox? (FAQ)
- Information for Teen Drivers (GEICO)
- Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)