Car Insurance Questions

[Ava]

Fully paid off my car loan today. Now I'm free from the high level of insurance my lender required.
However, I don't want to expose myself to excessive risk and be "penny wise and pound foolish". I just want the right coverage at the best price I can find.

Question 1:
How to compare several insurance companies quick and easy? Is there a way?
I don't really want to call each of them or go to their websites and input all my information to obtain a quote.

Question 2:
What coverage should I carry? Of course I'll continue to carry liability. I'm also thinking uninsured/underinsured.
I think I shouldn't completely stop collision. I've been rear-ended 3 times since 2021. I've been lucky that on each occasion the other party carried sufficient insurance, but I know more and more drivers are going uninsured here. Costs are high and they need to drive as there are no public transport options. So, they go without even its mandatory here. They are also more distracted. I drove 60 miles a day M to F for work since 2015 to 2020. Since 2020 I've been hybrid with no more than 10,000 miles per year. However, I've been rear ended 3 times since 2021. It's scary and I want to protect myself, at least financially.
I'm thinking of keeping collision and increasing my deductible?

Question 3:
What are the best insurance companies to consider? I currently have Amica, and I think they are a good company, but very expensive. A friend recommended AAA. 

[resolution]

We keep the full insurance coverage on my car, which is only 5 years old. We could replace it if we need to, but it would require some planning and moving money around between accounts. My husband's truck is 20 years old and only worth a couple thousand dollars, so we just have liability insurance on it. If we had collision on it, it would only pay out the value of the truck, which is not a whole lot more than the premiums.

I'm not sure how to do price comparisons. We go to an insurance agent that represents several insurance companies, so he compared the prices between them and recommended one. We have Erie insurance but it's only available in a handful of states.

[minnesotapaintlady]

I keep mine insured to the hilt until it gets to the point where it's quite old and only worth a few thousand, then I just drop to liability which is the case for two of my three.  It's dirt cheap, but if I get a good deer hit they would be headed to the scrap yard. I would not fork over thousands to repair them.

Really, you're just going to have to call around or enter your info on the websites, but it can be worth it.  DS just bought a car and State Farm who we have been with for a long time were going to be crazy expensive for him at $209/month.  Progressive gave him the exact same coverage for $78/month so he has his own policy now.  I tried upping deductibles with State Farm to get the cost down and even bumping it to $1000 barely moved the needle.  He has $250 deductible with Progressive.

[Ava]

Thanks for the answers.

I plan to keep collision as the car has good value. Probably increase the deductible.

Looks like I'll have to take the time to go online and see what I can get.Today I went to AAA website and input my information.
The price is comparable to Amica so I'm not switching to them

I'm pretty sure we don't have Erie in CT.

Progressive is considered one of the cheapest around here.

I'll keep looking.

[seriousthistime]

A friend of mine had a bad experience with AAA insurance.  She was driving in a small town near the place she grew up and went through a stop sign. Both cars were damaged.  She called AAA and they arranged to have her car towed from the scene of the accident. This being a small town in a rural area, the tow lot was on a farm.  As she worked through all the insurance details in the following days, no one told her the car had been moved.  And AAA wanted her to do the legwork to find out where it was, though they were the ones who arranged for all the towing details.  She spent days trying to find her car, and after learning it had been towed from one place to another to another, finally located it in an auction lot on the opposite side of the state.  It was set to be auctioned off in a few days.   

I have State Farm, and have had it for 40+ years.  I just got a new car a few months ago. It costs me $107 per month with great levels of coverage (which is more than the minimum because I also have an umbrella policy through them). 

ETA: I have never had a problem with a claim under State Farm.  Their claims processing is quick and generous. 

[bean29]

Oct 12, 2024 19:24:16 GMT -5 Ava said:

Thanks for the answers.

I plan to keep collision as the car has good value. Probably increase the deductible.

Looks like I'll have to take the time to go online and see what I can get.Today I went to AAA website and input my information.
The price is comparable to Amica so I'm not switching to them

I'm pretty sure we don't have Erie in CT.

Progressive is considered one of the cheapest around here.

I'll keep looking.

Progressive is also one of the worst to deal with if you have a claim.

I would also consider putting rental re-imbursement on your policy.  My DN got rear ended recently and his car is going to be in the shop for a few weeks for repairs.  He was going to borrow my old car, but DH said he has made other arrangements, so we have to decide if his dad will use my old car or if we are selling it.  

[billisonboard]

I've had USAA for 30 some years. Have made a couple claims over the years. Been very satisfied with process.  No idea if I could save money comparison shopping but figure lower income for an insurance company would impact services. Not worth the risk to me.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I would stay with Amica.  DH has them, I have USAA (but you’re not eligible for this).  Both of us are insured to the hilt.  I still carry full coverage on my 17 year old Forester as it is a very minor portion of what I pay for insurance.  My car value is still higher than I would have expected.  We have not pooled our car insurance because I pay less at USAA then I would pay adding me to Amica.  TD can’t leave Amica because of his car, USAA won’t insure it (his car has a racing engine in it).  

I have had State Farm and Farmers insurance in the past.  Both have provided me with satisfactory service for a reasonable price.  My experience with them is over 15 years ago though, so I hav3 no idea if their service has deteriorated in that time.  

[Ava]

I agree with Mich that I like Amica. They have been very professional and competent dealing with each of my 3 accidents.

I need good insurance because I drive less than half of what I used to drive before the pandemic and I didn't have so many accidents before. There was only one in 2012. I was found at fault that time.

Yesterday I browsed the internet and it looks like there are no easy solutions here.
Maybe because of the accidents but I got expensive quotes from Allstate and Aaa.

AAA is out of the running after that horror story.

I also considered Geico. I was with them when I had the 2012 accident and they took care of everything.
They quoted me a good price.

I like Amica but the price is so high.
I pay $221 a month for car and condo insurance.

[raeoflyte]

It can be the type of vehicle. We have a Hyundai sonata and those things are horrible to insure.

[pulmonarymd]

I would be careful with Allstate. The place I always go for body work will not deal with them. If you have a reputable place you get work done I would ensure they have had good experiences with who you choose

[Ava]

Thanks for all the advice on what insurance companies are a nightmare to deal with.


Wow. I went back to Geico. They had given me a quote 2 days ago. I included my condo in the quote, but they treated it as a standalone house. The car insurance was reasonably priced, but the home insurance was expensive.
So I went back today to the website and asked for a quote for my car only. It said, given my information, they are unable to provide me with insurance at this time.
I guess it's because of the 3 accidents. I was rear-ended on the 3 occasions. I've noticed since 2020 a huge increase in distracted and aggressive drivers.

State Farm has a good reputation around here. I will try them.
If not, I think I'll stay with Amica and raise the deductibles for collision. I would drop collision completely, but my car is worth over 15k, and it would be painful to replace it. I can't think of any other reputable insurance company right now.

[Ava]

Oct 14, 2024 6:12:13 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

It can be the type of vehicle. We have a Hyundai sonata and those things are horrible to insure.

It's a Toyota Corolla. Should be easy to insure.

[seriousthistime]

A lot of the cost also depends on where you live.  If you are in a large urban area the cost will be higher than if you drive the same car in a suburban or rural area.  

[Ava]

Oct 14, 2024 8:14:10 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

A lot of the cost also depends on where you live.  If you are in a large urban area the cost will be higher than if you drive the same car in a suburban or rural area.  

Yes, it's a city with over 100k residents. Not in the best side of town, either.

[Ava]

State Farm won't give me a quote online. They want me to call an agent.

Current deductibles with Amica are $1,000 for collision and $1,000 for liability.
Increasing my collision deductible to $3,000 would save me $26 on a 6-month policy.

I have to say I've been with Amica for 5 years and through all 3 accidents. They didn't raise my rates much at all. It has always been expensive. Only last year I had the biggest increase which was from $203 to $221.

I'm going to give this a rest. 
The title to the car should arrive in a couple of weeks.
Then I'll take an afternoon to deal with this. Make a list of all insurance companies I could consider, and go one by one, making calls if necessary.

[Ava]

I got a call from State Farm. It's $230 a month for full coverage, auto insurance only.
Way more than Amica.

[seriousthistime]

Wow.  That's high. 

[Ava]

Oct 14, 2024 9:28:33 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Wow.  That's high. 

It is very high.
Amica charges me $196 car insurance and $25 condo.
State Farm quoted $230 car. No way.

I'm going to step away from this. My head is spinning.

[jerseygirl]

Ava if you don’t drive much see if the company will reduce the costs based on mileage

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Oct 14, 2024 9:41:09 GMT -5 Ava said:

Oct 14, 2024 9:28:33 GMT -5 seriousthistime said:

Wow.  That's high. 

It is very high.
Amica charges me $196 car insurance and $25 condo.
State Farm quoted $230 car. No way.

I'm going to step away from this. My head is spinning.

How does this $196 break out?  What proportion is liability?  Do you have the ability to increase your deductible?  Since your car is still relatively new, there is no way I'd drop comprehensive insurance on it.  

[TheOtherMe]

I pay it all up front, either 6 months or a year.  There is a fee attached to those monthly payments.  

Do ask about the low mileage.  I have that on my policy but I had to request it.  

[Ava]

All of them asked me how many miles I drive a year, so that's considered in the price.

I don't know how much is liability and how much is collision in the Amica payment.
But I tried to increase my collision deductible from 1k to 3k and it would only go down $26 for a 6 month policy. It's not per month, it's total. So I left it at 1k.

I thought I could easily shop around and find something better, but it's a total mess.

Geico was looking promising but they turned me down.

I'm not going to get upset about this.
I paid my car loan off on Saturday and I'm happy about it.
Let the dust settle a little and I'll shop around again. I think it will be better if I call instead of going online.

[NoNamePerson]

Oct 14, 2024 14:58:10 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I pay it all up front, either 6 months or a year.  There is a fee attached to those monthly payments.  

Do ask about the low mileage.  I have that on my policy but I had to request it.  

I pay every 6 months. Wanted to pay annually but not an option. No way I would pay monthly because of the fee added.  A while back I did a question on raising deductible and it gave percentage saved if raised from $500 to $1,000 to $2,000.  Was interesting not much savings at $2,000. I drive a Hyundai so a bit limited on who will insure. 

[NoNamePerson]

Oct 14, 2024 17:42:55 GMT -5 Ava said:

All of them asked me how many miles I drive a year, so that's considered in the price.

I don't know how much is liability and how much is collision in the Amica payment.
But I tried to increase my collision deductible from 1k to 3k and it would only go down $26 for a 6 month policy. It's not per month, it's total. So I left it at 1k.

I thought I could easily shop around and find something better, but it's a total mess.

Geico was looking promising but they turned me down.

I'm not going to get upset about this.
I paid my car loan off on Saturday and I'm happy about it.
Let the dust settle a little and I'll shop around again. I think it will be better if I call instead of going online.

Congrats on paying off car loan. 

[Cookies Galore]

Ava, did you let your insurance company know you paid off the loan? They should take off the gap coverage/whatever else they add to cover their butts. We have our car insurance bundled with homeowners, and when we paid off car loans in 2018 and 2023 I let the company know and our car insurance rate was adjusted accordingly. I also have heard all the horror stories from people trying to shop around for new coverages now and I am content with staying with the devil I know, so to speak.

[TheOtherMe]

Oct 15, 2024 8:48:47 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Oct 14, 2024 14:58:10 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I pay it all up front, either 6 months or a year.  There is a fee attached to those monthly payments.  

Do ask about the low mileage.  I have that on my policy but I had to request it.  

I pay every 6 months. Wanted to pay annually but not an option. No way I would pay monthly because of the fee added.  A while back I did a question on raising deductible and it gave percentage saved if raised from $500 to $1,000 to $2,000.  Was interesting not much savings at $2,000. I drive a Hyundai so a bit limited on who will insure. 

The company I am with presently only writes 6 month auto policies.  I prefer a one year policy

[Ava]

Oct 15, 2024 8:49:49 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Oct 14, 2024 17:42:55 GMT -5 Ava said:

All of them asked me how many miles I drive a year, so that's considered in the price.

I don't know how much is liability and how much is collision in the Amica payment.
But I tried to increase my collision deductible from 1k to 3k and it would only go down $26 for a 6 month policy. It's not per month, it's total. So I left it at 1k.

I thought I could easily shop around and find something better, but it's a total mess.

Geico was looking promising but they turned me down.

I'm not going to get upset about this.
I paid my car loan off on Saturday and I'm happy about it.
Let the dust settle a little and I'll shop around again. I think it will be better if I call instead of going online.

Congrats on paying off car loan. 

Thank you!

[Ava]

Oct 15, 2024 16:56:27 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

Ava, did you let your insurance company know you paid off the loan? They should take off the gap coverage/whatever else they add to cover their butts. We have our car insurance bundled with homeowners, and when we paid off car loans in 2018 and 2023 I let the company know and our car insurance rate was adjusted accordingly. I also have heard all the horror stories from people trying to shop around for new coverages now and I am content with staying with the devil I know, so to speak.

As of yesterday they hadn't cashed the check yet.
I'm waiting to get the title.
Gap insurance was from the lender. They have a program that if you buy it and don't use it, they give 1k off your next car loan.

I agree that's horrible out there.

[Ava]

Well, I think I'm going to go with Progressive.

They offered me $130 for car and condo. Similar coverage than I have now.

I know they are not the best company but that's $91 less per month.