Posts Tagged ‘state farm car insurance quotes’

Cheap Car Insurance for Car of the Year

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Detroit’s North American International Auto Show starts on Saturday, but in previews this week the 2012 North American Car of the Year Award was announced.  This year’s winner is the Hyundai Elantra, which has a starting price of $16,445.  With an estimated 33 mpg, fuel efficiency might have been one of the factors helping the Elantra win this award.  The Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Passat were runners up for Car of the Year.

Hyundai is thrilled with the award, but doesn’t see an increase in sales because of it.  Their facility in Alabama is already running at full capacity, partly because more than 186,000 Elantras were sold last year.  The company does believe that the Elantra’s Car of the Year award will help their brand solidify its name in the marketplace.  This information comes from the Associated Press article, “Hyundai Elantra wins car of the year,” by Jeff Karoub and Tom Krisher.

Since car insurance quotes are based partly on the type of car you drive, it is possible that cheap car insurance will be easier to come by for the Hyundai Elantra.  Since it is Car of the Year, it is valued with high safety features, less depreciation, and other factors that look good to car insurance companies.  The judging of this award was performed by fifty automotive journalists.  To be included, cars had to be new or have significant changes in the past year.

The Truck of the Year award went to the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, which was the first win for the company in the nineteen-year history of the awards.  With a starting price of $43,995, the Evoque will have higher State Farm car insurance quotes that some other trucks.  The runners up in this category were the BMW X-3 and the Honda CR-V.  If you are a car lover, check out the Detroit Auto Show starting next weekend.

Car Insurance Companies Allowed to Discriminate

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

As long as they have research backing up their policies, car insurance companies are allowed to discriminate based on your age and a number of other factors.  Age is one of the top determining factors for your car insurance rates.  Those between the ages of 50 and 64 get the best car insurance rates, according to Augusta, Georgia’s 12 News.  Reporter Kristi Ludlow’s story “What’s driving your car insurance rates up” says that your age, the type of car you drive, and your credit score are important.

She interviewed an 81-year old man whose car insurance had increased simply because of his age, even though he has had a perfect driving record for almost 5 decades.  Teen drivers and those older than 64 have the highest car insurance rates.  State Farm car insurance quotes also take into effect the kind of car you drive and the area in which you live.  Even if you have a perfect driving record, living in an area with high theft rates or driving a car that tends to get stolen can increase your car insurance.  Your credit score may even effect your car insurance quote.  That’s why it is always important to shop around and compare quotes from different car insurance companies.

Fraud Makes Finding Cheap Car Insurance More Difficult

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

Car insurance accident fraud is so prevalent in Florida that the cost of car insurance is rising across the board.  Finding cheap car insurance is harder than ever now, according to “Car crash fraud cases still rising, boosting insurance for all drivers, state says.”  Steve Bousquet’s article in the St. Petersburg Times says that car insurance premiums have gone up $900 million in the past 3 years.  Kevin McCarty, the Insurance Commissioner, believes that Florida’s no-fault law passed back in 1972 is mostly to blame.  Florida and nine other states require drivers to carry personal injury protection (PIP) coverage of at least $10,000.  McCarty is pushing legislators to change the laws in Florida and get rid of the no-fault provision.

Most other states have a tort system, where drivers who were at-fault in an accident pay for the damages they caused.  Drivers must include bodily injury coverage in their State Farm car insurance quotes.  Scammers are purposefully causing or staging car accidents in order to get payouts and unnecessary medical tests.  While many Florida residents think that this is happening the most in Miami, Tampa seems to be the centerpiece for staged car accidents right now.  In only two years, the amount of money paid out in PIP benefits increased 70%, from $1.4 billion to $2.3 billion.  Infinity auto insurance and other insurers pay out $1.40 in claims for every dollar that they take in on PIP premiums.  Florida’s CFO said that getting rid of PIP insurance is a possibility if no other legislation can be found to cut down on this fraud.

Gay Marriage & Car Insurance Savings

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Gay couples in New York who are now able to legally marry should enjoy the added benefit of savings on their car insurance policies.  Lambda Legal’s article “Top Three Car Insurance Companies in New York Will Respect Gay Couples??? Marriages, Lamda Legal Confirms,” says that the three top car insurance companies in the state will offer gay couples the same marriage discounts as they offer straight couples.  Allstate, State Farm, and Geico insure at least 1/3 of all New York drivers, so hopefully any companies who are not currently offering the same benefits will follow these top companies.  After a questionable situation in which Geico did not treat two married couples equally, they have changed their policies and now treat the policies of all married couples the same.  Since gay marriage is not legal federally, some companies have found ways to avoid following state law because they are protected by federal law.

The insurance industry is one of the top champions of treating gay married couples equally.  Advocates for the gay population are hopeful that other businesses and government agencies will follow in the footsteps of the insurance industry.  Even before gay marriage was legalized in New York, state law said that marriages performed legally in other locations must be respected by businesses.  The 2000 U.S. Census found that 8.9% of the country’s gay couples are living together in New York City, the largest percentage in the country.  Close to 50,000 gay couples lived in New York State back in 2000, so that number has likely grown significantly.  Now that gay marriage has been legalized in New York, couples have the added benefits of discounts on their health and car insurance.  State Farm car insurance quotes for legally married gay couples could be hundreds of dollars less now than they were before gay marriage was legalized.

Graduates Beware: State Farm Car Insurance Quotes

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Recent high school and college graduates have even more to worry about then paying for college or finding full time jobs.  This is the peak car buying season for young graduates and while they are worrying about haggling over the price of their new or used cars, they might need to be concerned about their State Farm car insurance quotes.  Young people are paying more than ever for car insurance because of their statistically high risky behavior resulting in more accidents and citations than older adults.  But they are also paying more comparably than the graduates that came a decade or so before them because of the newer risks of texting and talking on their cell phones.  The more chances graduates have for risky behavior, the more that car insurance companies will charge to insure them.

The best car for young people to drive, according to NBC 9News in Colorado, is a four door sedan.  SUVs and sports cars will cost much more for recent graduates or their parents to insure.  Another way to save money on insurance from a company like Encompass auto insurance is to avoid purchasing a car that is expensive to maintain or fix.  Boys have always paid more than girls for car insurance, but the gap between the two sexes is really tightening because girls are becoming riskier drivers.  If parents are adding recent graduates to their car insurance plans, they should make sure that the youngest drivers have the slowest driving and lowest cost cars to keep insurance lower.  While State Farm car insurance quotes vary for many reasons, one thing is for sure, recent graduates are going to pay more for their car insurance than most of their parents pay.

State Farm Car Insurance Quotes Increase With Multiple Violations

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Your car insurance rates from companies like Infinity auto insurance will increase dramatically the more traffic violations you receive, according to Chris Bissell of Fox Business.  In the article “Car Insurance Rates Soar as Tickets Pile Up,” there is a comparison of insurance rates with no violations to those who have one, two, and three driving violations.  Violations include speeding tickets, running red lights or stop signs, DUIs or DWIs, failure to stop or yield, reckless driving, wrong way driving, illegal U-turns, running from the police, illegal passing, not using child restraints, and more.

The average premium for an insurance policy with one-car and one-driver last year was $1,119.  That rate increases 18% with just one traffic violation to $1,318.  Cheap car insurance gets even harder to find after two traffic violations, as the average car insurance paid increases 34% to $1,497.  After three traffic violations car insurance rates are 53% higher than without any traffic violations at $1,713.  The more violations that drivers have, the more likely they are to cost car insurance companies money through crashes and increased claims.  One of the best ways to get cheap car insurance from a company like Infinity auto insurance is to drive carefully and avoid traffic violations.

A DUI or DWI is the worst violation for increasing car insurance rates pretty much across the board.  But car insurance companies do put a different weight on other violations when determining car insurance rates.  State Farm car insurance quotes take many factors into consideration and may place greater importance on some traffic violations over others.  Just about anyone can get car insurance now because competition is so high among insurers, but those with multiple violations can expect to pay more regardless of who insures them.

State Farm Car Insurance Quotes Highest in Louisiana

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Residents of Louisiana are paying more than anyone else in the United States for car insurance and for property insurance.  This information comes from the Bayoubuzz News article “Louisiana Auto, Property Insurance Rates Highest in US” by Christopher Tidmore.  State Farm car insurance quotes, and those from other insurance companies, are highest in Louisiana with an average driver paying $1,111 for their car insurance every six months.  Oddly enough, other states in the southern United States had some of the lowest car insurance rates.  North Carolinians pay an average of $495 which is the fifth lowest and Virginia drivers are the seventh lowest at $521.  Florida was the only southern state even close to Louisiana’s insurance costs, and their residents paid only $750 on average.

The InsWeb study looked at the median car insurance rates paid for a 6-month policy in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.  One reason that top car insurance companies charge more in Louisiana is Hurricane Katrina.  Comprehensive coverage, the most common in Louisiana, covers flood damage.  The amount of cars that were totaled because of the flood damage from Hurricane Katrina numbered in the thousands.  Another theory on why car insurance rates are so high in Louisiana relates to the high number of uninsured motorists in the state.  State officials and law enforcement officers aren’t proactive at ensuring Louisiana residents have car insurance, which results in higher rates for those who carry the coverage.  The risks are higher in Louisiana for those and other reasons.

As Gas Prices Go Up, State Farm Car Insurance Quotes Go Down

Monday, March 14th, 2011

You may not see the correlation at first, but it seems as though car insurance rates decrease as the price of gas just keeps going up.  The reason is plain and simple.  When gas prices skyrocket like they are right now, people drive less.  The less people drive overall, the less companies charge you for car insurance because accident and injury rates also decline.  State Farm car insurance quotes and those from other companies are likely to go down as gas in many places climbs over $4/gallon.

An article from Insurance.com wrote about a similar trend when we last saw hefty price increases for gas in 2008.  “Rising Gas Prices May Lower Car Insurance Rates” goes into more detail with the reasons why it might be easier to get cheap car insurance when the price of gas is high.  People are searching for alternatives to driving so much, including taking public transportation, carpooling, and purchasing hybrid cars.  All of these things account for fewer miles being driven by cars overall which makes car insurance rates go down.

If you are driving fewer miles than you used to, let your car insurance company know or shop around for quotes from other car insurance companies.  Driving less means that there is less potential for accidents and less money that companies could have to pay out for injuries and car damage.  Shopping online offers you the benefit of comparing quotes from many different car insurance companies, such as Erie Insurance.  If you think you could lower your car insurance rates because you drive less overall, get some car insurance premium quotes.

Advertising Icons & State Farm Car Insurance Quotes

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

In The Patriot-News article “Car insurance: How can I tell where to get the cheapest rates?,” Liam Migdail-Smith discusses some of the most popular car insurance spokespersons and what deals their companies actually offer.  Geico uses characters like their Gecko and Caveman to advertise themselves as having low rates and saving you lots of money.  Whether or not you’ll save money and pay less for your premium really depends on a number of factors, so shopping around is still crucial.

Companies like Esurance advertise the benefit of shopping online to get your insurance quotes.  You can also shop with an agent if you prefer, but many people like to get their quotes and even purchase insurance online now.  While many large car insurance companies offer the ability to shop online and get rate quotes, with some companies you still have to speak with an agent before making your purchase.  Choosing the price you are willing to pay is a new campaign advertised by Progressive Insurance Company’s well-known spokeswoman Flo.  You are able to name your own price, and then pick the coverage options you can afford within that price.  While this new way of pricing may appeal to some consumers, it won’t necessarily save you money.

While it is obvious that you will pay more money for more coverage, Allstate spokesmen Dennis Haysbert and “Mayhem” remind you that getting quality coverage should be more important than getting the cheapest coverage.  State Farm advertises it’s “good neighbor” mentality by showing insurance agents at your side whenever you need them.  They say that getting State Farm car insurance quotes will pair you up with top notch customer service, something they believe is most important.  Other perks exist like Nationwide’s vanishing deductible, but keep in mind that they usually require loyalty to the insurer over a period of time.

Top Car Insurance Companies Reward You

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Good behavior is rewarded by top car insurance companies, according to a recent article by Motley Fool writer Selena Maranjian.  In “5 Car Insurance Surprises,” some benefits and downsides that you may not be aware of are highlighted.  Some insurance companies offer accident forgiveness for your first at-fault accident.  While you may have to be with the company for a few years before you qualify, there are insurers who offer this type of plan right away.

Having a good driving record free of accidents and violations means you will pay less for car insurance than someone without a clean record.  State Farm car insurance quotes may also give you a better rate if you have a high credit score.  You can purchase breakdown insurance which will cover repairs to your car that are not included in any warranty you may carry.  This does cost a good chunk of money though and isn’t available for cars that are too old.

More expensive cars typically cost more to insure, but rates can actually vary significantly from company to company based on your make and model.  That is why it is so important to shop around and get numerous quotes from companies like Mercury insurance.  As long as you were not at fault in an accident, fourteen states have the option of diminished value insurance coverage.  This will compensate you for any difference between what was covered in damage to your car and what value you may have lost.

Gap insurance is available to cover any difference between what your insurer pays you for the value of your totaled car and what you actually owe on the car.  It is possible that without this coverage, you would have to pay the difference out of pocket between your loan or lease amount and the money covered by insurance.  That is in addition to buying another car.  Shop around online for car insurance because Consumer Reports says that 14% of you could pay less with another insurer.