I'm looking to change car insurance companies. I currently have GEICO in NJ and my rate is 733 for 6 months.

Question

I have no points and no accidents within 5 years time. I have no surcharges. Is this a good rate for full coverage on a 1997 Ford Taurus? I know of people who only pay this amount for full coverage for a year. Why is my rate higher than there's?

Answer 1

You would be best served by a LOCAL independent agent. Typically, an independent will have a dozen or more companies to choose from to fit your individual needs.

Just look in your local phone book for the PIA or Big I (Trusted Choice) logos and you should find a professional agent there to help you. In NJ, you also have the NJAAA - New Jersey Auto Agents Alliance headed up by John Kerry Dyke. You might google them for leads to an agent in your area.

Good luck and I hope this helps!

Answer 2

I have GEICO in Queens, NY and am paying $259.30 for 6 months for a 1996 Pontiac Grand Am (my rate recently dropped by about $100). I'm a 45 year old single male and had one very minor accident 20 years ago, and one minor traffic ticket (driving on shoulder to exit highway) about 5 years ago that I don't think went on my record.

Some things that could be makling your rate higher:
- Are you taking the minimum possible insurance coverage, or close to the minimum? I'm not saying having more coverage is a bad idea, but this could be making the cost higher. You should examine your policy and see if there are any ways to reduce your bill. Look at each coverage listed. The policy should explain the various options for each type of coverage. Sometimes coverages have deductibles and a higher deductible will lower the rate. Calling GEICO for advice on this can also be helpful, but I would suggest actually reading the policy in detail first.
- Do you still have comprehensive and collision insurance? If you do, that could account for half of your cost. It is a waste of money on a 10 year old car, so you should get rid of it if you have that.
- Is there anything that can get you a discount? I get a discount for anti-lock brakes and daytime headlights on my car. If you have anything like that it may or may not have been applied automatically and you may need to ask. The possible discounts should be explained in the policy also.
- Are you using your car for work? This would make your rates higher. If you don't admit this and claim to drive 7,000 miles per year your rates will probably be lower. (Please note that I'm not suggesting that you lie, what you say is up to you.)
- As someone else suggested, try calling other companies to see if you can get a lower rate. I think GEICO is cheapest where I live, but this may not be true in NJ.
- NJ is a messed up state with incompetently designed roads and a poorly designed system of government. The jughandles are stupid and not even consistent (one intersection has it, the next has a left turn lane) . Many signs informing you of the exits are placed right at the exit, not half a mile before so you have time to get in the proper lane in advance to exit safely. The people there also don't know how to drive properly. I know this because I unfortunately lived there (Piscataway) for 6 months. I think you are just paying higher rates because of lousy roads and lousy drivers. If you are just as good a driver as me, you will still be more likely to have an accident because of poorly designed roads and the other drivers being worse. So to a large extent the only thing you can do to get lower rates is to move.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

I've never had the greatest quotes from Geico, but it depends on your driving history usually. If indeed you haven't had any violations for that period of time, you shouldn't be paying that much... particularly since this means you're at least 21 years old. It also sounds like you're trying to only carry minimum coverage (liability)?
If that's the case, you are paying to much... unless, based on your birthday, your rate just hasn't dropped yet.

I was paying $130/month for liability to State Farm from 18-21 because I'd had an accident which total the other driver's car when I was 17. When I hit 21, and my new billing period started, it dropped to $65/month... it's gone down more and more since, again, just for liability.

The only way to know if you can get a better rate is to compare NJ car insurance quotes by searching your zip code on sites like this:
http://www.e-autoinsurancequote.com/states-auto-insurance/new-jersey-car-insurance.html

Answer 5

The rate does sound a little high for your type of vehicle.

Your rates are determined by a number of underwriting factors including your age, gender, type -make-and model of vehicle, number of miles driven annually, where your vehicle is located, your driving record, theft rates for your vehicle, etc.

Since you have a perfect driving record (congrats!) it sounds like you may want to compare premiums from other insurers to find see how much you may be able to save.

It usually is a good idea to compare rates at least every 2-3 years. Why pay the insurance company more than necessary?

One way to compare quotes online is to use a free service that offers you quotes from leading insurers with no obligation.

Take out your car insurance policy, so you can see what coverages you have, and go to InsureMe at http://www.insureme.com/landing.aspx?Refby=613596&Type=auto

They will ask you several basic questions and give you up to five free quotes for auto insurance from leading insurers in your area. There's no cost and no obligation for this service.

They make it quick and easy to compare rates and plans and see if you can save some money.

I hope that helps! Best of luck to you and keep up the good driving.

Answer 6

I also had a quote of about 700 for 6 months from Geico (had no at-fault accidents in 5 years), so I tried Progressive, and the quote was 380 for 6 months, so I went with that.

Answer 7

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