Auto Insurance Advice
 

Sorry if this is the wrong section.

Looking for auto insurance company. Not part of the military so USAA (as I've seen on older threads on here) is out the window (unless there's something I'm unfamiliar with). Who else would you guys recommend.

Male. Early 30s. Single. 1 traffic ticket on record. No home or anything else bundled so strictly just auto insurance (1 car).

Not so much looking for cheapest rate (albeit appreciated) which is what most quote sites focus on. Looking for a really good company to stick with. Have a hard time trusting most review sites that comes up with a Google search.

Any advice or input appreciated.

EDIT: FWIW, I heard Amica is great. Never had any personal experience with them however, nor do I know anybody that personally uses them.

EDIT2: Late edit but a LOT of people seem to be replying with regards to lowest rate. While I appreciate the advice to shop around, etc... I am well aware about shopping around for the lowest rate. Please note that is NOT what I'm asking. Thanks

Without question, Amica [amica.com] is the very best company you can be with. They rank either number one or number two (they go back and forth with USAA) every single year, year after year, with Consumer Reports and J.D. Powers and Associates.

Considering your driving record, you are a perfect candidate for Amica. They only take "boring" drivers. They won't accepts drivers with bad records - or even mediocre for that matter. They are very particular who they accept.

When it comes to insurers, you are very smart to have your top priority be service and overall customer experience and not price. Although, Amica does have very good rates. Not to mention, once you've been a customer for a year or so, you'll start getting dividend checks every year that will even further lower your overall auto insurance cost.

i assume you had fully comp insurance ..its your insurance company not playing ball if you have ..its their responsibility to sort it out not you

Can you clarify on the dividend checks? Thanks

I had esurance.com for many, many years long before Allstate even bought them and they were hands down the cheapest auto insurance I ever had. I left esurance this year because I wanted to bundle all my insurance coverage under one company. If it wasn't for that, I would still be with them.

Amica is what's called a mutual insurance company which, in short, means you're a part owner of the company, along with your fellow policyholders - much like with your credit union and with the brokerage Vanguard. At the end of the year, any profits made are distributed to Amica's policyholders in the form of dividend checks.

If they take in a lot more than they paid out in one particular year, that year's dividend check will be larger than a year where they broke even or paid out more than they took in. In all they years I've been with Amica, they sent a dividend check out every single year.

Thanks for the info. The other thing that has me concerned, it looks like Amica wants careful drivers so does that mean if I join them but get into an accident (hopefully not), I'm kicked off? Sounds like the only people that are on there are people who have low records like mine to begin with or how does that work?

As far as price, I have had esurance for probably 4 years or more, before All State bought them, and when I shopped around they were a good deal cheaper then anywhere else and for higher limits. No claims with them so I have no idea how good they are with that.

If you're accepted then, down the road, get into an accident you won't be kicked off. They're going to take care of you better than any other company - that's why they're number one. However, if you got, say, a string of speeding tickets you might get a phone call gently warning you that subsequent tickets may result in non-renewal. There is no formula I can give you that says "if you have this you're safe, but if you have this you'll be dropped". You will probably get a better answer than I'm giving you if you call them and ask them.

I've had Travelers for several years - they were good, cheapest, easy to deal with in case of accidents. Their prices kept creeping up though. I just re-evaluated insurance and have SafeCo - they were the lowest by several hundred $$.

I am part of their Rewind program; a device that tracks incidences of speeding, hard braking, etc. In exchange, a previous at-fault accident has essentially been wiped (e.g. they treat the accident as if it never happened).

I tried everyone's suggestions (including Amica) but whoever is cheapest is highly YMMV.

Agreed with Dr. J's post about prices being YMMV. For me, Traveler, Safeco, Amica, State Farm, Farmers, Allstate, weren't even competitive at all and I have never had a moving violation since I started driving at the age of 18. For me it was esurance but it doesn't mean it's the cheapest for the next person. Just gotta price shop.

I never heard of Amica before nor have I really considered esurance. I'll have to ask both companies what their rates will be since I plan on getting a new vehicle in the coming weeks.

I've only heard of them (Amica) on and off simply because of their ratings.

I recently switch from Metlife since their premium was very high. i got the best quote from Ameriprise (about 30% cheaper than Metlife) I also had quotes from Amica, progressive (most expensive), state farms, geico ...
Ameriprise worked out the best in my case

My advice would be to call 4-5 insurance companies and get complete quotes from them and then decide

Thanks
S

Thanks. I would but my main interest per the original post wasn't necessary the lowest rate albeit competitive rates, what I wanted was the best service. A lot of places seem to have all sorts of bad reviews, etc... in terms of dealing with insurance companies and I don't mind paying a little bit more if it means I can avoid problems down the road should something happen.

Ameriprise is a spin off from American Express and has good customer service, though i havent used them for any claims yet ... from what i have heard , Amica is the best when it comes to customer service and they are not very expensive either ... but do shop around and get some quotes to get some idea

what state are you in,whats your fico score,what claims have you had


http://uprisingradio.org/home/201...gulations/

has anyone used AAA? I have a membership with them for roadside. their rates seemed reasonable, but I was curious how they handled issues for people insured through them.

Again, very wise approach to insurance.

wawanesa gives very reasonable rates as they do not have overheads like advertising/agents.
users also had good experiences with claims.

http://www.wawanesageneral.com/CA...quote.html

This is down to your insurers to sort out. You are claiming a replacement car I hope.

For me: (Live in PA)
Auto = Esurance
Home = Farmer

I got the cheaper than bundle policy. Theoretically, bundle policy should be lower.

Also, agree with Dr. J. I used to have a bundle ploicy with travelers. For me, it just has raise my premium about 10-15% a year without submitting a single claim.

I just got Travelrs, and it was a good bit cheaper in part because i bought it through Bank Of America. I dont know why, but it was a great deal so I dropped progressive. Might be due to some partnership they offer?

I had geico when living in an urban area, because they were the cheapest...cheaper than esurance.

but now, i'm with travelers, bundling with home... as they were the cheapest... (included amica in that search, because of their high ratings).

you really just have to do legwork and compare a bunch of different insurers...
utilize any sort of affiliations (professional groups, colleges, fraternities, companies, wholesale clubs, etc) to get whatever discounts you can.

Just a heads up on your homeowner's insurance, Consumer Reports just rated homeowner's insurers and the lowest rated insurers were Farmers and Allstate (with Hartford Financial Services, Travelers, and MetLife just a hair above them at the bottom). With that said, you may want to reconsider who you have for homeowner's insurance.

I'm in NJ. I got quotes for a high coverage policy from a few places, and they went in this order:

1) Esurance (cheapest by a hair), Geico
2) Ameriprise
3) Amica

Esurance and Geico were very close, with Esurance being cheaper, but for some reason I wasn't able to select coverage that was as high as the others (personal injury maxed out at $250k, I picked $500k for the others)

I'm gonna get another set of quotes for lower coverage (maybe slightly below the 'average for your driver type' profile), and see how that pans out.

Looking at Amica now online. For property damage it is making me choose a minimum of $25,000 for uninsured and underinsured motorists. Since this is car insurance, wouldn't the only property involved be my car? Why am I forced to choose $25,000 minimum when the car might only cost half of that?

Ever see a car run into a house, building....or someone else's "property"?

IOW, it has nothing to do with the value of your car.

Property damage doesn't cover the cost of your own car (that's your collision / comprehensive coverages). It covers any property your car might hit - other cars, houses, etc. This is why many people drop collision coverage on older cars, as the car typically isn't worth much at that point.

So why would I need additional property damage for an uninsured or under-insured motorist? That's what confuses me. My own car insurance covers if my house is hit by a car?

Since y'all were talking about Amica so much I went out there and got a quote trying to see how it compares to my Geico amount. This is for two cars, and I have a spotless driving record and a high 700's credit score. These are for the exact same levels all the way down to rental car amounts.

Geico: $873.60 a year
Amica: $2502.75 a year

I think I am going to stick with Geico

State Farm :thumbup: Stay accident free and you get a good driver's discount each quarter I believe. I pay bi-yearly so we see the discounts one each statement twice a year.

Wow. Have you tried State Farm (as suggested above) or Erie (provided they offer insurance where you live)?

From their website:

I was wondering about the same exact thing.

Someone driving a car into your house is probably covered by homeowners insurance.

Your own car is already covered by your collision insurance.

So when would uninsured property insurance come into play? I could only think of some really crazy situations. Like say if someone hit your car, which then careened into ANOTHER car/house/priceless art, and the owner of that property sued you for the damages.

The 1-month price difference between selecting $5000 of coverage and $50,000 of coverage was about $1, so I guess the insurance company thinks the coverage is for far-fetched scenarios as well.

PDL is required by law in most states. In Florida, if you are involved in a crash and didn't have PDL, your driver license will be suspended. Minimum coverage is 10k PIP and 10k PDL, plus if your crash caused injuries, you're required to have held 10k BIL also.

PDL most commonly covers crashes where you are at fault and you cause property damage to the other party's vehicle.

Your own car insurance won't cover your house if it is hit by a car (unless perhaps its your car... ). Your homeowners insurance might, but it would be the other guy's car insurance.

Uninsured / under-insured motorist is if somebody hits you and their insurance doesn't cover enough to pay for everything.

Also if you're a home owner, buying auto insurance is no longer as easy.
While I do qualify for USAA, because I own a home, and investment properties, I pay a higher rate with allstate for auto because of the savings I get through them for my homes.

Since many people seem to be ignoring all the OPs facts, I'll give the OP my two cents. I have similar insurance needs and insurance goals like you. I've been with GEICO for probably over 10 years and I've been extremely pleased with their service. They are always quick to respond and proactive and have been very fair. To be honest, I haven't really comparison shopped for insurance since their service is top notch, but I believe I'm getting a pretty decent deal with them. FYI I only have my cars with them.

For an example of their service, a couple years ago a deer darted out in front of my car going to work one morning and caused quite a bit of damage. That happened around 6:30am. I probably got home at 7am and I filed an on-line claim with GEICO maybe around 7:30am. By 9:15am that morning I had their tow truck company pick up my car to bring it to get repaired AND their car rental company at my house to pick me up to get my rental.

Good luck!

Thanks for this

I shopped around a little bit. Ended up going with Amica. They were about $600 less a year than my current auto/home insurance through farmers.

Amica is about $300/year less than what I'm paying Allstate right now, so I'm probably going to make the switch. Does anyone use their roadside assistance? It's less per year than AAA but seems to offer comparable service. I've heard discussion though that using insurance company provided service can negatively affect your premiums in the future.

Is that bogus?

I second wanting to know the answer to it hurting your future premiums. I have roadside through AAA and through Geico, (AAA was a gift) and my wife's car has it through the dealership and through Geico. I just want to make sure I use the right one.

I vaguely recall getting a dividend check with Amica years back, but none since. We've had them cover house and car for 11 years. No claims, great credit scores and the rates have climbed well above competition. We're switching soon.

Do they offer lower rates to newcomers?

added, found:
Amica automobile dividend policies are not available in CA, FL, HI, MA, MO, NC, NJ and TX.

Amica homeowner dividend policies are not available in CA, FL, MO and NC.

Amica umbrella dividend polices are not available in CA, FL and MO.

Amica marine dividend policies are not available in CA and MO.

LOL that sucks, I don't qualify for all 4

Well, yea. But you also pay more for a "dividend" policy than a non dividend. And they give you back some 20 or 25%? I'm told on the phone by one of their agents it's pretty much a wash and one can only switch over at renewal dates.

Can someone elaborate if it's worthwhile dividending?

I've had to use uninsured a couple of times. They were both because my car got hit by a stolen car....

yay baltimore.

Huge thanks, you saved me over $700 a year!!! Thank you so much for your post!! Switched to Amica, was with Allstate.

So underinsured property damage applied so your insurance would pay for the stolen car? But wouldn't the owner of that car have insurance on the car? If not, why is it your responsibility to pay for the car?

How much auto insurance do I need if I own a home and some other assests?

Underlying requirements are set by the 1M umbrella you should have if the home is in your name.

I compare auto insurance every couple of years and I still haven't been able to beat Ameriprise through Costco. Although we're no doubt older than most of you on here. No tickets, own both cars, low mileage, etc.

I bought my husband a Vespa (the cool portofino green color - I'd love to find a car that color) for his last bday and the insurance was thru Geico. I thought maybe they'd give us cheaper rates if I added the cars and the house, but no. They were always the highest when I shopped for auto insurance - have to pay for those idiotic commercials somehow I guess.

No, so it would apply to any damage caused to his car by the stolen car.

I believe some states do not require auto insurance (NH comes to mind, but correct me if I'm wrong).

I'm continually surprised that people continue to buy insurance without knowing what they are buying.

That doesn't fall under collision?

How much you pay for auto insurance depends oln several factors, including your age and marital status, where you live, and what you drive. You can't do anything about your age, and few people will move just to lower their insurance premium. You can, however, choose a vehicle that costs less to insure...

I believe collision is for when you damage your own car.

I am with Ameriprise (IDS property and casualty insurance), it was spun off from American Express maybe five years ago.
My only philosophy about buying auto insurance is to avoid anyone that advertises heavily. Guess who pays for all those ads!!!

Does anyone know the link to the different organizations one can join to save about 10% off their Geico insurance. I read it here a few years ago but cant remember the forum or link

Thanks so much. repped!

For me...on my Auto
6mo policy quotes
24yrs old, No accidents ever. Good student discount.. Good FICO own my home.

Progressive $210
AllState $680
Amerprise $1200
Ameca $1100
Geico $550

Don't understand why other companies are outrageous...Been with Progressive for 3yrs now and checked every year.