Car Insurance Increased, Need Recommendations!

[Danibelle]

We just switched to Amica. They don't have the lowest rates, but they are consistently either the best or second best with regard to service, and none of their competitors are so consistently at the top of each set of reviews.

I have always heard that Amica had the best service also. Can you work something out with them to get something affordable?

I am a long time USAA member. Their insurance is still for military only according to their website.

 

[sskem96]

We have always had State Farm. We pay $85/mo for full coverage on a 2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx and a 2000 Ford Explorer. Our deductible is $100.

 

[MomofKatie]

We have Progressive- we pay around $110/month for 2 cars. One is a 2011 and the other is a 2003. Both have full coverage, comp and collision with $100/$250 deductibles.

We do have 1 minor accident on the books until our next renewal date- hoping for a slight decrease in our premium then.

 

[vacationer1954]

I have always heard that Amica had the best service also. Can you work something out with them to get something affordable?

Better service often costs more to provide. Amica is a mutual insurance company so no stockholders are profiting. As I understand it all the money goes to pay claims and provide service and anything left over gets rebated as a dividend.

 

[februarydisgoer]

We were told that the no helmet law for motorcyclists in Michigan has contributed to a spike in auto insurance costs.

 

[jsmith]

Different companies rates will vary by state to to what they have had in losses there-State Farm is higher than high here-and i used to work for them. We are also USAA customers. i pay 143 a month for a 2013 acura RDX, a 1999 tahoe and a 78 trans am ( insured for replacement cost and garaged most of the time)

 

[Mysteria]

The time to see when an insurance company is really worth it is after you have an accident, especially one that is considered your fault.

We had great rates with Progressive and they didn't go up that much after the accident. They also took care of everything in a timely and friendly manner, leaving us nothing to stress about.

It's not always about the bottom dollar.

 

[cymbaldiva]

We have always had State Farm. We pay $85/mo for full coverage on a 2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx and a 2000 Ford Explorer. Our deductible is $100.

We have Progressive- we pay around $110/month for 2 cars. One is a 2011 and the other is a 2003. Both have full coverage, comp and collision with $100/$250 deductibles.

We do have 1 minor accident on the books until our next renewal date- hoping for a slight decrease in our premium then.

There's no such thing as full coverage - you may want to review your policy to see what coverages you are actually carrying.

 

[Leader of the Club]

You are only paying $100 a month to insure three vehicles? Are they not covered with collision? Do you have a huge deductible? We pay $1200 a year just for one vehicle (08 Aspen) (that bill just came in the mail which is why I mention that one). We insure two other vehicles 91 Wrangler and 01 Caravan, and also have our homeowners with State Farm.

Just got the renewal. Its $104 a month. One car, the 2002, only has liability. The 2011 and 2009 are fully covered, above state minimums with a $250 deductible. Three drivers in the house, me, hubs and 24 y/o DD-college student.

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

Jealous of you all with cheap car insurance! Florida is RIDICULOUS.

That being said, we have State Farm - rates are competitive (here at least) and have had good service.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

We have State Farm and pay 135.00 a month for full coverage on 2006 touring motorcycle, 1999 olds alero (replaced a 2006 dodge quad cab but that only made our premium 160 monthly) and a 2009 Toyota sienna lx. We also have towing/roadside assistance.

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[sookie]

Just wanted to update. I called Amica today about the increase and was told that our state has a 20% increase this year, every state had different amounts depending on a lot of factors.

If anyone else has Amica, don't be surprised if your rates go up. I will be shopping around.

Honestly, that sounds on par with our house insurance increase. I know that might not be apples to apples (car vs house) but I did ask around and a lot of people had similar % increases in my area.

 

[North of Mouse]

I have always had state farm; no other insurance has been able to touch our rates!

We have had State Farm also (for over 35 yrs.) and have not found anyone to compare. We have it with our home also. When we've had claims, they have been very prompt and never quibbled with our pay out.

Also, our rates have never gone up after claims. We are totally satisfied.

 

[swilshire]

Has anyone mentioned Farm Bureau yet. They are not quite the cheapest, but their service seems to be the greatest. Never a problem with them. We did have a pretty hefty increase in our homeowners premium this year because of all the storm damage in the state. They also made a change in the way they pay for hail damage to our roofs.

My least favorite is State Farm. I would never insure with them.

Sheila

 

[MrsPete]

First, read your new policy cover to cover. Every July when ours arrives, I find that they've added a few things to my policy -- things I may or may not be willing to pay for (for example, towing insurance; I've had a car towed exactly twice in my life, and it's not all that expensive -- not something I need to have covered by insurance). If you find that this is true, before you begin paying, call your agent and have those specific things removed.

To keep your bills low, consider these tactics:

1. Pay every 6 months or every year. Paying month-to-month costs more.

2. Bundle your car and home insurance into the same policy. You get a better rate for both.

3. Don't jump from company to company. Instead, find a good company with reasonable rates and stay with them. I've been with the same company since I was 16 years old, and the discount for longevity is worthwhile.

4. Raise your deductible. This places more risk upon you, the consumer, but it slashes your premiums. The deductible is "might have to pay" money. The premium is "definitely have to pay" money. I've had car insurance for more than 30 years, and I've never once had to pay the deductible -- sure, this might be the year that it hits me, but even if that happens, I've had enough years of saving that it's still worthwhile.

5. Do not over-insure yourself. That is, don't get sucked into the idea that you must be protected for absolutely everything that could ever possibly happen. For example, we don't carry comprehensive insurance on the 1999 Ford that our daughters share; it's literally worth nothing, and if it were to be wrecked today, we have the resources to replace it with another used car.

On the other hand, don't go too far the other direction either. Be sure that you have enough coverage to manage an expensive problem, if it should occur. Be realistic about what you need in the way of coverage.

 

[it's kelly]

Jealous of you all with cheap car insurance! Florida is RIDICULOUS.

That being said, we have State Farm - rates are competitive (here at least) and have had good service.

Another jealous one! Haha. I'm actually jealous of your Fl rate as well. Living in NYC I pay a lot more then my brother living in Fl.

 

[Planogirl]

Another vote for State Farm. They have steadily given us the lowest rates and they've been easy to deal with. We have a great agent though.

 

[*Seanaci*]

We are with Lib Mutual. I was considering shopping around. We just called to take my 94 Honda off (my dad drives it anyhow, so he added it to his policy at the same time) and add our 2011 grand caravan full coverage (no choice there as we had to get an auto loan for it). We bumped my Hubbys 03 tribute down to lib only. It raised our premium $600 a year. Only accidents are one 6 years ago...and one from 2 years ago. Hubby says they only stay on 2 years...I haven't looked it up though. Our policy renews in July.

Def a lot for us to consider now after reading through this thread. Thanks to those with suggestions...and those with advice.

 

[marius97]

I'll second something that someone else said. Whenever possible, stay with the same company as long as you can. Progressive gives us huge discounts for being with them forever. We have two cars ('10 Escape, '06 Pacifica) that when I called around to other companies, a few reps actually laughed when I asked if they could match Progressive's price. Add that to us adding their Snapshot program where we get up to 30% off each car and I have no plans of leaving them anytime soon.

 

[FourBees]

Another vote for State Farm here. Just traded in my 2008 Prius for a 2013 CRV EX and I have two teenage drivers (18 & 16) and a 20 year old and was getting ready for a big price increase. It went down $10 per year!!!!