It’s an obvious statement that car insurance companies don’t want their customers to go rate shopping. Insureds who do rate comparisons will most likely move their business because of the high probability of finding coverage at a cheaper rate. A recent survey revealed that people who routinely shopped for cheaper coverage saved on average $3,450 over four years compared to those who don’t regularly compare prices.
If finding the cheapest rates on auto insurance in Albuquerque is your ultimate target, then having a good understanding how to quote prices and compare insurance can save time and make the process easier.
The best way we recommend to get the cheapest Chevy Captiva Sport insurance is to regularly compare prices from insurers in Albuquerque.
- Step 1: It will benefit you to learn about how companies price auto insurance and the things you can change to prevent rate increases. Many rating factors that result in higher prices such as traffic tickets, fender benders, and bad credit can be remedied by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes. Read the full article for additional ideas to get affordable coverage and earn a bigger discount.
- Step 2: Request price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can provide rates from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide prices from multiple companies.
- Step 3: Compare the quotes to your existing policy and see if you can save money. If you find a lower rate quote and make a switch, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
- Step 4: Provide notification to your current company to cancel your existing policy. Submit a down payment along with a completed application to your new carrier. As soon as you receive it, keep your new certificate of insurance in an easily accessible location in your vehicle.
An important note is to try to use the same deductibles and limits on each quote request and and to analyze as many carriers as you can. This ensures the most accurate price comparison and a better comparison of the market.
If you have insurance now, you should be able to reduce premiums using these tips. Comparison shopping for affordable policy in Albuquerque is easy to do. But New Mexico drivers do need to understand the way companies determine what you pay and use it to find better rates.
Low Cost companies for Chevy Captiva Sport insurance in New Mexico
The companies shown below can provide price comparisons in New Mexico. To locate cheap car insurance in NM, it’s a good idea that you compare several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Save money with these nine discounts
Some insurers do not list all available discounts very well, so the list below contains both the well known and the harder-to-find credits available to you.
- Full Payment Discount – By making one initial payment instead of making monthly payments you can avoid the installment charge.
- Telematics Devices – Drivers that enable driving data submission to spy on where and when they drive by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as Progressive’s Snapshot might get better premium rates if they exhibit good driving behavior.
- Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less in comparison to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Own a Home and Save – Owning your own home or condo may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs optioned with advanced anti-theft systems are stolen with less frequency and that can save you a little bit as well.
- Buy New and Save – Insuring a new Captiva Sport can save you some money due to better safety requirements for new vehicles.
- Sign Early and Save – A few auto insurance companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to the expiration date on your current Captiva Sport insurance policy. It could save around 10% when you buy Albuquerque car insurance online.
- Policy Bundle Discount – If you can bundle your auto and home insurance and insure them both with the same insurance company you could get a discount of at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
- Distant College Student Discount – Any of your kids who live away from home at college without a vehicle on campus can receive lower rates.
Don’t be surprised that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, nobody gets a free ride.
Larger auto insurance companies and the discounts they provide are:
- State Farm policyholders can earn discounts including multiple policy, good student, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for five-year accident-free, multi-vehicle, anti-lock brakes, membership and employees, air bags, multi-policy, and seat belt use.
- Liberty Mutual offers discounts including newly married, safety features, new graduate, preferred payment discount, new vehicle discount, and hybrid vehicle.
- The Hartford may offer discounts for bundle, vehicle fuel type, defensive driver, good student, anti-theft, driver training, and air bag.
- MetLife includes discounts for good student, accident-free, claim-free, defensive driver, good driver, and multi-policy.
- Progressive may have discounts that include good student, homeowner, online signing, online quote discount, continuous coverage, and multi-vehicle.
Before buying, ask every insurance company what discounts are available to you. Some discounts may not apply to policyholders in Albuquerque. To choose insurers that offer some of these discounts in New Mexico, click here to view.
Local Albuquerque insurance agencies
Some consumers just prefer to talk to a local agent and doing so can bring peace of mind A nice benefit of comparing rates online is the fact that drivers can get cheap rate quotes and still choose a local agent.
To find an agent, once you fill out this short form, your information gets sent to companies in Albuquerque who will give you quotes for your insurance coverage. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to do any legwork because prices are sent straight to your inbox. Get lower rates AND a local agent. If you want to compare rates from a specific auto insurance provider, don’t hesitate to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Picking a insurance company should include more criteria than just the price. Here are some questions you should ask.
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- Will you get a loaner vehicle if you car is being repaired?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Do they assist clients in filing claims?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
Exclusive agents vs. Independent agents
When narrowing the list to find a reliable insurance agency, it helps to know the two different types of agents and how they can write your policy. Agents in Albuquerque can be categorized as either independent agents or exclusive agents.
Exclusive Agencies
Agents that elect to be exclusive write business for a single company and some examples include AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot shop your coverage around so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. They are highly trained on their company’s products which helps offset the inability to provide other markets. Consumers sometimes use the same agent partially due to the brand rather than low price.
The following are exclusive insurance agencies in Albuquerque who can help you get price quotes.
- Edward Dunn – State Farm Insurance Agent
3750 Juan Tabo Blvd NE Ste E – Albuquerque, NM 87111 – (505) 332-8050 – View Map - Matt Medina – State Farm Insurance Agent
4253 Montgomery Blvd NE g205 – Albuquerque, NM 87109 – (505) 881-8100 – View Map - Cindy Maxwell – State Farm Insurance Agent
8244 Menaul Blvd NE – Albuquerque, NM 87110 – (505) 883-9000 – View Map
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Agents of this type do not write with just one company so they have the ability to put coverage with lots of companies and find the cheapest rate. If they quote lower rates, they can switch companies in-house which requires no work on your part.
When comparing rate quotes, we recommend you contact multiple independent agents so that you can do a thorough price comparison. Many write coverage with smaller mutual companies who may have lower rates.
The following are independent agents in Albuquerque that can give you price quote information.
- Commercial West Insurance
2616 Mesilla St NE #2 – Albuquerque, NM 87110 – (505) 255-9577 – View Map - Associated Insurance Professionals, Inc
1429 Carlisle Blvd NE – Albuquerque, NM 87110 – (505) 265-3704 – View Map - Free Market Insurance Agency
6211 San Mateo Blvd NE #120 – Albuquerque, NM 87109 – (505) 881-2645 – View Map
Coverages available on your policy
Knowing the specifics of auto insurance aids in choosing appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Medical expense coverage
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses like EMT expenses, X-ray expenses, hospital visits and doctor visits. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
Collision coverage
This coverage covers damage to your Captiva Sport caused by collision with another car or object. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage pays for claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, colliding with a tree and damaging your car on a curb. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible on your Captiva Sport to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive protection
Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a broken windshield, damage from getting keyed, hitting a bird and theft. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
This coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and damage to your Chevy Captiva Sport.
Due to the fact that many New Mexico drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (25/50/10), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family.
Auto liability
This coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to people or other property in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have limits of 25/50/10 that translate to a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $10,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers claims like emergency aid, bail bonds, structural damage and legal defense fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but consider buying as much as you can afford. New Mexico requires minimum liability limits of 25/50/10 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.
The illustration below demonstrates why buying low liability limits may not be high enough to cover claims.
Which auto insurance company is best in New Mexico?
Picking the top auto insurance company is difficult considering how many different companies insure vehicles in Albuquerque. The company information below can help you decide which car insurance companies to look at comparing rates from.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 98 | 100 | 100 | 94% | A++ | 98.6 |
| American Family | 98 | 89 | 100 | 86% | A | 95.4 |
| State Farm | 88 | 93 | 96 | 90% | A++ | 92.4 |
| The Hartford | 94 | 92 | 90 | 89% | A+ | 91.7 |
| AAA Insurance | 88 | 89 | 95 | 91% | A | 91.2 |
| GEICO | 84 | 93 | 93 | 89% | A++ | 90.3 |
| The General | 89 | 91 | 89 | 88% | A- | 90 |
| Titan Insurance | 90 | 87 | 91 | 95% | A+ | 89.6 |
| Progressive | 84 | 91 | 93 | 87% | A+ | 89.5 |
| Mercury Insurance | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85% | A+ | 89.4 |
| Allstate | 85 | 90 | 92 | 88% | A+ | 89.3 |
| Nationwide | 87 | 88 | 84 | 90% | A+ | 88.7 |
| Liberty Mutual | 84 | 87 | 93 | 88% | A | 88.5 |
| 21st Century | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88% | A | 86.7 |
| Esurance | 85 | 80 | 95 | 87% | A+ | 85.9 |
| Safeco | 85 | 85 | 85 | 86% | A | 85.8 |
| Travelers | 80 | 87 | 87 | 83% | A++ | 85.2 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Affordable coverage is out there
People leave their current company for many reasons like poor customer service, policy non-renewal, questionable increases in premium and even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding the right car insurance provider is actually quite simple.
While you’re price shopping online, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage only to regret at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
Lower-priced car insurance in Albuquerque can be found both online and from local insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some car insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent insurance agencies.
For more information, feel free to browse the following helpful articles:
- Teen Driver Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for a Nissan Altima in Albuquerque? (FAQ)
- How Much are Albuquerque Auto Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Tacoma? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for a Learners Permit in Albuquerque? (FAQ)
- What Does No-Fault Insurance Cover? (Allstate)
- Self-driving cars won’t replace humans (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)