It’s shocking but most car insurance policyholders have bought car insurance from the same company for at least the last four years, and 38% of drivers have never compared rates from other carriers. Buffalo drivers could save as much as $840 a year, but they don’t believe the big savings they would realize if they changed companies.
If your goal is the lowest price, then the best way to get budget Volkswagen Passat insurance is to start comparing prices yearly from different companies who can sell car insurance in Buffalo.
- First, gain an understanding of how companies price auto insurance and the modifications you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many risk factors that increase rates like inattentive driving and poor credit history can be amended by paying attention to minor details. Read the full article for instructions to prevent high rates and find discounts that you may qualify for.
- Second, quote rates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can give quotes from one company like GEICO or Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers.
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to the premium of your current policy to determine if you can save on Passat insurance. If you can save some money and buy the policy, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Fourth, notify your agent or company of your decision to cancel your existing policy. Submit a signed application and payment for your new coverage. Make sure you put the new certificate verifying coverage in an accessible location in your vehicle.
One bit of advice is to make sure you enter similar coverage information on each quote request and and to analyze all possible companies. This helps ensure a fair price comparison and a thorough price selection.
These tips will familiarize you with how to effectively get price quotes and some money-saving tips. If you are insured now, you stand a good chance to be able to find the best rates using these tips. Smart buyers just need to know the least time-consuming way to compare price quotes online.
The following companies can provide free quotes in Buffalo, NY. To locate cheap car insurance in New York, we suggest you get price quotes from several of them to get the best price comparison.
Insuring your Passat just makes sense
Despite the potentially high cost of Volkswagen Passat insurance, maintaining insurance is mandatory in New York but it also protects more than you think.
- The majority of states have mandatory insurance requirements which means state laws require a minimum amount of liability if you want to drive legally. In New York these limits are 25/50/10 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your Passat has a loan, almost all lenders will make it a condition of the loan that you have insurance to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the lender may insure your Volkswagen at a much higher rate and make you pay for the much more expensive policy.
- Insurance protects both your vehicle and your assets. It will also cover medical expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of having auto insurance are definitely more than the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. But the average American driver overpays more than $850 per year so you should quote and compare rates at least once a year to ensure rates are inline.
Rates and data analysis
The coverage table displayed next highlights a range of coverage prices for Volkswagen Passat models. Having knowledge of how car insurance prices are determined can help customers make decisions when choosing a new policy provider.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passat Komfort Station Wagon | $142 | $256 | $226 | $14 | $68 | $706 | $59 |
| Passat Komfort 4-Dr Sedan | $142 | $256 | $264 | $16 | $80 | $758 | $63 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Data variables include married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and New York minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, claim-free, homeowner, and safe-driver. Prices do not factor in vehicle location which can change prices considerably.
Full coverage or liability only
The example below shows the comparison of Volkswagen Passat yearly insurance costs with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The data is based on no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
When to drop full coverage
There isn’t a steadfast formula of when to phase out full coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is more than about 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
For example, let’s say your Volkswagen Passat replacement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most your company will settle for is $2,000 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying over $200 a year for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.
There are a few situations where only buying liability is not a good idea. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to carry full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should not opt for liability only.
These discounts can lower your car insurance rates
Some insurers don’t always publicize every discount available very clearly, so we break down some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious discounts that you can inquire about if you buy Buffalo auto insurance online. If you do not double check each discount possible, it’s possible you qualify for a lower rate.
- One Accident Forgiven – Not really a discount, but companies like Liberty Mutual and GEICO will let one accident slide without the usual rate increase if you have no claims prior to the accident.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying a policy with all your vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Early Switch Discount – A few insurance companies offer discounts for switching policies before your current expiration date. You can save around 10% with this discount.
- No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents have much lower rates when compared with bad drivers.
- Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education in school.
- Government Employee Discount – Simply working for the federal government could qualify for a slight premium decrease with some car insurance companies.
- Senior Citizen Rates – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive lower premium rates.
- Discount for Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags can receive discounts of 25 to 30%.
- Discount for Low Mileage – Maintaining low annual mileage may allow you to get substantially lower car insurance rates.
- Full Payment Discount – By paying your policy upfront rather than paying monthly you can avoid monthly service charges.
Remember that some credits don’t apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
The example below visualizes the comparison of Volkswagen Passat annual premium costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. Data assumes a female driver, no violations or accidents, New York state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, multi-car, multi-policy, marriage, claim-free, and safe-driver discounts applied.
A few companies that may include these benefits include:
Before you buy a policy, ask each company or agent the best way to save money. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be offered in Buffalo.
Compare rates but buy from a neighborhood Buffalo auto insurance agent
A small number of people just want to buy from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Professional agents can answer important questions and help submit paperwork. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is you may find the best rates but also keep your business local. Supporting local insurance agencies is still important in Buffalo.
After completing this simple form, the quote information is instantly submitted to participating agents in Buffalo that can give you free Buffalo auto insurance quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. There is no reason to contact any agents because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. If for some reason you want to compare prices for a specific company, just search and find their rate quote page and fill out their quote form.
Compare rates from both independent and exclusive auto insurance agents
If you are wanting to find a local Buffalo insurance agent, there are a couple of different types of agents and how they work. Insurance agencies in Buffalo are either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments. Either can do a good job, but it’s worth learning how they are different since it can affect which agent you choose.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Agents of this type are not required to write business for one company and that is an advantage because they can write policies through many different insurance companies and get you the best rates possible. If your premiums go up, your agent can switch companies and that require little work on your part.
When comparing insurance rates, you absolutely need to include price quotes from several independent agencies to get the most accurate price comparison.
Shown below is a partial list of independent agencies in Buffalo who may be able to give you price quotes.
Linda’s Able Agency
2564 Bailey Ave – Buffalo, NY 14215 – (716) 896-3366 – View Map
Kasprzyk Insurance Agency
497 Franklin St – Buffalo, NY 14202 – (716) 844-8178 – View Map
Merchants Insurance Co
85 Pearl St – Buffalo, NY 14202 – (716) 849-3287 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Agents that elect to be exclusive can usually just insure with one company such as Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. Exclusive agents are unable to shop your coverage around so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Exclusive agencies are usually well trained on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Shown below are Buffalo exclusive insurance agents that are able to give comparison quotes.
GEICO Insurance Agent
3835 McKinley Pkwy #2 – Buffalo, NY 14219 – (716) 604-0345 – View Map
Lou Santiago – State Farm Insurance Agent
557 Niagara St – Buffalo, NY 14201 – (716) 883-5500 – View Map
Marc Scherrer – State Farm Insurance Agent
2165 Sheridan Dr – Buffalo, NY 14223 – (716) 875-0524 – View Map
Finding a good insurance agent is decision based upon more than just a cheap quote. A good agent in Buffalo will have answers to these questions.
- Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
- What is the financial rating for the quoted company?
- Do they get extra compensation for selling add-on coverages?
- Are they able to provide referrals?
- How are claims handled?
- Is coverage determined by price?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- Which companies can they place coverage with?
Affordable car insurance is out there
We’ve covered a lot of techniques to save on Volkswagen Passat insurance in Buffalo. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from a small mutual company. Smaller companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like Allstate or State Farm.
Affordable Volkswagen Passat insurance in Buffalo is possible online and with local Buffalo insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers may not offer online quoting and these smaller providers work with local independent agents.
More articles
- Safe Vehicles for Teens (iihs.org)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Postal Workers in Buffalo? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Buffalo Auto Insurance for Teachers? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for Immigrants in Buffalo? (FAQ)
- Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- Winter Driving (Insurance Information Institute)