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.
