It takes a little time, but the best way to get discount auto insurance rates is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from companies that sell auto insurance in New Orleans.
- Try to learn about how your policy works and the modifications you can make to prevent high rates. Many policy risk factors that are responsible for high rates like traffic citations and a low credit rating can be improved by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
- Request rate estimates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive and State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes from multiple companies.
- Compare the new quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you find better rates, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
- Give notification to your current company of your intention to cancel the current policy and submit a signed application and payment to the new insurer. Make sure you keep the new proof of insurance paperwork above your visor, in the console, or in the glove compartment.
An important part of this process is to make sure you enter similar deductibles and liability limits on every quote and to quote with as many auto insurance providers as possible. Doing this guarantees an accurate price comparison and the best price selection.
A recent study showed that nearly 70% of consumers have bought auto insurance from the same company for at least four years, and 38% of drivers have never shopped around. Louisiana drivers could save an average of about $900 each year, but they don’t want to spend time to find affordable rates by getting comparison quotes.
The companies shown below offer free rate quotes in Louisiana. To locate the best cheap car insurance in New Orleans, we recommend you visit two to three different companies to get a more complete price comparison.
Protect your Subaru Baja and other assets
Even though it can be expensive, maintaining insurance may be required and benefits you in several ways.
- The majority of states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means state laws require specific minimum amounts of liability protection in order to license the vehicle. In Louisiana these limits are 15/30/25 which means you must have $15,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
- If you bought your Subaru Baja with a loan, most banks will stipulate that you carry insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Subaru at an extremely high rate and require you to pay the higher price.
- Car insurance protects your vehicle and your assets. It will also provide coverage for medical expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay to defend you in the event you are sued. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of insuring your car definitely exceed the price paid, particularly when you have a large claim. But the average driver in Louisiana is wasting up to $865 each year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at every renewal to make sure the price is not too high.
Cheaper Subaru Baja insurance quotes in New Orleans
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you can get discounts that you may not even be aware of. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically in order for you to get them.
- One Accident Forgiven – This one isn’t a discount, but certain companies permit an accident before they charge you more for coverage if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
- Homeowners Savings – Owning a home in New Orleans can help you save on car insurance since home ownership requires personal responsibility.
- Seat Belt Usage – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles with anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen and earn discounts up to 10% off your New Orleans auto insurance quote.
- ABS Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Membership in Organizations – Being a member of qualifying clubs or civic groups may earn a discount on your next renewal.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Low annual miles could earn lower car insurance rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Don’t be surprised that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, that’s just not realistic.
A list of companies and their offered discounts are included below.
- Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include distant student, bundle discounts, business and professional, homeowner, early shopping, and alternative fuel.
- Esurance may include discounts for claim free, online shopper, defensive driver, renters, homeowner, safety device, and Pac-12 alumni.
- State Farm has discounts for multiple policy, Drive Safe & Save, good student, multiple autos, and good driver.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including military active duty, multi-policy, federal employee, anti-lock brakes, and defensive driver.
- Allstate includes discounts for anti-theft, premier discount, defensive driver, multi-policy, 55 and retired, economy car, and premier plus.
When getting free New Orleans auto insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to each insurance company to apply every possible discount. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply to policies in New Orleans. If you would like to choose from a list of companies who offer online Subaru Baja insurance quotes in Louisiana, click here to view.
Local agents and insurance
Some people still like to buy from a licensed agent and that is just fine! Most agents will help you protect your assets and help in the event of a claim. One of the benefits of comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, your coverage information is submitted to agents in your area who will give you bids for your business. You won’t even need to contact an agency because quoted prices will be sent directly to your email. If you have a need to get a price quote from a specific company, just visit that company’s website to submit a rate quote request.
Choosing a insurance company is decision based upon more than just the bottom line cost. Here are some questions to ask:
- Is the agency active in community causes in New Orleans?
- Does the company have a solid financial rating?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- If independent agents, which companies do they recommend?
- Will they take your side in the event of a claim?
- Who are their largest clients?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Omissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
Types of car insurance agents
When looking for a good New Orleans insurance agent, you need to know there are two different types of agents and how they can quote your rates. Insurance agents in New Orleans can be classified as either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for. Both types of agents can provide insurance policies, but it’s a good idea to understand why they differ because it can impact your agent selection.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Agents that elect to be exclusive can usually just insure with one company like State Farm or Allstate. They usually cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so keep that in mind. Exclusive agents are very knowledgeable on what they offer which helps them sell on service rather than price. A lot of people purchase coverage from exclusives primarily because of the brand and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
Below are New Orleans exclusive agents that are able to give rate quotes.
- State Farm: Chris Nolan
Place St. Charles, 201 St Charles Ave #224 – New Orleans, LA 70170 – (504) 522-9560 – View Map - Allstate Insurance: Daniel Occhi
4006 Canal St – New Orleans, LA 70119 – (504) 517-9080 – View Map - Randy Bordlee – State Farm Insurance Agent
4650 General De Gaulle Dr #102 – New Orleans, LA 70131 – (504) 392-9300 – View Map
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These type of agents are not required to write business for one company and that enables them to quote your coverage with an assortment of companies and potentially find a lower price. If you want to switch companies, your agent can switch companies and the insured can keep the same agent.
When comparison shopping, you definitely need to include a couple of independent agencies so that you can do a thorough price comparison. A lot of them also have access to smaller mutual companies who may have lower rates.
The following is a list of independent agents in New Orleans that can give you rate quotes.
- Hartwig Moss Insurance Agency
2626 Canal St #3 – New Orleans, LA 70119 – (504) 525-9901 – View Map - Southern Insurance Agency, LLC
725 Magazine St E – New Orleans, LA 70130 – (504) 528-9242 – View Map - Integra Insurance in Baton Rouge, Shreveport and New Orleans | Texas and Louisiana Insurance Agents
2750 Lake Villa Dr #305 – Metairie, LA 70002 – (877) 969-3026 – View Map
If you receive good feedback to your questions as well as a price you’re happy with, it’s a good possibility that you have found a car insurance agent that can be relied on to properly insure your vehicles. Just keep in mind you are able to cancel a policy at any point so never assume that you’re stuck with any specific company indefinitely.
Louisiana car insurance company ratings
Picking the top auto insurance company can be rather challenging considering how many companies there are in New Orleans. The ranking data below can help you choose which insurers to look at when comparing rate quotes.
Top 10 New Orleans Car Insurance Companies Overall
- Travelers
- USAA
- Mercury Insurance
- AAA Insurance
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- Safeco Insurance
- Progressive
Coverages available on your insurance policy
Understanding the coverages of your policy helps when choosing the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Collision – Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your Baja resulting from a collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage protects against things such as backing into a parked car, crashing into a building, scraping a guard rail and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible on your Baja to save money on collision insurance.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for short-term medical expenses such as EMT expenses, doctor visits and dental work. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as hail damage, fire damage, theft, damage from a tornado or hurricane and vandalism. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Liability – This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 15/30/25 that means you have $15,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000.
Liability coverage pays for things such as medical expenses, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and emergency aid. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Louisiana state minimum liability requirements are 15/30/25 but you should think about purchasing higher limits.
The chart below shows why buying minimum limits may not be high enough to adequately cover claims.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Subaru Baja.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (Louisiana limits are 15/30/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
A conclusion for your auto insurance search
Consumers leave their current company for any number of reasons including policy cancellation, delays in paying claims, extreme rates for teen drivers and even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new company can be easier than you think.
When you buy New Orleans auto insurance online, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In too many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that they should have had better coverage. Your goal should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best possible price and still be able to protect your assets.
Some auto insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through independent agents. Cheaper Subaru Baja insurance in New Orleans is definitely available on the web and also from your neighborhood New Orleans agents, and you should compare rates from both to have the best rate selection.
More information can be read on the following sites:
- Five Mistakes to Avoid (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for Hybrid Vehicles in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for Uber Drivers in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for a Company Car in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- How Much are Auto Insurance Rates for Homeowners in New Orleans? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap New Orleans Car Insurance for a Honda Civic? (FAQ)
- Auto Crash Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- What is Full Coverage? (Allstate)