Insurance??

[Tango23]

I have had my pkg 4 08 model for a few months now and things are still going great.

Taking a look at my insurance (Allstate) though has made me wonder if I can do better than the $700+ I am paying every 6 months. My agent tells me that due to it being a hybrid the replacement cost of parts would be higher, thus my rates would need to reflect that.

Personally, I think she is full of it. My wife and I (ages,mid 30's, and early 40's) have clean driving records for the last 5 years, no claims on prior policies, and we also have the multi policy discount as our home is insured through All$tate as well.

Anyone out there able to reccommend a prius friendly insurance company?

Many Thanks

T

[galaxee]

we were also paying ~$790/6mo for our two cars through allstate. i got quotes from geico and progressive in the $580 range... we're no longer with allstate.

watch out though, we learned one thing about how badly insurance in nc sucks and i don't know if it applies elsewhere. insurance companies can charge you a percentage of your premium in "cancellation fees" here, which for us added up to nearly $100. i was highly irritated.

[Tango23]

Yea Progressive wasnt too bad, and I still need to check with geico

Its frustrating though. I have been with Allstate for over 20 and my family has about 12 policies with this particular agent. I am sure they could do better

Oh well, we will see what the gecko tells me...

T

[JimboK]

Check with Travelers. They provide a small discount for hybrid owners.

EDIT: Here's more.

[JimN]

Originally Posted by galaxee

we were also paying ~$790/6mo for our two cars through allstate. i got quotes from geico and progressive in the $580 range... we're no longer with allstate.

watch out though, we learned one thing about how badly insurance in nc sucks and i don't know if it applies elsewhere. insurance companies can charge you a percentage of your premium in "cancellation fees" here, which for us added up to nearly $100. i was highly irritated.

The cancellation fee is a state thing. When a policy is cancelled in NJ the prorated premium is refunded.

[sdp40f500]

We're pretty much in the same boat as you demographically and I just wrote the 6 month check last night to American Family for $598 (that's for an 08 Prius and an 06 Corolla).

Part of the dreck that came with the invoice was a brochure on how you can pay less for insurance, and besides all the obvious points, 'Choosing a safer car' was one of the sections. "Insurance losses for injuries, vehicle damage and theft vary widely, depending on the vehicle. Vehicle size is also strongly related to injury and collision loss, but those losses also vary among vehicles similar in body style and size. Other cars are expensive to repair because of their design and construction materials." The brochure refers to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which I checked briefly. They classify Prius as a "small car," which kind of makes me wonder, but anyways it appears they crash-tested two 2006's and for that model year (and presumably later) gave Prius their highest rating ("good") for frontal crashes, and side crashes with the side airbags ("poor" on side crashes without the side bags). I didn't see anything on repair costs per model but I may have missed it in my cursory check. I don't know a lot about this group or who is funding them (insurance companies, I assume), but you can see more at: IIHS-HLDI: Crash Testing*&*Highway Safety

Other things go into our insurance rates as well, but I'd say Prius is pretty much theft-resistant. Haven't had to have body work done (knock wood) so I wouldn't know about that!

I had enough of Allstate myself a few years back.

Jim

[Tango23]

Well so far the lizard people (Geico) are winning out. For the 08 pri and an 07 Camry, we are getting quoted in at just under $600.

I still need to shop around a bit for a homeowners policy as that will go up with allstate once I bail on the auto one. Just FYI, the home policy on Geico was pretty high, so I am expecting to have to split them up.

Thanks to all for the replies

T

[galaxee]

geico also gave us a ludicrous renters quote.

i made a typo earlier- we're paying under $500/6 mo for our insurance through them.

[tumbleweed]

Amica has a very good reputation, suggest giving them a try if you are looking for a new company. The key to low insurance costs (car and house) for me has been high deductibles, however you if your car isn't payed for your finance company may object. Also in this state, and others, having a high credit score can save you a lot on insurance.

[qbee42]

We found our Prius to be cheaper to insure than an equivalent normal car. We are with Horrace Mann, but they serve a limited group.

Tom