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• NY Auto Insurance
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Find A Great New York Auto Insurance Company

Compare New York Car Insurance Companies

Shopping for a new auto insurance policy can feel confusing and overwhelming. The insurance policy market is flooded with dozens of competing companies offering a variety of policies. There are many factors that companies use to determine your rate, but each company does it somewhat differently than the next so quotes from them differ. Thanks to the internet, you can search hundreds of NY insurance companies to find the best New York insurance rates around. If you type your zip code into the box at the top of the page, you’ll get a free quote comparison that will help you find a policy that fits your individual needs.

The follow three Q&A’s are from the New York Department of Insurance.

• My policy has been canceled! Can the company do this?
• My insurer says it won’t renew my policy. What can I do?
• Why am I in the “assigned-risk” plan, why is it so expensive, and how do I get out of it?

My policy has been canceled! Can the company do this?

For any new personal automobile insurance policy, an insurer may cancel for any reason within the first 60 days subject to the insurer’s established underwriting guidelines which are not required to be filed with the Insurance Department. Otherwise, a policy can only be canceled in mid-term (after 60 days on a new policy) for a few specific reasons: (1) suspension or revocation of a driver’s license of the named insured or any other person who customarily operates an automobile insured under the policy (not including administrative suspensions); (2) discovery of fraud or material misrepresentation in obtaining the policy or in making a claim; or (3) nonpayment of premium. However, policies in the NYAIP (New York Automobile Insurance Plan a/k/a “assigned risk” plan) may be subject to certain additional criteria for cancellation.

My insurer says it won’t renew my policy. What can I do?

Under the Insurance Law, when a non-commercial motor vehicle policy is non-renewed, a notice must be mailed to the policyholder between 45 and 60 days before policy expiration. In this way, the insured has time to take action to obtain other insurance, and may contact other agents, brokers or insurers writing direct business.

An insurer may non-renew up to 2% of its non-commercial motor vehicle policies, plus one policy for each two new policies written, during each calendar year. Any non-renewals by an insurer must be made according to the insurer’s established underwriting guidelines, which are not required to be filed with the Insurance Department. The Insurance Department closely monitors compliance with the aforementioned statutory 2% limitation via an annual report from private passenger automobile insurers.

Why am I in the “assigned-risk” plan, why is it so expensive, and how do I get out of it?

The NYAIP (New York Automobile Insurance Plan) is a mechanism through which consumers are assigned to an insurance company on an involuntary basis, if they cannot find an insurer in the voluntary market who will offer them a policy. The NYAIP consists of those policyholders which an insurer does not believe can be insured at a reasonable profit, generally because of poor driving records, having little or no prior driving experience, or having had a certain “frequency of claims”.

The rates and availability of automobile insurance are established by a competitive insurance industry, based on verifiable loss experience data, and monitored by the Insurance Department. The rates for policies written through the NYAIP are generally higher, since the loss experience for these drivers, as a group, is consistently worse than the losses and expenses of those in the voluntary market.

If you are currently insured under the NYAIP, your insurer must continue to insure you for 3 years; however this does not limit you from looking to purchase another policy in the voluntary market at any time. New York State fosters an actively competitive voluntary automobile insurance marketplace, and we always encourage consumers to shop around to obtain the best available coverage and service at the most reasonable price. As insurance rates may vary considerably from one insurer to another, it definitely pays to shop around for automobile insurance if you are in the NYAIP or are not satisfied with your present insurer. You may contact several agents and brokers and those insurers that market their products directly to consumers.

Ask Others About Their Experiences With NY Insurance Companies

Word of mouth and reputation is one of the best indicators of whether an insurance company is going to work well with you. Rates are extremely important, but so is customer satisfaction. A good person to talk to is a body shop manager in New York City or upstate New York. Repair shop managers deal with NY auto insurance companies regularly and may offer some insightful information on their customer service experiences with New York insurance companies.

It’s Helps To Know If An Insurance Company is Financially Stable

Check out the financial stability of a car insurance company before signing a contract for a new policy. Helpful information on the financial ranking of a New York insurance companies may be found by independent ratings organizations.

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