the Monthly Cost of Car Insurance for one Car

This is the monthly cost of car insurance for a 2004 Hyundai Elantra. It includes coverage for bodily injury ($100,000/person/$300,000/occurence), $50,000 property damage liability, $10,000 residual medical payments, basic personal injury $50,000 (+ $100,000 additional personal injury protection), uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage $100,000/$300,000, comprehensive with full glass ($500 deductible, no deductible on glass), collision with a $500 deductible, emergency roadside assistance, and $30 per day rental car reimbursement. The insured has a clean driving record and receives a discount for being with the company for more than 20 years with a clean record.

Every year I try to price out my insurance with other companies and no one has ever even come close. We are in a very high insurance rate area here due to the heavy traffic and high risk for accidents on Long Island. This is consistently the lowest rate I can get and honestly, it has only varied by about a dollar or two in the last five years, so I stick with it. The few claims that I have submitted (one for a new windshield, and once my car was nearly totalled by a drunk driver) were paid immediately and without argument. I have had to use the roadside assistance twice and found the customer service to be both prompt and courteous. That particular coverage is included in my premiums - I do not pay any extra for it. My only complaint is that this company will not allow you to pay by credit card.

In New York State, insurance in mandatory. Know the laws of your state and do not allow yourself to be underinsured. If your state does not require insurance, that does not mean you should not carry it. One accident could ruin you financially for life. The rental car reimbursement coverage is only a few dollars per year and is worth every penny if you ever have to use it. Call several companies, but make sure you are getting quoted for the same exact coverage at each company. Sometimes they alter the coverage in order to get you the best rate and you end up underinsured without realizing it.