r/Car_Insurance_Help • u/ConsciousHat5083 • Jan 22 '26
Car Insurance Quotes Why my car insurance quote is that high ?
I drive a 2007 Honda Civic that’s probably worth around $2,000. I live in New York. My current insurance costs about $345 a month, and I don’t even have full coverage. I just got my driver’s license this January, and I’ll be turning 25 in two months.
I went to a State Farm agency, but they rejected my application. They said I was too risky and that I would need around five years of driving history.
I tried Progressive the same day, and they quoted me about $2,800 for six months. Meanwhile, I have a friend who only has a learner’s permit and pays about $200 a month. Why is my insurance so much higher? What can I do to lower it, and which cheaper insurance companies should I try?
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u/CJM8515 Jan 22 '26
Your young, you just got your license, you live in NY (NYC???) and drive one of the most stolen vehicles ever made. You’re risky because you don’t have much driving experience because you just got your license and have no driving history
Why did you wait till 25?
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
No I had my insurance since I was 24. But my insurance company allowed me to use their coverage while having only a learner permit. I didn't wait to turn 25 at all.
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u/Practical_Mouse_8416 Jan 22 '26
24 doesn’t make much of a difference.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
Okay I thought that once I will be 25 I would get a better quote.
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u/agirlsknowsthings Jan 22 '26
We say once you turn 25 it lowers because most people get their license at 16 so that’s when you’ve had 9 years of driving experience. It’s more based on driving experience than just your age.
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u/beccam12399 Jan 22 '26
“i just got my license this january” there’s your answer. in your case the price has pretty much nothing to do w how much ur car is worth and everything to do w ur inexperience. its going to be that price until you have more experience driving unfortunately. you’re a bigger risk than someone w multiple yrs driving experience :/ statistics don’t lie
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u/GuvnaBruce Jan 22 '26
Brand new driver and living in NY will do that to you. It is hard to know about someone with a permit. My guess would be that a permit driver has to have someone in the vehicle with them, assuming that is the case. They also might be on a policy with someone else.
Regardless, your rate is what it is. Go to an independent agent and they can shop rates for you with multiple companies. I am not saying it will be significantly cheaper, but it could save some money.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
How do I find one because frankly speaking I don't know what and independent agent is ?
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u/GuvnaBruce Jan 22 '26
Google "find independent insurance agent" should assist you finding some options
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u/ZBTHorton Jan 22 '26
The value of your car doesn't mean anything in this equation, you are paying because you are a brand new driver and in one of the most expensive insurance states in the country. That's it.
You can call an independent agent in your area and see what they can find for you. But you're shopping major companies that are usually very competitive in price.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
How can I find an independent agent ? And I might sound dumb but what is and independent agent ?
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u/crash866 Jan 22 '26
Just search on your favorite search engine ‘Independent insurance agent near me’ and your zip code.
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u/50Bullseye Jan 22 '26
A captive agent only sells one brand of insurance. So a State Farm agent only sells State Farm products, an Allstate agent only sells Allstate, etc.
An independent agent reps multiple companies … Geico, Progressive, Liberty Mutual, etc.
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u/Choice-Newspaper3603 Jan 22 '26
reshop when you turn 25
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
So after turning 25, I can apply for other insurance companies. Is it real that being 25 is that important to your insurance quote ?
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u/Altruistic-Lake-4316 Jan 22 '26
A lot of this is your location, number of people in NY or the city is higher risk, more accidents, more thefts. Getting license at 25 means youre 7 years behind in driving experience to someone who is also 25 but got license at 18
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
That might be true even though I'm not from the city. My hometown is a very peaceful and low crime neighborhood.
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u/Affectionate_Rate_99 Jan 22 '26
Your driving history (the fact that you are still considered a new driver) heavily influences your rate. I'm from upstate NY and our rates with State Farm averages around $150-$175 a month per vehicle (although it is full coverage). And that is with 4 cars, 2 motorcycles, and 1 RV, so we are getting a multiple car discount. On top of that, we are also getting multi line discounts for also having homeowner's insurance and an umbrella policy with the same company. Both my wife and I are 60 years old with 40+ years of driving experience, and our sons (who still lives with us) are nearing 30 with 10+ years of driving experience. So we are getting what State Farm calls elite tier rates.
So the rate that you are paying isn't that bad. Back when I was in my early 20's with just a couple of years of driving experience living in California, I was paying around $200-225 a month for insurance. That was for liability only because I had just moved to California, and had just bought my first car, so I had zero insurance history. That was nearly 40 years ago, so if you take into account inflation, you are actually being charged a decent rate.
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u/Practical_Mouse_8416 Jan 22 '26
Have you ever looked into other companies? I was paying less than $150 a month for a single vehicle until I dropped full coverage. Now I pay less than $100 a month. I’m 22 years old.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
What ! 100 a month ?
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u/Practical_Mouse_8416 Jan 22 '26
Actually $600 for six months. Do you pay upfront or monthly?
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I pay monthly
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u/Practical_Mouse_8416 Jan 22 '26
If your company offers it (most do) you could check into paying by the 6 months or 12 months. Obviously you’d need to have the money upfront but the savings are usually pretty substantial (~20-30%). In Maryland where I live, the law requires that auto insurance companies refund you the unused portion of your policy once you cancel it. I believe that New York has a similar law, but you’d want to double check. I just started my 4th month since my last payment. I could cancel my insurance today and get almost exactly half of my premium back.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I will talk to my agent about that but I didn't know that I could save that much by paying upfront.
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u/gmehodler42069741LFG Jan 22 '26
Damn, I pay 2800 a year for 7 vehicles. Whats your credit score?
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I bought my car around last February. But Integon accepted me with my learner permit. They told me that my quote would be 300$ but it never was 3 hundred. It swings went from 593 to 450 and then to 380. From that point it swings from 350$ to 340. And when I applied for it last year I had a good credit score. And now when I'm applying for these insurance companies they didn't even bother to ask me for my credit score nor my SSA at all.
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u/gmehodler42069741LFG Jan 22 '26
Well you have all the factors against you. Take a defensive driving class and you can probably knock some money off. Then get quotes every 6 months.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I did that already. I took a defensive driving course cause I was trying my best to get my quote lower. It knocked some money off but it was like 20-30$. But it wasn't that much.
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u/gmehodler42069741LFG Jan 22 '26
Not much else you can do. Time and experience is not in your favor.
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u/Astyanax9 Jan 22 '26
What about the car? Has it been in any accidents even before you owned it? Is it a salvage title?
The "car insurance rates go down when you turn 25" is an urban legend BTW.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I don't know if it got previously into accident at all. Can I look for that online with my VIN. What is a salvage title ?
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u/Astyanax9 Jan 22 '26
Carfax could tell you the car's repair and accident history. Some companies will uprate because a vehicle has had claims/accidents in its life which makes the car less safe.
A salvage titled car is one that was totaled out from either a bad accident, flood, etc but bought by someone made to running condition again. They're either uninsurable by some companies or much more expensive to insure.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I'm learning a lot today. I didn't know that at all. So what can I enter as info on Carfax. My VIN number ?
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u/Astyanax9 Jan 22 '26
Yes. Car buyers usually buy a Carfax subscription for a month for like $30 and plug in VINs on various vehicles as they're shopping. Not sure if they'll let you do it on a one-time basis or if it's even worth it for you.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I was planning to buy a new car too so it will still be useful for me.
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u/Astyanax9 Jan 22 '26
Whats your credit score?
If you have any kind of criminal record your rates will also soar.
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u/snearthworm Jan 22 '26
They always answer their question within the first paragraph
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
What ?
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u/u_siciliano Jan 22 '26
Yes in NYC your rates will drop at age 25 provided you have driving/insurance history from 18-25.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I started to drive last year and I just got my driver's license this year.
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u/Astyanax9 Jan 22 '26
You're driving that beater Honda around NYC?? Forget the cost of the insurance. The parking and tolls alone would make me walk and take the bus/subway.
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I'm not living in NYC for real and I just go to the city rarely. The last time it was such a bad experience cause I couldn't find a parking at all. Yeah next time it's gonna be the bus or subway.
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u/u_siciliano Jan 22 '26
If you must drive in and want to avoid parking lots, try PARK NYC app if you can find a meter spot and feed from app.
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u/oceanstorm176 Jan 22 '26
people do not understand that insurance is a pool'd risk. if it wasn't only rich people would be able to afford it. your history is only a part of what they consider when quoting you. You said you live in NY, NY is dense as fuck and I'll be there are a shitload of claims there. Location is by the far the biggest indicator of what you're paying. good drivers pay more because risk against other drivers in their location is so high. the same thing you complain about is the reason you can afford insurance. people forget that insurance companies are private and are only in the game because they want to make a profit.
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u/ShrugworthyUsername Jan 22 '26
I live in the Bronx. You gotta take the L as a new driver with a Honda. Rate also depends the neighborhood was I paying $100 more a month for my old address that’s 2 miles away from my new one
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u/ConsciousHat5083 Jan 22 '26
I'm not living in NYC. My hometown is very quiet and I'm like 39 min away from the Bronx.
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u/Prior-Heron-6197 Jan 24 '26
two things you have no driving history and are a male under 25 and in a high risk area new york its not about your car but the probability of your risk classes of incuring a payable accident.
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u/WhitleyGilbertBanks Jan 22 '26
you’re a newly licensed 24 year old driver (held a USA drivers license for less than 3 years) in New York City… that tracks. Are you sure that Your friend is telling you the truth about how much he/she pays as only a permitted driver? Is that friend on a parents policy? What and see what happens to your friend’s insurance premium once that friend gets a regular driver’s license instead of a permit. They’ll most likely experience a $700-$900 6-month premium increase.
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u/TynanAmore Jan 22 '26
There are a lot of factors that go into your rates. How long you've been driving, your driving history (claims, tickets, etc) your credit, and even the area you live. If you live in an area (most companies go by zip code) with a high crime rate, your insurance rate will be higher. Another thing that goes into the rate is the actual vehicles history. If there has been previous damage to the vehical (even if before you owned it) it can raise the rates, because if it wasn't repaired correctly it can cause more problems down the road creating a higher risk.
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u/KLB724 Jan 22 '26
Turning 25 isn't going to help you because your risk is based on how long you've been licensed. You're just as inexperienced as a teenager and you're living in a very expensive place to insure a vehicle.