Is Farmers Auto Insurance Good for New York Drivers?
Last Updated on March 20, 2022
As a New York driver, having a reliable car insurance policy is essential. There are so many different companies that offer auto insurance for New York customers, and it can be difficult to determine which ones are going to be the best for your needs. Farmers is a well-known provider of car insurance, but are they a good fit for those in the Empire State? In this article, we’ll take a look at Farmers’ coverage options for New York drivers to help you make the best decision for your needs.
About Farmers Insurance Group
Farmers Insurance Group is based in Los Angeles, California, and has been in business since 1928. They provide a wide range of insurance products, including auto, home, life, and business insurance policies. As the name implies, the company catered to farmers and ranchers when they first started. Today, Farmers provides car insurance for all types of customers. Their products are sold through both exclusive and independent agents throughout the country.
| Farmers Insurance Company Information | |
|---|---|
| Address | 6301 Owensmouth Avenue Woodland Hills, CA 91367 |
| Phone Number | 1-888-327-6335 |
| Online Contact | https://www.farmers.com/contact-us/ |
| Website | https://www.farmers.com/ |
What Types of Car Insurance Does Farmers Offer?
Farmers offers a full suite of car insurance products that New York drivers can customize to fit their needs. Farmers offers the liability coverage that is legally required in New York State, including property damage and bodily injury liability coverage. They also offer other standard forms of coverage, including comprehensive, collision, uninsured motorist, medical payments, and personal injury protection.
While these types of coverage aren’t legally required by New York state law, they are highly recommended because of the additional protection they provide. Comprehensive coverage pays for damage unrelated to car accidents, such as vandalism or storm-related damage. Collision coverage pays for damages related to any collision, including single-car collisions. Uninsured motorist provides extra coverage if you are hit by someone who doesn’t have insurance, or whose policy doesn’t provide enough coverage to meet your needs. Medical payments coverage provides additional medical care coverage for accident-related injuries, regardless of who is at fault. Finally, personal injury protection covers the cost of rehabilitation and lost wages for serious injuries related to an accident.
On top of this, Farmers offers a variety of other coverage types that you can add on to your policy. While these types of coverage aren’t essential, they can provide very helpful additional forms of coverage in certain situations. For example, they offer towing, rental car reimbursement, custom equipment, and special glass coverage.
Other notable forms of car insurance that Farmers offers include rideshare insurance and new car replacement coverage. Rideshare insurance provides extra coverage for drivers who work for Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare services. New car replacement coverage will replace your new car if it is totaled within the first two model years of use. Additionally, Farmers offers accident forgiveness coverage, which means that your rates won’t go up after an accident as long as you’ve remained accident-free for three years.
What Discounts Does Farmers Offer?
Like many other car insurance companies, Farmers offers a variety of discounts for their customers. When signing up for a car insurance policy, it’s always important to ask about discounts to make sure you are getting the best deals possible. They offer a number of standard discounts, including discounts for having a good driving record, buying coverage for multiple vehicles, making electronic payments, and taking a driver safety course. In New York State, all car insurance providers are required to offer a discount for taking a government-approved driver safety course.
Additionally, Farmers offers a number of discounts that are helpful for families with young drivers. For example, they have discounts for good students, drivers under the age of 25, and drivers who are away from home at college. Additionally, Farmers offers discounts for cars with certain safety features and cars that use alternative fuel sources.
Farmers also currently offers a discount telematics program using their Signal smartphone app. You get a 5 percent discount just for downloading the app, but this discount can go up depending on your driving habits. The app gives you a score based on the driving behavior it observes. When you drive safely, your score goes up, giving you a bigger discount. However, unsafe driving habits can cause your score to go down.
What Is Farmers’ Pricing Like in New York State?
One area where Farmers may not be the best for New York drivers is their pricing. Statistically, Farmers’ car insurance is consistently more expensive than other New York insurance providers. However, car insurance pricing varies widely depending on a variety of factors. This is why it’s so important to get quotes from several different car insurance companies before making a decision.
Some of the factors that affect the cost of your car insurance premium are your driving history, the type of car you have, where you live, your age, and much more. Car insurance companies assess these factors to determine how statistically likely you are to file a claim. The premium you pay will directly correlate to these risk factors.
While Farmers gets excellent reviews for their customer service and has a very wide range of policies available, their prices may be too high for budget-conscious New Yorkers. They do make it easy to get a quote on their website, so you can price compare before making a final decision.
Is Farmers Financially Stable?
When looking for a car insurance company, it’s very important to make sure they are financially stable. Farmers is a very financially stable company that you can trust to pay their claims, even during tough economic times. The company currently has an AM Best rating of A. While this isn’t the highest rating possible, it is still very good. AM Best is a company that rates the financial stability of insurance providers and other organizations.
What Is Farmers’ Customer Service Like?
One area where Farmers excels is their customer service. In particular, they stand out for their claims handling process. It’s very easy to file a claim online, and once the claim has been filed, you can continually track its progress until it is complete. You can also file a claim over the phone, via the Farmers mobile app, or even via text message. Farmers claim services are known for being very responsive, so you can get your claim closed out in a timely manner as necessary.
While you cannot purchase a policy entirely online, you can get a thorough quote for any type of policy on the Farmers website. When you’re ready to buy, you can use their website to find either an exclusive or an independent agent. Farmers has agents throughout New York, which makes it easy to find one near you. Working with an agent means you’ll always have someone to contact if you need support with your policy. However, some people find that working with an agent can be less convenient than managing their policy entirely online. This will really depend on your personal preferences when it comes to customer service.
Advantages of Farmers Car Insurance
For New York drivers, there are many advantages to using Farmers as your car insurance provider. One of the biggest advantages is their wide selection of car insurance products to choose from. They offer every type of car insurance that is legally required by the state of New York, but they also offer a number of optional coverage types that you can use to customize your policy. This includes rideshare coverage, custom equipment coverage, and more options that you might not find with a smaller provider. On top of that, they offer a wide range of discounts to help you save. These include plenty of discounts for families with teenage drivers.
Another advantage of using Farmers for your auto insurance is their good customer service. They are known for providing quick and reliable claims filing services, so you can feel confident knowing that if you do get into an accident, you will be able to get your claims processed in a timely manner. They have thousands of agents all over the country, including offices all over New York, so it’s very easy to find an agent near you for help.
Disadvantages of Farmers Car Insurance
Of course, there are also a few disadvantages to using Farmers for your car insurance. The biggest disadvantage here is their high prices. While they offer a lot of value, Farmers’ rates are consistently higher than their competitors. For New Yorkers on a budget, this means they may not be the best option. However, it’s still worth getting a quote from them, as pricing can vary widely depending on your personal situation.
Another factor that may be a disadvantage for some people is that you need to purchase your policy through an agency. While you can manage many aspects of your policy online, you will still need to talk to an agent eventually in order to make a purchase. This can be inconvenient for some drivers with a busy schedule.
Overall, Farmers is a reputable insurance company with plenty of excellent features for New York drivers. If you’re searching for car insurance in New York, Farmers is a company worth considering.
