Insureit1 said:
I have owned and Insurance Agency for over 20 years (hence the name Insureit1). I currently represent 6 different preferred carriers but most of my business is with Erie Insurance. An earlier post hit it right on the head that there are so many variables that it is impossible to generalize about the rates. One problem with the LEAF right now is lack of statistical data on claim costs. Whenever a new model is introduced it can take a while to get the data needed to accurately asses the costs to repair the car. I have seen this before with Lexus when they first introduced the RX300 Hybrid. After the car was out for one year the price dropped 30%. While the LEAF has been out for two years the total number sold is still so small and my guess is that only a small percentage have been in accidents needing repair. Over time the cost to insure the leaf will go down. But it does pay to shop around but buyer beware. Some of the companies mentioned have great marketing machines in place but HORRIBLE claims service. I would rather spend a few dollars more for great claim service AND an agent to help guide me along the way (sorry I am a bit biased
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Really enjoyed this post, thanks for sharing your experience. I have had a few conversations with my insurance agents where I have emphasized that I am interested to give priority to know who is best about claims, but it seems hard to get this information in a really strong way. I can talk to a friend or two and hear anecdotes, but how do I really put together a deeper understanding of who is generally good and who is generally not, across thousands and millions of claims?
On the car insurance side, I'm still trying to figure out if there's an angle to play here on the miles-per-car-per-year side. That is, I probably drive between 10k and 15k miles per year. I kept my Hydrocarbon vehicle, which I own outright (and which is only worth about $1000-$1500 bluebook) and leased a Leaf. Now those miles are split between the two. The company I've had for about 13 years, Farmers, used to have some sort of point in the insurance that took mileage into account, but no longer. I recently confirmed this with my agent. For those with other carriers, are there any that tie the insurance into the mileage per vehicle, and might there be a way to get lower insurance using that angle?
addendum: ps: I have made only one claim with Farmers, a long time ago, and it was not a great experience, where basically they pointed me toward the other carrier and kind of left me to fend for myself. This may actually have been not good advice, but I didn't appreciate the amount of work that I ended up doing when I thought I was paying them for something. In general, across many customers, I don't know if they're good or bad, but the fact that I am with them should not be taken as an indication that my estimation is they are good on claims, only that I tend to take many years to change, if it seems advisable.
