BestCar InsuranceBuffaloThe Best Car Insurance in Buffalo, NY, for 2023
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Ensure you're getting the best rate. Review quotes from a top insurance company.
According to our research, Erie is the best car insurance company in Buffalo. However, the best insurance for you may differ depending on your age and background.
To assist you in selecting the best company for your needs, MoneyGeek has outlined the top options for young drivers, older drivers, drivers with violations and military drivers. MoneyGeek also has resources for people looking for the cheapest car insurance in Buffalo.
BestCar InsuranceBuffaloThe Best Car Insurance in Buffalo
Overall - Erie
Minimum Coverage - Erie
Young Drivers - Erie
Senior Drivers - Erie
Driving Violations - Erie
Military - USAA
Best Car Insurance Companies in Buffalo: Overall
MoneyGeek ranked the best car insurance companies in Buffalo using their average prices, claims ratings and customer satisfaction. The companies that got the highest MoneyGeek score are the following:
- Erie: 98 out of 100
- Allstate: 89 out of 100
These rankings do not include USAA as its services are exclusive to eligible military members, veterans and their families. With a MoneyGeek score of 99 out of 100, USAA provides the best car insurance in New York for military members and veterans.
The Top Car Insurance Companies in Buffalo
1
ErieOverall
Score:98
Erie ranks high for affordability, consumer satisfaction and claims. It has better car replacement coverage which other companies rarely offer. On average, a premium costs $931 per year for a 40-year-old driver with a clean record.
More About Erie
Erie offers four total coverages; one of them, the better car replacement coverage, is unique and widely applicable to their policies. It replaces your totaled car with a newer model.
For cars that are totaled within two years of ownership, your policy can cover its replacement with the latest model of your car. If it has been past two years, the replacement for your car would be a model that’s two years newer than your totaled car.
Read MoneyGeek's Erie auto Insurance Review2
Allstate
Score:89
Allstate has competitive affordability, satisfaction and claims scores. One of its unique coverages is custom parts coverage. The average cost of a premium with Allstate is $1,180 per year.
More About Allstate
There are three unique coverages that you can get from Allstate: portable electronics and media coverage, custom parts coverage and sound system coverage. Drivers who customize their cars and value their music equipment in the car may find these coverages useful and appealing. These coverages cover the loss of customized equipment and personal properties used with the sound system and its parts.
Read MoneyGeek's Allstate auto Insurance ReviewRESOURCES ON CAR INSURANCE IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK
Drivers searching for ways to save money on their car insurance may find more information in some of MoneyGeek’s resources. To help you find the cheapest car insurance companies in Buffalo, these articles may be relevant to your search:
Best Cheap Car Insurance for Minimum Coverage in Buffalo
To calculate the MoneyGeek score of each company, we considered the driver profiles of those who are looking for car insurance in Buffalo with only the minimum requirements in New York, as set by its laws. These are the best car insurance companies for a minimum coverage policy in Buffalo:
- Erie: 97 out of 100
- GEICO: 92 out of 100
MoneyGeek’s score is based on a blend of data from young drivers, older drivers and drivers with violations.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: Erie
pros
A minimum coverage policy costs $583 per year
Has bundling, anti-theft system and anti-lock brakes discounts
Has a MoneyGeek satisfaction score of 4.79 out of 5
Has a MoneyGeek claims rating of 4.71 out of 5
cons
Doesn’t have multiple cars, good student, safe driving, defensive driving or paperless discounts
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
Erie has a bundling discount. With this discount, drivers can save money on their car insurance policy when paired with a life insurance or home insurance policy.
This company also offers unique discounts to encourage you to keep yourself safe. The airbag, anti-theft and anti-lock brake discounts help you pay less on your policy by having these safety measures in your car.
One of Erie’s rarest discounts is its young safe driver discount. Single drivers below 21 years old, still living with their parents, can use this in their policies to save money.
Best Car Insurance for Young Drivers in Buffalo
MoneyGeek ranked the best companies based on the backgrounds of young drivers shopping for car insurance in Buffalo. These scores are based on a combination of policy coverages and driving histories of 18-year-olds. The top companies for car insurance for young drivers are the following:
- Erie: 93 out of 100
- Allstate: 93 out of 100
Car insurance for teens and young drivers and car insurance for students is more expensive than regular policies. This difference in prices is due to young people still lacking driving experience, which means they are more likely to get into accidents and file claims.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: Erie
pros
Full coverage policy for a safe driver costs $3,835 per year
Offers distant student and driver’s education discounts
Has a MoneyGeek satisfaction rating of 4.79 out of 5
Has a MoneyGeek claims rating of 4.71 out of 5
cons
Does not offer a good student discount
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
Adding a young driver to a policy can add an extra expense on your car insurance. Because of this, finding an affordable company with several discounts and good customer service is important.
With the distant student discount, you can save money when your child goes to school away from home where they don’t have a car. Additionally, you can get a driver’s education discount when a driver below 21 years old has finished an accredited driver training course.
Erie also has accident forgiveness coverage. First-time at-fault drivers won’t have a surcharge if they have been claims-free for three years with Erie.
Best Car Insurance for Senior Drivers in Buffalo
MoneyGeek considered profiles of senior drivers looking for car insurance in Buffalo. We used a mix of different policy coverages and driving histories of 70-year-old drivers to score the companies.
The companies with the best car insurance for senior drivers in Buffalo are the following:
- Erie: 98 out of 100
- Allstate: 89 out of 100
Car insurance for seniors is more expensive than car insurance for middle-aged drivers. The slight increase in the cost is based on the higher risk of insuring older drivers.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: Erie
pros
Erie’s full-coverage policy for a senior driver with a clean record costs $1,002 per year
MoneyGeek claims rating of 4.71 out of 5
MoneyGeek customer satisfaction score of 4.79 out of 5
cons
Does not have senior driver or defensive driving discounts
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
Senior car insurance is the same as regular car insurance, with the exception that some insurers may charge more. Erie has low rates and other benefits, such as better car replacement coverage.
Erie only has four common coverages. Among the missing coverages are roadside assistance, gap insurance and deductive modification.
The most notable coverage is better car replacement as it replaces a totaled car with its newer version. So, in case of an accident, a driver can worry less about the expenses of getting a new car.
Best Car Insurance With a Driving Violation in Buffalo
MoneyGeek scored car insurance companies based only on the profiles of Buffalo drivers who had been involved in an at-fault accident. Additionally, MoneyGeek scores are calculated using a combination of policy coverages and drivers of various ages.
These are the highest-ranking companies for car insurance with driving violations:
- Erie: 97 out of 100
- Allstate: 92 out of 100
Insurance companies view drivers with violations in their records as high-risk drivers, which means they are more likely to be involved in an accident. Therefore, purchasing car insurance when you have a bad driving record is more expensive.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: Erie
pros
For a 40-year-old driver with an accident on their record, an affordable full coverage policy is $1,321 per year.
Offers a lot of common discounts that help save money
MoneyGeek score of 4.79 out of 5 for customer satisfaction
MoneyGeek rating of 4.71 out of 5 for claims
Has better car replacement or new car replacement coverages
cons
Only offers four coverages
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
When looking for car insurance, drivers with violations should pick a company that gives them more chances to save money without sacrificing good customer service and useful coverages. Erie has four common discounts: bundling, anti-theft system, pay-in-full and airbag discounts.
Erie also provides rare discounts. The anti-lock brakes discount helps you save money when you have this technology in your car to promote your safety. When a single young driver who has been insured by another policy gets their own policy, they may be eligible for a legacy discount.
You can be protected by Erie’s better car replacement and new car replacement coverages in case of an accident. These coverages can save you a lot of money if you need to buy a new car after your old one is totaled.
Best Car Insurance With a Military Background in Buffalo
MoneyGeek discovered that in Buffalo, USAA consistently ranks high in terms of affordability and customer service. However, USAA only provides car insurance to military members and veterans.
USAA received a MoneyGeek score of 99 out of 100. It is, therefore, one of the best car insurance companies in Buffalo for drivers with a military background.
The MoneyGeek score is calculated using a variety of driver characteristics and coverage levels. The driver profiles include young drivers, older drivers and drivers with violations.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: USAA
pros
The price of a full coverage policy for a 40-year-old driver is $1,073 per year
Offers five of the most common discounts, including multiple car discount
Has a perfect MoneyGeek score for claims and customer satisfaction
cons
Out of seven, USAA only has three common coverages, and for example, does not offer better car replacement.
Only available for military members and veterans
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
Over the years, USAA has been consistent with giving quality service and affordable insurance. Because of this, it has proven to be one of the best choices for military drivers when it comes to car insurance.
Roadside assistance, rental car or travel reimbursement, and accident forgiveness are the three most common coverages provided by USAA. These coverages cover minor troubleshooting expenses and car rentals while you wait for repairs to be finished. This prevents any additional charge on your policy after your first at-fault accident.
USAA has five common discounts, but it also offers a few unique ones, such as new vehicles, military, mileage, loyalty and legacy discounts. These provide additional opportunities to save more money.
Methodology
MoneyGeek scores are determined using data from J.D. Power, A.M. Best and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The companies with the highest scores were considered the best car insurance companies in Buffalo, New York. We also used specific data from Buffalo, New York, and a particular profile for a driver in Buffalo for our analysis of average rates and other factors.
MoneyGeek used the following weightings to compute the MoneyGeek scores of car insurance companies in Buffalo, New York:
- Affordability (70%): The affordability score of a company is determined by a combination of several driver profiles, including age, driving histories and coverage levels.
- Satisfaction and claims (20%): Satisfaction and claims each account for 10% of the overall weighting for this factor. The basis for the MoneyGeek ratings under this factor is J.D. Power customer and claims satisfaction surveys.
- Stability (10%): MoneyGeek uses A.M. Best ratings to get the financial stability score. A higher stability score means that the company can effectively finance customer claims, regardless of financial adversities.
MoneyGeek scores range from 0 to 100 and each factor enumerated above has a maximum score of five points. We adjusted the driver profiles in some categories to better fit the kind of driver it would cover.
MoneyGeek's car insurance methodology uses a full coverage policy unless otherwise stated. A full-coverage policy has the following limitations:
- $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $100,000 property damage liability
- Comprehensive and collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible
About Mark Fitzpatrick
