Hi, I am an exchange student and I have been in Amherst for ten months now. My dad wants me to have my own car but he worries about me not getting a student auto insurance in New York for some reason. As a foreign national, can I get student auto insurance in New York?

Jose

Amherst, New York

If you are carrying an International Driver’s permit, you can drive a car in the US for one year. Using the same permit that you have, you can purchase a student auto insurance in New York. There are a few things that you have to do to make sure that you are doing the right thing though.

Check with your university. If you came with a visa given to exchange students and an International driver’s permit, then your university can give you a comprehensive insurance policy so that you can register and drive a car.

If you want to save money and you think you don’t really need to drive a car every day, then think of renting a car instead. You can always use your International driver’s license. If you still want a student auto insurance in New York even for just renting a car, then there are a lot of insurance brokers who can give you a non-owner’s policy. Try asking the car rental if they can give you student auto insurance in New York too.

One easy thing to do and which will save you money as well is to get a guardian through your universities “adopt a student” program. Once you get a guardian, then you can add your name to your guardians insurance policy.

I am planning to purchase vehicle insurance from someone who offers the cheapest rate. My husband however says I should try to look for other firms which are more stable here in the New York area. Is he right?

Kylie

Amherst, NY

The usual thinking most car owners have is that the insurance company offering the cheapest insurance rates is the best and thus, the company they should purchase vehicle insurance from. If you are on a budget, this makes sense. However, not all vehicle insurance companies offering the cheapest rates are considered good insurance providers.

If you are looking for a dependable vehicle insurance company New York, you should not just look into the rates they are offering. You should also look into their financial standing. A good vehicle insurance company New York is financially stable and rated highly by credit rating agencies. This means that the vehicle insurance company can pay you in case you make claims.

A good vehicle insurance company New York should also have good customer support. Their customer service team should be dependable enough especially when you call them regarding your concerns about your insurance policy. You do not want to be with an insurance company that gives you a hard time when you make claims.

Ok so I am only 17 years old and I really want to drive. I have enough money to purchase myself a vehicle. But they said that I cannot have a vehicle until I turn eighteen. I would like to know if it is possible for me to get my own car insurance under my name even if it costs me more money? I live in New York New York.

Jane

New York, NY

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles states that you must be 16 years of age or older to apply for title certificate and registration in New York State. So if you are under eighteen and therefore still a teen or minor you can register and title a vehicle under your name in NYS.

As for car insurance, if you are a minor under the age of eighteen years old then insurance carriers normally will require that a parent or guardian sign on your car insurance policy with you since it is a legal and binding document.

So, you can own a vehicle in your own name as a minor in New York however you would normally need a parent to buy auto insurance to place on the automobile.

Always remember that if you live with your parents and they permit you to obtain a vehicle it is usually cheaper to add you and the automobile to their car insurance policy than obtaining your own. But if you really want the vehicle and auto insurance in your own name then you will need to shop around for a cheaper price on insurance and find out the requirements of the insurance company regarding you being a minor in New York New York.

A: It depends on how you want to do it, but it shouldn’t be very hard for you to find cheap Albany SR22 insurance. Either you can look yourself, or you can get an agent to do it for you.

If you get an agent, you should make sure it’s an independent agent and not a captive ones. Captive agents only sell policies for one company. An independent agent works for five or so companies and can look among them for the best Albany SR22 insurance deal for you. If you hire an agent, you can be assured that you have someone who knows a lot about insurance to help you. It might be a good idea for those who don’t have time to do the research themselves.

Doing it yourself isn’t so hard, though, nor does it take a lot of time. You can go online and get 15 Albany SR22 quotes from an instant quote website in the same number of minutes. After that, you check in for a few more details about the companies with the best quotes, pick out your favorite, and purchase your car insurance online.

A: As a student, and as a heavy studier, you might have a chance at a decent ten to twenty percent discount on your SR22 insurance premium. Call up your car insurance company to verify that they have the good student discount. If they do, great. If they don’t, it might be a good idea to look elsewhere, because that’s too much savings to miss out on.

What is the good student discount? It’s an option offered by most car insurance companies to students of high school or college who pull an average of B grades or have a 3.5 GPA. Most companies do impose some requirements for you to get this discount on your SR22, so if you’re considering it, ask what those are. They typically are something along these lines, although all car insurance companies vary:

• Must be between 16 and 25 years of age.
• Must be a full time student.
• Must be unmarried.