Auto insurance in New York, shopped across carriers
If you drive in New York City or commute in from Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey or Connecticut, auto insurance is a policy you rely on every day and rarely think about. Gordon Companies is an independent brokerage, so we compare your auto insurance across multiple carriers instead of selling you one company’s product.
When you call, you reach a real person in our Midtown Manhattan office, not a call center. We have been doing this since 1968, and we still read the fine print so you do not have to.
What New York auto insurance covers
New York requires every registered vehicle to carry a few core coverages. The optional coverages on top of them are often where the real protection is.
Required in New York
- Bodily injury and property damage liability, which pays others when you are at fault for an accident.
- No-fault, also called personal injury protection (PIP), which pays medical expenses and some lost wages for you and your passengers no matter who caused the crash.
- Uninsured motorist coverage, which protects you when the at-fault driver has no insurance or cannot be identified.
New York is a no-fault state, so your own policy responds first to injuries in your car. Serious injuries can still lead to a lawsuit, which is why your liability limits matter so much.
Optional coverage worth a look
- Collision, for damage to your car from a crash with another vehicle or object.
- Comprehensive, for theft, vandalism, falling objects, flood damage and animal strikes.
- Supplementary uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (SUM), which can raise the protection you carry for yourself when the other driver’s limits are too low.
- Rental reimbursement and towing.
- Loan or lease gap coverage, if you finance or lease your car.
Driving and parking in the city
Where your car is garaged is one of the biggest rating factors in New York. A car kept in a Manhattan garage, on a Brooklyn street or in a Westchester driveway can be priced very differently, so we make sure the garaging address on your policy is accurate.
How you use the car matters too. A weekend car that sits most of the week is rated differently from one that crosses a bridge or tunnel every workday. If you use your personal car for business, tell us: a personal policy may not respond to some business use, and commercial auto insurance may be the better fit.
Adding a teen driver
Adding a newly licensed driver is usually the single biggest change to an auto premium. We look at which car the teen is assigned to, good student and driver training discounts where carriers offer them, and whether adjusting deductibles elsewhere helps balance the cost.
How we shop your auto policy
Carriers weigh the same information differently, which is why quotes for the same household can vary widely. When we shop your policy, the main factors are:
- Garaging address and how far you drive
- Driving records and claims history for everyone in the household
- Ages and experience of the drivers
- Year, make, model and safety features of each car
- Credit-based insurance information, where carriers use it
- The limits and deductibles you choose
- Other policies with the same carrier, such as homeowners or condo and co-op insurance
Gaps we look for
The most common problem we see is liability limits that have not kept up with a client’s income or assets. If you own a home or have savings to protect, we usually talk about pairing your auto coverage with an umbrella policy that sits above your auto liability limits.
We also check for low SUM limits, missing rental coverage, household drivers who are not listed, and older or valuable cars that may belong on a collector car policy instead.
Questions we hear about auto insurance
What auto insurance is required in New York?
Every registered car in New York needs liability coverage, no-fault (PIP) and uninsured motorist coverage. The state sets minimum limits, but those minimums are rarely enough for someone with assets to protect, so we usually recommend higher limits.
What does no-fault mean in New York?
Your own policy pays basic medical costs and certain lost wages for you and your passengers after an accident, regardless of who caused it. When injuries are serious, you can still be sued, or bring a claim against the other driver.
Does living in Manhattan make car insurance cost more?
Garaging location is a major rating factor, and dense urban areas often rate higher than suburbs. Carriers price neighborhoods differently, though, so comparing several of them is the most reliable way to find a fair price.
When should I add my teenager to my policy?
Call us before your teen starts driving on a license. Most carriers expect licensed drivers in the household to be listed, and we can compare how each carrier prices the change before it takes effect.
Related coverage
Start your auto quote
Send us your current declarations page through our quote request page, or call 212-687-2525 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. A real person on Aaron Gordon’s team will compare your coverage across carriers and explain exactly what you are paying for.
