Foremost vs. New Jersey Skylands: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for auto insurance, Foremost offers significantly more affordable rates than New Jersey Skylands
• Foremost offers more affordable prices for residents of suburban areas
• New Jersey Skylands may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Foremost Insurance Group

Foremost or New Jersey Skylands: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're thinking about switching to a new insurance policy. You've probably seen commercials and billboards from companies offering huge savings, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You've maybe even narrowed it down to Foremost or New Jersey Skylands as your top options, but between the two, which carrier has cheaper rates for car insurance?

Looking at the national average rates for both carriers, New Jersey Skylands is quite a bit more expensive than Foremost, with prices averaging $460 a month compared to just $270 with Foremost.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean Foremost will be the less expensive option for every driver. After all, auto insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to every driver depending on rating factors like your driving record, your age, where you call home, or even your credit score (among other things), so premiums could differ drastically from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of Foremost or New Jersey Skylands is really the best for you, keep reading to see average prices for each carrier broken down by many different rate factors.

Foremost vs. New Jersey Skylands: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Foremost and New Jersey Skylands only compete against each other in New Jersey, where Foremost offers the cheaper average rates. Foremost drivers tend to pay about $68 per month less on average compared to drivers who use New Jersey Skylands for their insurance.

But there's more to calculating car insurance premiums than just the state you live in. Continue reading to see how other variables will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- typically pay a lot for insurance compared to older drivers. It's normally because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

That being said, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high auto insurance prices. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of almost 40% less a month by choosing Foremost over New Jersey Skylands.

But both carriers will drop rates once you turn 25. For example, average premiums for Foremost policyholders lower over 60% and New Jersey Skylands's rates decrease nearly 60% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Once you approach retirement age, you'll usually enjoy the cheapest car insurance prices out there. You've been on the road for years, and all that experience pays off when it comes to your monthly premiums for auto insurance.

But who has the best rates for retired drivers between Foremost and New Jersey Skylands? Foremost gets the edge, with premiums for drivers 65 and older almost 40% cheaper than the national average for New Jersey Skylands.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but insurance prices tend to be more expensive for single policyholders than they are for married drivers. That's because policies for married policyholders generally cover multiple vehicles, which several companies will give you a discount for.

For single drivers, the difference in average premiums between these two carriers is significant, with Foremost prices coming in at around half of New Jersey Skylands's. The advantage for married couples with Foremost is also obvious, where drivers save more than 40% per month.

Foremost or New Jersey Skylands: Average Rates by Gender

You may not know, but car insurance is usually cheaper for women than it is for men. This is because men are statistically more likely than women to get tickets and get into accidents, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher rates.

With Foremost, men normally pay about $4 a month more than women, and around $7 more with New Jersey Skylands.

When it comes to the lowest prices for each gender, Foremost comes out as the cheapest option for both genders, with average premiums 41% less for men and 41% cheaper for women.

Foremost vs. New Jersey Skylands: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

For most people, insurance can be pretty complicated. Everyone needs auto insurance, but there are so many different coverages and terms that it can be hard to find the right policy for you.

Even so, most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which typically refers to having collision and comprehensive coverages in addition to liability).

Looking specifically at state minimum liability insurance, Foremost has the significant edge, with average monthly rates coming in at $173. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Foremost again has the edge, with policies averaging about $366 per month to New Jersey Skylands's $624.

Is Foremost or New Jersey Skylands Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from car insurance companies offering great premiums for good drivers, but that doesn't mean people with less-than-perfect driving records can't save money, too.

Speeding tickets and at-fault collisions will most likely raise your prices, but is Foremost or New Jersey Skylands less expensive for drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Foremost for their insurance can generally expect their monthly bill to go up around 22% after getting a speeding ticket. New Jersey Skylands policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of about 17%.

That being said, Foremost has more affordable rates for drivers in both categories -- their rates are around 37% less expensive for drivers with clean records and 33% cheaper for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both carriers will raise prices pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault collision with Foremost climbing by around 47%. New Jersey Skylands has a less extreme climb, but you can still expect to pay more than 15% more than you were prior to your first accident.

At the end of the day, Foremost offers the most affordable premiums for drivers with an at-fault collision on their records, with average rates coming in at $381 compared to New Jersey Skylands Insurance's $387.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge, you can expect some pretty significant increases in your monthly auto insurance bill -- usually a lot more than an accident or ticket. For example, New Jersey Skylands increases average premiums by nearly $450 a month -- that's over a 55% increase.

But if you end up with a DUI charge and are looking for more affordable prices, Foremost tends to be more affordable for the average driver, with monthly premiums coming in at about $238 to New Jersey Skylands's $747.

How does Credit Score Impact Foremost and New Jersey Skylands Rates?

Often times, your credit score can be used as one of the factors to determine your monthly car insurance rates. This isn't true for everyone (Massachusetts, for example, has banned the use of credit score as an auto insurance factor) but it does affect lots of drivers out there.

Auto insurance companies argue that someone with bad credit is less likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them riskier to insure. Because of that, policyholders with bad credit will often be forced to pay more.

Looking at Foremost and New Jersey Skylands specifically, which company has the best prices for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have great credit, Foremost will normally reward you the most. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, Foremost comes in more than 31.59 less expensive. Drivers with "good" credit scores generally save around 35% with Foremost compared to average premiums from New Jersey Skylands.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Foremost typically offers lower rates than New Jersey Skylands when it comes to drivers with less-than-stellar credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about 41% per month less with Foremost compared to New Jersey Skylands, and those with "poor" scores typically save an average of around 52% monthly.

Is Foremost or New Jersey Skylands Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

Did you know that the amount of time you spend in your car have a pretty big impact on your monthly car insurance cost? Generally, the more milage you drive, the more you can expect to pay for insurance.

In this case, neither Foremost or New Jersey Skylands report increasing prices for drivers with higher annual mileage figures. Still, Foremost comes out as the lowest for drivers at both intervals, whether they put 6,000 or 12,000 miles on their car each year, with average premiums of $270 a month for both.

Foremost or New Jersey Skylands: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you call home can play a substantial role in how much you pay for car insurance. Usually, if you live in an urban area with more cars on the road, you'll pay a little more for insurance, while the opposite is true for people in rural areas.

Foremost tends to offer the lowest premiums for drivers in all areas, regardless of if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Foremost Insurance Group's average rates are about 43% less than New Jersey Skylands Insurance. People who live in suburban areas pay around 39% less with Foremost compared to New Jersey Skylands. Those in rural areas can expect to save about 42% with Foremost compared to New Jersey Skylands.

Foremost vs. New Jersey Skylands Discounts

No matter why you might be in the market for a new auto insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as you can. That's where insurance discounts comes into play.

The challenging part is finding all of the discounts you're eligible for, since it can feel sometimes like every carrier has different discounts and each one is advertised differently.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and compared all of the different discounts offered by Foremost and New Jersey Skylands so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

New Jersey Skylands blows Foremost away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 18 different discounts to Foremost's 12.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like anti-theft discounts, distant student discounts, and discounts for being a good driver. New Jersey Skylands also offers discounts for company car, education, ESC, and more.

On the other hand, Foremost has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like EFT discounts, minor child discounts, multi-car/single driver discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is Foremost or New Jersey Skylands Best for You?

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your car insurance prices. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. But, when it comes down to it, is Foremost or New Jersey Skylands the best one for you, your vehicle, and your wallet?

Foremost might be best for you if....

• You will be the only person on the auto insurance policy.
• You want the most robust protection via a "full coverage" policy.
• You drive fewer than 6,000 miles yearly.

New Jersey Skylands might be best for you if...

• You're looking for discounts -- New Jersey Skylands has the most.

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Foremost and New Jersey Skylands. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your insurance.

But, at the end of the day, there's only one way to know for sure that you're getting the best possible deal on car insurance -- comparing quotes from several carriers, not just Foremost and New Jersey Skylands. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of top auto insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Foremost vs. New Jersey Skylands FAQs

Is Foremost or New Jersey Skylands cheaper?

Foremost is the cheaper of the two carriers when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $270 per month with Foremost and $460 for New Jersey Skylands. Even so, that doesn't mean Foremost will be the most affordable carrier for everyone, since there are lots of different factors (things like driving record, age, gender, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Foremost or New Jersey Skylands?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". Neither company is necessarily "better" for every policyholder -- it all depends on the makeup of your unique car insurance profile.

Why do Foremost and New Jersey Skylands offer me different rates?

Insurance companies use quite a few different variables when determining the prices they charge. Things such as where you park your vehicle, age, where you live, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be taken into consideration. Both Foremost and New Jersey Skylands calculate premiums using different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different prices. The best way to determine which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from multiple different carriers.

How do I know if Foremost or New Jersey Skylands is right for me?

The only way to find the auto insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your area information and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top car insurance carriers for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best rate. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Foremost or New Jersey Skylands at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.