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

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for car insurance, Metlife offers significantly less expensive prices than New Jersey Skylands
• Metlife has more affordable rates for people who are single and purchasing auto insurance by yourself
• New Jersey Skylands offers more affordable prices for residents in New Jersey

Metlife vs. New Jersey Skylands: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you in the market for a new insurance policy? After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering big discounts. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed your search down to Metlife or New Jersey Skylands for your next policy, but between the two, which one will save you the most?

Looking at the national average rates for both companies, New Jersey Skylands is quite a bit more expensive than Metlife, with premiums averaging $460 per month compared to just $340 with Metlife.

Even so, that doesn't necessarily mean Metlife will be the cheaper option for every single driver. Car insurance carriers use all sorts of complex algorithms to calculate rates, so depending on how good your credit score is or how clean your driving record is (among a whole range of other factors), you could see wildly different prices from the ones above.

Wanting to know if Metlife or New Jersey Skylands is really the right company for you? Keep on reading to see how average rates can change based on all of the factors we've mentioned above.

Metlife or New Jersey Skylands: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Metlife and New Jersey Skylands only compete against each other in New Jersey, where New Jersey Skylands offers the cheaper average premiums. For New Jersey residents, New Jersey Skylands offers insurance for $460 per month on average. Metlife's average prices come out to be over 30% more expensive, at $602 monthly.

There's a lot more that goes into your auto insurance cost than just where you live. Continue reading to see how other factors will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

You might already know that teen drivers usually pay a lot more for insurance than any other group of drivers out there on the road. That's because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to cause collisions and other accidents that will result in an insurance claim.

But that doesn't mean teen drivers can't still save money on their car insurance. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Metlife for their auto insurance pay $3 less than those who use New Jersey Skylands. It's worth noting that Metlife offers insurance in 44 different states compared to New Jersey Skylands's one, which can skew the average rates a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

That being said, both companies will offer you dramatically lower premiums by the time you turn 25. For example, average rates for Metlife policyholders drop more than $500 and New Jersey Skylands's prices reduce about $500 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age normally enjoy some of the most affordable auto insurance premiums you can find. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which generally reduces their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase rates.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between Metlife and New Jersey Skylands? Metlife gets the edge here, with average premiums coming in at around $205 a month compared to New Jersey Skylands's $357.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but car insurance prices tend to be more expensive for single drivers than they are for married policyholders. This usually boils down to married drivers having more than one car on their policy -- something several auto insurance carriers will reward with discounts.

When it comes to relationship status, Metlife is the clear winner for single policyholders, with rates about $104 a month less expensive than New Jersey Skylands, on average. For married couples, the advantage is clear again - Metlife has the edge when it comes to average premiums.

Metlife vs. New Jersey Skylands: Average Rates by Gender

Did you know men typically pay more for car insurance than women? This is because men are more likely to get tickets and get into collisions, which increases the chances of an insurance claim.

Men generally pay nearly $30 per month more than women with Metlife, and around $7 with New Jersey Skylands.

Looking at overall affordability, Metlife comes out as the lowest option for both genders, with average rates $110 less for men and $131 cheaper for women.

Metlife or 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.

Insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. There are so many different limits and coverages that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

However, most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability only (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- comprehensive and collision -- alongside what you get with a liability policy).

If you're looking for state minimum liability limits, Metlife usually offers significantly more affordable prices of $215 compared to New Jersey Skylands's $297. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Metlife again has the edge, with policies about $150 a month less expensive than New Jersey Skylands, on average.

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

It's no big secret that drivers who are accident-free get better deals on their auto insurance. But even if you have a spotty record, you can still find plenty of ways to save some cash on your monthly bill.

You'll probably end up paying more with tickets and collisions on your record, but which of these two companies offers the cheapest premiums to drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Metlife policyholders can expect their prices to go up an average of $59 per month if they get a ticket, while New Jersey Skylands normally raises rates around $67 a month, on average.

But Metlife has cheaper premiums for drivers in both categories. Drivers with a clean record can save about $100 per month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save around $108 a month with MetLife.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

After an accident, drivers who have their insurance through Metlife can expect to see about an $148 -- or around 40% -- increase in their car insurance prices. Drivers who use New Jersey Skylands for their insurance will see a monthly bill about $67 (or 17%) more expensive after reporting a collision to their auto insurance carrier.

Overall, drivers who use Metlife end up with the cheaper prices after an accident, with monthly premiums averaging $368 compared to New Jersey Skylands Insurance's $387.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single accident or ticket when it comes to your car insurance bill. On average, New Jersey Skylands will raise your rates around 57% after a DUI, while Metlife's average premiums increase by over 55%.

Metlife has the overall most affordable rates for drivers with a DUI on their records at $494 per month, but it's worth noting that Metlife's average rates come from 44 states compared to just one for New Jersey Skylands, so the data may be skewed slightly.

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

You may not have known, but your credit score can be used as one of the variables to determine your monthly insurance prices. This isn't always the case (Michigan, for example, has banned the use of credit score as a rating factor) but it will come into play for quite a few drivers.

Car insurance carriers argue that those with good credit scores are more likely to pay their bills on time each month, which decreases the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with bad credit.

Looking specifically at New Jersey Skylands and Metlife, which company has the best premiums for policyholders at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, you'll usually find a better deal with Metlife. Drivers with "excellent" credit can save more than 35% compared to New Jersey Skylands, and those with "good" scores can also expect to see savings -- about $125 or 31% more affordable every month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Metlife typically offers lower prices than New Jersey Skylands when it comes to drivers with less-than-perfect credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around $128 per month less with Metlife compared to New Jersey Skylands, and those with "poor" scores typically save an average of about $101 monthly.

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

How much you drive can have a substantial impact on your monthly auto insurance bill. Normally, those who drive less will end up with cheaper rates since there's less of a chance of getting into an accident and causing an insurance claim.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much New Jersey Skylands charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly prices for Metlife, with policyholders who drive the least paying around $3 less each month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles yearly. Still, Metlife is the less expensive option for drivers in both categories.

Metlife vs. New Jersey Skylands: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

We've already mentioned how your home state can play a role in how much you pay for insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a big impact as well. Generally, those who live in urban areas will pay more than policyholders in rural areas because of the number of vehicles that are on the roads in those areas.

When comparing these two companies side-by-side, Metlife usually comes out as the lowest option for drivers in all types of areas, no matter if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Metlife offers premiums about $389 a month compared to New Jersey Skylands's $555. People who live in suburban ZIP codes can expect to pay around $333 a month for Metlife and $471 for New Jersey Skylands. Lastly, those in rural areas tend to get the most affordable rates from both carriers, with average monthly prices coming in at $299 and $355 for Metlife and New Jersey Skylands respectively.

Metlife vs. New Jersey Skylands Discounts

Regardless of why you might be in the market for a new car insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as possible. That's where auto insurance discounts comes into play.

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

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by Metlife and New Jersey Skylands so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Metlife blows New Jersey Skylands away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 18 more discounts than New Jersey Skylands.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like discounts for being a defensive driver, discounts for being a good driver, discounts for being a good student, and discounts for insuring multiple cars with the same company. Metlife also offers AAA discounts, ABS discounts, academic discounts, and more that New Jersey Skylands does not.

On the flip side, New Jersey Skylands has a couple unique discounts of its own -- advance quote discounts, company car discounts, education discounts, and more.

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

So, we've broken down the average rates for many of the factors car insurance companies look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each carrier offers. But, at the end of the day, which company is the right carrier for you and your specific needs?

Metlife might be best for you if....

• You have a clean record.
• You want basic insurance coverage at the state minimum limits.
• Your neighborhood is in the suburbs.

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

• You live in one of the following states: New Jersey.

We hope this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Metlife and New Jersey Skylands and that you can now make a more informed decision when it comes to your auto 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 Metlife and New Jersey Skylands. Luckily, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get free quotes from dozens of top insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Metlife vs. New Jersey Skylands FAQs

Is Metlife or New Jersey Skylands cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, Metlife is the more affordable of the two carriers, offering average rates of $340 per month compared to $460 for New Jersey Skylands. However, Metlife won't necessarily be the cheapest carrier for everyone, since there are multiple different variables (things like gender, age, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Metlife or New Jersey Skylands?

Unfortunately, the real answer is "it depends.". Neither company is "better" for every driver -- it all comes down to what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

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

Insurance companies take a look at lots of different factors when calculating the prices they charge policyholders. Things like age, your driving record, where you park your car, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Metlife and New Jersey Skylands use different formulas, so each one will most likely offer different rates. The only real way to see which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from several different carriers.

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

The only way to find the car insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from a handful of companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your information once and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best auto insurance carriers in your area. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the cheapest rate. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be Metlife or New Jersey Skylands at all!

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.