Tri-State Auto Insurance Review (2020 Update)

The Tri-State Consumer Direct (TSC) started as an auto insurance company but later expanded its products to include homeowners insurance. If you’re in New York, Tri-Sate is one of the local auto insurance companies available to you. But are they a good choice?

Choosing an auto insurance company is a lot of work. That’s why we’ve done the research for you. Everything you need to know about Tri-State Consumer Direct auto insurance is right here.

We’ll cover the company’s reputation, how to get quotes, and even Tri-State auto insurance claims, so you can decide if they’re a good fit for your insurance needs. Finding the best auto insurance company doesn’t have to be hard. Just enter your ZIP code in the free comparison tool above.

Tri-State Consumer Direct Cheap Auto Insurance Rates

The downside to smaller auto insurance companies is that their coverage rates usually aren’t readily available online.

We can still get a reasonably accurate estimate by looking at New York’s average auto insurance rates. The table below shows the average coverage rates reported by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

These rates are not rates from Tri-State Consumer Insurance, but they are average rates based on auto insurance coverage in New York State.

What is Tri-State’s availability by state?

Tri-State Consumer Insurance is only available in New York and only has one location:

575 Jericho Turnpike, Jericho, NY 11753

You can reach them by telephone at:

Toll-Free: 1-800-JOIN-NOW (1-800-564-6669)
Phone: 1-516-681-9400
Phone: 1-718-895-0036

Auto Insurance Coverages Offered by Tri-State

TSC doesn’t talk much about what it offers, but liability coverage is definitely available because all auto insurance companies, including Tri-State, must carry the New York auto insurance minimum requirements.

If a policyholder needs collision and/or comprehensive, they’ll have to ask an agent if these are available. But what about bundling options, discounts, and other programs? We’ll go over all that information next.

Take a look at this video for a quick primer on auto insurance coverage.

What can Tri-State Consumer Insurance offer you as a potential customer? Continue through the guide to find out more.

What are Tri-State’s bundling options?

Auto insurance policyholders who own a home can also enroll in a Tri-State Consumer home insurance policy. This is particularly convenient for New York residents who want to consolidate their auto and home insurance rates into one bill.

In addition to auto and home bundling, TSC allows policyholders to have multiple vehicles on a single policy, which could mean auto insurance discounts.

What are the discounts offered by Tri-State?

TSC offers several other discounts for policyholders. We’ve summarized them in a data table for your convenience.

You can earn a discount on your car insurance by completing a state-approved defensive driving and accident prevention course. Drivers under 21 years old who complete state-approved driver’s training courses are eligible for a discount.

In addition to driver’s training courses, TSC will give discounts to students who perform well in academics as part of its Good Student Discount program (the student must maintain a 3.0 or above).

Do auto insurance companies check your driving record? Yes, they do, without exception.

Like most auto insurance companies, TSC rewards policyholders who have a clean driving record with a discount.

Combined with other discounts, auto insurance rates could be significantly reduced.

Earlier we mentioned how policyholders can include more than one vehicle in their policy. TSC will also give you a discount for having multiple vehicles insured with them.

Also, owning a newer vehicle or used vehicle with safety features such as anti-lock brakes, a recovery system, and a security system will entitle policyholders to discounts. These preventative measures reduce your chances of having an accident or having your car targeted by thieves, which means your insurer is less likely to have to pay out an expensive claim.

VIN Etching is another way to get a discount with TSC.

VIN etching is when a VIN is engraved into the vehicle’s windshield and windows. Most vehicles have VIN etching. This practice helps law enforcement to locate your vehicle if it’s stolen, which can ultimately save you and your insurer some money.

Finally, policyholders can save money through senior citizen discounts, military discounts, and loyalty discounts. Loyalty discounts are given by insurance companies to customers as a reward for renewing their policy.

What programs are available from Tri-State?

What’s interesting about Tri-State is that they promote the fact that they’ve been in business for more than 20 years as one of the reasons you should use their company for your insurance needs. However, in the world of insurance, this is a young company.

A major benefit of choosing this company if you’re a good driver is that they only sell one-year policies. The perk here is that if you have an accident while your policy is in force, your rates will not increase until your policy expires.

It’s worth noting, though, that Tri-State doesn’t accept high-risk drivers, so if you’ve had a recent accident, it’s unlikely you’d be offered a policy by the company in the first place.

Canceling Your Tri-State Auto Insurance Policy

Auto insurance companies will do everything they can to keep their policyholders. If you get in touch with your insurer to tell them you wish to cancel, they’ll likely try to sway you to stay by informing you of any discounts you may be eligible for.

Next, the insurer will ask if you have a new policy already in place because in most states it’s illegal to drive without insurance.

Do you still feel like canceling car insurance with Tri-State Consumer Insurance? Let’s take a look at the process.

Is there a cancellation fee with Tri-State?

TSC doesn’t give a lot of information on its website about how to cancel your auto insurance policy, but based on how other companies operate, there’s a good chance you’ll have to pay something when you cancel.

If you’re not canceling at the end of a policy’s term limit, you may be required to pay for the insurance you’ve already used and/or to make payments for the length of the contract you signed with TSC.

Is there a refund from Tri-State?

On the other side of things, you may be entitled to a refund for insurance you didn’t use. You can look for refund information in the terms and conditions of your policy, or ask a TSC representative about this.

How do you cancel a Tri-State policy?

Since TSC doesn’t list any specific steps on how to cancel, we advise policyholders to contact its offices in Jericho, NY, at 1-516-681-9400 or 1-718-895-0036.

Be sure you have your policy number close by.

Ask for an agent and tell them that you want to cancel your policy. If you have an online account, you may be able to cancel through the company’s website.

We’d like to walk you through it, but TSC has limited this particular part of the site to policyholders.

When can I cancel my Tri-State policy?

Ideally, an auto insurance company would prefer you to cancel when your policy is about to run out, but policyholders generally can cancel whenever they want to.

There may be some penalties or fees that come along when you allow your auto insurance to lapse. So, it’s not a good idea to allow your auto insurance to cancel due to nonpayment.

The state of New York has statues that cover certain aspects of the industry, but you can get the information you need when you speak to a Tri-State insurance agent about the appropriate time to cancel.

How to Make a Tri-State Auto Insurance Claim

How can you file a claim with an auto insurance company in New York? You can file a claim with Tri-State one of two ways: you can call the company and report your claim, or you can download the appropriate forms, fill them out, and fax or email them back.

To file an auto insurance claim you need to provide the following information:

• Policy number
• Date of occurrence
• Time of occurrence
• Type of loss
• Location of loss
• Injuries related to the incident
• Names and contact information of others involved
• Type of damage sustained
• Police contact information

Tri-State does request that you report your claim as quickly as possible so they can start working on it, even if you don’t have all of the above information available. There is no indication as to the claim center’s hours of operation on the website.

According to Tri-State, most of its claims are paid within three days of being filed.

If you want to make a claim by phone, contact TSC at its toll-free service line, 1-800-JOIN-NOW (1-800-564-6669), or call one of its New York offices (1-516-681-9400 or 1-718-895-0036).

Enter your ZIP code in the free quote box to compare Tri-State auto insurance to other auto insurance providers.

How to Get a Tri-State Auto Insurance Quote Online

Tri-State does offer a quote tool option on their website. However, Tri-State Consumer Insurance is one of the companies that will call you continuously to see why you haven’t followed up on a quote you received from them.

Tri-State is very strict about who they accept. You’ll be asked many questions about your driving habits. Because TSC insures New York City residents, you may also be asked where you park your car if you drive somewhere to ride the subway to work.

To receive a quote, follow these steps below.

Step 1 – Select Between Auto & Home Insurance

At the TSC homepage, locate the [Get A Quote] tab at the top of the webpage.

Scroll over the [Get A Quote] and select [Auto Quote].

Step 2 – Enter Your ZIP Code

Tri-State Consumer Insurance will need to know your ZIP code.

Since the company only operates in the state of New York, you’ll have to enter a New York ZIP code.

Step 3 – Select the Model Year

The next page will take you to a model year select screen.

Select the model year of the vehicle you want to insure.

Step 4 – Select the Vehicle Brand

Sometimes auto insurance rates depend on the make and model of a vehicle. Select the make of the vehicle you want to insure.

Once you select the vehicle make you want to insure, click the [Next] button to get to the next step. The new screen will show the model of the vehicle.

Choose your vehicle model.

Step 5 – Select the Vehicle Trim

The next prompt will allow you to choose your car’s trim.

Select the trim of the vehicle you want to insure.

Step 6 – Choose What the Vehicle Will Be Used For

Auto insurance companies will base coverage rates on how many miles you’re estimated to drive during the policy period.

Select from the different buttons what your vehicle is used for, and then enter the total number of miles you think you’ll drive within a year.

Pleasure vehicle use is usually 6,000 miles per year, and job/school commute mileage is 12,000 per year. We picked the average annual commute mileage for most drivers.

Most of our guides show annual commute mileage between 6,000 and 12,000 miles driven per year. The number of miles you drive may be higher (or lower).

Step 7 – Add Another Vehicle

If you wish to insure a second vehicle, you can do so now.

Adding another vehicle will take you through the previous steps again. if you don’t want to add another vehicle, move on to step eight.

Step 8 – Enter Your Name, Date of Birth, Gender, & Marital Status

TSC will need some personal information from you.

Age and gender are also factors that determine auto insurance rates, so TSC will need the information to give you a quote.

Step 9 – Information About Your Previous Policy & Current Credit Standing

You’ll have to put in information about your previous auto insurance policy. If you don’t have one, there’s an option for that.

Select all responses as accurately as possible. Auto insurance and your credit scores go hand in hand when determining your auto insurance rate as well. The better your credit, the less you’ll pay in premiums.

Step 10 – Have you completed an accident prevention program?

You can save money with TSC if you’ve completed an accident prevention course.

Select yes if you have and no if you haven’t.

Step 11 – Report Your Driving Record

Select how many accidents, DWI/DUIs, claims, tickets, and other violations you have on your driving record.

Click the plus or minus signs to increase or decrease the counter in the center.

Step 12 – Enter License & Job Information

Enter responses to the questions about your license, job, and education level.

Once you’ve put in all the necessary information, click [Next].

Step 13 – Enter Your Contact Information

The next step will take you to a profile of all the information you’ve put in.

Click on your profile, which should be the top button with your name and gender. Input your email, phone number, and all other information required for this section.

This will give Tri-State Consumer a way to contact you about how to proceed with your future policy. When you’re done, click [Next] to get closer to the quote you’re looking for.

Step 14 – Receive Your Quote

Here are the coverage options and coverage limits for your quote. Let’s start with bodily injury liability, property damage liability, and personal injury protection.

The next screenshot shows other coverages available from TSC.

Collision and comprehensive coverages are essentials to full (combined) coverage. Lenders and finance companies will require you to have both of these coverages if you’re leasing or financing your vehicle.

However, these coverages aren’t on the quote webpage. Since we pursued an anonymous quote through Tri-State, we may have been ineligible to receive that information. Nonetheless, the Tri-State auto insurance quote provided a monthly rate.

At the bottom of the webpage, you should see the monthly premium for your auto insurance quote.

Try a more personalized quote with your information and see if you can get different results, or you can receive an auto insurance quote by using our free comparison tool.

Tri-State Auto Insurance Ratings

Smaller car insurance companies can fly under the financial and credit rating radar, but Tri-State (also referred to as Tri-State Direct) managed to get a few grades among the top financial and credit rating agencies. Let’s see how they did.

We’ll start with a summary of Tri-State’s ratings among the most viable financial and credit rating agencies. See the ratings in a data table below.

Tri-State Consumer Insurance has limited ratings across the web. Two of the top rating agencies, A.M. Best and the Better Business Bureau, rate the car insurance company as strongly reliable in its obligations to policyholders.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) reported that Tri-State Consumer Insurance had a complaint index of zero. It could be that TSC is very good at keeping customers satisfied, or it could be that it just doesn’t have enough complaints that conform to NAIC standards.

Tri-State Auto Insurance History

Tri-State Consumer Insurance was founded as an auto insurance company in 1982. This New York-based company does not sell insurance anywhere outside of the state of New York.

Its motto is, “For New Yorkers, by New Yorkers.”

TSC has made great strides in providing New York residents with auto and home insurance. The company doesn’t list any major highlights on its website, other than its good A.M. Best rating.

How is Tri-State’s online presence?

The company does have a website with several pages for visitors to explore. Potential customers who want auto insurance from Tri-State Consumer Insurance will have to contact the company’s agents through its website or toll-free phone service.

Visitors to the website can get a quote, pay their TSC payment online, sign applications, file claims, contact TSC representatives, and read blog posts under the resources section.

Does Tri-State have commercials?

Tri-State Consumer Insurance has a few commercials. The first is a general, local commercial that advertises how the company cares about its customers.

With a smaller company, claims may be seen to more attentively due to the smaller number of policyholders. TSC is proud of its commitment to good customer service.

In another commercial, the company advertises how to winterize your car during New York’s cold winter months.

Like the commercial before, this video presents minimal information and a general view of what sorts of vehicles the company can insure.

Is Tri-State involved in the community?

If there is any involvement in the community, TSC has not made it known to the public. However, it may have some involvement in community development without necessarily having any specific programs for this purpose. Should the company experience higher than average growth over several years, it may expand its philanthropy.

What do Tri-State employees have to say?

Tri-State Consumer’s LinkedIn page reports that 11 to 50 employees work at the company. According to Tri-State, they do not use independent agents because doing so would increase the cost of its products. Thus any agents you speak to regarding Tri-State Consumer coverage will be employees that work directly for the company.

Currently, Tri-State does not have any job listings on its website. There is also no information provided about the benefits offered to employees.

Tri-State’s information on employees and employee response is limited. If you’re interested in working for the company, contact them by phone or through the website.

Design of Tri-State Auto Insurance Website/App

The design of the website is responsive. This means that it can easily be viewed on a phone, a computer screen, a tablet, or any device that has a web browser. The TSC website is easy to navigate; however, some functions are limited to users with a policy number or login.

Tri-State Auto Insurance: The Bottom Line

Tri-State seems to be a financially stable company. A.M. Best’s rating of TSC is further proof that the company is doing well. For those looking for a small auto insurance company, this is a sound option.

If you want to get quotes from multiple companies, you can use our free quote tool. It’s fast and easy, and all you have to do is enter your ZIP code below to start comparing auto insurance rates today.

Frequently Asked Questions: Tri-State Auto Insurance

There’s limited information about Tri-State Consumer Insurance available online. We’ve shed some light on this company for you over the course of this article, but let’s go over a few frequently asked questions in case there’s more you’d like to know.

#1 – What are the liability coverage requirements in New York?

The minimum requirement for auto insurance is liability coverage. The liability coverage limit in New York is $25,000 for bodily injury and $50,000 for the death of one person involved in an accident, $50,000 for bodily injury and $100,000 for the death of two or more people in an accident. The property damage limit is $10,000 for a single accident.

#2 – What is full coverage auto insurance?

Full coverage is a combination of liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage.

#3 – Why aren’t Tri-State’s auto insurance rates made public?

It’s unusual for smaller companies to have a lot of rate information out there. However, the company does make it relatively easy for a person to get a quote through its website.

#4 – Are small auto insurance companies cheaper than big auto insurance companies?

Who has the cheapest auto insurance? The best way to determine that is to compare quotes from multiple companies, big and small. Every company is different in terms of the rates they charge. A small company may not have the clout and name recognition of a big company like Geico, but that doesn’t mean it might not have low rates. Some people prefer smaller companies for personal service and local focus, even if the rates are higher.

#5 – What auto insurance coverages are available at TSC?

From what we’ve seen on its website, liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage are available at TSC. In addition to the basic coverages, TSC also has additional liability coverages such as personal injury protection (PIP) and medical payments (Med Pay).

#6 – Is TSC Direct a good insurance company?

As noted above, the company has an A+ rating with the BBB and A- rating with A.M. Best. Those are both signs of a soli reputation. Individual experience with an insurance company can vary, but TSC appears to be a good company overall.

#7 – What is Tri-State Health Insurance?

Tri-State (Tristate) Health Insurance is a health insurance company located in Illinois that has no connection to Tri-State auto insurance or any Tri-State Consumer Direct services.

#8 – Is Tri-State Consumers Direct known for another name?

No. There are a lot of similar company names out there, including TSR insurance, TC insurance, Tri-State Insurance Group of Keller, TX, Tri-State Insurance Company of Minnesota, State Auto, and Tri-State Insurance Group. Although the names can be confusing, they are not connected to Tri-State Consumers Direct (TSC) in New York.

However, the Tri-State Consumer insurance company provider portal will navigate you to the TSC log-in page where TSC customers can manage their auto insurance policy.