Finding low-cost Santa Rosa car insurance on the internet can be challenging for consumers not familiar with shopping for insurance online. When there are so many insurers to choose from, how can consumers have a chance to compare the different rates to find the best price?
You should take the time to take a look at other company’s rates periodically since rates change quite often. If you had the best price a year ago you can probably find a better price now. Forget all the misinformation about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the best methods to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.
If you have a policy now or are shopping for new coverage, you can use this information to cut your premiums while maximizing coverage. Locating more affordable car insurance in Santa Rosa is not that difficult. California vehicle owners only need an understanding of the best way to compare price quotes online.
Take these ten discounts and save
Companies that sell car insurance do not list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list both the well known and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving. If they aren’t giving you every credit possible, you are throwing money away.
- Sign Early and Save – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.
- Student in College – Kids in college who are attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less when compared to bad drivers.
- Accident Forgiveness – Certain companies permit an accident before raising your premiums if you are claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to take driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Driver Safety – Completing a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
- Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off your medical payments premium.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags can receive discounts of more than 20%.
It’s important to note that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky.
Fast and Easy Santa Rosa Car Insurance Quotes
Shopping for lower car insurance rates can be challenging if you don’t know the best way to get rate quotes. You can waste a lot of time talking to agents in Santa Rosa, or you can utilize online quotes to get rates in a matter of minutes.
Many of the larger companies belong to a marketplace where prospective buyers submit one quote, and every company then gives them pricing based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions to each individual car insurance company. To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here (opens in new window).
The single downside to using this type of form is you cannot specify which insurance companies you will receive quotes from. If you would rather choose from a list of companies to compare prices, we have a listing of companies who write car insurance in California. Click here for list of insurance companies in California.
Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using exactly the same coverages and limits for every company. If your comparisons have higher or lower deductibles you can’t possibly determine the lowest rate in Santa Rosa.
Car insurance coverage breakdown
Having a good grasp of car insurance aids in choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Comprehensive coverages – This coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from getting keyed, falling objects and damage from flooding. The most your car insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Auto liability – This will cover damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 50/100/50 that translate to a limit of $50,000 per injured person, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage protects against claims like medical expenses, funeral expenses, repair costs for stationary objects and attorney fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is a personal decision, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. California state minimum liability requirements are 15,000/30,000/5,000 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.
Coverage for medical payments – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for expenses like surgery, prosthetic devices, funeral costs and ambulance fees. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. They cover you and your occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many California drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (California limits are 15/30/5), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Collision coverage – This coverage covers damage to your vehicle caused by collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for claims such as rolling your car, hitting a mailbox and colliding with a tree. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.
Online plus local equals savings
The cheapest car insurance is attainable on the web and also from your neighborhood Santa Rosa agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to reduce car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a lesser-known regional company.
Drivers who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, delays in responding to claim requests, policy non-renewal and even being labeled a high risk driver. It doesn’t matter what your reason, choosing a new company is actually quite simple.