Have you fallen victim to high-priced car insurance? Trust us when we tell you there are lots of people in the same boat. Online insurance companies like Progressive, Geico and Farmers Insurance all claim big savings with TV and radio ads and consumers find it hard to see past the geckos and flying pigs and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
Verify you’re getting all your discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t list every available discount very well, so we break down some of the best known and also the lesser-known ways to save on car insurance. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Paperwork-free – A handful of insurance companies give back up to $50 just for signing your application online.
- Club Memberships – Being a member of a qualifying organization could trigger savings when shopping for car insurance.
- Military Rewards – Being on active duty in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for multiple vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Save with a New Car – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Cars that have air bags may earn rate discounts up to 30%.
- Safe Driver Discount – Insureds without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than their less cautious counterparts.
- Seat Belts Save – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could cut 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
Consumers should know that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
For a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in Irvine, click this link.
Automobile Insurance Quotes in Irvine, CA
Cutting your Irvine car insurance rates is not rocket science. All you need to do is invest a little time comparing price quotes online with multiple companies. This is very easy and can be done in a couple of different ways.
- The most efficient way to get quotes is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This form prevents you from having to do repetitive form entry for every car insurance company. In just a few minutes this one form gets rate comparisons direct from many companies.
- A more time consuming way to get quotes online requires you to visit each company’s website to request a price quote. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want rates from Nationwide, Esurance and Liberty Mutual. To get rate quotes you would need to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Irvine, click here.
- The hardest method of comparing rate quotes is to waste gas driving to and from local Irvine insurance agencies. Shopping for car insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you want the professional guidance that only a license agent can provide. You can, however, compare online quotes and get advice from an agent in your area and you’ll learn how to do that later.
Whichever way you use, be sure to compare the exact same deductibles and coverage limits with each company. If you have differing limits it will be very difficult to truly determine the lowest rate in Irvine.
Don’t I need to talk to an agent?
Some consumers would rather buy from a licensed agent. Professional agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you someone to call. One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is you can get the lowest rates and still choose a local agent.
Upon completion of this simple form, your coverage information is submitted to local insurance agents in Irvine who will compete for your coverage. There is no need to leave your house since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox.
Deciding on a company needs to be determined by more than just a low price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- How are claims handled?
- Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
- What insurance companies do they work with?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies?
Listed below are agents in Irvine that can give you price quote information.
Gorham Insurance Svc – 19600 Fairchild # 140, Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 724-0844
Spectrum Risk Mgmt & Insurance – 18010 Sky Park Cir # 140, Irvine, CA 92614 – (949) 756-5730
Allstate Insurance – 4255 Campus Dr # 270, Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 509-2888
Farmers Insurance Group – 196 Technology Dr # B, Irvine, CA 92618 – (949) 753-9557
State Farm Insurance – 2010 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614 – (714) 477-9000
Upon getting positive feedback to any questions you have and a good coverage price, chances are good that you have found an insurer that can properly insure your vehicles. Keep in mind policyholders can cancel your policy at any time so don’t assume that you’re stuck with any specific agency with no way to switch.
Is there deception in advertising?
California consumers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of Allstate, Geico and Progressive. They all seem to have a common claim of big savings after switching your coverage to them.
But how can every company make almost identical claims?
All companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured might be profiled as a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters receives the best rates and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential insureds who don’t qualify for the “perfect” profile will have to pay higher premiums which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently make those claims. Because of the profiling, drivers must compare many company’s rates. Because you never know which company will fit your personal profile best.
Coverages available on your car insurance policy
Having a good grasp of a car insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. These are typical coverage types found on most car insurance policies.
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a deer, damage from getting keyed and hail damage. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for bills for things like ambulance fees, pain medications, chiropractic care and nursing services. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This protects you and your vehicle when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.
Due to the fact that many California drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (15/30/5 in California), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family.
Collision coverages – Collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things like crashing into a ditch, driving through your garage door, hitting a mailbox, hitting a parking meter and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Liability auto insurance – Liability coverage will cover damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have policy limits of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage protects against things like bail bonds, structural damage, pain and suffering, attorney fees and emergency aid. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. California requires drivers to carry at least 15,000/30,000/5,000 but you should think about purchasing more liability than the minimum.
Final considerations
We just showed you some good ideas how to save on car insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Consumers may even find the lowest rates come from a small mutual company. Some small companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.
When you buy insurance online, it’s a bad idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There are too many instances where consumers will sacrifice full coverage and learned later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Low-cost car insurance is available both online and with local Irvine insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies do not offer online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.
Additional detailed information can be read at the California Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to read industry bulletins, find disaster information, view agent and company licensing information, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Irvine