Confused by the crazy number of auto insurance companies in Long Beach? Many other drivers are as well. Drivers have so many options available that it can turn into a real hassle to find cheap car insurance in Long Beach, CA.
Save big with these 5 discounts
Car insurance can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts that you may not know about. Most are applied at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before you get the savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Club Memberships – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings when buying auto insurance.
- Drivers Education – Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver’s education if it’s offered in school.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
- New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
- Federal Government Employee – Employees or retirees of the government can save as much as 8% with certain companies.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will help reduce your premiums.
But don’t I need an insurance agent?
Some people prefer to talk to a local agent. Good agents can help determine the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. The biggest benefit of getting online price quotes is you may find the best rates and still choose a local agent. And providing support for local agencies is important especially in Long Beach.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, your insurance coverage information is submitted to companies in Long Beach who will battle for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent directly to your email.
Two types of auto insurance agents
When researching a local agent, there are a couple of different agency structures that you can select. Long Beach agents can either be captive or independent. Both types can do a good job, but it’s good to learn the differences because it can influence your selection of an agent.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent insurance agents are not employed by any specific company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing rates, you should always include price quotes from at least one independent agent for maximum quote selection. They often place coverage with lesser-known insurance companies who may have lower rates.
Shown below are Long Beach independent agents who can help you get competitive price quotes.
- James Hilson Agency – 5520 E 2nd St # H – Long Beach, CA 90803 – (562) 987-2550
- Hanley Agency – 5520 E 2nd St # A – Long Beach, CA 90803 – (714) 842-3432
- Miranda Agency Inc – 5848 E Naples Plz – Long Beach, CA 90803 – (562) 434-8440
- DSR Insurance Svc – 6285 E Spring St # 406 – Long Beach, CA 90808 – (562) 420-7104
- Auto Insurance Specialists – 5000 E Spring St # 100 – Long Beach, CA 90815 – (562) 496-2888
Captive Insurance Agents
This type of agents can only write with one company such as AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance and Allstate. They generally cannot place coverage with different providers so always compare other rates. Captive agencies are well schooled on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage. Consumers often purchase coverage from captives mainly due to the brand legacy and strong financial ratings.
Listed below are captive insurance agents in Long Beach that can give you rate quotes.
- State Farm Insurance – 2750 N Bellflower Blvd # 206c – Long Beach, CA 90815 – (562) 420-6469
- Farmers Insurance Group – 6970 N Paramount Blvd – Long Beach, CA 90805 – (562) 633-8001
- Allstate Insurance – 188 Pomona Ave – Long Beach, CA 90803 – (562) 987-1090
For a full directory of auto insurance agents in Long Beach, view this link.
Deciding on an insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Do they feel the quoted coverages are adequate?
Once you have received positive responses for all questions you ask and an affordable coverage quote, chances are good that you have found an insurance agent that can adequately provide auto insurance. But remember, consumers can cancel a policy for any reason so never assume that you are obligated to your new company for the full term.
Is there deception in advertising?
California consumers can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings from companies such as Allstate and Progressive. All the ads make the same claim that you’ll save big if you switch your policy.
How do they all make almost identical claims? It’s all in the numbers.
Insurance companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer they prefer to insure. A good example of a desirable insured might be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.
Potential insureds who are not a match for this ideal profile will be charged higher premiums and ends up with the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That’s why companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.
That is why you absolutely need to compare many company’s rates. It is impossible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.
More sites with auto insurance information
Much more information about auto insurance in California is available on the California Department of Insurance website found here. California drivers can discover disciplinary actions, find out industry alerts, and learn about specific coverages.
Auto insurance policy specifics
Learning about specific coverages of auto insurance aids in choosing appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. Auto insurance terms can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Medical payments and PIP coverage
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for immediate expenses for things like nursing services, doctor visits, X-ray expenses and chiropractic care. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Liability insurance
This coverage can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see values of 100/300/100 which means a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for things like court costs, attorney fees and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but buy as large an amount as possible. California requires drivers to carry at least 15,000/30,000/5,000 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.
Comprehensive auto coverage
This will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a deer, vandalism, theft and damage from flooding. The most a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Auto collision coverage
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for claims such as colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a ditch and crashing into a building. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.
UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your vehicle.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (15/30/5), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Most of the time these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Buy online or local, you save
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s not a good idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where someone dropped physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big error on their part. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
We’ve covered a lot of techniques to shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the lowest premiums are with an unexpected company.
Lower-priced auto insurance is available online as well as from independent agents in Long Beach, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.