Having to pay for overpriced car insurance can drain your checking account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Comparison shopping is a smart way to slash your bill and have more diposable income. Numerous car insurance companies battle for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a company to find the absolute lowest cost out there.
It’s a good idea to do rate comparisons before your policy renews since insurance rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates last year you may be paying too much now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to find out the right way to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.
How to Get Cheap Car Insurance in Corona, California
All major car insurance companies give coverage price quotes on their websites. The process is quite simple as you simply type in your personal and coverage information into a form. After you complete the form, the system makes automated requests for credit information and your driving record and generates a price based on these factors. This makes comparing rates easy, but the time required to go to a lot of sites and type in the same information is monotonous and tiresome. But it’s absolutely necessary to perform this step if you want to find a better rate.
Isn’t there an easier way to compare rates?
The smarter way to lower your car insurance bill requires only one form to get prices from a lot of companies. The form is fast, eliminates repetitive work, and makes online price comparison a lot less work. Once the form is submitted, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the quote results.
If the quotes result in lower rates, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process can be completed in a matter of minutes and you’ll know if lower rates are available.
If you want to find out if lower rates are available, simply click here to open in new window and submit your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you type in coverages and limits as shown on your current policy. This guarantees you will be getting a rate comparison based on identical coverages.
Discounts are great for lower rates
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you can get discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be requested specifically before they will apply. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially as compared to bad drivers.
- 55 and Retired – Older drivers may qualify for better car insurance rates.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts up to 30%.
- New Car Discount – Insuring a new car is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
- Drivers Education – Have your child complete a driver education course in high school.
- Military Discounts – Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
It’s important to understand that most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of insurers with discount car insurance rates in Corona, click here to view.
You may need specialized coverage
When it comes to buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so your insurance needs to address that. For example, these questions may help you determine whether your personal situation might need professional guidance.
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
- Who is covered by my policy?
- Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
- Am I getting all the discounts available?
- Should I sign the liability waiver when renting a car?
- Is my vehicle covered for smoke damage?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in California?
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.
Car insurance coverage information
Understanding the coverages of your policy aids in choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are the normal coverages available from car insurance companies.
Auto collision coverage
Collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for things such as colliding with a tree, crashing into a building, driving through your garage door and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, 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
This coverage can cover injuries or damage you cause to other people or property in an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 50/100/50 which stand for $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Another option is a combined limit which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability insurance covers claims such as attorney fees, emergency aid and medical services. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. California state law requires minimum liability limits of 15,000/30,000/5,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy higher limits.
Comprehensive car insurance
This pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims like theft, damage from getting keyed, damage from flooding and a broken windshield. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Coverage for medical expenses
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for bills for rehabilitation expenses, EMT expenses, funeral costs and prosthetic devices. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.
Since many California drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 15/30/5), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Usually the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Final considerations
We’ve covered a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from an unexpected company. They may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
As you shop your coverage around, don’t be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, drivers have reduced physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price.
Cheaper car insurance is possible from both online companies and with local Corona insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best rate selection. A few companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.
To find out more about California car insurance
Additional information can be found on the website for the California Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Visitors are able to file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find disaster information, and read industry bulletins.
The following information may also be useful.