Are you a victim of high-priced auto insurance? Believe me when I say there are lots of people in the same boat.
Multiple auto insurance companies compete for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare car insurance companies to find the absolute best price available.
Consumers should take time to get comparison quotes periodically since insurance rates change regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rates two years ago there may be better deals available now. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you’re about to find out how to use online quotes to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Buying car insurance in Santa Ana is not rocket science. Nevertheless, California consumers do need to understand the way insurance companies price insurance differently and use this information to your advantage.
Comprehensive Auto Insurance Comparison in Santa Ana, CA
There are a lot of ways to compare auto insurance prices but some are more efficient than others. You can waste a lot of time talking about coverages with insurance companies in Santa Ana, or you could use the internet to achieve your goal.
Many of the larger companies belong to an insurance system that allows shoppers to only type in their quote data once, and each company returns a rated price based on the submitted data. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests to every company.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now click to open in new window.
The one disadvantage to doing it this way is you cannot specify which companies you want to price. If you wish to select individual companies to compare prices, we have a page of low cost auto insurance companies in California. View list of California insurance companies.
Which method you use is up to you, but ensure you’re using apples-to-apples coverages on every quote. If your comparisons have different values for each quote then you won’t be able to find the best deal in Santa Ana. Slightly different limits can make a big difference in price. Keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies helps locate the best rates.
Cut your auto insurance rates with discounts
Car insurance companies don’t list every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so we break down both the well known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using.
- Government Employees – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
- Service Members Pay Less – Being deployed with a military unit could mean lower rates.
- Life Insurance – Larger companies have lower rates if you buy life insurance from them.
- Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay less when compared with frequent claim filers.
- E-sign – Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy digitally online.
It’s important to note that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like it’s possible to get free car insurance, you won’t be that lucky.
To choose insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Santa Ana, click here.
Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in big savings.
The following are a few of the “ingredients” used by your company to calculate premiums.
- Women pay lower rates – Statistics demonstrate women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but the males have costlier accidents. They also have more aggressive citations like reckless driving and DUI. Youthful male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
- Occupation reflects on rates – Careers like doctors, architects and financial analysts tend to have higher average rates because of job stress and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, professions such as scientists, engineers and retirees receive lower rates.
- Equipment add-ons that lower auto insurance rates – Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all hinder your car from being stolen.
- Don’t get talked into coverage you don’t need – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, accident forgiveness and membership fees may be costing you every month. These may sound like a good investment at first, but your needs may have changed so eliminate them to save money.
- Credit scores impact auto insurance rates – Your credit history is a large factor in determining your rates. If your credit is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible than drivers who have lower credit scores.
- Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? – The majority of insurers will give a discount to people who have multiple policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount you still need to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal.
- Teen drivers pay high rates – Teen drivers in California are statistically proven to be more careless in a vehicle so auto insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.
- Choose a safe vehicle and save – Vehicles with good safety scores can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and lower injury rates translates into savings for insurance companies and thus lower rates.
You are unique and your auto insurance should be too
When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s needs are different so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions can aid in determining if your situation could use an agent’s help.
- Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
- Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
- Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Santa Ana?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
- Who is covered when they drive my vehicle?
- Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
- Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?
- What can I do if my company denied a claim?
- Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
If you can’t answer these questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
More detailed California auto insurance information is available at the California Department of Insurance website. Consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, download brochures, view agent and company licensing information, and report car insurance fraud.
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Affordable insurance is out there
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to get a better price on auto insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. They may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Geico and State Farm.
Cheap auto insurance can be sourced online as well as from independent agents in Santa Ana, so you should compare both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.