Expensive auto insurance can deplete your accounts and make it hard to pay other bills. Comparing cost estimates is an excellent way to ensure you are getting the best deal.
Insurance companies such as Allstate and Progressive all claim big savings with catchy ads and consumers find it hard to see through the cute green geckos and mayhem and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
It’s smart to compare rates at least once a year since insurance rates are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Even if you got the best premium rates last year you will most likely find a better price today. Forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because I’m going to teach you one of the easiest ways to reduce your cost while increasing coverage.
If you are insured now or are looking for a new policy, you can use these techniques to reduce the price you pay while maximizing coverage. Choosing the best insurance company for you in El Cajon is not that difficult. California drivers just need to know the most effective way to shop their coverage around online.
There are a variety of methods you can shop for auto insurance but there is one way that is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could waste a few hours driving to insurance agencies in El Cajon, or you can stay home and use online quotes to maximize your effort.
Many of the larger companies participate in an industry program where prospective buyers send in one quote, and each participating company then returns a price quote. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions to each company.
To enter your information into the quoting system, click here (opens in new window).
The one disadvantage to pricing coverage this way is that you can’t choose which companies to get quotes from. So if you prefer to choose from a list of companies for rate comparison, we have a listing of auto insurance companies in California. Click here for list of insurance companies in California.
The approach you take is up to you, just make sure you are using identical coverage limits on every quote you get. If you enter different liability limits it will be very difficult to truly determine the lowest rate in El Cajon.
Auto insurance discounts are available to cut your rates
Car insurance can cost a lot, but there are discounts available to help bring down the price. Certain reductions will be credited at the time you complete a quote, but some discounts are required to be requested specifically before you get the savings.
- Online Discount – A few insurance companies provide a small discount on your computer.
- Discounts for New Vehicles – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can get you a discount because newer vehicles are generally safer.
- Theft Deterent System – Vehicles optioned with advanced anti-theft systems are stolen with less frequency and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- College Student – living away from home attending college and do not have a car could qualify for this discount.
- Active Military Service – Being on active deployment in the military could be rewarded with lower rates.
- Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
A quick disclaimer, most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though the math looks like you could get a free auto insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way. Any amount of discount will lower the premium cost.
Companies and a selection of discounts are:
- Progressive has savings for good student, online signing, multi-policy, homeowner, continuous coverage, and online quote discount.
- MetLife includes discounts for multi-policy, defensive driver, claim-free, good student, accident-free, good driver
- Mercury Insurance offers discounts for low natural disaster claims, ease of repair, good driver, accident-free, and age of vehicle.
- Nationwide offers discounts including multi-policy, good student, easy pay, family plan, defensive driving, accident-free, and Farm Bureau membership.
- Geico policyholders can earn discounts including anti-lock brakes, federal employee, defensive driver, driver training, emergency military deployment, multi-policy, and military active duty.
- AAA may include discounts for good student, anti-theft, multi-car, education and occupation, multi-policy, good driver, and AAA membership discount.
When quoting, ask every prospective company which credits you are entitled to. Some discounts might not be available to policyholders everywhere. To see insurance companies with the best auto insurance discounts in California, click this link.
Components of your car insurance prices
Many factors are taken into consideration when premium rates are determined. Some are pretty understandable like an MVR report, but other criteria are not quite as obvious such as your marital status or your vehicle rating. 
- Big cities have higher premiums – Residing in smaller towns and rural areas of the country has definite advantages when talking about auto insurance. Fewer people means less chance of accidents and a lower car theft rate. Urban drivers regularly have much more traffic and longer commute times. More time on the road means more chances of being involved in an auto accident.
- Married drivers get cheaper rates – Your spouse helps lower the price when shopping for auto insurance. Marriage demonstrates that you tend to be more mature it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
- Good credit scores equal low prices – A driver’s credit history will be a significant factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Drivers with very high credit ratings tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit ratings. If your credit rating leaves room for improvement, you could be paying less to insure your vehicle by spending a little time repairing your credit.
- Pay more for higher performance vehicles – The make and model of the vehicle you are buying insurance for makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. The best insurance prices will normally be found when insuring low performance passenger vehicles, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
Compare prices but buy from a local El Cajon insurance agency
A small number of people just prefer to talk to a local agent. Good agents are trained risk managers and help file insurance claims. One of the best bonuses of comparing auto insurance online is that you can obtain cheap auto insurance rates but also keep your business local. Buying from neighborhood insurance agencies is still important in El Cajon.
Once you complete this simple form, the quote information is immediately sent to companies in El Cajon who will return price quotes for your auto insurance coverage. There is no need to find an agent on your own due to the fact that quote results will go to your email. If for some reason you want to compare rates from a particular provider, feel free to search and find their rate quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Types of auto insurance agents in El Cajon
When researching a local agent, it can be helpful to understand the different types of agents and how they are distinctly different. Agencies in El Cajon can either be captive or independent agents depending on their company appointments. Either one can write auto insurance policies, but it’s important to know the difference between them because it may have an impact on the type of agent you choose.
Independent Auto Insurance Agents (or Brokers)
Agents that elect to be independent are not required to write business for one company so they have the ability to put coverage with lots of companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move your policy to a different company without you having to go to a different agency. When comparing rate quotes, you will definitely want to contact a couple of independent agencies to have the most options to choose from.
Below are independent agents in El Cajon that may be able to provide rate quotes.
Dom Recchia Insurance – 111 Fletcher Pkwy – El Cajon, CA 92020 – (619) 420-4450
Nick L Patrico Agency – 580 Broadway – El Cajon, CA 92021 – (619) 579-9633
Edmon Fattohi Insurance Svc – 1768 Pepper Dr – El Cajon, CA 92021 – (619) 441-0350
Norven Storrs Agency – 231 W Main St – El Cajon, CA 92020 – (619) 401-1800
Bill Fleetwood Agency – 1651 E Main St # 202 – El Cajon, CA 92021 – (619) 590-0022
Captive Agents
These agents write business for a single company like AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. Captive agents are unable to shop your coverage around so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agents receive extensive training on what they offer which helps them sell on service rather than price.
Below are captive agents in El Cajon that can give you comparison quotes.
Allstate Insurance – 1282 Broadway – El Cajon, CA 92021 – (619) 440-6775
To view insurance agents in your area, see this list of El Cajon, CA insurance agencies.
Choosing the best auto insurance agent requires more thought than just the bottom line cost. Any good agent should know the answers to these questions.
- Do they reduce claim amounts on high mileage vehicles?
- How many companies do they write for?
- Is the agent properly licensed in California?
- Is coverage determined by price?
- How long has the business existed?
Auto insurance is unique, just like you
When buying coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions might point out if you might need professional guidance.
- Do I pay less if my vehicle is kept in my garage?
- Am I covered when driving a rental car?
- Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
- When should I not file a claim?
- Do I need higher deductibles?
- Are split liability limits better than a combined single limit?
If you’re not sure about those questions then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.
Much more information about auto insurance in California can be read on the found here. California consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, read consumer alerts, read industry bulletins, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
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But the ad said I’d save 15% in 15 minutes!
Consumers can’t get away from all the ads that claim the lowest premium rates by companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads state the claim about how much you will save if you just switch your policy.
How do they all lower your premium rates? Here is how they do it.
All companies require specific criteria for a prospective insured that earns them the most money. One example of this type of risk profile could possibly be a married male, insures multiple vehicles, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver who fits that profile will get low prices and as a result will probably save if they switch.
Potential insureds who cannot meet this ideal profile will probably be forced to pay a more expensive rate which results in business not being written. The trick companies use is to say “people that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much money. That’s the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.
This really illustrates why you really should compare often. Because you never know with any certainty which company will give you lower rates than your current company.
Don’t give up on lower rates
You just read many tips how you can save on auto insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding . You may be surprised to find that the lowest premium rates come from the least-expected company. They may only write in your state and offer lower prices than their larger competitors like State Farm, Geico and Nationwide.
As you shop your coverage around, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are many occasions where an insured dropped physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best cost, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.