Trying to come up with a payment for pricey car insurance can diminish your accounts and possibly require you to analyze your spending habits. Comparing price quotes is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.
Due to the abundance of online and local companies to choose from, it is very difficult to locate the cheapest car insurance company.
It’s a great practice to compare prices as often as possible because insurance rates change regularly. Just because you had the best premium rates a few years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower price today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re about to learn how to quote online to reduce your cost while improving coverage.
Informed drivers can cut your costs
Many things are used when you get a price on insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving history, but others are more transparent such as your credit history or your commute time. Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this enables you to make decisions that may reward you with lower premium levels.
The list below includes some of the most rate-impacting factors car insurance companies consider when setting prices.
- Theft deterrents save – Choosing a vehicle that has a built-in theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can help prevent car theft.
- Where you live plays a part – Being located in less populated areas of the country has it’s advantages when it comes to car insurance. Lower population translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. People in densly populated areas have more road rage incidents and longer commute times. The longer drive time means more chances of being involved in an auto accident.
- Get married and get better rates – Having a spouse may cut your premiums on your car insurance bill. Marriage generally demonstrates drivers are more financially stable and it’s proven that married drivers tend to file fewer claims.
- Careless driving means higher rates – Getting just one moving violation may increase your cost to the point where it’s not affordable. Drivers who don’t get tickets pay lower auto insurance prices as compared to careless drivers. People who have severe citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to prove financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- Driver age impacts prices – Drivers with little experience have a tendency to be inattentive and easily distracted when driving with friends so they pay higher car insurance rates. Adding a inexperienced driver onto your car insurance can be very expensive. More experienced drivers are proven to be safer behind the wheel, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
- Never go without car insurance – Letting your insurance expire is a fast way to trigger a rate increase. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage might get you fines and jail time. You could then be forced to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the California motor vehicle department.
How to compare free Vallejo car insurance price quotes
Most major insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate give price estimates on their websites. Comparing prices online is quite simple as you simply enter your coverage preferences into a form. Once you submit the form, their quoting system gets your driving and credit reports and generates pricing information. Online price estimates makes it simple to compare prices but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively fill out multiple forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it is imperative to have as many quotes as possible if you want to get the lowest price.
The smarter way to find lower prices requires only one form that gets prices from multiple companies. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes online shopping much easier. Once the form is submitted, it is rated and you can select any one of the quotes returned.
If you find a better price you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. It can be completed in less than 10 minutes and may result in a nice savings.
To find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and enter your information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you copy the coverage information as close as possible to your current policy. This ensures you will have a fair comparison using the exact same coverages.
You may qualify for discounts
Car insurance is neither fun to buy or cheap, but there could be available discounts that can help lower your rates. A few discounts will be applied when you quote, but less common discounts must be asked for prior to receiving the credit.
- Telematics Data – Vallejo drivers who agree to allow driving data collection to study where and when they drive by using a telematic data system like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot may get a rate reduction as long as they are good drivers.
- Theft Deterent – Vehicles that have factory anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Driver’s Education for Students – Teen drivers should enroll in driver’s education in high school.
- Vallejo Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a house in Vallejo may trigger a policy discount on car insurance because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
- Smart Student Discounts – Performing well in school may save as much as 25% on a . Many companies even apply the discount to college students until age 25.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Buying coverage for several vehicles with one company can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Maintaining low annual mileage can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
- Government Employees – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with some car insurance companies.
It’s important to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Most cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-7.jpg" alt="California auto insurance“/>
The best car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are outlined below.
- The Hartford may include discounts for bundle, vehicle fuel type, air bag, defensive driver, driver training, anti-theft, and good student.
- American Family includes discounts for air bags, good student, TimeAway discount, multi-vehicle, Steer into Savings, and bundled insurance.
- Progressive discounts include multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, continuous coverage, online signing, online quote discount, and good student.
- Travelers may have discounts that include save driver, new car, early quote, payment discounts, good student, and driver training.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts for good student, distant student, pay in full, early shopping, switch companies, electronic funds transfer, and alternative fuel.
- USAA policyholders can earn discounts including multi-policy, driver training, good student, annual mileage, multi-vehicle, and family discount.
- Liberty Mutual offers premium reductions for newly retired, hybrid vehicle, multi-car, new move discount, multi-policy, preferred payment discount, and exclusive group savings.
When quoting, ask every insurance company how you can save money. Some credits may not apply to policies in Vallejo. If you would like to see a list of insurers who offer cheap car insurance quotes in Vallejo, click this link.
Local Vallejo insurance agencies and car insurance
Many people just prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and that can be a great decision Professional agents will help you protect your assets and give you someone to call. The best thing about getting online price quotes is you can get the lowest rates but also keep your business local. Supporting neighborhood insurance agencies is important especially in Vallejo.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this simple form, your coverage information is emailed to local insurance agents in Vallejo who will give competitive quotes for your car insurance coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to search for any insurance agencies because prices are sent to you directly. If you need to get a rate quote from a specific insurance company, you just need to jump over to their website and give them your coverage information.
If you would like to find a reliable insurance agent, it’s helpful to know the different types of agencies and how they are slightly different. Agents can be classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both can handle car insurance, but it’s worth mentioning the differences because it may have an impact on the kind of agent you use.
Independent Car Insurance Agents
Agents in the independent channel are not required to write business for one company so they can quote policies through many different car insurance companies and find the cheapest rate. If prices rise, your agent can just switch to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies. If you need cheaper car insurance rates, you need to get quotes from several independent insurance agents to get the best comparison.
The following is a short list of independent insurance agents in Vallejo that may be able to give price quotes.
Allied Insurance – 2979 Redwood Pkwy – Vallejo, CA 94591 – (707) 644-2019
Vallejo Insurance Assoc – 840 Tuolumne St – Vallejo, CA 94590 – (707) 554-6080
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents can only quote rates from one company such as AAA, Allstate, and State Farm. They are unable to place coverage with different providers so they have no alternatives for high prices. Captives are very knowledgeable on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents.
Below is a short list of captive agents in Vallejo that can give you rate quotes.
Allstate Insurance – 1601 Marine World Pkwy # 142 – Vallejo, CA 94589 – (707) 556-5800
State Farm Insurance – 1041 Redwood St – Vallejo, CA 94590 – (707) 642-4453
To find agencies near you, visit this list of Vallejo California car insurance providers.
Choosing the best insurance agency requires more thought than just the quoted price. These are some questions your agent should answer.
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Omissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- Do they offer accident forgiveness?
- What kind of financial rating does the company have?
- How many companies do they write for?
If you receive positive feedback to any questions you may have in addition to an acceptable price estimate, most likely you have located a car insurance agent that meets your needs to properly insure your vehicles.
What insurance coverages do I need?
When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help you determine whether or not you might need professional guidance.
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
- Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
- Do I qualify for additional discounts?
- Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
- If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
- Should I sign the liability waiver when renting a car?
- Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
- What discounts do I qualify for?
If you’re not sure about those questions, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, free and you can get the answers you need.
Much more information about car insurance in California can be found on the found here. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, learn about insurance regulations, read industry bulletins, and view agent and company licensing information.
In conclusion
We covered many ideas to compare car insurance auto insurance rates online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with an unexpected company. Regional companies may have significantly lower premium rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.
Cheap car insurance can be purchased from both online companies and with local Vallejo insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some car insurance companies don’t offer price quotes online and most of the time these smaller providers sell through independent insurance agencies.