Are you tired of scraping the payment together to pay your car insurance bill each month? You are in the same boat as many other drivers in California. With consumers having so many choices, it can be challenging to choose the lowest price insurance company.
Compare Car Insurance Today
All major car insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate allow you to get coverage prices online. Getting online rates is quite easy as you just enter the amount of coverage you want into the quote form. Behind the scenes, their system pulls credit information and your driving record and generates pricing information. Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the work required to visit several different sites and type in the same information can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it’s very important to do this if you want to find the best price possible.
Rate comparisons made easy
A quicker way to compare rates requires only one form that analyzes rates from a lot of companies. This type of form saves time, eliminates form submissions, and makes online quotes much easier to do. As soon as you send your information, your coverage is rated with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the price quotes you receive. If the quotes result in lower rates, it’s easy to complete the application and buy the new coverage. The entire process takes 15 minutes at the most and may save quite a bit of money.
In order to compare pricing, click here and submit the form. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you copy the insurance coverages identical to your current policy. Doing this guarantees you are getting rate comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.
Verify you’re getting all your discounts
Companies that sell car insurance don’t necessarily list all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we break down both the well known and also the lesser-known car insurance savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you are throwing money away.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off your medical payments premium.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- New Car Discount – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than their less cautious counterparts.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts up to 30%.
- Memberships – Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization could trigger savings when shopping for car insurance.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most only cut individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Just because you may think you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
For a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in California, click here.
Rate influencing factors
Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that go into determining the price you pay for car insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that could result in better car insurance rates.
- Your credit rating is important – Your credit history is a large factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. Therefore, if your credit score is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your rating. Drivers who have excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers who have lower credit scores.
- Do men or women drive better? – Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, don’t assume that men are worse drivers. They both have accidents in similar numbers, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI.
- Discounts for married couples – Being married actually saves money when buying car insurance. Having a significant other usually means you are more mature it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
- The more you drive the more you pay – The more miles you rack up on your car in a year the higher your rates will be. Almost all companies rate vehicles based on their usage. Autos used primarily for pleasure use receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Double check that your car insurance policy is showing how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money.
- How’s your driving record? – Whether or not you get tickets has a big impact on rates. Only having one ticket can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Careful drivers receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with flagrant tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
- Older drivers pay less – More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel. Teen drivers have a tendency to be careless and easily distracted when driving therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
- Safer cars cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Safe vehicles have better occupant injury protection and fewer injuries translates into savings for insurance companies and lower rates for you.
Are insurance agents a thing of the past?
A small number of people just want to get advice from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Educated insurance agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and help file insurance claims. The best thing about comparing rates online is you can get better rates but also keep your business local.
After filling out this simple form, your coverage information is sent to agents in your area who will battle for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to drive around because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. It doesn’t get any easier!
Deciding on an insurance company shouldn’t rely on just a low price. These questions are important to ask:
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in California?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- How long has their agency been in business in Huntington Beach?
- Do they assist clients in filing claims?
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
If you want to view a list of agents in Huntington Beach to contact, view this link.
Upon getting reasonable responses in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you may have just found an insurer that can properly insure your vehicles.
Additional detailed information is available at the California Department of Insurance website. California consumers can view agent and company licensing information, read state legal mandates and laws, report car insurance fraud, and view a list of available companies.
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Compare but don’t skimp
While you’re price shopping online, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The aim is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Cost effective car insurance is available online and also from your neighborhood Huntington Beach agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers may not provide online quoting and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.