Price shopping your Simi Valley car insurance is hard for drivers who are new to online comparison shopping. You have so many options available that it can easily become a difficult mission to compare rates in California.
Good decisions result in lower premiums
The best way to find cheaper car insurance is to take a look at the rating factors that go into determining your premiums. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.
- Cars with good safety ratings lower rates – Cars with five star safety ratings cost less to insure. Highly rated vehicles result in less severe injuries and fewer injuries translates into savings for insurance companies passed on to you as lower rates. If your car or truck scored at minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it may cost less to insure.
- Low stress employer equals lower premiums – Careers such as military generals, business owners and stock brokers usually pay the highest average rates due to stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. On the flip side, jobs like scientists, athletes and retirees generally pay rates lower than average.
- Bundle policies and save money – The majority of insurance companies allow a discount to customers that buy multiple policies, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you still need to compare other company rates to help ensure you have the lowest rates.
- Men drivers tend to cost more – Over time, data shows that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. The data does not necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Males and females cause auto accidents in similar percentages, but males have costlier accidents. Men also statistically receive more major tickets like DUI and reckless driving.
- Traffic violations inflate prices – Being a careful driver impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Just one driving citation can increase rates to the point where it’s not affordable. Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers with careless citations like DUI or willful reckless driving may find they need to submit a SR-22 form with their state in order to keep their license.
- How your age affects costs – More experienced drivers are more cautious drivers, cause fewer claims and accidents , and usually have better credit.Beginning drivers are statistically shown to get distracted easily when behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher.
- How much liability protection – Liability coverage provides coverage if ever you are ruled to be at fault for physical damage or personal injury to other. Your policy’s liability insurance provides legal defense which can cost a lot. It is affordable coverage compared to comp and collision, so drivers should carry high limits.
- More performance means higher prices – The type of vehicle you drive makes a substantial difference in your auto insurance rates. The cheapest rates tend to be for smaller low performance passenger cars, but many other things help determine your insurance rates.
Verify you’re earning every discount
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but you may be missing some discounts that you may not know about. Certain reductions will be credited at quote time, but lesser-known reductions have to be inquired about before being credited.
- Own a Home and Save – Being a homeowner can get you a discount since home ownership requires personal responsibility.
- Active Military Service – Being deployed in the military could mean lower rates.
- Defensive Driver – Completing a course in safe driver can save you 5% or more and make you a better driver.
- Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver’s ed class as it can save substantially.
- Cautious Driver Discount – Drivers without accidents may save up to 50% more compared to accident prone drivers.
Policy discounts save money, but many deductions do not apply the the whole policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So even though you would think you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Larger car insurance companies and their offered discounts can be read below.
- Geico may have discounts that include five-year accident-free, driver training, emergency military deployment, defensive driver, anti-theft, and multi-policy.
- Travelers offers discounts for early quote, multi-car, payment discounts, multi-policy, and hybrid/electric vehicle.
- Farm Bureau has savings for driver training, safe driver, good student, 55 and retired, and multi-vehicle.
- Liberty Mutual offers premium reductions for safety features, new vehicle discount, hybrid vehicle, exclusive group savings, multi-car, and good student.
- American Family offers discounts including multi-vehicle, accident-free, TimeAway discount, defensive driver, and mySafetyValet.
- Progressive has discounts for good student, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online signing, multi-policy, and homeowner.
When getting a coverage quote, ask each company to apply every possible discount. Some credits may not be offered in Simi Valley. For a list of insurance companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Simi Valley, click here to view.
Comparing rates from local Simi Valley insurance agents
Some people would rather go talk to an agent and that is not a bad decision Good agents can help you choose the best coverages and give you someone to call. One of the benefits of getting online price quotes is you can get cheaper auto insurance rates but still work with a licensed agent.
After filling out this simple form, your insurance coverage information is submitted to local insurance agents that can provide for your car insurance coverage. You don’t have to do any legwork since price quotes are sent directly to you. If you wish to compare prices for a specific company, just go to their quote page and complete a quote there.
Choosing the best provider shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- How long have they been in business?
- Do you need full coverage on every vehicle?
- In the event of vehicle damage, can you pick the collision repair facility?
- Does the quote include credit and driving reports?
- Are they giving you every discount you deserve?
- Is the coverage adequate for your vehicle?
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in Simi Valley?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
Choose an insurance agent wisely
When researching a local insurance agency, it’s important to understand the different types of agents to choose from. Insurance agencies in Simi Valley can be classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both types can write policy coverage, but it’s important to know the difference in how they write coverage because it may have an impact on the kind of agent you use.
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agencies have only one company to place business with and examples are Farmers Insurance and State Farm. These agents are not able to provide prices from multiple companies so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. They are highly trained on their products and sales techniques which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. A lot of people use the same captive agent partially due to the brand legacy and strong financial ratings.
The following are captive agencies in Simi Valley that are able to give price quote information.
- State Farm Insurance – 5145 E Los Angeles Ave # 3 – Simi Valley, CA 93063 – (805) 522-3663
- Allstate Insurance – 1716 Erringer Rd # 114 – Simi Valley, CA 93065 – (805) 584-3511
Independent Insurance Agents
These agents are not required to write business for one company and that allows them to write policies with many different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If they find a lower price, they simply move the coverage in-house and the insured can keep the same agent. When searching for an agent, we highly recommend that you get rate quotes from several independent agencies to have the best price comparison. Most also write with different regional companies that may provide cheaper car insurance rates.
The following is a list of independent agencies in Simi Valley that can give you price quote information.
- Howard J Hammer Insurance – 4195 Valley Fair St # 206 – Simi Valley, CA 93063 – (805) 520-4000
- Lee Insurance – 5775 E Los Angeles Ave – Simi Valley, CA 93063 – (805) 520-3533
To view additional car insurance agents in Simi Valley, here is a directory of Simi Valley California car insurance agents.
If you feel you receive acceptable answers to all your questions and locked in a price quote, you’ve probably found an auto insurance agent that can be relied on to properly service your car insurance policy.
Why you might not save $458 a year
Consumers in California can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings from companies such as Allstate, Geico and Progressive. They all try to convey promises that people will save just by switching to them.
But how can every company charge less that you’re paying now? Just pay attention to how they say it.
Different companies have specific characteristics for a prospective insured that will not have excessive claims. For example, a desirable insured may need to be between the ages of 30 and 50, carries high limits, and chooses high deductibles. A propective insured who fits those characteristics gets the lowest premium rates as well as save when they switch companies.
People who don’t qualify for the requirements may be forced to pay higher prices which results in the customer not purchasing. If you pay attention, the ads say “drivers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. This is how companies can make those claims. This illustrates why you should get price quotes at each policy renewal. Because you cannot predict with any certainty which company will have the best auto insurance rates at this point in time.
For more information
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the California Department of Insurance website. California drivers can find a variety of consumer forms, find out which companies have the most complaints, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and read consumer alerts.
The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Simi Valley
In Summary
Budget-friendly car insurance can be bought on the web and from local insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies may not have online rate quotes and most of the time these regional carriers sell through independent insurance agencies.
Insureds leave their current company for any number of reasons including questionable increases in premium, poor customer service, denial of a claim or even policy non-renewal. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new company can be easier than you think.
When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In too many instances, someone dropped physical damage coverage only to regret they didn’t have enough coverage. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at the best price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.