Tightwads Tips for Saving on Colton Auto Insurance

Overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your bank account and force you to make sacrifices. Shopping your coverage around is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to slash your bill and have more diposable income. Consumers have many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to have a selection, it can be more difficult to compare rates.

Take advantage of discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but there could be available discounts to help offset the cost. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but some must be requested specifically in order for you to get them. If you're not getting every credit you deserve, you're paying more than you need to.

Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Keeping the miles down can qualify you for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Own a Home - Owning a home in Colton can help you save on auto insurance because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
Pay Upfront and Save - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
Save over 55 - Mature drivers can possibly qualify for better auto insurance rates.
Defensive Driving Course - Taking a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.

Keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like you could get a free auto insurance policy, it just doesn't work that way. But any discount will bring down your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in California, click here to view.

How to Lower Your Auto Insurance Cost in Colton, California

Finding cheaper auto insurance prices can be relatively painless. Just spend a few minutes on the computer comparing rates online with multiple companies. This can be done in several different ways.

The best way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for each company. One form submission will return price quotes from all major companies.
A less efficient way to compare rate quotes consists of visiting the website for every company you want to comare to complete a price quote. For example, let's say you want comparison quotes from , and . You would have to visit each site to enter your coverage information, and that's why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Colton, click here.
The least recommended way of comparing rate quotes is driving to local Colton insurance agencies. Buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you have a need for the professional advice of a licensed agent. However, consumers can obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent.

It's your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you are comparing identical deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you have different values for each quote you will not be able to decipher which rate is best in Colton.

You have some control over your rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what influences your rates enables informed choices that could result in better auto insurance rates.

Add-on coverages can add up - There are a lot of add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages for roadside assistance, accidental death and term life insurance may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but if they're wasting money eliminate them to save money.
Pay less after the wedding - Being married actually saves money on your policy. Having a spouse means you're more mature it has been statistically shown that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all aid in stopping car theft.
Sex matters - Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. However, don't assume that men are worse drivers. Men and women tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving.
Where you live - Residing in a small town is a positive aspect when insuring your vehicles. Drivers who live in large cities have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Lower population translates into fewer accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
High deductibles save money - Deductibles for physical damage represent how much money you are required to spend out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Physical damage coverage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. Some instances where coverage would apply could be colliding with a building, vandalism, and burglary. The more money you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the bigger discount you will receive.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

California consumers can't get away from ads for car insurance savings by 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies make an identical promise that you can save if you move to their company.

How does each company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable customer could possibly be a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. A driver who meets those qualifications will get very good rates and most likely will save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't qualify for these standards must pay more money and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that much. This is how insurance companies can state the savings.

This illustrates why drivers must compare as many rates as you can. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Best coverage at the best price

Affordable auto insurance is possible online and also from your neighborhood Colton agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that they should have had better coverage. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

More information is available on the website for the California Department of Insurance. Click here for link. California consumers can discover disciplinary actions, get help finding coverage, view a list of available companies, and learn about insurance regulations.