Lower Online Del Mar Auto Insurance Prices With These Methods

If you are a novice to online auto insurance shopping, it's easy to get confused by the vast number of auto insurance companies competing for business in Del Mar.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Shown below are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate premiums.

Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are quite a few additional coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These may sound like a good investment initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Traffic violations increase rates - Only having one moving violation can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with dangerous tickets like DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.
Men are more aggressive - Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Both sexes have accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving.
Liability coverage protects you - Your policy's liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It provides for a legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

There are several ways to shop for auto insurance, but one way is easier and takes less work. You can spend your afternoon talking to insurance companies in Del Mar, or you could use the internet to quickly compare rates.

Most of the larger companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and each company provides a quote based on the submitted data. This saves time by eliminating quote forms to each individual auto insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here to open in new window.

One minor caviat to pricing coverage this way is you can't choose which providers to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose from a list of companies to compare prices, we put together a list of companies who write auto insurance in California. Click here to view list.

It's your choice how you get your quotes, but be sure to compare identical coverage limits with every price quote. If you enter differing limits then you won't be able to find the best deal in Del Mar. Quoting even small variations in coverages can result in a big premium difference. Keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies helps locate better pricing.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don't always list all available discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and also the lesser-known savings tricks you should be using.

Safety Course Discount - Successfully completing a course in driver safety can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
Passive Restraints - Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts may earn rate discounts of 20% or more.
Save over 55 - If you're over the age of 55, you may receive a small decrease in premiums.
Organization Discounts - Participating in a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates when buying auto insurance.
Federal Employees - Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
Homeowners Savings - Owning a home in Del Mar can help you save on auto insurance because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, auto insurance companies aren't that generous.

To choose insurers with discount auto insurance rates in California, click here to view.

Is there truth in advertising?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm consistently run television and radio advertisements. All the companies make an identical promise about savings if you change your coverage to them. How does each company make almost identical claims? It's all in the numbers.

Insurance companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that makes them money. For example, a profitable customer could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. A driver who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential customers who don't measure up to these standards must pay a more expensive rate and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully make those claims. This illustrates why you need to get a wide range of price quotes. It is impossible to predict which company will have the lowest rates.

How do I know if I need professional advice?

When buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a one size fits all plan. Every situation is different.

For example, these questions may help highlight whether or not you might need an agent's assistance.

Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
Should I buy additional glass protection?
Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
Do I qualify for additional discounts?

If you're not sure about those questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.

Even more information can be found at the California Department of Insurance website. California consumers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, and learn about insurance regulations.

Shop smart and save

Cheap auto insurance is attainable online as well as from independent agents in Del Mar, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some companies don't offer online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we presented many tips how you can compare auto insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. You may even discover the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies.

While you're price shopping online, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped physical damage coverage only to discover later they didn't purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.