Free Guide to Paying Less for Dos Palos Auto Insurance Online

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced auto insurance? Trust us when we tell you you're not the only one.

Having so many different company options, it can be diffult for consumers to pick the lowest price insurance company.

The purpose of this article is to help educate you on the best way to quote coverages and some tips to save money. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to cut costs considerably using this information. Nevertheless, California vehicle owners do need to know the way companies determine prices because it can help you find the best coverage.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you can get discounts to help offset the cost. Certain discounts will be applied at quote time, but less common discounts must be asked for in order for you to get them.

  • No Accidents - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less when compared to bad drivers.
  • Memberships - Affiliation with a professional or civic organization could trigger savings when shopping for auto insurance.
  • Service Members Pay Less - Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
  • Passive Restraints - Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
  • Pay Upfront and Save - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
  • Paperwork-free - Some insurance companies give back up to $50 simply for signing online.
  • No Charge for an Accident - Some insurance companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.

It's important to understand that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free auto insurance policy, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce the amount you have to pay.

To see a list of insurance companies with the best auto insurance discounts in California, click this link.

Comprehensive Dos Palos Auto Insurance Comparison

The are a couple different ways of comparing rate quotes from auto insurance companies in your area. The best method to find the cheapest insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online. This can be done in several different ways.

  • The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This form saves time by eliminating separate forms for each company. Filling out one form will return price quotes from several companies.
  • A less efficient way to shop for auto insurance online consists of visiting the website of each company to complete a price quote. For sake of this example, let's assume you want to compare rates from , and . You would have to spend time on each company's site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is quicker. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Dos Palos, click here.

It doesn't matter which method you choose, just ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you enter different values for each quote then you won't be able to decipher which rate is best in Dos Palos. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits may cause a big price difference. Just remember that obtaining a wide range of quotes gives you a better chance of getting better pricing.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that come into play when calculating auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces auto insurance companies consider when setting prices.

  • Rates may be lower depending on your job - Careers like judges, executives and stock brokers tend to have the highest rates due to job stress and long work hours. On the other hand, occupations like actors, students and the unemployed receive lower rates.
  • Protect yourself with liability coverage - The liability section of your policy provides coverage when a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Safe vehicles cost less to insure - Safer cars tend to have better insurance rates. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts passed on to you as lower rates.
  • Poor credit can mean higher rates - Having a bad credit rating is a big factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Drivers who have excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with lower ratings. If your credit can use some improvement, you could pay less to insure your by improving your rating.
  • Lower rates with optional equipment - Choosing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.
  • Being married can save on auto insurance - Having a wife or husband actually saves money on your auto insurance policy. Having a significant other means you're more mature and responsible and statistics show being married results in fewer claims.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Auto insurance providers like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO regularly use television and radio advertisements. They all make the same claim of big savings if you move to their company. But how can every company say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a driver they prefer might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has great credit. A propective insured who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who don't qualify for this ideal profile will be quoted more money which leads to business not being written. The ad wording is "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. That's the way insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

Low-cost auto insurance is possible on the web and also from your neighborhood Dos Palos agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get a quote online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

In this article, we covered many ideas to compare auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas compared to the large companies like .

Additional auto insurance information is located on the website for the California Department of Insurance found here. California drivers can read industry bulletins, find out which companies have the most complaints, find disaster information, and find out industry alerts.

Additional helpful sites include this online resource for auto insurance quotes in California and this list of insurance agents in Dos Palos.