Easy Methods to Save Money on El Sobrante Auto Insurance

Saving money on El Sobrante auto insurance is challenging for consumers new to comparison shopping online. There are so many choices that it can quickly become a challenge to locate the lowest price in El Sobrante.

It's important to get comparison quotes before your policy renews since insurance rates are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal a few years ago a different company probably has better rates today. Starting now, forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because it's time to teach you the proper way to save on auto insurance.

Buying car insurance in El Sobrante is quite easy. Basically, every vehicle owner who has to buy auto insurance stands a good chance to be able to cut their insurance bill. Nevertheless, California vehicle owners do need to know the way insurance companies compete online and take advantage of how the system works.

Save big with these discounts

Companies that sell car insurance do not advertise every available discount very well, so here is a list some of the best known as well as the least known auto insurance savings.

Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
Employee of Federal Government - Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
New Vehicle Savings - Putting insurance coverage on a new car is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Driver's Ed - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to take driver's ed class if it's offered in school.
Military Discounts - Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
Senior Discount - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
Multi-policy Discount - If you have multiple policies with the same company you will save 10% to 20% off each policy.

It's important to understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Some only apply to individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn't quite work that way.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that help determine auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that can help you get better auto insurance rates.

Clean credit earns discounts - Your credit history is a important factor in your rate calculation. So if your credit is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your by improving your rating. Consumers who have high credit scores tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit scores.
Your auto insurance rates can be influenced by your job - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations like doctors, architects and stock brokers are shown to have the highest rates because of job stress and long work hours. On the other hand, professions such as farmers, students and performers pay the least.
Older drivers pay less - Teenage drivers in California are known to be less responsible in a vehicle so auto insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.
You might want pay the small claims yourself - Insurance companies in California provide discounts to policyholders who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Car insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Choose a safe vehicle and save - Safer cars are cheaper to insure. Safer cars have better occupant injury protection and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
Bump up deductibles to save - Physical damage coverage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Some examples of claims that would be covered are a windshield shattered by a rock, collision with an animal, and windstorm damage. Your deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend in the event of a claim. The more money the insured has to pay upfront, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
What type of vehicle do you drive? - The make and model of the vehicle you drive makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. The lowest rates are for small economy passenger vehicles, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Men pay higher rates - The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but men have costlier accidents. Men also get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

Companies like State Farm and Allstate continually stream ads on TV and radio. All the ads say the same thing of big savings after switching your policy. But how can every company say the same thing?

Different companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. An example of a preferred risk might be profiled as a mature driver, is a homeowner, and has a short commute. A propective insured who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who fall outside this ideal profile will be charged a more expensive rate which usually ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. That's why insurance companies can confidently make the claims of big savings. That is why drivers should get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

More tips and info about auto insurance is available at the California Department of Insurance website. California drivers can find out industry alerts, read industry bulletins, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Also read more on NAIC.org's Understanding your Policy and this directory of El Sobrante insurance agents.

Affordable insurance is out there

In this article, we covered many ways to reduce auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the best price on auto insurance is with the least-expected company.

Consumers change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as poor customer service, high rates after DUI convictions, not issuing a premium refund and even extreme rates for teen drivers. Whatever your reason, choosing a new insurance company is less work than it seems.

As you shop your coverage around, don't be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.