10 Money Saving Ideas Guaranteed to Slash the Cost of Car Insurance Costs in Hercules

Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can empty your savings account and force you to prioritize other expenses. Doing a price comparison is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to make sure you're not throwing money away. Big-name insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive persitently shower you with catchy ads and it is difficult to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

It's important to do rate comparisons yearly since rates are constantly changing. If you had the lowest price last year the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because you're about to find out the fastest and easiest way to find better coverage at a better price.

If you are insured now or need new coverage, you can follow these tips to get lower rates and still get good coverage. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Hercules is easy if you know what you're doing. California vehicle owners just need to know the most effective way to shop their coverage around online.

More discounts equal less premium

Auto insurance companies don't always list all their discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we researched some of the more common and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using. If you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you're paying more than you need to.

Life Insurance - Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
New Car Discount - Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
Accident Free - Drivers who don't have accidents pay much less as compared to bad drivers.
Military Rewards - Being on active duty in the military can result in better rates.
Anti-lock Brake System - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
55 and Retired - Mature drivers can possibly qualify for reduced rates.
Sign Online - Certain companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
Memberships - Belonging to a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates on car insurance.
Drivers Ed for Students - Have your child complete a driver education course in high school.
Pay Upfront and Save - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.

Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like it's possible to get free car insurance, companies don't profit that way.

To see a list of companies with the best car insurance discounts in Hercules, click here to view.

How to Get Cheap Car Insurance in Hercules, CA

Most companies give pricing online. Getting quotes is pretty easy as you just type in your required coverages into the quote form. Once you submit the form, their rating system will obtain credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote based on many factors. Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit many different websites and complete many quote forms can be a bit repetitive. Unfortunately, it is important to get many rate quotes in order to get a lower rate.

The preferred way to compare car insurance pricing is to use a quote form that obtains quotes from several different companies. It's a real time-saver, eliminates form submissions, and makes online quotes much easier to do. Immediately after submitting the form, your coverage is rated and you are able to buy your choice of the price quotes you receive. If the quotes result in lower rates, you can click and sign and buy the policy. This process just takes a couple of minutes and may result in a nice savings.

To find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and submit your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it's recommended you enter the insurance coverages identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will have rate quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

It's not one size fits all

When choosing the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a "perfect" insurance plan. Everyone's needs are different so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if you would benefit from professional advice.

When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in California?
Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?

If you're not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Consumers can't get away from ads for car insurance savings by companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all seem to make an identical promise that you'll save big if you move to them.

How can each company make the same claim?

All companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a desirable insured could be a mature driver, has no prior claims, and drives newer vehicles. Any new insured who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Potential customers who do not match the requirements will have to pay a higher premium and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads state "people who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save money. This is how companies can claim big savings. Because of the profiling, drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It's just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

A tidy conclusion

When trying to cut insurance costs, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to discover later that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate.

Discount car insurance is definitely available from both online companies and with local Hercules insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. A few companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

More detailed California car insurance information is located at the California Department of Insurance website. Consumers can view agent and company licensing information, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read industry bulletins, and view a list of available companies.