How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Auto Insurance in Los Olivos

Are you tired of not being able to afford each month for car insurance? You're in the same situation as many other California consumers. With so many choices of insurance companies, it is very difficult to find the most cost effective company.

Tips to Get Lower Los Olivos Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

  • Claim-free discounts can add up - Companies in California award discounts to drivers who do not file claims often. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Your insurance policy is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
  • Do you work long hours in a high stress job? - Careers like judges, business owners and stock brokers have the highest rates attributed to high stress and long work days. On the other hand, occupations such as farmers, students and retirees get better rates.
  • Bump up deductibles to save - Deductibles for physical damage define the amount you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. Physical damage insurance, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims are running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The more you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
  • Consolidate policies to earn discounts - Some insurers provide better rates to people who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you may still want to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. Drivers may still find better rates by splitting coverages up.
  • Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that can waste your money if you aren't careful. Things like rental car reimbursement, accident forgiveness and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These coverages may sound good at first, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
  • Theft deterrents lower rates - Driving a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder car theft.
  • Do you have enough liability coverage? - Your policy's liability coverage will protect you when a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
  • High credit ratings translate to low rates - Having a bad credit score is a large factor in your rate calculation. People with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than drivers with lower ratings. If your credit is low, you could save money insuring your by improving your rating.

compare Los Olivos auto insurance rates

Comparison of Auto Insurance in Los Olivos

All major auto insurance companies allow you to get coverage price quotes on their websites. Getting online quotes is fairly simple as you simply type in as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, their system will obtain reports for credit and driving violations and generates pricing information. This streamlines rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit many different websites and type in the same information can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it's very important to perform this step in order to find better auto insurance pricing.

There is a better way!

The preferred way to lower your auto insurance bill requires only one form that gets prices from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes comparison shopping much more enjoyable and efficient. As soon as you send your information, it is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any or none of the resulting price quotes. If the quotes result in lower rates, you simply finish the application and purchase the new policy. The entire process can be completed in a matter of minutes and may save quite a bit of money.

To quickly find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it's recommended you type in the insurance coverages as shown on your current policy. This makes sure you are getting rate quotes for the exact same coverage.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies offering auto insurance don't always publicize every discount very well, so we researched some of the best known and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using. If you don't get every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Driver's Ed - Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver's ed class if offered at their school.
  • Claim Free - Claim-free drivers pay much less when compared to accident-prone drivers.
  • Multiple Cars - Buying coverage for all your vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
  • Multiple Policy Discount - If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you will save at least 10% off all policies.
  • Safety Course Discount - Successfully completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could save 5% or more if your company offers it.

Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So despite the fact that it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn't work that way.

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

Are you falling for claims of savings?

California drivers can't ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all make an identical promise that you can save if you change your coverage to them.

But how can every company say the same thing?

Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of customer that makes them money. For instance, a driver they prefer might be profiled as over the age of 50, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A propective insured who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Drivers who are not a match for this ideal profile will be quoted higher premiums and ends up with business not being written. The ad wording is "people who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That's why insurance companies can advertise the way they do. This emphasizes why you need to get as many quotes as possible. It's not possible to predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Additional detailed information is located at the California Department of Insurance website. California drivers can download brochures, read industry bulletins, report car insurance fraud, and read consumer alerts.

Other informative sites include this site for auto insurance rates in California and this list of insurance agents in Los Olivos, CA.

In the end, you save

Affordable auto insurance can be sourced on the web as well as from independent agents in Los Olivos, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some auto insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how you can compare auto insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the biggest savings come from an unexpected company. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than the large multi-state companies such as .