Find Cheap Monterey Car Insurance

Are you intimidated by the wide range of car insurance company choices in Monterey? Many other drivers are as well. People have so many options available that it can turn into a big hassle to locate the lowest price.

It's important to shop coverage around every six months because rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best rates a couple years back a different company probably has better rates today. There is a lot of bad information regarding car insurance on the web, but I'm going to show you some great ways to find cheap car insurance.

These discounts can lower your rates

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not even be aware of. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be asked about before you get the savings.

  • Sign Online - Certain companies will give a small break just for signing your application over the internet.
  • Homeowners Discount - Owning a house in Monterey may earn you a small savings because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
  • Discount for Good Grades - Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.
  • No Charge for an Accident - Certain companies will forgive one accident before your rates go up as long as you don't have any claims prior to the accident.
  • Passive Restraint Discount - Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts up to 30%.

Keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn't work that way. But any discount will bring down the cost of coverage.

Tips to Get Lower Monterey Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

  • Being married can save on car insurance - Getting married can actually save you money on your car insurance policy. It translates into being more mature and it's proven that being married results in fewer claims.
  • Do you know your deductibles? - Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are a windshield shattered by a rock, damage caused by hail, and rolling your vehicle. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. The more expense you have to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
  • How's your driving record? - Your driving citation history has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums than bad drivers. Only having one speeding ticket can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
  • Are you male or female? - Statistics demonstrate that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men are in accidents at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage. They also have more aggressive citations such as reckless driving. Young males are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
  • Safer cars are cheaper to insure - Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and fewer injuries means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
  • One company can mean more discounts - Most car insurance companies will give a discount to policyholders who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you still need to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find a better deal by splitting coverages up.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Car insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to make the same claim that you can save if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that earns them a profit. A good example of a desirable insured could be a mature driver, has no driving citations, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer who matches those parameters will get very good rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Drivers who are not a match for these standards will have to pay a higher premium which leads to business going elsewhere. The ads say "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That's the way insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, drivers should compare many company's rates. Because you never know which car insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

More information can be read on the California Department of Insurance website located here. Consumers can get help finding coverage, report car insurance fraud, and file complaints about a company.

Shop smart and save

Affordable car insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Monterey, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection. Some car insurance companies don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

We just showed you many ideas to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the best price on car insurance is with a small local company.

Insureds switch companies for a number of reasons such as an unsatisfactory settlement offer, lack of trust in their agent, poor customer service and even denial of a claim. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new insurance company is less work than it seems.