How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Car Insurance in San Pablo

Expensive car insurance can overdraw your personal savings, especially in this economy. Comparison shopping is a great way to help make ends meet.

With so many choices, it's nearly impossible to locate the right car insurance company.

Save big with these discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may find discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some trigger automatically when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before you get the savings.

Government Employees - Active or retired federal employment may qualify you for a discount with a few car insurance companies.
New Car Discount - Buying coverage on a new vehicle is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Early Signing - Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
Theft Prevention System - Vehicles with anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and will save you 10% or more.
Driver's Ed - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver's ed class in school.
Payment Discounts - By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can actually save on your bill.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don't apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, car insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will help reduce your overall premium however.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When it comes to buying coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no best way to insure your cars. Everyone's needs are different and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions may help you determine if your situation would benefit from an agent's advice.

Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
Should I file a claim if it's only slightly more than my deductible?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
What can I do if my company won't pay a claim?
I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
What are the best liability limits?

If you can't answer these questions but one or more may apply to you then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don't have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Car insurance providers like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. They all have a common claim about savings if you switch to them. But how can every company make the same claim?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that earns them a profit. A good example of a driver they prefer could be between 25 and 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has a short commute. A customer that hits that "sweet spot" will get very good rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Drivers who fall outside this ideal profile will be quoted a higher premium and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save money. This is how companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

This emphasizes why you should compare many company's rates. Because you never know which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

More sites with car insurance information

Additional information can be read on the website for the California Department of Insurance located here. Consumers can read industry bulletins, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about specific coverages, and file complaints about a company.

Also read more on this online resource for car insurance quotes in California and this list of insurance agents in San Pablo.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

As you shop your coverage around, don't be tempted to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced collision coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.

We just showed you a lot of ways to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the most savings is with a small local company. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like .