Consumer Tested Strategies to Save on Santa Clara Auto Insurance

Tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You are no different than many other California drivers. Multiple compete for your insurance dollar, so it's not easy to compare every and uncover the absolute lowest rate

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that help determine auto insurance rates. Understanding what influences your rates enables informed choices that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

Liability insurance protects assets - Liability coverage will protect you if a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides for a legal defense starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.
Too many auto insurance claims drive up costs - Auto insurance companies in California provide better rates to drivers who are claim-free. If you file claims often, you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Please use or commuting - Driving more miles every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Most insurance companies price each vehicle's coverage based on their usage. Vehicles left parked in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your auto insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage.
Safer occupants lowers premiums - Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
Do you have a high stress job? - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations such as lawyers, architects and accountants tend to have higher rates than average due to high stress and lengthy work days. On the flip side, occupations like farmers, athletes and performers receive lower rates.
Do men or women drive better? - The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. Women and men have accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Young males are the most expensive to insure and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
A clean driving record saves money - Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Only having one moving violation can boost insurance rates by as much as thirty percent. Careful drivers get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with flagrant tickets like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
Your spouse saves you money - Having a spouse can get you a discount when buying auto insurance. Having a spouse means you're more mature and statistics show drivers who are married are more cautious.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Car insurance companies don't always advertise all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find some of the best known and also the lesser-known auto insurance savings. If they aren't giving you every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.

Organization Discounts - Affiliation with certain professional organizations could qualify you for a break when buying auto insurance.
Employee of Federal Government - Employees or retirees of the government can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
Discount for Life Insurance - Some companies give lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
Service Members Pay Less - Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
No Accidents - Claim-free drivers can save substantially when compared with accident-prone drivers.

It's important to note that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, you're out of luck.

To choose insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Santa Clara, follow this link.

Is there truth in advertising?

California drivers can't ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies say the same thing that you can save after switching to their company.

How do they all say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

All companies can use profiling for the driver that makes them money. For example, a profitable customer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, is a homeowner, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured who fits that profile receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who don't measure up to the "perfect" profile must pay a more expensive rate which usually ends up with business not being written. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. That's why insurance companies can state the savings. This illustrates why you should compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

Additional detailed information can be found at the California Department of Insurance website. California drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, download brochures, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and find disaster information.

In the end, you save

Lower-priced auto insurance can be purchased on the web and also from your neighborhood Santa Clara agents, so compare prices from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.