Sebastopol Auto Insurance For Less Than You're Paying Now

Price shopping your Sebastopol auto insurance is challenging for beginners to comparing rates online. There are so many companies to choose from that it can be a big hassle to locate the lowest price in Sebastopol.

If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you can follow these tips to shop for the lowest rates while maximizing coverage. This information will let you in on the best way to quote coverages and some money-saving tips. California consumers only need to know how to shop for auto insurance on the web.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies that sell car insurance don't list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we researched some of the best known and the more hidden ways to save on auto insurance. If they aren't giving you every credit available, you're paying more than you need to.

  • Memberships - Affiliation with certain professional organizations could trigger savings when buying auto insurance.
  • No Claims - Claim-free drivers pay much less when compared with bad drivers.
  • Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with better rates on cars that stay parked.
  • Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
  • Braking Control Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Auto/Life Discount - Companies who offer life insurance give lower rates if you buy life insurance.
  • Paperless Signup - A few companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy on their website.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won't be that lucky.

To see a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Sebastopol, click this link.

Comparison of Auto Insurance in Sebastopol

Most companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive provide insurance quotes on their websites. Getting online quotes doesn't take much effort as you just enter as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, their system will obtain reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price quote.

Quoting online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time required to go to many different websites and enter the same data into a form is monotonous and tiresome. But it's very important to do this if you want to find better auto insurance pricing.

The preferred way to lower your auto insurance bill requires only one form to get prices from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes rate comparisons much more enjoyable. After sending your information, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any of the price quotes you receive. If the quotes result in lower rates, you can simply submit the application and purchase the new policy. The whole process just takes a couple of minutes and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

To quickly find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you have coverage now, it's recommended you type in the coverage information as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will have rate quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Understanding what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Shown below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into premiums.

  • Don't skimp on liability - Your policy's liability coverage will protect you if a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Your stress level may be raising your rates - Occupations such as judges, executives and accountants are shown to have higher rates than average attributed to high stress levels and long work days. On the flip side, occupations such as farmers, athletes and retirees pay the least.
  • Safer cars cost less to insure - Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles have better occupant injury protection and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
  • Never let your coverage lapse - Driving with no insurance can get your license suspended and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage have a gap. And not only will your rates increase, but not being able to provide proof of insurance may earn you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
  • Clean credit earns discounts - A driver's credit score is a large factor in your rate calculation. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower ratings. If your credit is low, you could pay less to insure your by repairing your credit.
  • The more you drive the more you pay - The higher the mileage driven every year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos used primarily for pleasure use receive lower rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your auto insurance declarations sheet is showing the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Discounts for married couples - Having a wife or husband helps lower the price on your auto insurance policy. Having a spouse usually means you are more responsible and it's statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Claim-free discounts can add up - Auto insurance companies in California give better rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. 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.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

California drivers can't get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies make the same claim about savings if you change your policy.

How do they all say the same thing?

Insurance companies can use profiling for the right customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as over the age of 40, is a homeowner, and has great credit. A propective insured who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Drivers who are not a match for the "perfect" profile must pay higher premiums which leads to business not being written. Company advertisements say "people who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That's why companies can truthfully advertise the savings. This illustrates why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Best coverage at the best price

The cheapest auto insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Sebastopol insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Insureds leave their current company for many reasons like questionable increases in premium, high rates after DUI convictions, delays in responding to claim requests or being labeled a high risk driver. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding the right auto insurance provider is actually quite simple.

When you buy insurance online, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced liability coverage limits only to discover later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.

Learn more today

Even more information is located at the California Department of Insurance website. California drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, read industry bulletins, and find disaster information.