5 Best Tricks to Lower Car Insurance Costs in Alhambra

If you're new to shopping for car insurance online, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the hoards of car insurance companies competing for business in Alhambra.

It's important to get comparison quotes periodically since rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best deal two years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we're going to show you the proper way to save on car insurance.

If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using these techniques. The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with how car insurance quotes work and some tips to save money. But California consumers do need to know how companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

Don't pay full price with these 5 discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but companies offer discounts that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically at quote time, but some must be specially asked for in order for you to get them.

Save with a New Car - Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Good Student - A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
Memberships - Being a member of a civic or occupational organization could qualify you for a break on car insurance.
Federal Employees - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% with select insurance companies.
No Claims - Good drivers with no accidents can earn big discounts as compared to bad drivers.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will reduce your premiums.

To see a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in Alhambra, follow this link.

Alhambra Car Insurance Comparisons

There are multiple methods to shop for car insurance, but one way is less time-consuming than others. You can waste a lot of time driving to insurance companies in Alhambra, or you can stay home and use the web to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

Many insurance companies participate in a marketplace that enables customers to submit their information once, and every company then gives them pricing for coverage. This eliminates the need for repetitive form submissions to each individual car insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click to open in new window.

The only downside to using this type of form is you cannot specify which carriers to receive prices from. So if you prefer to choose individual companies to compare rates, we have a page of the cheapest car insurance companies in California. Click here to view list.

Whichever way you use, be sure to compare exactly the same quote information for every company. If you use mixed coverages you will not be able to decipher which rate is best in Alhambra. Just a small difference in insurance coverages could mean much higher rates. Keep in mind that having more price comparisons will improve the odds of getting a better price.

Your personal situation dictates your coverage

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a "best" method to buy coverage. Every insured's situation is different.

Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether or not you would benefit from an agent's advice.

Should I file a claim if it's only slightly more than my deductible?
Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
Do I qualify for additional discounts?
Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?

If you don't know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

The car insurance bait and switch

Car insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads in print and on television. They all seem to say the same thing that you'll save big if you change your policy. How can each company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Different companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that is profitable for them. An example of a desirable insured might be between 25 and 40, a clean driving record, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who don't measure up to the requirements will have to pay more money which usually ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that kind of money. That is how companies can state the savings.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. It's just too difficult to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

Do the work, save more money

When buying insurance coverage, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.

We just covered many ways to compare car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more times you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even discover the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company.

Budget-conscious car insurance can be sourced both online in addition to many Alhambra insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

Much more information about car insurance in California is available on the California Department of Insurance website. Click here for link. Visitors are able to read enforcement actions against agents and companies, file complaints about a company, and find out which companies have the most complaints.