Tightwads Tips for Saving on California City Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced auto insurance? Believe me when I say there are many people just like you. You have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to have a selection, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

Take advantage of discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be applied at quote time, but a few must be manually applied in order for you to get them. If you're not getting every credit possible, you're paying more than you need to.

  • No Claims - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less when compared to bad drivers.
  • Homeowners Discount - Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings because owning a home shows financial diligence.
  • Discount for Good Grades - A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
  • Save over 55 - Mature drivers may qualify for a discount up to 10%.
  • Memberships - Participating in a qualifying organization could trigger savings when shopping for auto insurance.
  • Payment Discounts - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, auto insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurance companies offering auto insurance discounts in California, click this link.

Comprehensive California City Auto Insurance Comparison

Finding cheaper auto insurance prices can be surprisingly simple. Just take the time comparing price quotes online from several insurance companies. This can be done in a couple of different ways.

  • The best way consumers can make multiple comparisons is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This form saves time by eliminating repetitive form entry for each company you want a rate for. Filling out one form will return quotes direct from many companies.
  • A more difficult way to compare rate quotes is to take the time to go to the website of each company to complete a price quote. For examples sake, let's assume you want to compare rates from , and . To get each rate you have to take the time to go to each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in California City, click here.

It's up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you are comparing identical coverages and limits for every company. If the quotes have different deductibles it's not possible to decipher which rate is best in California City.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into prices.

  • Your occupation can affect rates - Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Careers like judges, executives and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates because of high stress levels and long work days. Conversely, professions such as actors, engineers and homemakers pay the least.
  • Do you know your deductibles? - Physical damage deductibles define the amount you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered could be running into the backend of another car, collision with an animal, and burglary. The more the insured has to pay upfront, the less your auto insurance will be.
  • Careful drivers pay lower rates - A bad driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Even one citation may increase your cost forty percent or more. Drivers with clean records have lower premiums than bad drivers. If you have serious violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find they need to file a SR-22 with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
  • Mature drivers pay less - Teen drivers in California are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Older insureds are more cautious drivers, statistically cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.
  • Liability coverage protects you - Liability insurance provides coverage when a court rules you are at fault for damages caused by your negligence. It will provide legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Lower rates with optional equipment - Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

California consumers can't get away from ads that promise big savings from companies such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all make the same claim about savings if you switch your policy.

How does each company make almost identical claims?

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a driver they prefer could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has a short commute. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and most likely will save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't qualify for these standards will be quoted more money which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. That's the way companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

This emphasizes why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

A tidy conclusion

Cheap auto insurance is available online in addition to many California City insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers do not provide the ability to get a quote online and these small, regional companies work with independent agents.

You just read some good ideas how to compare auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from the least-expected company. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like .

Learn more about California auto insurance

Additional information is located on the website for the California Department of Insurance located here. California consumers can read industry bulletins, report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.