Easy Techniques to Pay Less on Los Gatos Auto Insurance

Are you overwhelmed by the wide range of auto insurance company choices in Los Gatos? You're not the only one! Drivers have so many companies to choose from that it can turn into more work than you anticipated to compare prices.

It's important to compare prices at least once a year because prices are constantly changing. Even if you got the best rates a few years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. There is a lot of wrong information about auto insurance online, so I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

These discounts can lower your rates

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you can get discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before you will receive the discount.

  • Sign Online - Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application online.
  • Driver Safety - Completing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Bundle and Save - When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you may save up to 20% off your total premium.
  • Discount for Good Grades - A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
  • Multiple Vehicles - Buying coverage for multiple vehicles on the same auto insurance policy qualifies for this discount.

It's important to note that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, you're out of luck. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To see a list of companies who offer auto insurance discounts in California, click here.

How to Compare Los Gatos Auto Insurance Costs

Most companies allow you to get coverage prices online. This process is quite simple as you just type in the coverage amounts you desire as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, the company's rating system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and generates a price based on many factors.

This helps simplify price comparisons, but the time required to go to several different sites and enter the same data into a form is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to compare as many rates as possible in order to find better auto insurance pricing.

The preferred way to find better auto insurance pricing uses one form that gets price quotes from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes quoting online much simpler. After sending the form, it is rated and you can select any or none of the price quotes you receive.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the new coverage. The entire process can be completed in a matter of minutes and could lower your rates considerably.

To find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and enter your information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you replicate your coverages exactly as shown on your declarations page. This makes sure you will receive rate comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates enables informed choices that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.

The following are some of the items auto insurance companies consider when setting rates.

  • Being married is a good thing - Getting married can get you a discount on auto insurance. It means you're more mature it has been statistically shown that being married results in fewer claims.
  • Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are a ton of extra coverages that you can buy on your auto insurance policy. Things like rental car reimbursement, towing coverage and term life insurance are some examples. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but if they're wasting money remove them from your policy.
  • Rural vs Urban Areas - Choosing to live in a rural area can be a good thing when insuring your vehicles. Urban drivers have much more traffic and longer commute times. Lower population translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.
  • Careful drivers pay lower rates - Your driving citation history has a big impact on rates. Just one ticket can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who have flagrant citations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may need to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to keep their license.
  • Liability insurance protects assets - Liability coverage provides coverage if ever a court rules you are at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
  • Do men or women drive better? - Statistics demonstrate women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. Women and men are in accidents at a similar rate, but the males have costlier accidents. They also get more serious tickets such as DWI and reckless driving. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
  • Adjust deductibles and save - Physical damage coverage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply could be running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles are how much you are required to spend in the event of a claim. The more expense you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your auto insurance will be.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads on television and other media. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save after switching to their company. But how can every company make almost identical claims? This is how they do it.

All companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured could possibly be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has a short commute. A customer getting a price quote that hits that "sweet spot" receives the best rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who are not a match for this ideal profile will have to pay more money and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. That's the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings.

Because of the profiling, drivers must compare as many rates as you can. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Final considerations

Lower-priced auto insurance can be purchased online and also from your neighborhood Los Gatos agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance providers may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

As you shop your coverage around, don't be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.

You just read a lot of techniques to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from a lesser-known regional company.

auto insurance in Los Gatos

More information can be read on the California Department of Insurance website. Click here for link. California consumers can get help finding coverage, discover disciplinary actions, and view agent and company licensing information.

Additional helpful sites include this page for California auto insurance and see this list of insurance agents in Los Gatos.