Free Guide to Paying Less for Mt Shasta Car Insurance Online

No one in their right mind looks forward to buying car insurance, especially when the cost is way too high.

There is such a variety of to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to have a selection, so many choices can make it hard to compare rates.

It's important to get comparison quotes periodically because rates are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the best price last year the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate one of the best ways to reduce your cost while improving coverage.

Pricing the lowest cost protection in Mt Shasta is quite easy. In a nutshell, everyone who is required by state law to have car insurance will be able to reduce their rates. But California car owners do need to know how the larger insurance companies compete online and apply this information to your search.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but companies offer discounts to cut the cost considerably. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you purchase, but less common discounts must be asked for before being credited.

Accident Forgiveness - Certain companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don't have any claims prior to the accident.
Good Student - A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
College Student - Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
New Car Discount - Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
Passive Restraint Discount - Factory air bags or motorized seat belts may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
Seat Belt Usage - Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
No Claims - Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially as compared to bad drivers.
Federal Employees - Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with select insurance companies.
Life Insurance Discount - Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
Sign Online - Certain companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.

Drivers should understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn't make money that way. But all discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.

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

Mt Shasta Car Insurance Comparisons

The are a couple different ways to compare quotes from different Mt Shasta insurance companies. The best method to find competitive insurance rates is simply to get online rate quotes. This can be done using a couple different methods.

The best way consumers can analyze rates is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form keeps you from doing separate forms for every car insurance company. Just one form will get you rate comparisons from several companies.
Another way to shop for car insurance online requires you to visit each individual company website and fill out their own quote form. For sake of this example, let's assume you want to compare , and . To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company's site and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Mt Shasta, click here.

However you get your quotes, be sure to compare identical coverage information for each comparison quote. If you enter unequal deductibles or liability limits it's impossible to determine the lowest rate in Mt Shasta. Slightly different insurance coverages could mean much higher rates. Keep in mind that having more price comparisons helps locate the best offered rates.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that help determine your car insurance rates. Knowing what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

Men pay higher rates - Statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men have accidents in similar percentages, but the males have costlier accidents. They also get more serious tickets such as reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
How's your driving record? - Drivers with clean records have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Even a single ticket may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who have flagrant citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.
Mature drivers pay less - Young drivers in California are known to be more careless behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Having to add a youthful driver onto your car insurance can break the bank. Older drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and are safer drivers.
Clean credit earns discounts - Credit history is a important factor in determining your rates. If your credit rating is not that good, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Consumers who have high credit scores tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with lower credit scores.

Insurance agents can help

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a best way to insure your cars. Everyone's situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions may help highlight whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.

Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in California?
Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Mt Shasta?
Should I file a claim if it's only slightly more than my deductible?
Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?

If you can't answer these questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Car insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive continually stream television and radio advertisements. They all seem to have a common claim that you'll save big after switching your policy. How does each company make the same claim?

All companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable insured could be between the ages of 40 and 55, a clean driving record, and has great credit. A customer that hits that "sweet spot" will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Consumers who don't qualify for these standards will have to pay higher prices and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ad wording is "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that kind of money. That is how companies can advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get quotes from several different companies. Because you never know which company will give you the biggest savings.

Shop smart and save

Budget-conscious car insurance can be bought from both online companies in addition to many Mt Shasta insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

We just showed you a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers may only write in your state and offer lower rates compared to the large companies like .

As you prepare to switch companies, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, someone dropped physical damage coverage only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at a price you can afford.

Much more information about car insurance in California can be found on the website for the California Department of Insurance located here. Consumers can learn about insurance regulations, file complaints about a company, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and find out industry alerts.