Lower Online San Dimas Car Insurance Prices With These Techniques

If online car insurance comparisons are new to you, it's easy to be confused by the vast number of car insurance companies competing for business in San Dimas.

It's important to compare prices occasionally since rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best rates a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance on the internet, so I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

These discounts can lower your rates

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be asked about before you will receive the discount.

Bundle and Save - When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you may earn approximately 10% to 15%.
Anti-lock Brake System - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Early Signing - A few companies offer discounts for buying a policy before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
Good Student - A discount for being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.
Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
Multi-car Discount - Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on the same car insurance policy could earn a price break for each car.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, car insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To see a list of companies offering car insurance discounts in California, click here to view.

San Dimas Car Insurance Quote Comparison

Most companies provide price estimates on the web. Getting quotes is quite simple as you just type in your coverage preferences as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, the system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and returns pricing information based on these and other factors.

This streamlines rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit each company's website and repetitively type in the same information gets old quite quickly. But it's very important to have as many quotes as possible if you want to find better car insurance pricing.

Quote rates the easy way

The preferred way to get multiple rate quotes is to use a quote form that obtains quotes from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes online price comparison much more efficient. Immediately after you send the form, it gets priced and you can choose any or none of the price quotes you receive.

If the quotes result in lower rates, you simply finish the application and purchase coverage. The whole process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and you'll know if lower rates are available.

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 copy identical to your current policy. This makes sure you're receiving comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

Big city or small town - Living in less populated areas can be a good thing when talking about car insurance. Drivers who live in large cities have much more traffic and longer commute times. Fewer drivers means a lower chance of having an accident and a lower car theft rate.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Credit score is a large factor in determining your rates. If your credit score is lower than you'd like, you could pay less to insure your by improving your rating. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit.
What type of vehicle do you drive? - The type of car you own makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. The most favorable rates are generally reserved for economy passenger cars, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
Poor driving leads to higher costs - Drivers who don't get tickets receive lower rates than bad drivers. Even one moving violation can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who have serious citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.

Different people need different coverages

When choosing coverage for your vehicles, there really is no "best" method to buy coverage. Each situation is unique.

For instance, these questions might point out whether you might need professional guidance.

What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Should I buy only the required California minimum liability coverage?
What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?

If you're not sure about those questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Car insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. They all seem to make an identical promise about savings if you switch your coverage to them. But how can every company claim to save you money?

All the different companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured might be between 30 and 50, owns a home, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest 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 ends up with the customer not buying. The ad wording is "people who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, drivers must compare many company's rates. It's just too difficult to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Final considerations

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, don't be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, an insured cut full coverage and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate.

We just covered many tips how you can compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the best prices are with a company that doesn't do a lot of advertising.

Cheap car insurance is available both online as well as from independent agents in San Dimas, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies don't offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

For more California car insurance information

Additional information can be read on the California Department of Insurance website through this link. Visitors are able to view agent and company licensing information, find out industry alerts, and learn about specific coverages.

Additional helpful sites include Wikipedia and this San Dimas agent directory.