Buy the Cheapest San Jose Car Insurance

Expensive car insurance can take a big chunk out of your savings account and put the squeeze on your family's finances. Comparison shopping is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to help make ends meet.

Online insurance companies like GEICO and Progressive continually bombard you with TV and radio ads and it is difficult to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to get comparison quotes yearly due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the lowest price last year there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you're about to find out the quickest way to get good coverage at a lower rate.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that can help you get better car insurance rates.

Shown below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into your rates.

Bad driving skills means higher rates - Drivers with clean records have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Even one moving violation may increase your cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who get dangerous violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may be required to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
Pleasure use saves money - The higher the mileage driven in a year's time the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage receive lower rates than those used for commuting. Verify your car insurance declarations sheet is rated on the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money.
Liability coverage protects you - Your policy's liability coverage is the protection in the event that you are found liable for damages caused by your negligence. It will provide legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
Do you work long hours in a high stress job? - Occupations like judges, business owners and dentists are shown to have the highest average rates because of high stress levels and long work hours. Other professions such as pilots, historians and retirees pay the least.
Males pay more for insurance - Statistics have proven women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn't mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women tend to get into accidents in similar numbers, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving.

Compare Car Insurance Today

There are several ways of comparing rates from local San Jose car insurance companies. One of the best ways to compare insurance prices consists of shopping online. This is very easy and can be done in several different ways.

The fastest way consumers can analyze rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This easy form keeps you from doing separate quotation requests for each company. A single, simple form gets you price quotes from car insurance companies with the best prices.
A slightly less efficient method to compare rate quotes requires a trip to each company website and complete a new quote form. For example, let's assume you want comparison quotes from , and . You would have to visit each site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular.

To view a list of companies in San Jose, click here.

It's your choice how you get your quotes, but make sure you use exactly the same quote information on every quote. If you have mixed coverages it will be impossible to make a fair comparison in San Jose. Quoting even small variations in coverages could mean much higher rates. And when comparing car insurance rates, know that having more price comparisons will improve the odds of getting a better price.

Take advantage of discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't always advertise every available discount in a way that's easy to find, so we researched both the well known as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using.

Good Student Discount - This discount can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give better rates if you take out life insurance from them.
Organization Discounts - Being a member of a civic or occupational organization is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
Government Employees - Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you may receive a discount up to 10%.
No Claims - Drivers who don't have accidents pay much less compared to accident-prone drivers.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

To choose providers with discount car insurance rates in San Jose, click here to view.

Are car insurance companies telling the truth?

Companies like State Farm and Allstate consistently run ads on TV and radio. All the ads make an identical promise about savings if you change your policy. How can each company claim to save you money?

Different companies have a preferred profile for the right customer that makes them money. For instance, a preferred risk might be a mature driver, has no prior claims, and drives newer vehicles. Any driver who meets those qualifications will get very good rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Consumers who don't qualify for the requirements will be charged higher rates and ends up with the customer not buying. The ads say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. This is how companies can truthfully claim big savings. That is why you need to get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

How to know if you need help

When buying the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Everyone's needs are different so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions can help discover whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.

Should I buy only the required California minimum liability coverage?
What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
Do I qualify for additional discounts?
Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?

If you're not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you don't have a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.

Even more information is located at the California Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to file complaints about a company, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find out which companies have the most complaints, and read industry bulletins.

Affordable insurance is out there

We just presented many tips how you can compare car insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the best price on car insurance is with a small local company. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like .

When trying to cut insurance costs, it's a bad idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

Cheap car insurance can be sourced both online in addition to many San Jose insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. A few companies do not provide online price quotes and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.