Proven Techniques to Save on Santa Barbara Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us, you're not alone. Drivers have multiple to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to have multiple companies, it can be more challenging to compare rates.

Buying affordable coverage in Santa Barbara is simple if you know the tricks. If you have insurance now or are looking for a new policy, you can learn to find better prices while maximizing coverage. California drivers only need an understanding of the tricks to find the lowest price online.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but you can get discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some discounts apply automatically when you quote, but some must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings. If you're not getting every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

  • Drivers Education - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver's ed class in school.
  • Defensive Driver - Successfully completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
  • Discount for Good Grades - Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts until age 25.
  • Homeowners Discount - Simply owning a home can save you money because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
  • No Accidents - Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts when compared to drivers who are more careless.
  • No Charge for an Accident - Certain companies allow you one accident before your rates go up if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
  • Life Insurance Discount - Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance.

It's important to understand that some credits don't apply the the whole policy. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your premiums.

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The auto insurance bait and switch

California drivers get pounded daily by advertisements that promise big savings by State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all have a common claim of big savings if you switch to their company.

How does each company say the same thing? It's all in the numbers.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that earns them a profit. An example of a driver they prefer might be profiled as over the age of 50, has no tickets, and chooses high deductibles. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who don't measure up to these standards will be quoted a higher premium and this can result in business not being written. Company advertisements say "customers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much. That's the way insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

This emphasizes why you should compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Find out more about auto insurance

Additional auto insurance information is available on the website for the California Department of Insurance found here. California drivers can view a list of available companies, discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, and report car insurance fraud.

auto insurance in Santa Barbara

And the best car insurance company is...

Low-cost auto insurance is available on the web and also from your neighborhood Santa Barbara agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and these smaller companies work with independent agents.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from a small mutual company. Regional companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as .