Lower Online South Lake Tahoe Auto Insurance Prices With These Tips

Finding the lowest price for South Lake Tahoe auto insurance might seem complicated at first if you have never used quoting online. But don't be discouraged because finding affordable coverage online is easier than you think.

It's important to price shop coverage periodically since insurance rates are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest price a couple years back you can probably find a better price now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you're about to find out one of the best ways to buy cheaper auto insurance.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

The following are a partial list of the pieces that factor into rates.

  • Rural vs Urban Areas - Living in small towns and rural areas can be a good thing when buying auto insurance. Lower population means reduced accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Urban drivers tend to have much more traffic to deal with and longer commutes to work. Longer commute distances means more change of being in an accident.
  • A clean driving record saves money - Just one citation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who have flagrant citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
  • Men pay higher rates - Statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes tend to get into accidents in similar numbers, but the males have costlier accidents. They also get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
  • Don't cancel a policy without a new one in place - Allowing your auto insurance policy to lapse will be a sure-fire way to increase your auto insurance rates. Not only will you pay more, but not being able to provide proof of insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time.

California auto insurance quotes

Take advantage of discounts

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, buy you may qualify for discounts to cut the cost considerably. Most are applied when you quote, but less common discounts must be asked about before you get the savings.

  • Bundle and Save - If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may earn at least 10% off all policies.
  • Good Student - This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
  • Senior Discount - If you're over the age of 55, you may be able to get a discount up to 10%.
  • Seat Belt Usage - Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts could save 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
  • No Claims - Good drivers with no accidents pay much less as compared to accident-prone drivers.

It's important to note that some credits don't apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though it sounds like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you're out of luck. But any discount will reduce your overall premium however.

To choose companies who offer auto insurance discounts in South Lake Tahoe, click here.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

Auto insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all seem to have a common claim that you can save after switching your policy. How can each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that makes them money. For instance, a desirable insured might be profiled as over the age of 40, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" will get the preferred rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Drivers who don't qualify for the requirements will have to pay a higher premium and this can result in business not being written. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "people who quote" save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, you should compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

How to know if you need help

When buying the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Every insured's situation is different.

These are some specific questions may help highlight whether your personal situation could use an agent's help.

  • What are the best liability limits?
  • Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in California?
  • Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
  • Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
  • What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
  • Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?

If you can't answer these questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form.

Additional California consumer information

More information is located on the California Department of Insurance website. Click here for link. California drivers can view agent and company licensing information, file complaints about a company, and learn about insurance regulations.

California auto insurance

Do the work, save more money

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, it's a bad idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many instances, someone dropped liability coverage limits only to discover later that the savings was not a smart move. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to save on auto insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with a lesser-known regional company.

Drivers change insurance companies for any number of reasons including policy non-renewal, poor customer service, denial of a claim or even being labeled a high risk driver. No matter why you want to switch, switching auto insurance companies is easier than you think.