Paying for high-priced auto insurance can overdraw your savings account and make it hard to pay other bills. Doing a price comparison is a great way to tighten up your finances.
You have so many auto insurance companies to buy insurance from, and although it’s a good thing to have a choice, it makes it harder to find cheap car insurance in Oakland.
This information will tell you the most effective way to quote insurance and some money-saving tips. If you have car insurance now, you should be able to save some money using this strategy. But California consumers need to have an understanding of how companies price insurance differently and apply this information to your search.
Be sure to get all your discounts
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Certain discounts will be applied when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about prior to getting the savings.
- Good Student Discount – A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. This discount can apply up to age 25.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts can save up to 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Defensive Driver – Taking part in a driver safety course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
- Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- College Student – Children who are attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- E-sign – A few companies may give you up to $50 simply for signing digitally online.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Multiple Vehicles – Insuring multiple vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out a life insurance policy as well.
Drivers should understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount will help reduce the amount you have to pay.
To see a list of providers offering auto insurance discounts in California, click here to view.
How to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in Oakland, CA
There are multiple methods to compare auto insurance quotes, and some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could spend the better part of a day talking about coverages with insurance companies in Oakland, or you can stay home and use the web for quick rates.
All the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and each participating company then returns a price quote determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating quote requests to each individual auto insurance company.
To find out how much you can save on auto insurance click to open in new window.
The only downside to using this type of form is you can’t choose which companies you want to price. If you would rather choose specific providers to compare prices, we have a page of low cost auto insurance companies in California. Click here to view list.
Whichever way you use, make sure you use apples-to-apples coverage information for every quote you compare. If you have different limits and deductibles on each one you can’t possibly determine the best price in Oakland. Quoting even small variations in coverages may cause a big price difference. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that quoting more helps you find a lower rate.
A tidy conclusion
When you buy insurance online, you should never reduce needed coverages to save money. There are many occasions where drivers have reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.
We covered many ways to reduce auto insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premiums are with a small mutual company. Some small companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm or Progressive.