How to Know You’re Paying Too Much for Car Insurance in Garden Grove, CA
Nobody I know enjoys paying for car insurance, especially when their premiums are through the roof.
Many insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every insurer to find the lowest rate possible.
Smart consumers take time to get comparison quotes before your policy renews since insurance rates are constantly changing. If you had the best deal last year other companies may now be cheaper. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we’re going to show you the fastest way to lower your annual insurance bill.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using these techniques. Buying car insurance in Garden Grove is not rocket science. Although California drivers should learn how the larger insurance companies determine prices and take advantage of how the system works.
More discounts equal less premium
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but there are discounts available to reduce the price significantly. Some trigger automatically when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Payment Method – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Student Driver Training – Require your teen driver to complete a driver education course in high school.
- Good Students Pay Less – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. This discount can apply until age 25.
- Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Defensive Driving Course – Successfully completing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than less cautious drivers.
- New Vehicle Savings – Putting insurance coverage on a new car can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
- No Charge for an Accident – A few companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce the amount you have to pay.
To choose insurance companies with the best car insurance discounts in California, click here to view.
Buyer beware of car insurance advertising tricks
Companies like Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm regularly use ads in print and on television. All the ads make the same claim about savings if you move to them. How do they all claim to save you money?
Insurance companies can use profiling for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a preferred risk could possibly be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has a short commute. Any driver who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Consumers who don’t qualify for the “perfect” profile will be charged higher prices and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings.
That is why you need to get as many quotes as possible. Because you never know which car insurance company will give you the biggest savings.
To learn even more about car insurance
More information is located on the website for the California Department of Insurance located here. California consumers can file complaints about a company, learn about specific coverages, find a variety of consumer forms, and read industry bulletins.
The following articles may also be useful.
Quote often and quote early
Discount car insurance is attainable on the web and with local Garden Grove insurance agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many situations where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that it was a big mistake. The proper strategy is to get the best coverage possible at the best price.