Anyone knows that insurance companies don’t want their customers to go rate shopping. People who shop around for the cheapest price are inclined to switch car insurance companies because the odds are good of finding lower prices. A recent car insurance study revealed that consumers who routinely shopped around saved over $850 each year compared to people who never compared rates.
If finding the best rates on insurance in Chula Vista is your objective, then having a grasp of how to quote prices and compare car insurance can save money and time.
It takes a few minutes, but the best way to find lower priced car insurance rates is to do a yearly price comparison from insurance carriers who provide car insurance in Chula Vista. Prices can be compared by following these steps.
- First, gain an understanding of how insurance companies determine prices and the steps you can take to prevent expensive coverage. Many things that result in higher prices such as accidents, traffic tickets, and an imperfect credit score can be rectified by paying attention to minor details. Later in this article we will cover ideas to help keep rates affordable and get bigger discounts.
- Second, compare rates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can only give rate quotes from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agents can give you price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers. View companies
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage to see if a cheaper price is available. If you find a lower rate, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to try to use identical deductibles and limits on every quote request and and to get rate quotes from as many different insurance providers as possible. This ensures a level playing field and a complete price analysis.
The best way to compare rates for Mercury Mountaineer insurance in Chula Vista is to know the fact most of the larger companies actually pay money for the chance to provide you with a free rate quote. The only thing you need to do is take a few minutes to give details like your education level, whether you are married, if the car is leased, and the ages of drivers. That information is then sent to many highly-rated insurers and they return cost estimate almost instantly.
To check Mercury Mountaineer insurance prices now, click here and find out if you can get cheaper insurance in Chula Vista.
The providers in the list below are our best choices to provide free quotes in California. To get the best car insurance in CA, we suggest you compare several of them to find the most affordable car insurance rates.
Chula Vista insurance discounts
Auto insurance companies do not list every possible discount in an easy-to-find place, so below is a list both well-publicized and the harder-to-find ways to save on insurance.
- Senior Citizens – Mature drivers could receive better insurance rates.
- Government Employees – Federal government employees could provide a small rate reduction with some insurance companies.
- Driver Education Discount – Have your child enroll and complete driver’s education if offered at their school.
- Early Payment Discounts – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may have a lower total premium amount.
- Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance carriers reward you with a lower insurance rate if you buy life insurance.
- Student in College – Children who live away from home to go to college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle can receive lower rates.
- First Accident Forgiveness – Not necessarily a discount, but a handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident without getting socked with a rate hike if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
- Telematics Devices – Insureds who allow driving data submission to study when and where they use their vehicle by installing a telematics device such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system could see a rate decrease if they are good drivers.
As a sidenote, some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Despite the fact that it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, that’s just not realistic.
The diagram below compares Mercury Mountaineer insurance premiums with and without discounts applied. The data is based on a female driver, no claims or violations, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with claim-free, multi-car, homeowner, marriage, safe-driver, and multi-policy discounts applied.
If you would like to view insurance companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Chula Vista, click here.
Mercury Mountaineer insurance analysis
The table shown below outlines different coverage costs for Mercury Mountaineer models. Learning a little about how auto insurance policy rates are formulated can be of help when making smart choices when selecting a policy.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Mountaineer 2WD | $182 | $354 | $464 | $28 | $138 | $1,166 | $97 |
Mountaineer AWD | $204 | $354 | $464 | $28 | $138 | $1,188 | $99 |
Mountaineer Premier 2WD | $204 | $418 | $464 | $28 | $138 | $1,252 | $104 |
Mountaineer Premier AWD | $204 | $418 | $464 | $28 | $138 | $1,252 | $104 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Price data assumes married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, homeowner, claim-free, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy. Rate information does not factor in specific zip code location which can revise price quotes considerably.
Where to set your deductibles
A question often asked by Chula Vista drivers is what deductibles to buy. The tables below may help you to understand the rate differences when you choose different comp and collision deductibles. The first price estimate table uses a $250 deductible for comprehensive and collision coverage and the second set of prices uses a $1,000 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mountaineer 2WD | $342 | $576 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,543 | $129 |
Mountaineer AWD | $386 | $576 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,587 | $132 |
Mountaineer Premier 2WD | $386 | $678 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,689 | $141 |
Mountaineer Premier AWD | $386 | $678 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,689 | $141 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mountaineer 2WD | $210 | $362 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,172 | $98 |
Mountaineer AWD | $238 | $362 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,200 | $100 |
Mountaineer Premier 2WD | $238 | $426 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,264 | $105 |
Mountaineer Premier AWD | $238 | $426 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,264 | $105 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Prices do not factor in specific location which can revise prices substantially.
Based on this data, we can arrive at the conclusion that using a $250 deductible could cost the average driver approximately $34 more each month or $408 annually averaged for all Mountaineer models than quoting the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would pay $750 more out of your own pocket with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you average more than 22 months between claim filings, you would come out ahead if you decide on a higher deductible. The table below shows an example of how you can make this decision for your own policy.
Average monthly premium for $250 deductibles: | $136 |
Average monthly premium for $1,000 deductibles (subtract): | – $102 |
Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $34 |
Difference between deductibles ($1,000 – $250): | $750 |
Divide difference by monthly savings: | $750 / $34 |
Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 22 months |
One important caveat is that increasing deductibles to lower your rates results in a higher out-of-pocket expense when you have to file a claim. You need to make sure you have access to more funds in order to pay more for the deductible.
The illustration below demonstrates how deductible levels and can change Mercury Mountaineer yearly insurance costs for different age groups of insureds. The costs are based on a single male driver, full coverage, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Gender-based insurance rates by age in Chula Vista
The chart below shows the comparison of Mercury Mountaineer insurance prices for male and female drivers. The data assumes no violations or claims, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied.
Chula Vista car insurance company ratings
Buying coverage from a high-quality car insurance provider can be rather challenging considering how many choices drivers have in California. The company information in the next section could help you select which companies you want to consider putting your business with.
Top 10 Chula Vista Car Insurance Companies Overall
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
How to Lower Your Insurance Premiums
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the things that go into determining the rates you pay for auto insurance. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this helps enable you to make changes that can earn you lower rates. Many things are taken into consideration when you get your auto insurance bill. Some factors are common sense like a motor vehicle report, but others are not quite as obvious like where you live or how safe your car is.
- Never let your policy lapse – Going without insurance can be a guaranteed way to increase your auto insurance rates. And not only will insurance be more expensive, being ticketed for driving with no insurance might get you a steep fine or even jail time. Then you may be required to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the California motor vehicle department.
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Pay more for higher performance vehicles – The type of car, truck or SUV you drive makes a big difference in determining your rates. The best insurance prices tend to be for lower performance four cylinder passenger models, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
The following chart is based on a single male driver age 50, full coverage with $100 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. The data compares Mercury Mountaineer insurance rates compared to other makes and models that have different performance risks.
- You might want pay the minor insurance claims yourself – If you file a lot of claims you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance companies in California give better rates to people who are not frequent claim filers. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of larger claims.
- Amount of liability insurance – Liability insurance will protect you in the event that a court rules you are at fault for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides legal defense starting from day one. This coverage is relatively inexpensive compared to physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
- Auto insurance rates and your occupation – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Careers like military personnel, airline pilots, and accountants usually pay higher premiums than the average policyholder attributed to intense work-related stress and lengthy work days. On the flip side, jobs like actors, engineers and retirees pay lower than average rates.
- Insure your auto and home with one company – Most major companies allow better rates to clients who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount consumers should still compare other Chula Vista Mountaineer insurance rates to ensure the best deal. Consumers may save even more than the discount by buying insurance from more than one company.