The most effective way to find low-cost prices for auto insurance rates is to begin comparing prices regularly from different companies who provide auto insurance in Chula Vista. This can be done by completing these steps.
Step 1: Gain an understanding of how auto insurance works and the things you can change to keep rates low. Many rating factors that result in higher rates such as traffic citations and an imperfect credit rating can be controlled by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
Step 2: Request price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agencies can provide price quotes from multiple companies.
Step 3: Compare the price quotes to your current policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a better price and buy the policy, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
Step 4: Provide adequate notice to your current company of your decision to cancel your current car insurance policy and submit payment and a completed application for your new coverage. As soon as you can, keep the new certificate verifying coverage in your vehicle.
A tip to remember is that you’ll want to compare identical coverage information on each quote and and to get prices from as many companies as you can. Doing this helps ensure an accurate price comparison and a complete rate analysis.
It’s amazing but over 70% of drivers have remained with the same insurance company for more than four years, and almost 40% of drivers have never shopped around. Most drivers in Chula Vista can save hundreds of dollars each year, but they don’t know how much money they would save if they moved their coverage to a different company.
Chula Vista Insurance Costs are Influenced by These Factors
Many factors are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Some are pretty understandable like an MVR report, but other factors are more transparent such as your credit history or your commute time. A large part of saving on auto insurance is knowing the different types of things that help determine your premiums. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels, this helps enable you to make changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
The items below are some of the major factors used by insurance companies to determine prices.
Better premiums with anti-theft devices – Selecting a car model that has a built-in theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack help track and prevent vehicle theft.
Vehicles with better crash test results mean better premiums – Safe vehicles tend to be cheaper to insure. These vehicles reduce injuries and reduced instances of injuries translates directly to fewer claims passed on to you as lower rates.
Extra policy coverages can waste money – Insurance policies have a lot of optional add-on coverages that can add up but may not be useful. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, accidental death, and extra equipment coverage are probably not needed. They may sound like good ideas when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
A good credit score can save money – Having a bad credit history can be a huge factor in determining what you pay. If your credit history is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your Mercury Sable by improving your rating. Drivers with excellent credit tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with poor credit scores.
Women pay lower costs – Over the last 30 years, statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. The data does not necessarily mean that females are better at driving than males. Females and males tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but the men get into accidents with more damage. Men also statistically get higher numbers of serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are most likely to cause an accident and therefore pay the highest rates.
Lower performance equals lower insurance prices – The type of vehicle you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a huge difference in your car insurance bill. The lowest premiums are usually for lower cost passenger vehicles, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
Claim-free discounts can add up – If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can expect increased rates or even have your policy non-renewed. Auto insurance companies in California award most affordable rates to insureds that do not abuse their auto insurance. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Mercury Sable insurance quotes comparison
Keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies helps you find more affordable rates. Some insurance companies are not set up to provide online Chula Vista Sable insurance quotes, so it’s important to compare price quotes from them, too.
The providers in the list below can provide price comparisons in Chula Vista, CA. To get cheaper car insurance in Chula Vista, it’s a good idea that you visit several of them to find the lowest car insurance rates.
Protect your vehicle and other assets
Even though Chula Vista Sable insurance rates can get expensive, buying auto insurance is required in California but it also protects you in many ways.
First, just about all states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to carry specific limits of liability coverage in order to be legal. In California these limits are 15/30/5 which means you must have $15,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $5,000 of property damage coverage.
Second, if you bought your vehicle with a loan, most lenders will require you to carry insurance to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Mercury at a more expensive rate and make you pay much more than you were paying before.
Third, auto insurance protects not only your Mercury Sable but also your financial assets. It will also pay for medical transport and hospital expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, also covers legal expenses if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, collision and comprehensive coverages will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of having insurance greatly outweigh the cost, particularly for liability claims. As of last year, the average driver in California is overpaying over $750 every year so shop around each time the policy renews to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Do you qualify for discounts?
Auto insurance is not an enjoyable expense, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Some trigger automatically when you complete an application, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked about before you get the savings.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles help deter theft and earn discounts up to 10% off your Chula Vista car insurance quote.
- Waiver for an Accident – Not necessarily a discount, but companies like Progressive and Allstate may permit one accident without raising rates if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
- Accident-Free Discounts – Claim-free drivers are rewarded with significantly better rates on Chula Vista car insurance quote when compared to drivers with a long claim history.
- Auto/Life Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Simply owning a home may trigger a policy discount on auto insurance because it shows financial diligence.
- Professional Memberships – Having an affiliation with a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates on auto insurance.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.
A few of the larger companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts can be found below.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for passive restraint, safe vehicle, good student, accident-free, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and driver’s education.
- American Family offers discounts including defensive driver, mySafetyValet, accident-free, good student, good driver, and bundled insurance.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including seat belt use, membership and employees, federal employee, multi-vehicle, anti-theft, driver training, and daytime running lights.
- 21st Century has discounts for teen driver, student driver, early bird, homeowners, air bags, good student, and automatic seat belts.
- Progressive may include discounts for multi-vehicle, homeowner, online signing, continuous coverage, and good student.
If you are trying to find inexpensive Chula Vista car insurance quotes, ask each company or agent the best way to save money. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not apply to policies in your state. To choose insurers with the best Mercury Sable insurance discounts in Chula Vista, click here.
Can’t I compare rate quotes from local Chula Vista auto insurance agents?
Some consumers would rather sit down with an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. The best thing about comparing car insurance online is the fact that you can find better rates and still buy from a local agent. Putting coverage with neighborhood agents is important particularly in Chula Vista.
After filling out this short form, the coverage information is immediately sent to companies in Chula Vista who will gladly provide quotes for your car insurance coverage. There is no reason to contact any insurance agencies due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. It’s the lowest rates AND an agent nearby. In the event you want to compare rates from a specific company, you just need to go to their quote page and fill out their quote form.
The following are agents in Chula Vista who can help you get price quote information for Mercury Sable insurance in Chula Vista.
- Allstate Insurance: Donald Sewell
355 3rd Ave B – Chula Vista, CA 91910 – (619) 425-5370 – View Map - Hoffman Hanono Insurance Agency
2090 Otay Lakes Rd #102 – Chula Vista, CA 91915 – (619) 420-1861 – View Map - Brian Konishi – Allstate Insurance Agent
786 Third Ave – Chula Vista, CA 91910 – (619) 426-6580 – View Map - Insurance Place – Chula Vista
713 Broadway # A – Chula Vista, CA 91910 – (619) 409-7650 – View Map
Choosing the best insurance company requires you to look at more than just the quoted price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Do they have cheaper tiers of coverage?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
- If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
Ratings for California car insurance companies
Insuring your vehicle with the top company can be a challenge considering how many companies are available to choose from in California. The ranking data in the lists below may help you decide which auto insurers you want to consider when comparing rate quotes.
Top 10 Chula Vista Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- Esurance
- AAA Insurance
- Progressive
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- Allstate
- Titan Insurance
- The Hartford
One last thing to lower rates
People leave their current company for a variety of reasons including high rates after DUI convictions, extreme rates for teen drivers, delays in paying claims and denial of a claim. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch switching companies is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.
As you quote Chula Vista car insurance, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many cases, someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your objective should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest cost while still protecting your assets.
There are still a few companies who may not provide price quotes online and these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents. Cost effective Mercury Sable insurance is attainable from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, so you need to compare both to have the best selection.
Additional car insurance information is located on the following sites:
- Safety Tips for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance for Government Employees in Chula Vista? (FAQ)
- How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for a Nissan Sentra in Chula Vista? (FAQ)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for Teachers in Chula Vista? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Single Moms in Chula Vista? (FAQ)
- Information for Teen Drivers (GEICO)
- New head restraint design cuts injuries (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)