7 Methods to Save on Auto Insurance in Sacramento, CA

Overpriced auto insurance can drain your bank account and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Shopping your coverage around is a smart way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket. Since consumers have many auto insurance companies to choose from, it’s nearly impossible to locate the right insurance company.

It is always a good idea to compare rates at least once a year since insurance rates go up and down regularly. Even if you think you had the lowest price on your last policy you may be paying too much now. So just block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because we’re going to show you the fastest and easiest way to lower your annual insurance bill.

The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with how to get online quotes and some tips to save money. If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. California consumers only need to know the most efficient way to compare company rates online.

Comprehensive Sacramento Auto Insurance Comparison Quotes

Most major insurance companies quote insurance quotes online. Getting quotes is quite easy as you simply enter your required coverages as requested by the quote form. When complete, their system automatically retrieves your credit score and driving record and returns a price based on these factors. This simplifies rate comparisons, but the work required to visit several different sites and fill out multiple forms gets old quite quickly. But it is imperative to do this in order to get a better rate.

A quicker way to find lower prices makes use of a single form to return rates from many companies. It saves time, requires much less work on your part, and makes price shopping online much more enjoyable and efficient. Once the form is submitted, your coverage is rated with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the quotes that you receive.

If you find a better price you simply finish the application and purchase coverage. The whole process takes 15 minutes at the most and may save quite a bit of money.

To compare rates using this form now, click here and enter your information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you input your coverages exactly as shown on your declarations page. This ensures you will have comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.

Save big with these seven discounts

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there could be available discounts to cut the cost considerably. Most are applied when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be specially asked for prior to receiving the credit. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you’re paying more than you need to.

• No Accidents – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less as compared to frequent claim filers.
• Accident Waiver – A few companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
• Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you will save approximately 10% to 15%.
• Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
• Braking Control Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can avoid accidents and will save you 10% or more.
• Discount for Good Grades – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
• Senior Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a discount up to 10%.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. But all discounts will cut your premiums.

For a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Sacramento, click here to view.

Much more information about auto insurance in California can be read on the website for the California Department of Insurance found here. California drivers can view a list of available companies, view agent and company licensing information, read state legal mandates and laws, and file complaints about a company.

Parts of your auto insurance policy

Learning about specific coverages of a auto insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. These are the usual coverages found on most auto insurance policies.

Auto liability insurance

Liability insurance will cover damage that occurs to people or other property that is your fault. It protects you from legal claims by others. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.

Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 25/50/25 that translate to a limit of $25,000 per injured person, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Alternatively, you may have one number which is a combined single limit which provides one coverage limit without having the split limit caps.

Liability insurance covers things like emergency aid, pain and suffering, attorney fees and court costs. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. California state minimum liability requirements are 15,000/30,000/5,000 but drivers should carry more coverage.

Collision coverage protection

Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as crashing into a ditch, damaging your car on a curb and backing into a parked car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Comprehensive auto coverage

Comprehensive insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hitting a deer and hitting a bird. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for immediate expenses like chiropractic care, pain medications and hospital visits. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover you and your occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.

Since many California drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (California limits are 15/30/5), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea. Normally the UM/UIM limits do not exceed the liability coverage limits.

Better coverage you can count on

You just read many tips how you can reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate or State Farm.

Low-cost auto insurance can be bought from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Sacramento, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best selection. Some auto insurance companies don’t offer online quoting and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.