Wasting Money on Car Insurance in Irvine California? Here’s How to Save!

Tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to insure your vehicles every month? You are no different than many other California drivers. With consumers having so many companies and agents to choose from, it’s nearly impossible to choose the lowest price insurer.

The purpose of this article is to instruct you on the most effective way to quote insurance and some tricks to saving. If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. California drivers just need to learn how to compare price quotes online.

Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss

Car insurance is not cheap, but you can get discounts to help bring down the price. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you purchase, but some must be inquired about before you will receive the discount. If you don’t get every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Discount for Swiching Early – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy before your current expiration date. The savings is around 10%.
• Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less when compared to drivers who are more careless.
• Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out life insurance from them.
• Multiple Cars – Buying insurance for all your vehicles on the same car insurance policy qualifies for this discount.
• Drivers Education – Cut your cost by having your teen driver complete a driver education course if offered at their school.

It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears all those discounts means the company will pay you, car insurance companies aren’t that generous. But all discounts will cut your premiums.

Lower your Irvine Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get lower car insurance prices.

The list below includes some of the factors used by your company to calculate your rates.

• Clean credit earns discounts – Having a bad credit score is a big factor in determining your rates. If your credit history is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your rating. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than those with poor credit.
• Your job and insurance rates – Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for car insurance? Occupations such as real estate brokers, social workers and dentists have the highest average rates attributed to stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. Other occupations like pilots, historians and homemakers get better rates.
• More claims means more premium – Auto insurance companies in California provide discounts to people who do not file claims often. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for larger claims.
• Allowing your policy to lapse raises rates – Letting your insurance expire is a quick way to bump up your car insurance costs. And not only will insurance be more expensive, failure to provide proof of insurance will get you a license revocation or jail time.
• Equipment add-ons that lower car insurance rates – Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can thwart your car from being stolen.
• Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? – Most car insurance companies will give a discount to customers who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you may still want to shop around to verify if the discount is saving money.
• Liability coverage is cheap – The liability section of your policy is the protection if a jury decides you are liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.
• Where you reside plays a part – Being located in less populated areas is a positive aspect when buying car insurance. Urban drivers have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Fewer people translates into fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.

What is the best insurance coverage?

When it comes to choosing proper insurance coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions can help discover if you would benefit from an agent’s advice.

• I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
• Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
• Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
• Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
• Is California a no-fault state?
• Am I getting all the discounts available?
• Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.

What about using a local agent?

A small number of people would prefer to buy from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Agents can point out coverage gaps and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find the best rates and still choose a local agent. Buying from local insurance agencies is definitely important in Irvine.

By using this short form, your coverage information is sent to companies in Irvine who will give you bids for your coverage. There is no need to leave your computer since price quotes are sent to your email. It doesn’t get any easier!

Best auto insurance agent in Irvine

When finding a local agent, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are classified as either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both types can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn the differences since it can impact your selection of an agent.

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent insurance agents are not locked into one company but instead can place your coverage with many different companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you won’t have to switch agencies.

When searching for an agent, it’s a good idea to include price quotes from at least one independent agent for maximum quote selection.

The following is a list of independent agents in Irvine willing to provide rate quotes.

21st Century Insurance Co – 430 Exchange # 100 – Irvine, CA 92602 – (714) 368-5000
Chandlee Insurance – 18101 Von Karman Ave # 330 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 476-5050

Agency Captives

These agents work for only one company and some examples include Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. They are unable to shop your coverage around so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captives are trained well on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents.

Below are Irvine captive agencies willing to provide price quotes.

Allstate Insurance – 17910 Sky Park Cir # 106 – Irvine, CA 92614 – (949) 252-1003
State Farm Insurance – 2010 Main St – Irvine, CA 92614 – (714) 477-9000
Farmers Insurance Group – 14200 Culver Dr # P1 – Irvine, CA 92604 – (949) 552-6655

For a complete listing of car insurance agents in Irvine, simply jump to this page.

Choosing a car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the premium amount. Here are some questions to ask:

• What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
• Is assistance available after office hours?
• What insurance companies do they work with?
• Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
• Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
• Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
• Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
• If you have an accident, will your rates go up?

Once you have positive responses to your questions and a low price estimate, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that is a good match to adequately provide car insurance.

Additional information can be read on the website for the California Department of Insurance through this link. Visitors are able to get help finding coverage, find disaster information, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

The following information may also be useful.

• Expert Tips to Saving Money on Irvine California Auto Insurance

More quotes mean more savings

As you shop your coverage around, make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage and learned later that they should have had better coverage. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can shop for car insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest premiums are with a small local company. These companies may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.