Unfortunately, nearly 70% of consumers renewed their policy with the same company for well over three years, and just under half have never compared rates from other carriers. Many consumers in America can save hundreds of dollars each year by just shopping around, but they underestimate the amount of savings they would get if they switch to a new company.
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to quote cheaper Toyota 86 insurance is to start doing an annual price comparison from insurance carriers who sell auto insurance in Oakland.
- Learn about individual coverages and the things you can control to keep rates down. Many policy risk factors that are responsible for high rates such as tickets, at-fault accidents, and an imperfect credit rating can be improved by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. This article provides more details to get cheaper rates and find possible discounts that are available.
- Request price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only provide price estimates from a single company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agents can quote rates for a wide range of companies.
- Compare the new rates to your existing policy to see if you can save by switching companies. If you find a better price, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
- Notify your agent or company to cancel your current auto insurance policy. Submit payment along with a signed and completed policy application to the new company. Once coverage is bound, safely store the proof of insurance certificate along with the vehicle’s registration papers.
The most important part of this process is that you’ll want to make sure you compare the same level of coverage on each quote request and and to get prices from every insurance company. This guarantees an apples-to-apples comparison and a good representation of prices.
Companies offering affordable Toyota 86 price quotes in Oakland, CA
The providers in the list below offer price comparisons in California. If multiple companies are listed, it’s highly recommended you visit as many as you can to get a more complete price comparison.
Why Informed Drivers Pay Less for Toyota 86 Insurance
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that go into determining the price you pay for insurance. If you understand what controls the rates you pay, this enables informed choices that can earn you much lower annual insurance costs. Many things are used when you quote your car insurance policy. Some of the criteria are obvious such as traffic violations, although some other factors are not quite as obvious like where you live or how financially stable you are.
- An active insurance claims history can increase rates – If you file a lot of claims you shouldn’t be surprised to get much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Car insurance companies in California generally give cheaper rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. Auto insurance is intended for more catastrophic claims.
- Gender impacts rates – Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, this does not mean females are better drivers. Women and men cause auto accidents in similar percentages, but guys have accidents that have higher claims. Not only that, but men also have more aggressive citations such as reckless driving. Youthful male drivers tend to get in the most accidents so it costs more to insure them.
- Protect yourself with liability – Liability insurance provides coverage if a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides you with a defense in court which can cost a lot. Liability is cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so do not skimp.
- Younger driver insurance costs – More experienced drivers are more responsible, file fewer claims, and receive fewer citations. Teen drivers are proven to get distracted easily when driving with friends therefore insurance rates are much higher.
- Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars reduce occupant injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries means lower claim amounts and lower rates for you.
- Save money with alarm systems – Choosing to buy a car with a theft deterrent system can earn a premium discount. Systems that thwart thieves like OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms all help stop vehicle theft.
Do you qualify for discounts?
Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise the entire discount list very clearly, so the following list contains a few of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits available to you.
- Early Renewal Discounts – Some insurance companies reward drivers for renewing your policy early. You may see this discount when you get Oakland car insurance quotes online.
- Service Members Pay Less – Being on active deployment in the military could mean lower car insurance rates.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Low annual miles could qualify for discounted premium rates on garaged vehicles.
- Senior Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 may qualify for better car insurance rates.
- College Student – Kids who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from Oakland and don’t have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than spreading payments over time you can actually save on your bill.
As a footnote on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the whole policy. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, you won’t be that lucky. Any qualifying discounts should help reduce your policy premium.
A list of companies and their possible discounts are:
- Esurance offers premium reductions for emergency road assistance, multi-car, homeowner, anti-theft, and good student.
- The Hartford may have discounts that include defensive driver, anti-theft, air bag, bundle, vehicle fuel type, and good student.
- AAA may offer discounts for multi-policy, anti-theft, multi-car, education and occupation, pay-in-full, and good driver.
- GEICO has savings for driver training, defensive driver, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights, five-year accident-free, federal employee, and military active duty.
- State Farm offers discounts for anti-theft, student away at school, multiple policy, Drive Safe & Save, accident-free, defensive driving training, and driver’s education.
When getting a coverage quote, ask each company which credits you are entitled to. Savings might not apply in Oakland.
Compare prices but buy from a local Oakland insurance agent
Many drivers just want to buy from a licensed agent and that is recommended in a lot of cases Professional agents can answer important questions and help in the event of a claim. One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is the fact that drivers can get better rates and still buy from a local agent. Buying from and supporting neighborhood insurance agencies is especially important in Oakland.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this short form, your coverage information is emailed to local insurance agents in Oakland who will give you bids for your insurance coverage. You never need to find an agent on your own since rate quotes are delivered instantly to you. If you need to get a comparison quote from a particular provider, you just need to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
What type of Oakland car insurance agent is right for you?
If you want to buy auto insurance from a good Oakland insurance agent, it’s important to understand the types of agencies and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Auto insurance agencies can be described as either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive). Both insure your vehicles properly, but it’s important to point out the difference in the companies they write for since it could factor into the kind of agent you use.
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies or Brokers
Agents in the independent channel are not employed by one company so they can insure your vehicles amongst many companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If they find a cheaper price, an independent agent can move your coverage and that require little work on your part. When shopping rates, it’s recommended you compare quotes from at least one independent agent so that you can do a thorough price comparison.
The following is a small list of independent agencies in Oakland that may be able to provide free price quotes.
Western-Southern Life Insurance Co
80 Swan Way # 102 – Oakland, CA 94621 – (510) 877-4119 – View Map
Ruth Stroup Insurance Agency
3560 Grand Ave – Oakland, CA 94610 – (510) 874-5700 – View Map
Greater Metrowest Insurance Agency
Oakland, CA 94612 – Oakland, CA 94612 – (510) 444-1404 – View Map
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agents
Agents that choose to be exclusive are contracted to one company and examples are Allstate and State Farm. Exclusive agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so keep that in mind. Exclusive insurance agents are trained well on what they offer which helps them compete with independent agents.
Below is a list of exclusive insurance agents in Oakland that can give you comparison quotes.
Farmers Insurance – Sharon Li
320 13th St #103 – Oakland, CA 94612 – (510) 986-1128 – View Map
Stephanie Canessa – State Farm Insurance Agent
6228 Merced Ave – Oakland, CA 94611 – (510) 339-4444 – View Map
Farmers Insurance – Mahir Abdul-Haqq
4267 Masterson St – Oakland, CA 94619 – (510) 530-8502 – View Map
Deciding on an car insurance agent requires more thought than just a cheap price quote. The following questions are important to ask.
- Do they offer accident forgiveness?
- Are aftermarket or OEM parts used to repair vehicles?
- How experienced are they in personal risk management?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- How are they compensated?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Omissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
If you get positive feedback to any questions you may have as well as offering an affordable quote, chances are good that you have found an insurance agent that will adequately provide auto insurance.
More effort can pay off
As you restructure your insurance plan, never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In too many instances, drivers have reduced collision coverage only to find out that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate, but do not skimp to save money.
You just read some good ideas how you can shop for Toyota 86 insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get prices for, the better chance you’ll have of finding low cost Oakland car insurance quotes. You may even discover the lowest priced insurance comes from an unexpected company. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower prices compared to the large companies like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
To learn more, link through to the resources below:
- Coverage Information (Progressive Insurance)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Immigrants in Oakland? (FAQ)
- How Much are Oakland Auto Insurance Quotes for a Nissan Sentra? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Oakland Auto Insurance for College Students? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Uninsured Drivers in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Honda warning system reduces insurance claims (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Understanding Rental Car Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)