A study showed that over 70% of consumers kept buying from the same company for at least the last four years, and just short of a majority have never quoted insurance rates at all. Drivers in the United States could save an average of roughly 47% each year just by shopping around, but they don’t want to spend time to find cheaper insurance by shopping around.
If you want to save money, the best way to find low-cost prices for Chrysler Pacifica insurance in Oakland is to start comparing rates regularly from insurers who sell insurance in California.
- Try to understand how auto insurance works and the things you can change to prevent expensive coverage. Many things that are responsible for high rates such as speeding tickets, accidents and poor credit history can be amended by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes. This article gives the details to get cheaper coverage and find overlooked discounts.
- Compare rates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can only quote rates from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while independent agents can provide prices from many different companies. View a list of agents
- Compare the new rates to your existing policy and determine if there is any savings. If you can save some money and buy the policy, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Tell your current agent or company of your intention to cancel your existing policy. Submit the completed application along with a down payment for the new coverage. Once the paperwork is finalized, safely store the proof of insurance certificate in an accessible location in your vehicle.
The critical component of shopping around is to use similar coverage information on each price quote and and to get price quotes from as many companies as possible. Doing this provides a fair price comparison and a complete price analysis.
What Determines Chrysler Pacifica Insurance Rates?
It’s important that you understand the rating factors that play a part in calculating insurance rates. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this enables informed choices that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs. Lots of factors are used in the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but other factors are less apparent such as your credit history or your commute time.
The items below are most of the major factors insurance companies consider when setting prices.
- Your gender affects premiums – Over time, data shows that females take fewer risks when driving. Now that doesn’t mean males are worse at driving than females. They both cause at-fault accidents at about the same rate, but guys cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also statistically receive more major tickets like DUI and reckless driving.
- Filing claims can cost you – Auto insurance companies in California generally give lower rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. If you file claims often, you can expect either higher rates or even cancellation. Insurance coverage is intended for claims that you cannot pay yourself.
- Bad drivers pay high premiums – A bad driving record influences premium rates substantially. Even a single speeding ticket may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Careful drivers pay lower auto insurance prices than their less careful counterparts. Drivers unfortunate enough to have flagrant citations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may be required to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to drive a vehicle legally.
- Job impacts prices – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Occupations like doctors, business owners, and miners are shown to have higher premium rates attributed to high stress levels and extremely grueling work hours. Other occupations like scientists, historians and performers generally pay rates lower than average.
- Eliminate unneeded incidental coverages – There are a lot of optional add-on coverages that may not really be needed if you aren’t diligent. Things like rental car coverage, high-cost glass coverage, and membership fees are probably not needed. The coverages may be enticing initially, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so get rid of them and save.
- Performance affects insurance prices – The performance level of the car or truck you need insurance for makes a substantial difference in your rates. Lower cost passenger cars generally receive the lowest base rates, but that’s not the only thing that factors into the final price.
The method we recommend to compare car insurance rates for Chrysler Pacifica insurance in Oakland is to realize almost all companies actually pay money for the chance to give rate comparisons. To start a quote, the only thing you need to do is give them some information like coverage limits, if your license is active, whether you drive to work or school, and if you lease or own. Your information gets sent immediately to multiple companies and you get price estimates within a short period of time.
To start a quote now, click here and complete the quick form.
The companies in the list below offer free quotes in Oakland, CA. To locate cheaper car insurance in CA, it’s a good idea that you click on several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Car insurance is not optional in California
Even though Oakland Pacifica insurance rates can get expensive, insuring your vehicle serves an important purpose.
First, just about all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires specific limits of liability if you want to drive legally. 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 have a lien on your vehicle, it’s guaranteed your bank will stipulate that you have full coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the lender may insure your Chrysler at a much higher premium rate and force you to pay for it.
Third, insurance safeguards both your Chrysler and your personal assets. It also can pay for many types of medical costs that are the result of an accident. Liability insurance will also pay for a defense attorney if you are sued as the result of an accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of carrying adequate insurance definitely exceed the cost, especially for larger claims. According to a 2015 survey, the average American driver overpays as much as $820 a year so you should quote rates each time the policy renews to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Check for these discounts on Chrysler Pacifica insurance in Oakland
Car insurance companies do not advertise all possible discounts very well, so we researched both well-publicized and the more hidden credits available to you.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags may qualify for discounts up to 30%.
- Military Rewards – Being deployed with a military unit could mean lower auto insurance rates.
- Buy New and Save – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can get you a discount since newer vehicles have better safety ratings.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to use their safety belts could save 15% on medical payment and PIP coverage.
- Good Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents could pay up to 40% less as compared to drivers with claims.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Successfully completing a course that instructs on driving safety may get you a small discount if your company offers it.
- Auto/Life Discount – Some companies give lower rates if you buy a life policy as well.
Don’t be shocked that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So even though it sounds like it’s possible to get free car insurance, nobody gets a free ride.
If you would like to see a list of insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Oakland, click here to view.
Insurance agent or online?
Some people would rather visit with an insurance agent and that is OK! Good insurance agents are trained risk managers and will help you if you have claims. One of the benefits of comparing car insurance online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates but still work with a licensed agent.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your information gets sent to insurance agents in Oakland who will return price quotes for your business. It’s much easier because you don’t need to contact an agency because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. If you wish to quote rates from a specific insurance company, you just need to jump over to their website and submit a quote form there.
Picking the best provider needs to be determined by more than just the bottom line cost. Any agent in Oakland should be willing to answer these questions.
- How long has their agency been in business in Oakland?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Where would your vehicle be repaired?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- How are claims handled?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in California?
- How often do they review coverages?
If you would like to find a local Oakland insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they work. Agents in Oakland may be either independent (non-exclusive) or exclusive. Both types of agents can provide car insurance policies, but it’s a good idea to understand the difference in the companies they write for since it could factor into buying decisions.
Exclusive Car Insurance Agencies
Agents of this type can only write with one company and examples are American Family, State Farm, and AAA. They are unable to compare rates from other companies so always compare other rates. Exclusive insurance agents receive a lot of sales training in insurance sales which can be an advantage.
Below are exclusive agents in Oakland that can give you price quote information.
Farmers Insurance – Mahir Abdul-Haqq
4267 Masterson St – Oakland, CA 94619 – (510) 530-8502 – View Map
Farmers Insurance – Jimmie Oliver
1800 55th Ave – Oakland, CA 94621 – (510) 517-7663 – View Map
Farmers Insurance – Sharon Li
320 13th St #103 – Oakland, CA 94612 – (510) 986-1128 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents can quote rates with many companies so they can write business amongst many companies depending on which coverage is best. If you want to switch companies, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing car insurance rates, you should always get some free quotes from at least one independent agent to get the most accurate price comparison.
Listed below are independent agencies in Oakland that can give you price quotes.
All Purpose Insurance Agency
5857 MacArthur Blvd – Oakland, CA 94605 – (510) 382-1900 – View Map
Links Insurance Services
1155 3rd St # 220 – Oakland, CA 94607 – (925) 361-5185 – View Map
Susan Bernosky – Strahan Ins Services Inc
5940 College Ave a – Oakland, CA 94618 – (510) 450-9051 – View Map
If you receive good feedback for all questions you ask as well as a price you’re happy with, most likely you have located a car insurance agent that is professional and can service your policy.
Cheaper auto insurance premiums are out there
When you buy Oakland auto insurance online, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where an insured cut collision coverage to discover at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Cheap Chrysler Pacifica insurance in Oakland can be bought online and with local Oakland insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some companies may not have rate quotes online and these regional insurance providers prefer to sell through independent agents.
Other articles
- What Does No-Fault Insurance Cover? (Allstate)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Unemployed Drivers in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Oakland Auto Insurance Quotes for Drivers Under 25? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for Police Officers in Oakland? (FAQ)
- What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Institute)
- Safe Vehicles for Teens (iihs.org)
- Drunk Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)