Save Money on Scion xB Insurance in Oakland

The most effective way to quote cheaper Scion xB insurance in Oakland is to compare prices once a year from providers that insure vehicles in California.

Step 1: Try to comprehend coverages and the measures you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many rating factors that result in higher prices like distracted driving and a low credit rating can be improved by making minor changes in your lifestyle.

Step 2: Get rate quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes from many different companies. View a list of agents

Step 3: Compare the new quotes to your existing policy and see if there is a cheaper rate. If you find better rates, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.

Step 4: Notify your current company of your intent to cancel your current coverage. Submit a down payment along with a completed application to your new carrier. As soon as you receive it, place the new proof of insurance certificate along with the vehicle’s registration papers.

One key aspect when comparing rates is that you’ll want to compare identical coverages on each quote request and and to get price estimates from as many different companies as possible. This provides an accurate price comparison and the best price selection.

Unbelievable but true, almost 70% of drivers have remained with the same car insurance company for over three years, and practically 40% of car insurance customers have never compared rates to find lower-cost insurance. Most drivers in Oakland can save almost 35% each year just by shopping around, but they just don’t understand how easy it is to shop their coverage around.

Affordable Scion xB insurance in Oakland

Insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but there could be significant discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically at the time of purchase, but some must be specially asked for in order for you to get them. If you don’t get every credit available, you could be paying more than you need to.

• Savings for New Vehicles – Buying a new car instead of a used xB can be considerably cheaper since newer models have better safety ratings.
• Discounts for Safe Drivers – Safe drivers can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates as compared to drivers with claims.
• Resident Student – Older children who live away from home to go to college and do not have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
• Telematics Data Discounts – People who choose to allow data collection to monitor when and where they use their vehicle remotely such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system could save a few bucks if they exhibit good driving behavior.
• Low Miles Discount – Driving fewer miles may allow you to get discounted prices on garaged vehicles.
• Payment Discounts – By making one initial payment instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
• Anti-lock Brake System – Cars and trucks that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are much safer to drive so companies give up to a 10% discount.
• Student Driver Training – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers enroll in driver’s education in high school.
• Defensive Driver – Completing a course in driver safety could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
• Military Deployment Discount – Having a deployed family member could qualify you for better premium rates.

Just know that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.

The diagram below illustrates the comparison of Scion xB insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The information is based on a male driver, no claims or violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, safe-driver, claim-free, homeowner, marriage, and multi-policy discounts applied.

The best insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are:

• American Family offers premium reductions for bundled insurance, Steer into Savings, air bags, early bird, and mySafetyValet.
• State Farm has discounts for multiple autos, accident-free, good driver, Drive Safe & Save, Steer Clear safe driver discount, driver’s education, and defensive driving training.
• 21st Century discounts include 55 and older, defensive driver, driver training, student driver, and anti-lock brakes.
• Travelers may include discounts for save driver, multi-car, early quote, new car, and payment discounts.
• GEICO may have discounts that include federal employee, anti-theft, emergency military deployment, multi-vehicle, driver training, good student, and anti-lock brakes.

Before you buy a policy, ask each insurance company the best way to save money. Some discounts listed above may not apply to policies in Oakland. If you would like to view insurers that have a full spectrum of discounts in Oakland, click here to view.

Most of the larger companies allow you to get coverage prices on their websites. Comparing prices online for Scion xB insurance in Oakland doesn’t take much effort because you just enter your coverage preferences into the form. After you complete the form, the system obtains your driving and credit reports and generates pricing information based on many factors.

Using the web to get rates for Scion xB insurance in Oakland simplifies rate comparisons, and it’s very important to compare as many rates as possible if you want to get the best rate.

To quickly find out what other companies charge, check out the auto insurance providers below. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you replicate the limits and deductibles as close as possible to your current policy. Doing this guarantees you will have rate comparison quotes based on identical coverages.

The following companies have been selected to offer free rate quotes in Oakland, CA. In order to find cheap car insurance in California, it’s highly recommended you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.

Data for Scion xB insurance

The information shown below covers detailed analysis of coverage prices for Scion xB models. Understanding more about how insurance prices are figured can assist in making smart choices when purchasing an insurance policy.

Data variables include married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and homeowner. Information does not factor in specific location information which can increase or decrease premiums considerably.

Physical damage deductibles: Should you raise them?

One of the most common auto insurance questions is how low should you set your deductibles. The rates shown below help summarize the difference in cost when you choose different comp and collision deductibles. The first rate table uses a $100 deductible and the second price chart uses a $1,000 deductible.

Prices above based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and homeowner. Rate quotes do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can raise or lower coverage prices greatly.

We can derive from the above data that using a $100 deductible costs approximately $39 more each month or $468 for a full year than opting for the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would pay $900 more if you turn in a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you average at a minimum 23 months between claims, you would come out ahead by going with a higher deductible. Here is the way you can do this calculation yourself.

Auto insurance cost for men versus women

The chart below compares Scion xB auto insurance rates for male and female drivers. The prices are based on no accidents, no driving violations, full physical damage coverage, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Cost comparison with and without full coverage

The diagram below shows the comparison of Scion xB yearly insurance costs with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. Data assumes no claims or driving citations, $100 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are factored in.

Should you pay for full coverage or liability only?

There is no definitive rule for phasing out physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of having full coverage is about 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.

For example, let’s pretend your Scion xB settlement value is $5,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most your company would pay you is $4,000 after paying your deductible. If premiums are more than $400 a year for physical damage coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

There are some conditions where dropping physical damage coverage is not recommended. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to maintain full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should maintain full coverage.

Seven Tips to Get Lower-cost Oakland Insurance Costs

It’s important that you understand some of the elements that help determine the rates you pay for insurance. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay, this enables you to make decisions that can help you get better insurance rates. Multiple criteria are part of the calculation when quoting car insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as traffic violations, but others are less apparent like your vehicle usage and annual miles driven.

Tickets will cost you – Your driving citation history influences premium rates substantially. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Only having one moving violation can increase the cost of insurance by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who have dangerous violations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state’s licensing department in order to legally drive.

The chart below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault accidents can increase Scion xB insurance prices for each age group. The price estimates are based on a married female driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Use credit responsibly and save – Having a bad credit rating is a large factor in determining what you pay. People that have excellent credit tend to be more responsible than drivers who have bad credit. So if your credit score can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your Scion xB if you improve your credit rating.

Drive a fast vehicle and pay more – The make and model of the car or truck you need insurance for makes a significant difference in your premium level. Smaller low performance passenger vehicles normally have pretty low rates, but that’s not the only thing that factors into the final price.

The following chart uses these variables: single male driver age 30, full coverage with $1000 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. It illustrates Scion xB insurance rates compared to other models of vehicles that have different performance rating factors.

You might pay higher costs if you are single – Your spouse may save some money compared to being single. Marriage usually means you are more responsible and it’s statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.

Liability protection limits should be high – Liability insurance is the protection if a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. This coverage provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.

Your stress level may be raising your premiums – Jobs such as military personnel, air traffic controllers, and financial analysts are shown to have higher rates than the rest of us in part from high stress and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, jobs like professors, historians and homemakers pay the least.

Cars with good safety ratings cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. Vehicles engineered for safety reduce the chance of injuries and fewer serious injuries means your insurance company pays less passed on to you as lower rates.

Scion xB insurance loss probability – Insurers take into consideration historical loss data for every vehicle when they calculate premium rates for each model. Vehicles that statistically have higher number or severity of losses will have higher rates. The table below illustrates the collected loss data for Scion xB vehicles.

For each policy coverage type, the loss probability for all vehicles as a whole is a value of 100. Values that are under 100 imply a favorable loss record, while values that are 100 or greater indicate higher probability of having a loss or tendency to have higher losses.

Which is the best car insurance?

When it comes to buying a policy for your vehicles, there isn’t really a best way to insure your cars. Your situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if you may require specific advice.

• Why are teen drivers so expensive to add on to my policy?
• Am I covered when renting a car or should I buy coverage from the car rental agency?
• Am I insured when driving a different vehicle?
• Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in California?
• Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
• What can I do if my company denied a claim?
• Is my Scion xB covered for smoke damage?
• Are my friends covered when driving my Scion xB?
• Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Oakland?
• Is my Scion xB covered if I use it for business?

If you can’t answer these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking 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.

Car insurance agents can find coverage gaps

A lot of people just prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that is OK! The biggest benefit of getting free rate quotes online is you may find cheap car insurance rates and still have a local agent. Buying from and supporting neighborhood agents is still important in Oakland.

By using this short form, the coverage information is transmitted to companies in Oakland who can give free rate quotes for your business. There is no need to drive around because quoted prices will be sent immediately to you. Get lower rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you want to get a rate quote from a specific company, you would need to visit that company’s website and fill out the quote form the provide.

If you prefer to buy car insurance from a local Oakland insurance agent, there are a couple of different agency structures and how they operate. Car insurance agents in Oakland can be categorized as either exclusive agents or independent agents.

Independent Agents

Agents that elect to be independent often have many company appointments so they can insure your vehicles through lots of different companies and potentially find a lower price. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply move the coverage in-house which is easy for the insured.

When shopping rates, you need to get insurance quotes from at least one independent agent so that you can do a thorough price comparison. Most also write with lesser-known insurance companies that many times have cheaper rates.

Listed below is a small list of independent agencies in Oakland who may be able to give you free car insurance rate quotes.

• Links Insurance Services
  1155 3rd St # 220 – Oakland, CA 94607 – (925) 361-5185 – View Map
• Cook Disharoon and Greathouse Insurance Brokers
  1942 Embarcadero – Oakland, CA 94606 – (510) 437-1900 – View Map
• Susan Bernosky – Strahan Ins Services Inc
  5940 College Ave a – Oakland, CA 94618 – (510) 450-9051 – View Map

More insurance agents

Exclusive Car Insurance Agents

Exclusive insurance agents write business for a single company and examples are AAA, State Farm, Farmers Insurance, and Allstate. These agents are unable to shop your coverage around so you need to shop around if the rates are high. They are usually quite knowledgeable on what they offer which helps them sell on service rather than price. A lot of people buy insurance from these agents partially due to the prominence of the brand and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.

Listed below are Oakland exclusive agencies who can help you get comparison quotes.

• Fernando Valenzuela – State Farm Insurance
  1236 30th Ave – Oakland, CA 94601 – (510) 533-9712 – View Map
• Farmers Insurance: Patrick Siu
  993 Jackson St – Oakland, CA 94607 – (510) 350-7829 – View Map
• Maria Wong – State Farm Insurance Agent
  1000 Broadway #270 – Oakland, CA 94607 – (510) 834-3634 – View Map

More insurance agents

Choosing the best auto insurance agent requires more thought than just the price. These are some questions your agent should answer.

• Does the agent help file claims?
• Who are their largest clients?
• Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in California?
• What company do they have the most business with?
• Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
• Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?

Three reasons to not skimp on car insurance

Despite the high insurance cost for a Scion xB in Oakland, maintaining insurance is mandatory in California but it also protects more than you think.

• Most states have minimum liability requirements which means state laws require specific minimum amounts of liability insurance 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.
• If you took out a loan on your xB, it’s most likely the lender will make it a condition of the loan that you carry insurance to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you default on your policy, the bank may buy a policy for your Scion at a more expensive rate and require you to reimburse them a much higher amount than you were paying before.
• Insurance protects both your Scion and your personal assets. Insurance will pay for hospital and medical expenses incurred in an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney if you cause an accident and are sued. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, collision and comprehensive coverages will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.

The benefits of insuring your car more than cancel out the cost, especially if you ever need it. In a recent study of 1,000 drivers, the average customer is wasting up to $700 annually so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at least once a year to be sure current rates are still competitive.

Be persistent to save money

As you shop your coverage around, you should never reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many situations where an insured dropped collision coverage and learned later that it was a big error on their part. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at the best cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.

You just learned a lot of ways to shop for Scion xB insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Consumers may even find the lowest premium rates are with the smaller companies. They may only write in your state and offer lower prices than the large multi-state companies such as GEICO and State Farm.

To learn more, feel free to browse the articles below:

• Winter Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for Low Income Drivers in Oakland? (FAQ)
• What is Gap Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)
• Rollover Crash FAQ (iihs.org)
• Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)
• Car Insurance FAQ (Trusted Choice)