It’s an obvious assumption that car insurance companies don’t want their policyholders to compare prices. Drivers who shop around for a cheaper policy will, in all likelihood, buy a different policy because they have a good chance of finding a lower-priced policy. Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that people who compared rates once a year saved approximately $3,500 over four years compared to those who never shopped around for cheaper prices.
If finding the best rates on auto insurance in Oakland is your ultimate target, then knowing the best way to quote and compare insurance premiums can save time, money, and frustration.
If you want to save money, the best way to find the cheapest price for car insurance rates is to do an annual price comparison from insurance carriers who provide auto insurance in Oakland. This can be done by following these guidelines.
- Take a little time to learn about how your policy works and the modifications you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that cause rate increases like speeding and a less-than-favorable credit rating can be controlled by being financially responsible and driving safely.
- Obtain price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give prices from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agencies can give you price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers. View a list of agents
- Compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate quote and change companies, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
One thing to point out is to try to use identical coverages on every quote and and to get price quotes from every insurance company. Doing this ensures a fair price comparison and and a good selection of different prices.
If you have coverage now or are just looking to switch companies, you can use these techniques to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. Buying affordable car insurance in Oakland is really quite easy. Drivers just need to use the least time-consuming way to compare company rates over the internet.
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide price comparisons in Oakland, CA. If you wish to find cheap auto insurance in California, we suggest you get rates from several of them to get the best price comparison.
Insurance rates and discounts
Companies don’t always advertise the complete list of policy discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so we took the time to find some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious discounts you could be receiving when you buy Oakland auto insurance online. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you could be saving more on your insurance.
- Save over 55 – Mature drivers could receive a small decrease in premiums.
- Discounts for New Vehicles – Insuring a vehicle that is new can cost up to 25% less due to better safety requirements for newer models.
- Military Discounts – Having an actively deployed family member can result in better rates.
- Home Ownership Discount – Owning a home in Oakland can save a few bucks since owning and maintaining a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Theft Deterrent – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more on Explorer insurance in Oakland.
- College Student Discount – Kids who attend college more than 100 miles from Oakland and won’t have access to an insured vehicle can receive lower rates.
- Paperless Signup – Many insurance companies provide a small discount for completing your application on the internet.
Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
The diagram below shows the comparison of Ford Explorer premium costs with and without policy discounts. The premiums are based on a female driver, no claims or violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, marriage, and multi-car discounts applied.
For a list of insurers who offer discounts in California, follow this link.
Insurance rate breakdown
The information shown next covers estimates of insurance premium costs for Ford Explorer models. Having a better understanding of how rate quotes are figured can help drivers make smart policy decisions.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explorer XLT 2WD | $316 | $382 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,484 | $124 |
| Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD | $316 | $382 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,484 | $124 |
| Explorer XLT 4WD | $316 | $382 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,484 | $124 |
| Explorer XLT AWD | $316 | $382 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,484 | $124 |
| Explorer Eddie Bauer 4WD | $358 | $464 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,608 | $134 |
| Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD | $358 | $464 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,608 | $134 |
| Explorer Limited 2WD | $358 | $464 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,608 | $134 |
| Explorer Limited 4WD | $358 | $464 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,608 | $134 |
| Explorer Limited AWD | $358 | $464 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,608 | $134 |
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Data assumes single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, claim-free, and homeowner. Premium amounts do not factor in specific location which can raise or lower premiums substantially.
Premiums by gender and age
The illustration below illustrates the comparison of Ford Explorer insurance rates for male and female drivers. The premiums are based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, full coverage, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.
Full coverage versus liability-only
The information below visualizes the comparison of Ford Explorer auto insurance rates with and without full coverage. The price estimates are based on no claims or driving violations, $100 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied.
When to drop comprehensive and collision
There is no exact formula of when to phase out comp and collision coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your Ford Explorer settlement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would get paid by your company is $5,000 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying in excess of $500 annually for physical damage coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some situations where eliminating full coverage is not recommended. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you are required to maintain full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should not consider dropping full coverage.
Oakland auto insurance companies ranked
Ending up with a good quality insurer can be rather challenging considering how many companies provide coverage in California. The company information displayed below may help you analyze which auto insurance companies to look at when shopping around.
Top 10 Oakland Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Service
- AAA of Southern California
- GEICO
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- Mercury Insurance
- The General
- Progressive
- Allstate
- AAA Insurance
- American Family