If you want to save the most money, the best way to get discount auto insurance rates in Oakland is to compare quotes annually from providers in California. Price quotes can be compared by completing these steps.
- Learn about policy coverages and the factors you can control to keep rates in check. Many rating factors that cause rate increases like multiple speeding tickets and an unfavorable credit rating can be remedied by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
- Quote rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide prices for a wide range of companies. Get quotes now
- Compare the price quotes to your existing rates and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate quote and change companies, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to use identical deductibles and limits on every quote and and to get prices from every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure a fair rate comparison and a complete price analysis.
Unbelievable but true according to a study about 70% of customers have remained with the same car insurance company for at least four years, and approximately 38% of consumers have never quoted rates to find lower-cost coverage. Many consumers in the United States could save almost 47% each year by just comparing rate quotes, but they mistakenly think it’s difficult to compare rates.
Get More Affordable Insurance Premiums by Understanding These Factors
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the things that aid in calculating your auto insurance rates. When you understand what controls the rates you pay, this allows you to make educated decisions that could help you find cheaper rates. Lots of things are part of the equation when you get your auto insurance bill. Some are pretty understandable like an MVR report, but others are more transparent like your vehicle usage or how safe your car is.
The itemized list below are a few of the “ingredients” utilized by car insurance companies to help set premiums.
Policy add-ons may be wasting money – Insurance policies have a lot of extra add-on coverages that can waste your money but may not be useful. Coverages for roadside assistance, death and dismemberment, and term life insurance may be costing you every month. They may sound like good ideas at first, but if you have no use for them remove them and pocket the money.
The type of car you drive affects your costs – The performance level of the car you are buying insurance for makes a big difference in your premium level. The cheapest rates are usually for the lowest performance passenger cars, but your final cost has many other factors.
The next chart uses these variables: single female driver age 20, full coverage with $1000 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. It shows Hummer H3 insurance rates compared to other models that have a range of risk factors.
Higher prices for demanding occupations – Occupations such as military generals, architects, and financial analysts usually pay higher premiums than the average policyholder in part from intense work-related stress and lots of time spent at work. Other jobs like scientists, students and homemakers get better rates.
Where you reside – Living in areas with lower population can be a good thing when buying auto insurance. Urban drivers have more aggressive driving styles and more time behind the wheel. Lower population means less chance of accidents in addition to lower liability claims.
Your age impacts your premiums – Youthful drivers in California are statistically shown to get distracted easily when behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. More experienced drivers are proven to be safer behind the wheel, tend to file fewer claims, and usually have better credit.
The following data uses these assumptions: single driver, full coverage with $500 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.
Good drivers pay less – How you drive impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Drivers who don’t get tickets pay lower auto insurance prices as compared to careless drivers. Only having one driving citation can bump up the cost to the point where it’s not affordable. Drivers who have gotten flagrant tickets such as DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may find that they have to to maintain a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
The illustration below highlights how speeding tickets and at-fault claims raise Hummer H3 premium costs for different age groups of insureds. The premiums are based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
A coverage lapse is a bad thing – Driving without insurance coverage in place is illegal and you may have a hard time finding new coverage because you let your insurance lapse. In addition to paying higher premiums, failure to provide proof of insurance might get you fines and jail time. You may need to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the California motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
Insurance statistics and figures
The table below outlines a range of insurance coverage prices for Hummer H3 models. Learning how policy rates are formulated is important to be able to make smart choices when purchasing an insurance policy.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3 Adventure Package 4WD | $378 | $780 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,884 | $157 |
H3 4WD | $378 | $780 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,884 | $157 |
H3 Luxury Package 4WD | $378 | $780 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,884 | $157 |
H3 Alpha 4WD | $420 | $780 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,926 | $161 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Prices based on single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and homeowner. Rate information does not factor in specific garaging location which can affect prices significantly.
Rate comparison for different deductibles
The hardest decision when buying coverage is where should you set your physical damage deductibles. The following insurance rates lay out the rate differences when you choose different insurance deductibles. The first set of rates uses a $100 physical damage coverage deductible and the second price table uses a $500 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3 Adventure Package 4WD | $430 | $810 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,865 | $155 |
H3 4WD | $430 | $810 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,865 | $155 |
H3 Luxury Package 4WD | $430 | $810 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,865 | $155 |
H3 Alpha 4WD | $478 | $810 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,913 | $159 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H3 Adventure Package 4WD | $314 | $546 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,460 | $122 |
H3 4WD | $314 | $546 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,460 | $122 |
H3 Luxury Package 4WD | $314 | $546 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,460 | $122 |
H3 Alpha 4WD | $348 | $546 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,494 | $125 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Premium data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, claim-free, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Price information does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can alter coverage rates considerably.
Based on these figures, using a $100 deductible costs roughly $33 more each month or $396 a year than buying the higher $500 deductible. Since you would pay $400 more to settle a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you go at a minimum 12 months between claim filings, you would probably save some money if you choose the higher deductible.
Calculate savings of higher deductibles
Average monthly premium for $100 deductibles: | $156 |
Average monthly premium for $500 deductibles (subtract): | – $123 |
Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $33 |
Difference between deductibles ($500 – $100): | $400 |
Divide difference by monthly savings: | $400 / $33 |
Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 12 months |
One thing to note is that a higher deductible results in having to pay to pay more out-of-pocket when you do file a claim. That will require some non-essential savings in the event you have to pay the higher deductible.
Insurance premiums based on gender
The information below visualizes the comparison of Hummer H3 car insurance rates for male and female drivers. The rate quotes are based on no claims or driving citations, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
Verify you’re receiving every discount
Car insurance is not cheap, but companies offer discounts to help offset the cost. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you complete an application, but lesser-known reductions have to be specifically requested before you will receive the discount.
- Drive Safe and Save – Drivers without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accidents.
- No Accidents – Insureds with no claims or accidents pay less as opposed to bad drivers.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can get savings of more than 20%.
- Theft Deterrent System – Vehicles optioned with advanced anti-theft systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more on H3 insurance in Oakland.
- Paper-free Discount – Some of the larger companies provide a small discount simply for signing over the internet.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down on your Hummer can earn cheaper premium rates.
- Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Insuring multiple cars or trucks with one company can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Teen drivers should enroll in driver’s education in high school.
- Senior Citizens – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens are able to get lower premium rates.
- Homeowners Savings – Just owning your own home may trigger a policy discount on car insurance since owning and maintaining a home means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
The information below illustrates the difference between Hummer H3 insurance prices with and without some available policy discounts. The rate quotes are based on a female driver, no claims, a clean driving record, 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-policy, marriage, claim-free, homeowner, multi-car, and safe-driver discounts applied.
A list of car insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are outlined below.
- GEICO has discounts for multi-policy, federal employee, good student, seat belt use, and anti-theft.
- SAFECO may have discounts that include anti-lock brakes, accident prevention training, drive less, teen safety rewards, and multi-car.
- State Farm offers discounts including good driver, defensive driving training, multiple autos, passive restraint, and safe vehicle.
- MetLife policyholders can earn discounts including good driver, good student, defensive driver, multi-policy, accident-free, claim-free
- 21st Century may offer discounts for homeowners, air bags, student driver, automatic seat belts, early bird, 55 and older, and defensive driver.
- Progressive discounts include continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, multi-policy, online signing, homeowner, and good student.
When getting a coverage quote, ask every prospective company how many discounts you can get. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be offered in your area. If you would like to see a list of insurers that offer multiple discounts in Oakland, click this link.
Be persistent to save money
As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are many occasions where consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage only to find out that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The ultimate goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best cost while still protecting your assets.
You just read a lot of techniques to compare Hummer H3 insurance rates in Oakland. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may even discover the best rates are with the least-expected company.
Insureds switch companies for a number of reasons such as delays in paying claims, extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent and policy non-renewal. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching auto insurance companies is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.
Additional information can be read at these links:
- Should I Buy a New or Used Car? (Allstate)
- Who Has Cheap Oakland Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers with Good Credit? (FAQ)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for 4×4 Vehicles in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Uninsured Motorists: Threats on the Road (Insurance Information Institute)
- Auto Insurance FAQ (Farmers Insurance)