Cheapest Rates for Subaru Legacy Insurance in Oakland

Everyone knows that auto insurance companies want to prevent you from shopping around. Drivers who shop around at least once a year are inclined to switch to a new company because there is a great chance of finding a lower-cost company. A recent survey revealed that people who compared price quotes annually saved approximately $865 a year as compared to drivers who never shopped for cheaper rates.

If finding the lowest price on car insurance is your ultimate target, then having some insight into the best way to compare insurance rates can help make the process easier.

The most effective way to find affordable quotes for car insurance rates is to regularly compare quotes from providers who can sell car insurance in Oakland.

• First, spend some time learning about how companies set rates and the factors you can control to lower rates. Many factors that drive up the price like multiple speeding tickets and a not-so-good credit rating can be controlled by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.
• Second, compare price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agents can quote rates from many different companies.
• Third, compare the new quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if you can save by switching companies. If you find a lower rate quote, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
• Fourth, give proper notification to your current agent or company of your decision to cancel your current auto insurance policy. Submit payment and a completed application to your new company or agent. Don’t forget to keep the new certificate verifying coverage along with the vehicle’s registration papers.

One tip to remember is to make sure you enter identical limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to get price quotes from as many companies as you can. This provides an accurate price comparison and and a good selection of different prices.

Analysis of Subaru Legacy rates

The coverage information shown next covers different insurance rates for Subaru Legacy models. Having a good understanding how insurance premiums are calculated can help guide drivers when making decisions when choosing a new policy provider.

Premium data assumes single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and homeowner. Rate quotes do not factor in specific location which can lower or raise price quotes greatly.

Physical damage deductible comparison

When buying car insurance, a common question is how low should you set your deductibles. The tables below may help to illustrate the rate differences when you buy lower versus higher deductibles. The first set of rates uses a $100 physical damage coverage deductible and the second price table uses a $500 deductible.

Data rating is based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, homeowner, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and multi-policy. Estimates do not factor in specific garaging location which can change premium rates significantly.

Using the data above, we can ascertain that using a $100 deductible could cost the average driver approximately $33 more each month or $396 every year than selecting the higher $500 deductible. Due to the fact that you would have to pay $400 more if you file a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you average more than 12 months between claims, you would probably be better off by going with a higher deductible.

Careless drivers pay higher rates

The illustration below illustrates how traffic citations and accidents influence Subaru Legacy auto insurance costs for each different age category. Data assumes a single male driver, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

Cost of full coverage in Oakland

The chart below shows the difference between Subaru Legacy insurance premiums with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The price estimates are based on no accidents or driving violations, $250 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

When to eliminate full coverage

There is no set guideline to exclude full coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s assume your Subaru Legacy claim settlement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, you would only receive $5,000 after paying your deductible. If it’s costing in excess of $500 a year for full coverage, then it might be time to buy liability only.

There are some scenarios where dropping full coverage is not in your best interest. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you must maintain physical damage coverage as part of the loan requirements. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should maintain full coverage.

Eight factors that impact insurance prices

Many factors are considered when you get a price on insurance. Some factors are common sense such as traffic violations, but others are not quite as obvious like your continuous coverage or how safe your car is. Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that go into determining your policy premiums. If you have a feel for what determines base rates, this allows you to make good choices that could help you find much lower annual insurance costs.

Are women or men drivers cheaper? – Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are better drivers. Men and women get in accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to get ticketed for serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Teenage male drivers generally have the highest accident percentage and thus pay the highest rates.

The diagram below shows the difference between Subaru Legacy yearly insurance costs for male and female drivers. The price estimates are based on no tickets, no at-fault accidents, full coverage, $500 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

Car insurance rates and age – Beginning drivers in California are statistically shown to be more careless when behind the wheel and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher. Older drivers are more responsible, file fewer claims, and are generally more financially stable.

The following data uses these assumptions: single driver, full coverage with $100 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.

Vehicle features impact premiums – Choosing to buy a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Theft prevention devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all help prevent car theft.

Your location is a factor – Having an address in less populated areas of the country has it’s advantages when buying car insurance. Urban drivers regularly have much more traffic and more severe claims. Fewer people translates into fewer accident claims in addition to lower liability claims.

Cheaper rates after marriage – Having a spouse helps lower the price when shopping for car insurance. Having a spouse translates into being more mature and responsible and statistics prove being married results in fewer claims.

Choose high crash test ratings and save – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Highly rated vehicles reduce injuries and lower injury rates means less claims paid and thus lower rates. If the Subaru Legacy is rated at a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov you may qualify for a discount.

Car insurance rates and your occupation – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Jobs like real estate brokers, executives, and financial analysts generally pay higher premium rates because of job stress and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, jobs like actors, engineers and the unemployed pay the least.

Drive a fast car and pay more – The make and model of the vehicle you need to insure makes a huge difference in your premium level. Small economy passenger cars generally have the cheapest insurance rates, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.

The data below uses these variables: married male driver age 20, full coverage with $250 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. The chart compares Subaru Legacy insurance premiums compared to other vehicles that have a range of performance rating factors.

Subaru Legacy insurance loss statistics – Auto insurance companies take into consideration insurance loss statistics for every vehicle to calculate a price that will offset losses. Vehicles that tend to have increased claim numbers or amounts will have increased rates.

The data below shows the collected loss data for Subaru Legacy vehicles. For each coverage category, the claim probability for all vehicles, as a total average, equals 100. Values that are under 100 mean the vehicle has better than average losses, while numbers that are greater than 100 indicate a higher chance of having a claim or an increased likelihood of larger losses.

One last note

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, don’t be tempted to buy poor coverage just to save money. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to discover later that it was a big mistake. The aim is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate, but do not skimp to save money.

Cheaper Subaru Legacy insurance in Oakland can be purchased from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Oakland, so get free Oakland auto insurance quotes from both of them in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers may not offer price quotes online and usually these regional carriers only sell coverage through independent insurance agencies.

Insureds switch companies for many reasons like policy non-renewal, lack of trust in their agent, being labeled a high risk driver or even high rates after DUI convictions. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding the right auto insurance provider is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.

More information

• State Car Insurance Guides (GEICO)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for Government Employees in Oakland? (FAQ)
• How Much is Auto Insurance for a Toyota Tacoma in Oakland? (FAQ)
• How Much is Car Insurance for a Learners Permit in Oakland? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance for Young Drivers in Oakland? (FAQ)
• Preventing Carjacking and Theft (Insurance Information Institute)
• Choosing a Car for Your Teen (State Farm)
• Higher speed limits cause more fatalities (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Auto Insurance FAQ (Farmers Insurance)