Unimaginable but true, a large majority of drivers have purchased from the same company for at least four years, and just short of a majority have never compared car insurance rates at all. U.S. insurance shoppers can cut their rates by approximately 47% a year by just comparing quotes, but most undervalue the big savings they would realize if they just switched companies.
The best way to get more affordable Kia Soul insurance in Oakland is to compare prices regularly from insurance carriers who can sell car insurance in California. Rate comparisons can be done by completing these steps.
Step 1: Spend a few minutes and learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the things you can control to prevent rate increases. Many rating factors that result in higher rates like speeding tickets, careless driving and poor credit history can be rectified by paying attention to minor details.
Step 2: Request rate estimates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only quote rates from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agents can provide price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers.
Step 3: Compare the price quotes to your current policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate and make a switch, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
Step 4: Notify your company or agent of your intention to cancel your current coverage and submit the completed application along with a down payment to the new company. Immediately upon receiving it, put the new certificate verifying coverage in an easily accessible location in your vehicle.
One key aspect when comparing rates is to use the same coverage limits and deductibles on each price quote and and to look at as many car insurance companies as possible. Doing this guarantees an apples-to-apples comparison and many rates to choose from.
These tips will teach you the best methods to compare rates. If you have a policy now, you will definitely be able to find the best rates using the following tips. Smart shoppers only need to know the best way to compare different rates online.
Smart Consumers Can Lower Insurance Rates
Many different elements are taken into consideration when pricing auto insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving history, although others are not quite as obvious like your vehicle usage or how safe your car is. The best way to find cheaper car insurance is to take a look at the different types of things that are used to determine your car insurance rates. If you have a feel for what influences your rates, this helps enable you to make changes that could result in lower rates.
- Single vs. married – Getting married can get you a discount when buying car insurance. Marriage is viewed as being more mature than a single person and insurance companies reward insureds because married couples file fewer claims.
- Lower miles equals lower premium – The more you drive your Kia every year the more you will pay for car insurance. Most insurance companies charge to insure your cars based upon how much you drive. Cars and trucks that have low annual miles cost less to insure than those that get driven frequently. It’s a smart idea to ensure your car insurance policy correctly shows the correct usage for each vehicle. Incorrect rating for your Soul can result in significantly higher rates.
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Don’t get traffic citations – Being a careful driver has a huge affect on how much you pay. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Just one speeding ticket or other violation can increase rates to the point where it’s not affordable. People who have serious violations like DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may find that they have to to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.
The example below shows how traffic citations and fender-benders influence Kia Soul car insurance costs for different age groups of insureds. The rates are based on a married male driver, full coverage, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.
- More stress means more cost – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations such as military generals, executives, and dentists are shown to have higher average rates in part from intense work requirements and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, careers such as actors, engineers and homemakers pay the least.
- Policy add-ons add up – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your Soul policy. Add-on coverages like personal injury protection, better glass coverage, and extra life insurance coverage may be wasting your money. They may seem like a good idea initially, but if you’ve never needed them in the past remove them and pocket the money.
- Bundle policies with the same company – Many insurance companies apply discounts to clients who carry more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. This can amount to ten percent or more. Even with this discount, you still need to compare other Oakland Soul insurance rates to ensure the best deal.
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Insurance losses for a Kia Soul – Auto insurance companies study historical loss data to help calculate a profitable premium rate. Vehicles that tend to have a trend towards higher claims will cost more for coverage.
The table below outlines the historical loss data for Kia Soul vehicles. For each policy coverage type, the claim probability for all vehicles combined as an average is set at 100. Percentage values below 100 represent a good loss history, while values that are above 100 point to more frequent losses or a tendency for losses to be larger than average.
Kia Soul Insurance Loss Statistics Vehicle Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Kia Soul 89 98 84 138 138 118 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEStatistics from IIHS.org for 2013-2015 Model Years
Coverage analysis
The premium information below highlights a range of insurance prices for Kia Soul models. Understanding more about how auto insurance prices are figured can aid in making smart choices when choosing a car insurance company.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soul | $308 | $570 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $1,688 | $141 |
| Soul Plus | $308 | $570 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $1,688 | $141 |
| Soul Exclaim | $348 | $570 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $1,728 | $144 |
| Soul Sport | $348 | $570 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $1,728 | $144 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Prices above based on single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-policy. Rates do not factor in garaging location in Oakland which can decrease or increase price quotes greatly.
The illustration below shows how choosing a deductible and can change Kia Soul annual premium costs for different age categories. The data is based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
Does full coverage make sense?
The illustration below shows the comparison of Kia Soul insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in California. The rates are based on no accidents, no driving violations, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no additional discounts are factored in.
When to drop comprehensive and collision
There is no clear-cut formula to stop paying for physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the annual cost of coverage is about 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s assume your Kia Soul book value is $5,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $4,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If you are paying over $400 a year for physical damage coverage, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
There are some cases where buying only liability insurance is not in your best interest. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should maintain full coverage.
Don’t overlook these Kia Soul insurance discounts
Some providers don’t always list all available discounts very well, so the next list breaks down both well-publicized in addition to some of the lesser obvious savings tricks you should be using when you buy Oakland auto insurance online.
- Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up to age 25.
- Braking Control Discount – Vehicles with ABS braking systems or traction control are safer to drive so companies give up to a 10% discount.
- Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Accident-free drivers could pay up to 40% less compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
- Discounts for Government Workers – Having worked for a branch of the government can save as much as 8% depending on your auto insurance provider.
- Driver’s Education for Students – Require your teen driver to successfully take a driver’s education course in school.
- Resident Student – Children who live away from home at college and don’t have a car could qualify for this discount.
- Senior Citizen Rates – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens can possibly qualify for better auto insurance rates.
- Sign Online – Certain insurance companies will provide an incentive for signing up over the internet.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may get savings as much as 30%.
Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to the whole policy. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. If you do the math and it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, you won’t be that lucky.
The diagram below shows the difference between Kia Soul insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. Data assumes a female driver, a clean driving record, no claims, 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 multi-policy, safe-driver, claim-free, multi-car, marriage, and homeowner discounts applied.
If you would like to choose from a list of providers who offer cheap Kia Soul insurance quotes in Oakland in Oakland, click here to view.
Best auto insurance company in Oakland
Picking a high-quality auto insurance company can be a challenge considering how many companies there are in California. The company information listed below could help you choose which car insurance providers to look at purchasing coverage from.
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
Top 10 Oakland Car Insurance Companies Overall
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
Persistence will pay off
When trying to cut insurance costs, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are a lot of situations where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your objective should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest cost, not the least amount of coverage.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of tips how to shop for Kia Soul insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding inexpensive Oakland auto insurance quotes. Consumers may even find the lowest auto insurance rates come from the least-expected company. These companies often have lower premium rates on specific markets than their larger competitors like Progressive and GEICO.
There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers only sell through independent agents. Lower-priced Kia Soul insurance in Oakland can be purchased from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should compare rates from both so you have a total pricing picture.
Additional information is available at these links:
- How to Avoid Staged Accidents (State Farm)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Immigrants in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Oakland Auto Insurance for Drivers Over Age 60? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance for a Company Car in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Oakland Auto Insurance for Safe Drivers? (FAQ)
- Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)
- How Does Hitting a Deer Impact Insurance Rates? (Allstate)
- Neck Injury FAQ (iihs.org)
- Five Steps to Filing an Auto Insurance Claim (Insurance Information Institute)