Have you finally had enough of trying to scrape together enough money to buy auto insurance? You have the same problem as many other California consumers.
It’s an obvious statement that car insurance companies don’t want you to look for a cheaper policy. People who shop rates annually are likely to switch to a new company because they have a good chance of finding a lower-priced policy. A recent survey found that people who regularly compared rates saved over $3,450 over four years compared to drivers who never compared prices.
If finding the cheapest price on insurance in Oakland is your target objective, then learning about the best ways to shop for coverage rates can save time and make the process easier.
You have multiple car insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to be able to choose, more choices can make it harder to find a good deal for Lexus ES 300h insurance in Oakland.
Locating the best rates in Oakland is really not that difficult. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will definitely be able to get lower rates using these methods. Nevertheless, California vehicle owners must know the methods companies use to market insurance on the web because it varies considerably.
Determine discounts on Oakland car insurance
Car insurance is not an enjoyable expense, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. Most are applied when you quote, but some discounts are required to be specifically requested in order for you to get them.
- First Accident Forgiveness – This one isn’t a discount, but companies like Allstate, Progressive, and GEICO allow you one accident without raising rates so long as you are claim-free for a specific time period.
- Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently so companies will give you a small discount.
- Student Discounts – This discount can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
- ABS and Traction Control Discounts – Cars equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Life Insurance Discount – Insurance companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
As is typical with insurance, some credits don’t apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Even though it appears you can get free auto insurance, you aren’t that lucky.
A few popular companies and some of the discounts are included below.
- The Hartford offers discounts for anti-theft, vehicle fuel type, air bag, bundle, defensive driver, driver training, and good student.
- American Family offers discounts including TimeAway discount, early bird, defensive driver, multi-vehicle, bundled insurance, and good driver.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including multi-policy, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, online signing, and continuous coverage.
- Travelers offers premium reductions for continuous insurance, early quote, driver training, payment discounts, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include business and professional, electronic funds transfer, bundle discounts, early shopping, and homeowner.
- USAA includes discounts for good student, annual mileage, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and family discount.
- Liberty Mutual has discounts for new graduate, new vehicle discount, newly retired, hybrid vehicle, multi-car, teen driver discount, and preferred payment discount.
When getting a coverage quote, ask all the companies how many discounts you can get. Some discounts listed above might not apply in your state. If you would like to view car insurance companies with the best discounts in Oakland, click here to view.
Just remember that comparing all the rates in your area increases the chance that you will find a better price. Not every company provides online Oakland ES 300h insurance quotes, so it’s important to also get prices on coverage from those companies, too.
The providers in the list below offer comparison quotes in Oakland, CA. If you want to find the cheapest car insurance in Oakland, it’s a good idea that you click on several of them to find the cheapest auto insurance rates.
Are auto insurance agents of importance?
Many drivers still prefer to sit down with an agent and that is OK! An additional benefit of comparing insurance prices online is that drivers can save money and get better rates and also buy local.
Upon completion of this quick form, your coverage information is immediately sent to insurance agents in Oakland who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t need to contact any agents since price quotes are sent instantly to you. Get lower rates without a big time investment. If for some reason you want to compare rates from a specific auto insurance provider, you just need to search and find their rate quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.
Selecting an company is decision based upon more than just the bottom line cost. The following questions are important to ask.
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- How experienced are they in personal risk management?
- Which insurance companies are they affiliated with?
- Does the agency support the community they serve?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
Do you need an independent or exclusive car insurance agent?
If you need to find a local agent, there are two types of agencies and how they operate. Agents are considered either exclusive or independent.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Exclusive insurance agents generally can only insure with one company and some examples include State Farm or Allstate. They usually cannot provide other company’s prices so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Exclusive insurance agents are well schooled on what they offer which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
The following is a short list of exclusive agencies in Oakland willing to provide price quotes.
Stephanie Canessa – State Farm Insurance Agent
6228 Merced Ave – Oakland, CA 94611 – (510) 339-4444 – View Map
Jose Cano – State Farm Insurance Agent
3301 E 12th St Suite 113 – Oakland, CA 94601 – (510) 533-8107 – View Map
Allstate Insurance: Amy Cheok
180 2nd St #1 – Oakland, CA 94607 – (510) 338-3570 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents that elect to be independent are not locked into one company so as a result can place your coverage with a variety of different insurance companies and get the cheapest rates. If they find a cheaper price, they can switch companies in-house and you don’t have to switch agencies.
If you need cheaper auto insurance rates, we highly recommend that you get insurance quotes from several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection.
The following is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Oakland that can give you rate quotes.
Western-Southern Life Insurance Co
80 Swan Way # 102 – Oakland, CA 94621 – (510) 877-4119 – View Map
Nationwide Insurance: Ruby Joyce Barnett
440 Grand Ave #450 – Oakland, CA 94610 – (510) 251-3800 – View Map
Film Casualty Insurance Agency
3246 Ettie St #23 – Oakland, CA 94608 – (619) 578-3048 – View Map
Don’t give up on cheap rates
We just covered many tips how you can get a better price on Lexus ES 300h insurance in Oakland. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding inexpensive Oakland auto insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the best price on insurance is with a small local company. Some small companies may have significantly lower prices on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as GEICO and State Farm.
Cheaper insurance in Oakland is attainable from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so you need to quote Oakland auto insurance with both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies may not have the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller providers only sell coverage through independent agents.
When shopping online for insurance, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, someone sacrificed collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big mistake. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at the lowest possible cost but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Steps to finding cheaper quotes for Lexus ES 300h insurance in Oakland
Truthfully, the best way to find affordable quotes for car insurance rates in Oakland is to compare prices once a year from insurers in California. Rates can be compared by completing these steps.
- First, get an understanding of car insurance and the things you can change to drop your rates. Many factors that result in higher rates such as distracted driving and your credit history can be eliminated by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
- Second, quote rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can give quotes from one company like GEICO and State Farm, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes from multiple insurance companies.
- Third, compare the new quotes to your existing policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate and decide to switch, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
A good piece of advice is to make sure you’re comparing identical deductibles and limits on every quote request and and to get prices from as many auto insurance providers as possible. This helps ensure an accurate price comparison and and a good selection of different prices.
More information is available on the following sites:
- Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Quotes for a Dodge Ram in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance for a Honda CR-V in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Oakland Auto Insurance for a Toyota Camry? (FAQ)
- Five Steps to Filing an Auto Insurance Claim (Insurance Information Institute)
- Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)