It’s a fact that insurance companies don’t want you shop around. Consumers who get price quotes annually are likely to switch insurance companies because there is a great chance of finding more affordable rates. A survey found that drivers who shopped around annually saved as much as $70 a month compared to those who never compared other company’s rates.
If finding the lowest price on car insurance in Sacramento is your ultimate goal, understanding how to find companies and compare coverages can make the process more efficient.
It takes a few minutes, but the best way to get the cheapest Chevy Sonic insurance is to compare quotes once a year from providers in Sacramento.
- Get a basic knowledge of how companies price auto insurance and the changes you can make to lower rates. Many risk factors that drive up the price such as traffic violations and poor credit rating can be eliminated by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. This article provides tips to get cheaper coverage and get additional discounts.
- Obtain price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from a single company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes from multiple insurance companies. Begin your rate comparison
- Compare the price quotes to the premium of your current policy and see if there is a cheaper rate. If you find better rates, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
- Tell your current agent or company to cancel your current policy. Submit payment and a signed application to the newly selected company. Be sure to keep the new proof of insurance paperwork in an easily accessible location in your vehicle.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to try to use identical coverages on each price quote and and to get prices from as many carriers as you can. This enables a fair rate comparison and the best price quote selection.
Ratings for California auto insurance companies
Insuring your vehicle with a good quality insurer is hard considering how many choices drivers have in Sacramento. The rank data below may help you choose which providers you want to consider when comparing rate quotes.
Top 10 Sacramento 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 Sacramento Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Value
- USAA
- American Family
- The Hartford
- AAA of Southern California
- Titan Insurance
- The General
- AAA Insurance
- State Farm
- Mercury Insurance
- Nationwide
Auto insurance coverages
Having a good grasp of insurance aids in choosing the right coverages for your vehicles. Insurance terms can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are typical coverages found on the average insurance policy.
Comprehensive protection
Comprehensive insurance covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as damage from flooding, hitting a bird, damage from getting keyed, theft and a broken windshield. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Liability
This will cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people. It protects YOU against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 15/30/5 which stand for a limit of $15,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and a limit of $5,000 paid for damaged property. Alternatively, you may have a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability insurance covers things such as pain and suffering, funeral expenses, medical expenses and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. California requires drivers to carry at least 15/30/5 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.
The next chart shows why the minimum limit may not provide you with enough coverage.
Medical expense coverage
Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for bills like chiropractic care, funeral costs, EMT expenses, dental work and rehabilitation expenses. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many California drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (15/30/5), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Frequently these limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Collision coverage protection
This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Sonic resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage protects against things such as scraping a guard rail, crashing into a ditch and rolling your car. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also raise the deductible on your Sonic in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Persistence pays off
You just read many ways to reduce Chevy Sonic insurance car insurance rates online in Sacramento. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get premium rates for, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. You may even find the most savings is with an unexpected company. Some small companies may have significantly lower premium rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.
Budget-conscious Chevy Sonic insurance is possible both online and from local insurance agents, so you need to shop Sacramento auto insurance with both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers may not have rate quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies provide coverage only through independent agents.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, an insured dropped collision coverage and found out when filing a claim they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
Even more information is located at these sites:
- Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance After a Speeding Ticket in Sacramento? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for High Risk Drivers in Sacramento? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Sacramento Auto Insurance for a Dodge Ram? (FAQ)
- How Much are Sacramento Car Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Camry? (FAQ)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for Drivers Under 21 in Sacramento? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Business Use in Sacramento? (FAQ)
- How Can I Save Money on Auto Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Safety Features for Your New Car (State Farm)