How to Save on Auto Insurance in Irvine

Would you prefer to buy low-cost auto insurance rates in Irvine, CA? When trying to find cheaper insurance, are you frustrated by the sheer number of auto insurance sources that you can choose from? California vehicle owners have so many choices that it can turn into a big hassle to find the lowest price. Everyone knows Irvine is a great place to live, but expensive premiums for auto insurance makes it difficult to pay other bills every month.

Unimaginable but true, the majority of drivers have stayed with the same insurance company for four years or more, and almost 40% of drivers have never compared auto insurance rates at all. Many drivers in the U.S. could save up to 47% every year just by comparing rates, but they underestimate how much money they would save if they bought a different policy.

You should make it a habit to get comparison quotes quite often because prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you had the best rate on auto insurance two years ago there may be better deals available now. Don’t believe everything you read about auto insurance online but by reading this article, you’re going to learn some tested techniques to reduce your auto insurance bill.

This article will tell you how to effectively get price quotes and some tips to save money. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to lower your rates using the concepts you’re about to learn. Nevertheless, California car owners must know the methods companies use to sell insurance online and use it to your advantage.

Low Cost companies for Irvine auto insurance

The following companies have been selected to offer free rate quotes in California. If more than one company is shown, it’s highly recommended you visit as many as you can to get a more complete price comparison.

Data based on married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Table data does not factor in vehicle location which can decrease or increase auto insurance rates substantially.

Six discounts to earn lower Irvine car insurance rates

Companies that sell car insurance do not advertise all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of a few of the more common and the more hidden credits available to lower your premiums when you buy Irvine auto insurance online.

• Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Insuring all your vehicles with one company can get a discount on all vehicles.
• Distant Student Discount – Any of your kids who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from Irvine and do not take a car to college can receive lower rates.
• Save with a New Car – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% due to better safety requirements for newer models.
• Driver Education Discount – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.
• Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can pay as much as 50% less than drivers with accidents.
• Discounts for Government Workers – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify for a discount when you quote Irvine auto insurance depending on your company.

Policy discounts save money, but most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though the math looks like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you’re out of luck.

A list of car insurance companies and a selection of discounts include:

• Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including multi-vehicle, good student, online signing, multi-policy, continuous coverage, homeowner, and online quote discount.
• Farmers Insurance may include discounts for bundle discounts, pay in full, distant student, teen driver, good student, mature driver, and multi-car.
• Farm Bureau includes discounts for good student, safe driver, 55 and retired, multi-vehicle, and renewal discount.
• State Farm has savings for passive restraint, anti-theft, Drive Safe & Save, accident-free, and defensive driving training.
• GEICO may have discounts that include driver training, seat belt use, multi-policy, daytime running lights, emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, and anti-theft.
• SAFECO offers premium reductions for teen safety rewards, multi-car, drive less, anti-theft, teen safe driver, anti-lock brakes, and accident prevention training.
• Liberty Mutual offers discounts for multi-car, newly retired, teen driver discount, newly married, new move discount, multi-policy, and preferred payment discount.

Before purchasing a policy, check with every company which discounts can lower your rates. Some discounts listed above may not be offered in Irvine. To see a list of insurance companies with discount rates in Irvine, follow this link.

Insurance agent or online?

Many drivers would rather buy from a licensed agent and doing that can be a smart decision One of the best bonuses of getting online price quotes is the fact that drivers can get the best rates but also keep your business local. And providing support for local insurance agents is definitely important in Irvine.

After completing this quick form, your insurance coverage information is immediately sent to local insurance agents in Irvine who will return price quotes for your coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to find an agent as quotes are delivered to you instantly. Get lower rates AND an agent nearby. If you need to get a rate quote from a specific auto insurance provider, don’t hesitate to jump over to their website and fill out the quote form the provide.

Below are agents in Irvine that may be able to provide price quotes.

• KCAL Insurance Agency (Irvine)
  14795 Jeffrey Rd – Irvine, CA 92618 – (949) 786-6888 – View Map
• John Luithly – State Farm Insurance Agent
  16277 Laguna Canyon Rd F – Irvine, CA 92618 – (949) 727-4442 – View Map
• Roger Stone Insurance Agency
  5015 Birch St – Newport Beach, CA 92660 – (949) 757-0270 – View Map
• Professional Choice Insurance
  2151 Michelson Dr Suite 250 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (714) 467-8726 – View Map

View more Irvine agents

Deciding on an insurer shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Any agent in Irvine should be willing to answer these questions.

• Which family members are covered?
• What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
• Are they able to provide referrals?
• Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
• Can glass repairs be made at your home?
• How many companies do they write for?

Information about specific coverages

Knowing the specifics of your policy can help you determine the right coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement.

Liability coverages – This protects you from damage that occurs to other people or property in an accident. This coverage protects you from legal claims by others. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 15/30/5 that means you have $15,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and a total limit of $5,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined limit which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage protects against things like repair costs for stationary objects, funeral expenses, medical services and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford. California requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.

The next chart shows why low liability limits may not provide adequate coverage.

Comprehensive coverages – Comprehensive insurance covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like hitting a bird, hail damage and a broken windshield. The highest amount your insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for things such as hitting a parking meter, backing into a parked car, crashing into a ditch and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Uninsured and underinsured coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your vehicle.

Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (15/30/5), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Coverage for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for rehabilitation expenses, chiropractic care, X-ray expenses, EMT expenses and funeral costs. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Auto insurance claims by make and model

Which vehicles have good claim ratings? The following tables show the highest and lowest manufacturer models for the probability of filing claims for each type of coverage listed.

More effort can pay off

Drivers who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including denial of a claim, high rates after DUI convictions, being labeled a high risk driver and policy non-renewal. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch switching companies is not as hard as you think.

Lower-priced insurance in Irvine is definitely available online in addition to many Irvine insurance agents, so get free Irvine auto insurance quotes from both of them to have the best selection. Some companies do not provide price quotes online and usually these regional carriers prefer to sell through local independent agencies.

In this article, we covered a lot of techniques to find cheaper coverage online. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the better likelihood of getting affordable Irvine auto insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest priced insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

More information can be read at these links:

• How do I File a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Cheap Los Angeles Auto Insurance Rates for a GMC Sierra? (FAQ)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers with a Bad Driving Record in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Police Officers in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for a Ford Focus in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance After a Speeding Ticket in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for a Chevrolet Silverado in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
• Smart Auto Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Institute)
• Collision Insurance Coverage (Nationwide)
• Young Drivers: The High Risk Years Video (iihs.org)