Think you have an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us, you’re not alone.
Unbelievably, a large majority of drivers kept their policy with the same company for at least the last four years, and just short of a majority have never quoted auto insurance rates at all. San Diego drivers can cut their rates by nearly $500 a year just by comparing rates, but most just don’t grasp the benefits if they just switched companies.
With people having so many insurance companies to choose from that have lower-cost insurance for a BMW 325i in San Diego, it is hard for the average consumer to pick the lowest price company.
It’s a great practice to check auto insurance prices before your policy renews due to the fact that insurance prices trend upward over time. Just because you found the lowest quotes on BMW 325i insurance in San Diego a few years ago a different company probably has better rates today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the fastest way to buy cheaper BMW 325i insurance in San Diego.
When price shopping your coverage, quoting more will improve the odds of getting lower pricing. Some insurance companies are not set up to provide San Diego 325i insurance quotes over the internet, so it’s important to compare price quotes from those companies as well.
The auto insurance companies shown below are ready to provide comparison quotes in California. If multiple providers are shown, we suggest you get price quotes from several of them in order to find the lowest rates.
Why you need to buy auto insurance
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a BMW in San Diego, insurance serves an important purpose.
- Just about all states have minimum liability requirements which means the state requires a specific level of liability in order to drive the car. In California these limits are 15/30/5 which means you must have $15,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $5,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your BMW has a lien holder, almost all lenders will require that you have physical damage coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you do not keep the policy in force, the lender may insure your BMW at an extremely high rate and require you to fork over for the much more expensive policy.
- Auto insurance protects not only your vehicle but also your financial assets. It will also cover medical expenses for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. Liability insurance will also pay to defend you if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of buying enough insurance are definitely more than the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. On average, a vehicle owner in San Diego is currently overpaying as much as $855 a year so you should quote your policy with other companies every year to be sure current rates are still competitive.
Get Lower-cost Insurance Premiums by Understanding These Factors
Lots of factors are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Most are fairly basic like a motor vehicle report, although some other factors are more obscure like your continuous coverage and annual miles driven.
- Which gender costs less? – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. The data does not necessarily mean that men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes get in auto accidents in similar percentages, but men have costlier accidents. Men also tend to have more aggressive citations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents so they pay the highest premiums.
- Eliminate add-on coverages – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can buy if you aren’t diligent. Insurance for roadside assistance, towing, and membership fees may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when discussing your needs, but if they’re wasting money get rid of them and save.
- Multiple policies with one company can save – Many insurance companies will give discounts to buyers who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to ten or even fifteen percent. Even with this discount applied, it’s still a good idea to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money.
- Miles impacts costs – The higher the mileage driven in a year the higher your rates will be. Most insurance companies calculate rates based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos left parked in the garage can get a lower rate than vehicles that have high annual mileage. A policy that improperly rates your 325i may be wasting your money. It’s always a good idea to double check that your declarations sheet reflects the right rating data, because it can save money.
Affordable San Diego car insurance rates with discounts
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always list their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below gives a summary of a few of the more well known as well as the least known credits that may apply to you.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Select companies reward you with lower prices if you buy some life insurance too.
- Discounts for Good Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents could pay up to 40% less than their less cautious counterparts.
- Driver Safety – Successfully completing a driver safety course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Home Ownership Discount – Just owning your own home can save a few bucks because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
- Policy Bundle Discount – If you combine your auto and home policies and insure them with the same company you may earn up to 20% off your total 325i insurance premium.
- New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new 325i can save you some money because newer vehicles are generally safer.
- Early Payment Discounts – By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you can avoid monthly service charges.
- Theft Prevention System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Smart Student Discounts – Maintaining excellent grades could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
We need to note that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Despite the appearance that you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don’t profit that way.
Larger car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are detailed below.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including air bags, defensive driver, daytime running lights, membership and employees, seat belt use, and anti-theft.
- MetLife may offer discounts for accident-free, defensive driver, multi-policy, good student, good driver, claim-free
- Progressive may have discounts that include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, homeowner, and good student.
- Travelers includes discounts for hybrid/electric vehicle, multi-car, save driver, multi-policy, payment discounts, new car, and student away at school.
- SAFECO may include discounts for teen safe driver, homeowner, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft, and teen safety rewards.
- AAA offers discounts for good student, pay-in-full, education and occupation, multi-policy, and multi-car.
Before buying, ask each company or agent the best way to save money. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not apply in your state.
Your situation helps dictate your coverage
When selecting the right insurance coverage, there really isn’t a one size fits all plan. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply.
Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight if you might need an agent’s assistance.
- Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
- If my BMW 325i is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
- Where can I get insurance after a DUI in California?
- What is the ISO rating for a BMW 325i?
- Is my trailer covered?
- How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in California?
- Is my son or daughter covered when driving my car?
- Which is better, split liability limits or combined limits?
- Are rock-chip repairs free?
- Am I covered while delivering pizza?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Are car insurance agents a thing of the past?
Some people prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and that is OK! One of the best bonuses of comparing auto insurance online is the fact that you can find cheap rate quotes and still have an agent to talk to. Buying insurance from neighborhood insurance agencies is especially important in San Diego.
For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, the coverage information is sent to agents in your area who want to provide quotes for your business. It makes it easy because there is no need to contact any insurance agencies because prices are sent immediately to you. You can find lower rates AND an agent nearby. If you wish to get a price quote from a specific auto insurance provider, you just need to search and find their rate quote page and complete a quote there.
When finding a local San Diego insurance agency, it’s important to understand the different types of agencies and how they function. Auto insurance agencies are classified as either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).
Independent Auto Insurance Agents
Agents of this type are appointed with more than one company so they can write business with many different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don’t have to do anything.
When comparing rates, you absolutely need to contact several independent agencies for maximum quote selection.
Listed below are independent insurance agents in San Diego who may provide free price quotes.
Nickie Heath Insurance Agency
16855 W Bernardo Dr # 230 – San Diego, CA 92127 – (858) 487-3737 – View Map
Nationwide Insurance: Keith Jackson Insurance Agency Inc
1081 Camino del Rio S Ste 210 – San Diego, CA 92108 – (916) 742-6995 – View Map
Rubin Insurance
6363 Greenwich Dr #120 – San Diego, CA 92122 – (858) 457-5720 – View Map
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agencies
These agents work for only one company and examples are American Family, State Farm, and AAA. Exclusive agencies are unable to shop your coverage around so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Exclusive agents receive extensive training in insurance sales and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.
Shown below is a list of exclusive insurance agents in San Diego who can help you get price quote information.
Duane Werner – State Farm Insurance Agent
6663 El Cajon Blvd j – San Diego, CA 92115 – (619) 668-5414 – View Map
Farmers Insurance – Aaron Farmer
7960 Silverton Ave #202 – San Diego, CA 92126 – (858) 689-0466 – View Map
Fred Shadlow – State Farm Insurance Agent
7332 Casper Dr – San Diego, CA 92119 – (619) 464-4261 – View Map
Finding the right auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price quote. These are some valid questions you should ask.
- Will the quote change when the policy is issued?
- Does their agency support local causes in San Diego?
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- If independent agents, which companies do they recommend?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in California?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
If you feel you receive positive feedback for all questions you ask and a good coverage price, chances are good that you have found an insurance agent that is a good match to adequately provide auto insurance.
Affordable insurance rates are out there
As you shop your coverage around, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where consumers will sacrifice full coverage and discovered at claim time that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the lowest possible cost, not the least amount of coverage.
We just showed you some good ideas how to get a better price on BMW 325i insurance in San Diego. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better your chances of lowering your premium rates. You may even discover the best car insurance rates are with a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like GEICO and State Farm.
To learn more, feel free to visit the resources below:
- Steps to Take After an Auto Accident (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for Government Employees in San Diego? (FAQ)
- What is a Telematics Device? (Allstate)
- Five Tips to Save on Auto Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)
- Protecting Teens from Drunk Driving (Insurance Information Institute)