How to Save on Car Insurance in Escondido

When searching for lower-priced insurance, are you baffled by the wide range of insurance choices in Escondido? You’re not alone. There are so many choices available that it can turn into a real difficult job to locate the lowest premium rates. Lots of people think Escondido has many things to offer, but getting gouged by high insurance rates can make it hard for many drivers to purchase enough protection.

A study showed that almost 70% of insureds have remained with the same insurance company for a minimum of four years, and 38% of customers have never even shopped around for cheaper coverage. California drivers could save themselves 35% a year, but they don’t invest the time required to compare rates.

How insurance companies determine insurance rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the things that help calculate the price you pay for insurance. If you have a feel for what determines premiums, this allows you to make good choices that can earn you big savings.

• Good drivers pay less – Your driving record can have a huge impact on auto insurance premiums. Good drivers get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Having just one citation can boost insurance rates by as much as twenty percent. Drivers who have gotten severe citations like reckless driving or DUI may find that they have to to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
• What are good liability insurance limits? – Your policy’s liability coverage is the protection if ever you are found to be at fault for causing personal injury or damage in an accident. Liability insurance provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to comp and collision, so do not cut corners here.
• Raising deductibles saves money – The deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend if a covered claim is submitted. Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, insures against damage to your car. Examples of some claims that would be covered could be colliding with a stationary object, hail damage, and damage from wind. The larger the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the bigger discount you will receive.
• Safer cars cost less to insure – Vehicles that have high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. Safer cars help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your car or truck has at least four stars on Safercar.gov it may cost less to insure.

The majority of larger companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive make it easy to get prices for coverage on their websites. Getting online rates is very simple because you just enter your personal and coverage information into the form. Upon sending the form, their rating system obtains reports for credit and driving violations and generates a price based on many factors.

This makes comparing rates easy, and it is imperative to perform this step in order to find lower-cost rates.

To quickly find out how much you can save on car insurance, compare quotes from the companies shown below. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you copy the coverage information identical to your current policy. Doing this guarantees you will have a rate comparison based on identical coverages.

The auto insurance companies shown below can provide free quotes in California. If multiple companies are shown, we suggest you visit two to three different companies in order to get a fair rate comparison.

Data based on single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and multi-policy. Premium amounts do not factor in specific location information which can raise or lower price quotes substantially.

Physical damage deductible comparison

The hardest decision when buying coverage is where should you set your physical damage deductibles. The rates below may help to illustrate the price difference when you buy lower versus higher physical damage deductibles. The first data table uses a $250 deductible for comp and collision and the second set of rates uses a $1,000 deductible.

Chevrolet Malibu rates are for example purposes only. To get rates for your specific vehicle, click here.

Cost estimates assume married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-policy. Rates do not factor in garaging location in Escondido which can raise or lower price quotes noticeably.

Based on the figures above, using a $250 deductible will cost in the ballpark of $33 more each month or $396 each year than opting for the higher $1,000 deductible. Since the policyholder would be required to pay $750 more to settle a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you have at least 23 months between claims, you would save more money if you choose the higher deductible.

Careless drivers pay higher rates

The information below demonstrates how traffic citations and accident claims drive up Kia Optima yearly insurance costs for each different age category. The rates are based on a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, $100 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

Kia Optima rates are for example purposes only. To get rates for your specific vehicle, click here.

Why you need to buy insurance

Despite the high cost, paying for insurance is most likely required but also gives you several important benefits.

• The majority of states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a specific minimum amount of liability insurance coverage in order to be legal. 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 you took out a loan on your vehicle, more than likely the lender will require that you buy full coverage to guarantee payment of the loan. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the bank may insure your vehicle at a much higher rate and force you to pay for it.
• Insurance safeguards your vehicle and your assets. Insurance will pay for many types of medical costs for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance also pays for attorney fees and expenses in the event you are sued. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.

The benefits of buying enough insurance definitely exceed the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. According to a recent study, the average American driver overpays more than $850 per year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at every policy renewal to help ensure money is not being wasted.

Lower rate quotes by taking advantage of discounts

Not many people think insurance is cheap, but you might find some hidden discounts to help offset the cost. Some discounts will apply when you get a quote, but some discounts are required to be asked about in order for you to get them. If you don’t get every credit you deserve, it’s possible you qualify for a lower rate.

• College Student Discount – Older children who attend college more than 100 miles from Escondido and won’t have access to an insured vehicle may be insured at a cheaper rate.
• Save with More Vehicles Insured – Having all your vehicles on one policy can get a discount for every vehicle.
• Responsible Driver Discounts – Drivers who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accidents.
• Telematics Discount – Escondido drivers who agree to allow data collection to look at their driving habits through the use of a telematics system like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot could save a few bucks if they are good drivers.
• Active Military Service – Having a family member in the military could mean lower prices.
• Discount for New Cars – Insuring a vehicle that is new is cheaper since newer vehicles are generally safer.
• No Claims – Insureds with no claims or accidents are rewarded with significantly better rates on Escondido auto insurance quote compared to policyholders that have many claims.
• Pay Early and Save – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.

One thing to note about discounts is that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it’s just not the way it works.

To find insurers who offer insurance discounts in Escondido, click here to view.

Compare rates but buy from a neighborhood Escondido auto insurance agent

Some consumers prefer to sit down with an agent and that is a smart decision An additional benefit of getting online price quotes is that you can find cheap car insurance rates and still have a local agent. Buying from and supporting neighborhood insurance agencies is especially important in Escondido.

To find an agent, once you fill out this simple form, the quote information is emailed to local insurance agents that can provide free Escondido auto insurance quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You don’t have to even leave your home as quotes are delivered directly to your email. You’ll get the best rates and work with a local agent. If you want to quote rates from a specific insurance company, you just need to jump over to their website and complete a quote there.

Do you need an independent or exclusive car insurance agent?

If you are wanting to find an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agencies and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Agents are considered either independent agents or exclusive agents.

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent agents are normally appointed by many insurers so they have the ability to put coverage with many different companies and find you the best rates. If you are not satisfied with one company, the business is moved internally which makes it simple for you.

If you are comparing rate quotes, you need to include rate quotes from independent agents for maximum quote selection. Most also have access to smaller regional carriers that many times have cheaper rates.

Listed below are Escondido independent agencies that may be able to give comparison quotes.

• De Witt Insurance Services
  445 S Escondido Blvd – Escondido, CA 92025 – (760) 747-9596 – View Map
• HJM Insurance Services
  500 La Terraza Blvd #150 – Escondido, CA 92025 – (760) 466-8180 – View Map
• Montoya Insurance
  Escondido, CA 92027 – Escondido, CA 92027 – (760) 746-0721 – View Map

More Escondido agents

Exclusive Agents

Agents in the exclusive channel can only place business with one company like State Farm, Allstate, and Farm Bureau. They are unable to shop your coverage around so they have to upsell other benefits. Exclusive agencies receive a lot of sales training on their company’s products which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Some insured continue to use the same exclusive agent primarily because of the brand name rather than having low rates.

The following is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in Escondido willing to provide comparison quotes.

• Buggie Dugger Jr. – State Farm Insurance Agent
  504 W Mission Ave #104 – Escondido, CA 92025 – (442) 248-8701 – View Map
• Allstate Insurance: Brook Daly
  2447 S Centre City Pkwy – Escondido, CA 92025 – (760) 741-0971 – View Map
• Farmers Insurance – Israel Cornejo
  314 W 3rd Ave – Escondido, CA 92025 – (760) 532-2018 – View Map

More Escondido agents

Choosing a auto insurance agent should include more criteria than just a cheap quote. Here are some questions you might want to ask.

• Can you choose the body shop in case repairs are needed?
• Will they give you a referral list?
• What company do they have the most business with?
• Do they specialize in personal lines coverage in Escondido?
• Are they giving you every discount you deserve?

You can find cheaper coverage

We just presented many ideas to compare insurance premium rates in Escondido. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding low cost Escondido auto insurance quotes. Consumers may even find the best premium rates are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.

As you shop your coverage around, make sure you don’t skimp on coverage in order to save money. In too many instances, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best possible price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

The cheapest insurance in Escondido is definitely available on the web in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who do not offer price quotes online and these small, regional companies prefer to sell through independent agents.

Additional information

• Airbag FAQ (iihs.org)
• Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Rates for College Graduates in San Diego? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable San Diego Auto Insurance Quotes for Used Cars? (FAQ)
• How Much is Auto Insurance for a Nissan Versa in San Diego? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Quotes for Teenage Females in San Diego? (FAQ)
• Uninsured Motorist Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Anti-Lock Brake FAQ (iihs.org)