No one in their right mind looks forward to paying for car insurance, particularly when they could find lower prices if they just compared rates.
It’s amazing but the vast majority of car insurance customers renewed their policy with the same company for at least the last four years, and almost half have never even compared rates from other companies. San Diego drivers could save up to 35% a year by just shopping around, but they just don’t understand how much savings they would realize if they switched to a cheaper policy. Because there are so many companies and agents to choose from, it’s difficult to locate the most affordable insurer.
Consumers need to quote other rates at least once a year because car insurance prices trend upward over time. Even if you got the best deal on Mazda CX-7 insurance in San Diego a few years ago a different company probably has better rates today. Don’t believe everything you read about CX-7 insurance online but in just a couple of minutes you can learn some solid techniques on how to buy car insurance cheaper in San Diego.
This information will teach you how car insurance companies work and also pocket some savings If you are paying for car insurance now, you will definitely be able to lower your rates using the techniques presented in this article. Drivers only need to know the best way to shop their coverage around online.
San Diego car insurance discounts
Some providers do not advertise every discount available very well, so below is a list some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits available to bring down your rates.
- Passive Restraints – Options like air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of 20 to 30 percent.
- Driving Data Discount – Insureds who allow companies to analyze where and when they drive by using a telematics device in their vehicle like Drivewise from Allstate or In-Drive from State Farm could possibly reduce rates if they show good driving skills.
- ABS Braking Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can stop better under adverse conditions and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up to age 25.
- Save over 55 – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get lower premium rates.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all occupants to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you combine your homeowners and auto policies with one insurance company you could earn a discount of up to 20% off your total CX-7 insurance premium.
You can save money using discounts, but most credits do not apply to the whole policy. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
Insurance companies that may include these money-saving discounts are:
When getting free San Diego auto insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to every company the best way to save money. All car insurance discounts might not be available to policyholders in your area. To find insurers with discount car insurance rates in San Diego, follow this link.
All major insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate allow consumers to get coverage prices on their websites. This process is fairly straightforward as you simply type in your coverage preferences on the page. After you complete the form, the system orders credit information and your driving record and provides a quote based on many factors. Quoting online for Mazda CX-7 insurance in San Diego streamlines rate comparisons, and it’s very important to perform this step if you want to find a better rate.
To compare rates now, compare rate quotes from the providers shown below. If you currently have coverage, we recommend that you enter the coverage information exactly as shown on your declarations page. Using the same limits helps guarantee you’re receiving a fair comparison based on identical coverages.
The providers in the list below can provide free rate quotes in California. If multiple companies are listed, it’s highly recommended you visit several of them to get the cheapest price.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CX-7 SV 2WD | $278 | $464 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,342 | $112 |
CX-7 Sport 2WD | $296 | $478 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,338 | $112 |
CX-7 Touring 2WD | $234 | $416 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,376 | $115 |
CX-7 Touring 4WD | $238 | $426 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,264 | $105 |
CX-7 Grand Touring 2WD | $242 | $392 | $456 | $26 | $136 | $1,252 | $104 |
CX-7 Grand Touring 4WD | $490 | $678 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,954 | $163 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Data based on single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Rate information does not factor in specific location which can impact coverage prices substantially.
Tickets and at-fault accidents raise rates
The illustration below illustrates how traffic citations and at-fault accidents raise Mazda CX-7 premium costs for different age categories. The data is based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.
Mazda CX-7 liability-only versus full coverage
The diagram below visualizes the comparison of Mazda CX-7 auto insurance rates with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in California. The costs are based on no violations or accidents, $500 deductibles, single female driver, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
When to stop paying for full coverage
There is no definitive rule of when to drop physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of having full coverage is about 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it could be time to drop full coverage.
For example, let’s say your Mazda CX-7 replacement cost is $4,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most you would receive is $3,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If you are paying in excess of $300 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some situations where eliminating full coverage is not advised. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to keep full coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not consider dropping full coverage.
Mazda CX-7 Insurance Price Factors
When buying car insurance it’s important to understand the different types of things that come into play when calculating the level of your policy premiums. If you have some idea of what influences your rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that can earn you lower rates. Lots of things are part of the calculation when premium rates are determined. Some are pretty understandable such as your driving history, but other factors are not as apparent such as your marital status or your financial responsibility.
The factors shown below are just a few of the factors utilized by car insurance companies to help set prices.
- Cheaper to insure gals? – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. Now that doesn’t mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Males and females tend to get into at-fault accidents at a similar rate, but guys have costlier accidents. Men also statistically get ticketed for serious violations such as DWI and reckless driving.
- Married people drive safer – Walking down the aisle actually saves money on your car insurance bill. Having a spouse demonstrates that you tend to be more mature and responsible and insurance companies reward insureds because drivers who are married file infrequent claims.
- Multiple policies with one company can save – Lots of insurance companies will give lower prices to insureds who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, it’s still a good idea to comparison shop to guarantee you are still saving the most.There is a good possibility that you can find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.
- Safer cars cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles result in less severe injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Driving citations are costly – Whether or not you get tickets impacts premiums far more than you think. Even a single moving violation can increase rates forty percent or more. Drivers who don’t get tickets get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with careless violations like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 form with their state’s licensing department in order to continue driving.
How to know if you need help
When it comes to choosing coverage online or from an agent, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different.
For example, these questions can aid in determining whether or not you might need professional guidance.
- Is my custom stereo system covered?
- Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- If my Mazda CX-7 is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
- If I use my vehicle for business use is it covered?
- Why do I have to buy liability insurance?
- What states are considered no-fault?
- Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.
Do I need a local insurance agent?
Many people still prefer to buy from a licensed agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Professional agents can make sure you are properly covered and give you someone to call. The biggest benefit of comparing rate quotes online is that you can obtain cheap insurance quotes and also buy local. Putting coverage with local agencies is still important in San Diego.
By using this simple form, your coverage information is instantly submitted to participating agents in San Diego who will give competitive quotes for your insurance coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to find an agent on your own because prices are sent to the email address you provide. In the event you want to get a rate quote from a specific insurance company, just navigate to their website and fill out their quote form.
Pick the best auto insurance agent in San Diego for you
If you are searching for a local San Diego insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the types of insurance agents and how they operate. Agencies in San Diego are classified as either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer. Either one can insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning why they differ since it could factor into the selection process.
Independent Insurance Agencies or Brokers
Agents that elect to be independent often have affiliation with several companies and that enables them to quote your coverage through lots of different companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. To move your coverage to a new company, your agent can switch companies without you having to go to a different agency.
When searching for an agent, you absolutely need to get insurance quotes from multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from.
Featured below is a partial list of independent agencies in San Diego that may be able to provide pricing information.
Nationwide Insurance: Keith Jackson Insurance Agency Inc
1081 Camino del Rio S Ste 210 – San Diego, CA 92108 – (916) 742-6995 – View Map
Nationwide Insurance: Richard Turner Insurance Agency
3443 Camino del Rio S #221 – San Diego, CA 92108 – (619) 296-6222 – View Map
Oversea Insurance Agency, Inc
1274 Scott St – San Diego, CA 92106 – (800) 266-2662 – View Map
Exclusive Agencies
Agents that elect to be exclusive can usually just insure with one company and examples are State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so you need to shop around if the rates are high. Exclusive agents are well schooled on their products and sales techniques which aids in selling service over price.
Shown below are exclusive insurance agents in San Diego who can help you get price quote information.
Farmers Insurance: James Calafata
4325 Cass St – San Diego, CA 92109 – (858) 483-7171 – View Map
Rod Thelen – State Farm Insurance Agent
110 W A St #775 – San Diego, CA 92101 – (619) 234-4882 – View Map
Duane Werner – State Farm Insurance Agent
6663 El Cajon Blvd j – San Diego, CA 92115 – (619) 668-5414 – View Map
Deciding on a auto insurance agent should include more criteria than just the quoted price. The following questions are important to ask.
- How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
- Does the quote include credit and driving reports?
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
- What companies can they write with?
- Which companies do they recommend if they are an independent agency?
- Are there any discounts for paying up front?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
Why you need quality insurance for your Mazda vehicle
Even though San Diego CX-7 insurance rates can get expensive, paying for insurance is required in California but it also protects you in many ways.
- Most states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means it is punishable by state law to not carry specific limits of liability insurance in order to get the vehicle licensed. 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 Mazda CX-7 has a lien holder, it’s most likely the lender will stipulate that you have physical damage coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the bank may buy a policy for your Mazda at a much higher premium rate and require you to fork over much more than you were paying before.
- Insurance protects both your assets and your vehicle. It will also cover medical bills incurred in an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance will also pay for a defense attorney if you cause an accident and are sued. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, your insurance policy will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of having insurance definitely exceed the price paid, particularly for liability claims. According to a 2015 survey, the average American driver overpays as much as $750 every year so compare rates at least once a year to ensure rates are inline.
The best rates come from being thorough
While you’re price shopping online, it’s a bad idea to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In too many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability coverage limits only to find out that it was a big mistake. The aim is to buy enough coverage at the best cost.
Consumers change insurance companies for many reasons like policy non-renewal, policy cancellation, an unsatisfactory settlement offer or even high prices. No matter why you want to switch, switching insurance companies can be pretty painless.
Cheaper insurance in San Diego can be sourced on the web and from local agencies, so you need to quote San Diego auto insurance with both to have the best selection. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get quotes online and these regional carriers prefer to sell through independent agents.
For more information, feel free to visit the following helpful articles:
- Five Tips to Save on Auto Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)
- What is a Telematics Device? (Allstate)
- New Honda safety features benefit drivers of all ages (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Five Mistakes to Avoid (Insurance Information Institute)