Nobody fancies paying their premiums for car insurance, especially when they are aware that they could find lower prices if they just compared rates.
Astonishing but true, a large majority of drivers have purchased from the same company for at least four years, and approximately 40% of consumers have never compared quotes from other companies. The average driver in San Diego could save an average of approximately $500 each year just by comparing rates, but they mistakenly think it’s difficult to do a rate comparison. Companies like State Farm, GEICO and Farmers Insurance continually bombard you with TV and radio ads and consumers find it hard to see through the cute green geckos and mayhem and do the work needed to find the best deal.
It’s a good idea to get comparison quotes occasionally since prices trend upward over time. Even if you got the best rates on Kia Amanti insurance in San Diego a couple years back there is a good chance you can find better rate quotes now. There are a lot of ways to save on Amanti insurance online but in a few minutes you can learn some good information on how to buy car insurance cheaper in San Diego.
Best companies for Kia Amanti insurance
The companies shown below offer quotes in San Diego, CA. If multiple companies are shown, we suggest you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Four Tips to Get Lower-cost San Diego Insurance Rates
Multiple criteria are considered when premium rates are determined. Some of the criteria are obvious like a motor vehicle report, but others are more transparent like where you live and annual miles driven. Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning some of the factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that could help you find big savings.
Premiums are lower the older you get – Drivers with little experience are known to be less responsible in a vehicle so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Older, more experienced drivers are more cautious drivers, file fewer claims, and are generally more financially stable.
Know your credit rating – Having a bad credit history can be a huge factor in calculating your premium rate. Therefore, if your credit score could use some work, you may save money insuring your Kia Amanti by repairing your credit. Drivers with good credit tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with worse credit.
Where you call home is a factor – Choosing to live in areas with lower population is a good thing when it comes to auto insurance. Drivers in populated areas tend to have more aggressive driving styles and longer commute times. Less people means a lower chance of having an accident and a lower car theft rate.
Higher premiums for specific employers – Occupational choices like fire fighters, airline pilots, and accountants generally pay higher premiums than the average policyholder because of intense work requirements and extremely grueling work hours. Other careers such as scientists, historians and the unemployed have lower than average premiums.
Verify you’re applying every discount
Companies that sell car insurance do not list all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we break down some of the best known and also the more inconspicuous ways to save on insurance.
- Passive Restraints – Factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of more than 20%.
- Discounts for Responsible Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents may receive a discount up to 45% than their less cautious counterparts.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If you can afford to pay the entire bill instead of paying each month you may have a lower total premium amount.
- Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies provide a discount for switching to them before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
- Government Employee Discount – Employees or retirees of the government could qualify for a slight premium decrease with select insurance companies.
- Multi-policy Discount – If you combine your auto and homeowners policies with the same insurance company you could earn a discount of at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
- Drivers Education – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them enroll in driver’s education in school or through a local driver safety program.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it’s just not the way it works.
Large insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer can be found below.
- State Farm may offer discounts for passive restraint, multiple policy, student away at school, defensive driving training, and safe vehicle.
- American Family has discounts for defensive driver, good student, early bird, good driver, air bags, bundled insurance, and accident-free.
- AAA may have discounts that include AAA membership discount, multi-policy, pay-in-full, good driver, education and occupation, and good student.
- GEICO may include discounts for multi-vehicle, air bags, driver training, anti-theft, and multi-policy.
- Mercury Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including good student, accident-free, professional/association, multi-car, low natural disaster claims, ease of repair, and multi-policy.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts for business and professional, switch companies, good student, youthful driver, and distant student.
- Progressive includes discounts for online signing, online quote discount, homeowner, multi-policy, good student, and multi-vehicle.
Check with each company or agent to apply every possible discount. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be offered in San Diego. For a list of providers that offer multiple discounts in California, follow this link.
Buying car insurance from San Diego insurance agencies
Certain consumers just prefer to talk to a local agent and doing that can be a smart decision Good agents are very good at helping people manage risk and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain lower auto insurance rates but also keep your business local.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, your insurance coverage information is sent to local insurance agents in San Diego who want to provide quotes for your car insurance coverage. You never need to contact any agents due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. In the event you want to get a comparison quote for a specific company, you can always find their quoting web page to submit a rate quote request.
Finding the right insurer requires you to look at more than just the price. You should also get answers to these questions.
- Is the agency active in community causes in San Diego?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- Is the coverage adequate for your vehicle?
- What company do they have the most business with?
- What companies can they write with?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
Not all car insurance agents are the same
If you need to find local San Diego agents, it helps to know the two types of insurance agents and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Car insurance agents are considered either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive). Either type can handle car insurance, but we need to point out how they are different because it can impact the kind of agent you use.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Agents of this type can only place business with one company and some examples include State Farm, Allstate, and Farm Bureau. These agents are not able to provide prices from multiple companies so they have to upsell other benefits. Exclusive agents are very knowledgeable on the products they sell which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Shown below is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in San Diego who may provide you with price quotes.
Steve Elder – State Farm Insurance Agent
9225 Mira Mesa Blvd #208d – San Diego, CA 92126 – (858) 271-8928 – View Map
Val Myers – State Farm Insurance Agent
12925 El Camino Real, Ste J26 – San Diego, CA 92130 – (858) 481-0401 – View Map
Bob Francy III – State Farm Insurance Agent
11885 Carmel Mountain Rd #905 – San Diego, CA 92128 – (858) 451-1915 – View Map
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Agents of this type do not work for one specific company so they can write business with any number of different companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If premiums increase, they simply switch companies in-house which makes it simple for you.
If you need cheaper car insurance rates, you will definitely want to include at a minimum one independent agency to have the most options to choose from.
Shown below is a short list of independent agencies in San Diego that are able to give rate quotes.
Barney and Barney Insurance Services LLC
9171 Towne Centre Dr Suite 500 – San Diego, CA 92122 – (800) 321-4696 – View Map
B H Gold Insurance
9699 Tierra Grande St # 100 – San Diego, CA 92126 – (800) 421-4653 – View Map
ARROWHEAD General Insurance Agency, Inc.
701 B St #2100 – San Diego, CA 92101 – (619) 744-5000 – View Map
Beware of misleading insurance ads
California consumers can’t escape the ads that promise big savings from companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. All the ads try to convey promises that you can save if you just switch your insurance coverage to their company.
But how can every company sell you cheaper insurance coverage? You have to listen carefully.
Many companies have specific characteristics for the type of insured that will most likely be profitable. A good example of a desirable insured could possibly be a married male, has other policies, and does not commute to work. Any customer who fits those characteristics will qualify for the lowest prices in San Diego and as a result will probably cut their Kia Amanti insurance rates if they switch.
Insureds who do not meet the “perfect” profile will see higher premiums and this results in the customer not purchasing. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “people who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can confidently make those claims. Different companies use different criteria so it’s extremely important to do a price quote comparison at every renewal. It’s just too difficult to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.
What is YOUR best insurance company?
Cheaper insurance in San Diego can be found online as well as from insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. A few companies do not offer the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these regional carriers provide coverage only through independent agents.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped collision coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your aim should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.
To learn more, feel free to browse the following helpful articles:
- Self-driving cars won’t replace humans (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has Cheap San Diego Auto Insurance for Uber Drivers? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Teachers in San Diego? (FAQ)
- Determining Your Vehicle’s Value and Repair Cost (Insurance Information Institute)
- Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)