Being forced to pay for pricey insurance premiums can draw down your funds and make it tough to pay other bills. Comparing price quotes is a fast and free way to lower your bills every month.
Remarkably, a study showed that over 70% of consumers have bought insurance from the same company for more than four years, and just short of a majority have never shopped around. Consumers in the U.S. could save themselves up to $859 a year just by shopping around, but they underestimate the rate savings if they switched.
Drivers have many insurers to insure vehicles with, and although it’s a good thing to have multiple companies, having more insurance companies makes it harder to compare company pricing for Toyota Prius insurance in San Diego.
It’s a good idea to get comparison quotes at least once a year because prices tend to go up over time. Even if you think you had the best rates on Toyota Prius insurance in San Diego a year ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about insurance because we’re going to show you one of the best ways to find better rates and still maintain coverage.
The quickest method to compare insurance rates in your area is to take advantage of the fact car insurance companies have advanced systems to give rate comparisons. All consumers are required to do is provide a small amount of information like deductibles desired, if you’re married, what you do for a living, and whether your vehicle is owned or leased. The data is instantly submitted to insurance carriers in your area and you should receive rate quotes instantly.
If you wish to get multiple quotes for your car now, click here and enter the information requested.
The auto insurance companies shown below provide free quotes in San Diego, CA. If multiple companies are shown, it’s a good idea that you visit two to three different companies in order to find the cheapest rates.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prius | $296 | $478 | $354 | $20 | $106 | $1,254 | $105 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Data based on married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Table data does not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can impact coverage rates considerably.
Deductible analysis
The chart below highlights how deductible choice and can affect Toyota Prius insurance premiums for each age group. The prices are based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Discounts mean cheaper rates for Toyota Prius insurance in San Diego
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always advertise the complete list of policy discounts very well, so we break down both well-publicized and the harder-to-find credits available to bring down your rates.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts can save a little off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Drive Safe and Save – Drivers without accidents could pay up to 40% less than their less cautious counterparts.
- Home Ownership Discount – Owning a home in San Diego can help you save on insurance since home ownership is proof that your finances are in order.
- Early Signing – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies prior to your current Prius insurance policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.
- Discounts for New Vehicles – Buying a new car model is cheaper because newer vehicles keep occupants safer.
- Good Student Discount – This discount may save you up to 25%. Many companies even apply the discount to college students up until you turn 25.
We need to note that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. Despite the appearance that having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, nobody gets a free ride. But all discounts will help lower the cost of your policy.
If you would like to see a list of insurers who offer discounts in San Diego, follow this link.
Choosing Toyota Prius insurance is an important decision
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Toyota in San Diego, buying insurance is mandatory in California but it also protects more than you think.
- Almost all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a specific level of liability coverage 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 you bought your vehicle with a loan, almost all lenders will force you to have physical damage coverage to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you do not keep the policy in force, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Toyota at a much higher rate and require you to fork over much more than you were paying before.
- Insurance protects your Toyota Prius and your assets. Insurance will pay for all forms of medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, your insurance policy will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of buying insurance more than offset the price you pay, particularly for liability claims. But the average American driver is wasting up to $800 each year so smart consumers compare quotes at least once a year to ensure rates are inline.
Do I need an insurance agent?
Certain consumers prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and that is recommended in a lot of cases The best thing about comparing rate quotes online is that you can obtain better rates and still choose a local agent.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your information is transmitted to insurance agents in San Diego who want to provide quotes for your insurance coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to contact an agency because prices are sent instantly to you. You can find the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you want to get a comparison quote from one company in particular, don’t hesitate to visit that company’s website and fill out the quote form the provide.
Selecting an insurance company is decision based upon more than just a cheap price. Below are some questions you should ask.
- Are they involved in claim handling?
- Does the company have a solid financial rating?
- How often do they review coverages?
- Is the agency active in community causes in San Diego?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
When finding an insurance agent, there are two types of insurance agents and how they can write your policy. Car insurance policy providers are either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for.
Exclusive Agents
Agents that choose to be exclusive can only place business with one company like Farmers Insurance, State Farm, or Allstate. They usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies so they really need to provide good service. These agents are trained well on sales techniques which aids in selling service over price.
Below is a short list of exclusive insurance agents in San Diego that can give you price quote information.
Allstate Insurance: Jing Zeng Financial and Insurance Service
7323 Convoy Ct # B111 – San Diego, CA 92111 – (858) 268-7010 – View Map
Bob Beron – State Farm Insurance Agent
3232 Governor Dr c – San Diego, CA 92122 – (858) 453-7250 – View Map
Dave Murphy – State Farm Insurance Agent
12121 Scripps Summit Dr Ste 100 – San Diego, CA 92131 – (858) 621-6681 – View Map
Independent Agents
Independent insurance agents are not employed by one company and that gives them the ability to insure with lots of companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, your policy is moved internally and you stay with the same agent. When comparison shopping, you will definitely want to get some free quotes from a few independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.
Listed below are San Diego independent agencies that can give you comparison quotes.
Rubin Insurance
6363 Greenwich Dr #120 – San Diego, CA 92122 – (858) 457-5720 – View Map
Nickie Heath Insurance Agency
16855 W Bernardo Dr # 230 – San Diego, CA 92127 – (858) 487-3737 – View Map
Oversea Insurance Agency, Inc
1274 Scott St – San Diego, CA 92106 – (800) 266-2662 – View Map
Coverages available on your policy
Knowing the specifics of car insurance can help you determine the best coverages for your vehicles. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the usual coverages offered by car insurance companies.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive can pay for claims such as falling objects, fire damage, damage from flooding, theft and hitting a deer. The highest amount your car insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Liability insurance
This coverage protects you from damage that occurs to a person or their property that is your fault. It protects YOU against other people’s claims. It does not cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 15/30/5 that translate to $15,000 bodily injury coverage, $30,000 for the entire accident, and $5,000 of coverage for damaged property.
Liability coverage protects against claims like medical services, legal defense fees, structural damage, loss of income and medical expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but you should buy higher limits if possible. California requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.
Insurance for medical payments
Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for bills for things like rehabilitation expenses, chiropractic care and surgery. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Toyota Prius.
Because many people carry very low liability coverage limits (15/30/5), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.
Collision coverage
This will pay to fix damage to your Prius from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things such as colliding with a tree, damaging your car on a curb, sustaining damage from a pot hole and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible on your Prius to bring the cost down.