Getting a Cheaper Rate on California Car Insurance is Easy

Progressive auto insurance company says that  car insurance buyers would be able to save around five hundred dollars on their six month car insurance premium if only they shopped around for their prices. However, many don’t, which is why the majority of Americans and those who own insurance policies are paying too much for their car insurance.

Progressive said it got its information from a study of over seventy thousand customers over a six month period. The study relates the lowest  car insurance rate possible versus the highest, and notes the gap (five hundred dollars in the case of car insurance). Depending on what state you are in, the degree of separation in dollars between the highest and the lowest car insurance premium can be more than many preferred car insurance pays in a year. In Houston, where I’m from, the variation is as much as $838 of variation for a six month policy.

Putting aside car insurance, some other areas in California had huge variances between auto insurance rates as well. Notable, San Francisco:

• $514 of variance

And Los Angeles:

• $616 of variance

Progressive went a little with its study and tried to see how aware California car insurance policy holders were of this rate variance. According to their findings, 65% didn’t realize that the variations between rates was so huge–most estimated it to be around one or two hundred dollars on average. And 60% of the people asked had not made an effort to shop around for a good insurance policy in several years.

Even if the company that you are with now had the best rates several years ago, that doesn’t mean that the same will be true today. New companies rise up and offer cheaper prices, and older companies find new ways to pass the savings on to their customers. The best thing to do to ensure that you get a cheap California car insurance quote is to shop around at least every six months.

Cheap California Car Insurance – Are Lawsuits To Blame For High Costs?

One of the big obstacles between you and cheap California car insurance are the number of lawsuits being filed against California car insurance companies every year that force these companies to raise their prices. While it is at times necessary to file a lawsuit in order to get the money that you need for your car insurance claim, the number of claims filed is high enough to elicit some concern from car accident lawyers, even though they are the ones who profit the most from it.

According to attorney Nick Johnson, who has offices all over the country, collisions that involve someone getting injured or killed have dropped in the past year, which should mean that the number of lawsuits should drop as well, because more California car insurance companies are sued when someone is injured. However, while the injuries have decreased, they haven’t made a dent in the number of lawsuits being filed against cheap California car insurance companies.

As a matter of fact, he says, the number of lawsuits is actually going up, despite all reason.

One of the reasons for this, according to Johnson, is that over ten percent of drivers currently on the road do not even have a car insurance policy. While the exact numbers cannot be gotten, due to the nature of driving without insurance, the numbers are high enough in theory to convince anyone who was considering not equipping them self with uninsured motorist California car insurance coverage.

Along with that, the amount of car insurance required to meet minimum liability standards has stayed the same for many years, even though the cost of health care and car repair has risen quite significantly. Having underinsured motorist coverage couldn’t hurt, either, apparently.

Lower Your California Car Insurance Rate With Anti Theft Devices

Criminals are typically a few nails short of a full toolbox, but people too often underestimate their prowess when it comes to stealing cars. As Houdini was to getting out of water while chained up, so are many experienced car thieves to getting into your car when layered with all the technology in a presidential cavalcade. However, although your car may still be stolen or vandalized while it is heavily protected by anti theft devices, you will at least discourage most hardy car thieves and possibly all of them, and in the meantime you will be able to get a discounted car insurance rate, which is one of the best parts.

Here I am going to give a description of the many common anti theft devices. When you look at the descriptions and the prices, think of how much that device will cost you know versus how much it will save you on your California car insurance rate.

• Lock for steering wheel.

This is one of the cheapest kinds of devices. It might get you slight decrease in your comprehensive  car insurance rate, depending on the company you are with. It makes it to where the thief can’t turn the wheel, and while it is more easily disabled than many devices, it works well with other devices and if a thief has to choose a car with a lock over a car without, in most cases he will choose the car without.

$25+

• Alarm.

This is the most common kind of anti theft device, and usually comes equipped on the vehicle. The better kind, though, will add horn honking and light flashing into the mix to attract more attention to the car.

$150+

• Kill switch.

This will impede the flow of electricity to the engine, making it impossible to start the car. This type of anti theft device is extremely cheap and will get you a big decrease in your California car insurance rate if you have comprehensive coverage.

$10+

• Tracker.

This is different from all of the others in that, while it doesn’t prevent car theft, it does what no other anti theft device does–it sends out a signal allowing police officers to find it. This is unusual because almost all cars that are stolen are never recovered. It is somewhat expensive, though, even for the cheapest one.

$400+

• Code entry.

There are a few cars that have a set of numbers on the front driver door to them which, if the code is entered correctly, allow the vehicle to be started with the help of the key. This is somewhat effective, but remember that thieves are known for breaking codes. It would be best if used with another feature.

Can’t be bought. Has to be installed while the car is being made.

• Steering column collar.

One of the more common ways of hot wiring a vehicle is by going through the steering column. While this anti theft device does not prevent the thief from entering the car, it does prevent the thief from starting it without an actual key. If you want to get a good California car insurance rate, then you need to get one that is always active, not one that has to be installed every time you leave the car.

$100+

• Locks for tires.

These are frustrating, making the vehicle immobile until the tire locks are removed. However, removing them is difficult, for you and the thief.

$80+

• Decals.

There are a lot of decals that can be found in most stores stating, like the kind of decal you’ll find on a house, that the car has some kind of alarm system or theft prevention device. It may be true, it may not. I had one of these years ago, although I didn’t have so much as an alarm on my car, and my car never got stolen. Of course, this may be because no one wanted my car, but I choose to blame the decal. This is a good way to go when you have no cash to spend on anti theft devices, because it does act as a deterrent even if it provides no real protection. It also won’t get you a better California car insurance rate.

$2+

California Car Insurance Quotes For Teen Drivers

Reader question:

Why is my California car insurance quote for my teen driver so high?

Amy

Thank you for your question, Amy.

I know the feeling. I didn’t drive very much when I wa a teenager, and since my mother didn’t have a car insurance policy, neither did I. Before I graduated from high school, I had managed to save up enough money to buy myself a car. It was cheap, several years old, a piece of junk all around, but in its hey day it had been considered a sports car, which was one of the reasons for why I liked it. Seeing as I now owned a car, I had to get a California car insurance quote.

The number blew me away. And it makes you wonder. Why is your  car insurance quote always going to be higher if you’re a teenager or if you’re the owner of a sports car, no matter how old?

It’s what the people who give you that car insurance quote live by, and it’s called risk.

The way the car insurance companies see you is as a stack of risks. Think of yourself, your life, everything about you all boiled down to how likely you are to file a claim. Everything about you is related to this, and some things will get you a better insurance quote, and others will get you a worse  insurance quote. There are some things you can do to lessen your risk, but it’s pretty much set in stone.

However, even stones can be chipped away. Just because you fall into a certain high risk group does not mean that every  insurance quote you get is going to be the same. The California Department of Insurance imposes pretty strict rules on the car insurance companies, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they are competing. So if one company is able to save its policy holders more money, then you will be able to get a better  quote there, regardless of your risk.

If you go shopping for a new California car insurance quote every time your risk changes, then you’ll save yourself hundreds, maybe over a thousand dollars a year.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Best Cheap California Car Insurance Company?

How is it that you go about looking for a used car that will score you a good quote with your California car insurance company? Ask your body shop mechanic, or some friends? You could do either, but it’s best to take a variety of steps to make sure that you get the best deal on your quote with your California car insurance company.

First, figure out what you want. A good way to do this, if you don’t have any clear idea, is to ask people you now for suggestions. Everybody has their favorite car, the car that they pine for, so you’r bound to get a thousand different answers. With enough information, some will be useful to you and others just won’t be.

Another thing that you ought to do is, once you have an idea of a few cars to consider, go to Kelley’s Blue Book on their website and look at what the manufacturer suggested retail prices (MSRP) are for each car on your list. Remember that the more expensive the car, the higher the quote with your California car insurance company is going to be, although of course this is not the only factor. Whenever you look at the values, get the values for different years, since you’re buying a used car.

The next step is to find the car. You can get listings in several places, such as Craigslist and the newspaper. Whenever you go to see the car you are considering buying, you ought to either bring someone you know who is pretty auto savvy, or you need to take the car to a mechanic so they can look it over and see what kind of condition this is. This may sound like too much trouble to you, but believe me, I’ve bought cars before who worked perfectly until they got off the lot and that is not something you want to get in to.

Normally it won’t cost you a lot of money to get your car inspected, because if you vouch to the mechanic that when it breaks down you will have him or her fix it, then they will usually give you a discount.

But perhaps even that would be too much money for you. But if you want to have a safe car that will get you good quotes with your California car insurance company, then you at least need to have documentation of the cars accident and repairs history, as well as documentation stating that it has had a timing belt change and oil changes and everything else needed for upkeep.

What Does Insurable Interest Mean?

Reader question:

What does the term ‘insurable interest’ mean?

Maggie

Thank you for your question, Maggie.

I’m surprised that I missed that one on my list of terms for California car insurance. If you’re confused about any other wording and want to look at the list, it’s a few posts down and explains all of the common terms used in the car insurance business. Now, I will get to the subject at hand.

An insurable interest is, essentially, when you have some sort of property which, if it were to be damaged or somehow lost, would also cause you some degree of financial harm. For example, if your house was severely damaged in a flood, then that house would be an insurable interest (before or after the flood) regardless of what you choose to do with the house itself. Maybe you decide to remain in its damaged surroundings and fix it up, which would be considered financial harm, or you sell it for less than its value was before the flood, which would also be categorized as financial harm. Either way, you would lose out, which is why we have California car insurance (and homeowner’s insurance).

What makes an interest insurable, according to California car insurance, is that it directly affects you. For example, if the person’s house across the street from you is flooded, but it doesn’t quite make it to your own house, then it isn’t considered an interest of yours. If you want to get an insurance policy for it, then the interest has to be something that is your own, and something that is insurable.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

What Do I Need To Have To Get Car Insurance In California?

Almost all of your California car insurance necessities have been digitalized, and you could do everything except drive the car itself without ever leaving your living room. For example, for all of the needs that you have with your car in terms of the department of motor vehicles, registration, and so on, you can get most of those done online. Think of it! Not having to go to the department of motor vehicles in California is the dream of any car insurance policy holder. No lines, no rude employees, just a flat screen.

• Get your license plate.

When you go to the California Department of Motor Vehicles website, there is an array of license plate designs from which you can choose, purchase, and have mailed to you without lifting hardly a finger.

• Call ahead.

If you are not interested in the internet method of getting what you need, then make sure you don’t commit the mistake of just walking into the car insurance department. You need to give a call ahead of time to make sure that you have an appointment and don’t have to wait in the terribly long lines.

• Renewals.

So long as you have already provided the requirements, such as your proof of car insurance and a smog test, if necessary, you can renew things such as your car registration and your driver’s license online at the California Department of Motor Vehicles website. All you need is a working credit card to pay your way.

• Make sure it’s right.

You can also find out if the state of California has the right car insurance information for you. If you are listed as uninsured, then that could cause problems with tickets even if you are insured after all. To avoid problems, you can request that your information be corrected, and you might need to send proof of your current car insurance.

• Learn where to learn.

You can also get information about schools or driving classes in your area. These are a good idea if you want to get better premium rates on your car insurance. Consider taking defensive driving or just a regular introductory driving class.

• Pay your tickets.

Not only can you see what tickets you have out online, but you can pay them as well with your credit or debit card, and find out ways to wipe them off of your record. Getting your traffic tickets taken care of is a good way to get good car insurance rates.

If My Friend Wrecks My Car Will My Insurance Policy Cover It?

Reader question:

What happens when a friend takes my car out and wrecks it? Will my  car insurance claim be denied?

Max in Fresno California

Thank you for your question, Max.

It really depends on the circumstances of his borrowing the car and wrecking it. These days,  car insurance policies are very extended. For example, even if their names are not on your California car insurance policy, other family members in your house will be covered if they drive your car. Another group of people that will be covered under your policy is pretty much anyone to whom you give permission to drive it, or has a decent reason to believe that you would have given them permission.

This can be kind of troubling sometimes. For example, when you didn’t give someone permission then at times it is very hard to prove that this is the case, especially if they are a good friend or relative. I would never let my brother drive my car, but if he did somehow and got into a car accident, then my  car insurance company would consider it to have been consented to. This means that his at fault crash would affect my auto insurance premium in the future. If they find that I did not give my consent, or wouldn’t have if asked, then while the damages to the vehicle will be covered, the driver will not be and my future premiums will not be affected.

So, yes, if your friend takes your car out for a spin and gets into an accident, then your car insurance policy will cover their injuries as well as the damage to your car. You still need to be the one to file a claim, though, and pay your deductibles. All of the responsibility for that sort of thing depends on you, since they have not signed your policy and everything is required from you.

Now, if your friend wrecks your car, then your own insurance policy will be the first to kick in. However, if they have their own policy, then once your own coverage runs out, it will kick in as well.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

California Car Insurance Law – Do I Have To File a Claim?

California car insurance law doesn’t mandate that you file a claim after every accident. It’s entirely up to you to do so or not. Some people choose not to after some accidents because they don’t want the negative spot on their car insurance report, but you have to make the correct decision so that you don’t pay for it in the future. Most car insurance companies want you to at least tell them about an accident, even if you don’t file a claim, but in some cases that may not be advisable.

• Deductible.

Here’s the first test of whether or not you need to file a car insurance claim. There’s no California car insurance law about deductibles, but most companies have one for their extra insurance coverages, that is, not for liability but for all the rest. If your repairs are going to cost less than your claim, then there’s no reason for you to file a claim. However, if the repairs will cost more, then you should go ahead and file a claim.

Try to get an estimate from a reliable body shop before you make the decision about the price. If you aren’t sure about how much the repairs will cost, then you can’t make a valid decision about whether to file a claim or not.

• Other spots on your record?

Sometimes when you have a car accident, you’ll already have something on your car insurance record that makes you less than desirable, or high risk. If you already have a previous ticket for a moving violation, or if you have gotten into an at fault accident before, then you should check the law with the California department of insurance to see when a car insurance is able to decide on nonrenewal for you.

• Anybody there?

If you get injured, then you absolutely must make a car insurance claim. You never know what complications could happen, and even if you have health insurance, it is often the case that medical insurance will not elp you with things such as lost wages. If you need help with these things, then you will need to make a car insurance claim.

If there is another driver involved in the accident, then it is a good idea to at least tell your car insurance company. California car insurance law allows claimants to sue the other driver, so if the other driver comes up with a lawsuit and you haven’t said a word, then you’ll be in trouble.

Should You File an Insurance Claim In California?

The California car insurance claims process is a difficult one to wade through, at least when you’re the at fault driver. Unlike the more easy filing for when you are not at fault, you are required to do more and deal with the same problems. It’s a good idea to read your car insurance policy ahead of time so that you know what the steps recommended by your CA car insurance company are, and here are a few steps that you can follow as well.

• Should you, or shouldn’t you?

The first thing to do is determine whether or not to file a car insurance claim at all. Anytime you decide to file a claim on your insurance policy, it will become part of your CLUE report. In the future, other companies who you buy insurance with will see this report, and you will have to pay more for your insurance with them, so you have to be careful.

If the damages are fewer than your deductible and no one else is involved, then there’s obviously no point in calling the  insurance company. If you only get into a fender bender and feel you can take care of it alone, then there is no need.

• Follow the steps.

Make sure you take the correct steps after your car insurance accident to make sure that you have the events properly documented. This way, should there be any controversy down the line as to who is at fault for the collision, you will be able to show real proof supporting your position.

• Get it done.

If you’re going to file a insurance claim, then you need to file it now. While claims are open and you are able to file it a couple of weeks down the line, the longer you wait, the more likely you are of having your claim denied. It is also possible that if you the at fault driver and there is another person involved, they will call the car insurance company first, and you will be in trouble.

• Be prepared.

It’s possible that if another driver is involved in the accident, their own insurance company will give you a call. They will do this to get your side of the story. When they call, be sure to keep track of what goes on in the conversation and to write down the name of the person you’re speaking to.

• Repairs.

Once your claim has been given the go ahead, you will be able to have an adjuster look at your car and the damages. Then you will be able to have your car repaired, and the end of your insurance claim is in sight.

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