Car Insurance Coverage

Reader’s Question:

Seems like my search for car insurance here in California is such a tiring experience. What is the easiest way for me to shop for my coverage?

Carlo

Fresno, CA

The easiest way to look for your car insurance coverage in California is by going online. This process can definitely save you money, which, of course, what everyone wants. If you go online, you can save a lot of your time if you get multiple California car insurance quotes from a comparison quotes Website. You can simply submit your information at one Website and they will forward your information to various car insurance providers.

Once those car insurance providers get your details, they would provide you California car insurance quotes. This would let you look at the quotes side by side and select a quote that you think is the best for your situation. When you have chosen a car insurance provider, they would get further information from you. During this time, they would provide you a fixed quote for your car insurance. If you strongly think that you already have the best quote for you, you have to grab it at once because it might not be available anymore after a certain period and you need to apply for car insurance once more if the time runs out.

By the use of the Internet, you will realize that it’s the easiest way to search for the most affordable car insurance that you are eligible for. By acquiring an online car insurance quote, you would be able to save time, money and do away with the hassle of spending hours on the phone just to get the best deal.

What Car Insurance Coverage Options Are Available In California?

Reader’s Question:

What other car insurance coverage can I purchase that is available in the state of California that will be a benefit to me?

Mark

Thank you for asking Mark.

Other coverage that you can purchase aside for the state minimum liability coverage are:

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

This provides an insurance if the other driver that is at fault does not have the required minimum liability coverage or insufficient policy to cover injuries in the event of an accident. This also covers any damages on your car.

Other optional coverage that is being offered by most insurance companies are:

Medical Payments

This covers any medical bills and any similar expenses

Physical Damage

Collision coverage covers damages to your vehicle caused by collision to another vehicle or with any object regardless who is at fault. Comprehensive coverage covers any damage to your vehicle other than collision like fire, theft, vandalism, acts of nature, etc.

Endorsement/Riders

This covers special equipments, towing service fees, and rental reimbursement.

These coverage are optional. You can add this to your insurance premium to get you fully protected and saves money in the future.

Goodluck!

MariCAR

Which Vehicle Makes Are More Expensive To Insure?

Your car insurance premium should be on your mind before, during, and after you have bought your vehicle from the car lot. Before hand, you need to check quotes, during you need to make sure you choose the right car, and after you need to get your coverage from the best  car insurance company.

When you are buying a car, you will need to get comprehensive and collision car insurance coverage, and the latter of those two coverage options is more expensive the more likely your car is to be vandalized or stolen. Every insurance company bases its premiums on its own claims records, and you will only be able to get an idea of what each company will charge you by getting instant online car insurance quotes. However, if you look at this list of most stolen cars on a nationwide basis, then you’ll also have an idea of what kind of car you should avoid. Some of them are unexpected.

• Toyota Camry
• Honda Accord
• Honda Civic
• Chevrolet Full Size C/K Pickup
• Ford F-150
• Jeep Cherokee
• Oldsmobile Cutlass
• Dodge Caravan
• Ford Taurus
• Toyota Corolla
• Chrysler Neon
• Nissan Sentra
• Chevrolet Caprice
• Ford Explorer
• Chevrolet Cavalier
• Chevrolet Blazer
• Plymouth Voyager
• Pontiac Grand Am
• Ford Escort
• Acura Integra
• Dodge Ram
• Nissan Maxima
• Ford Mustang
• Buick LeSabre

Surprisingly, my ugly old Oldsmobile is on that list, which goes to show that car thieves will steal anything. However, even if you aren’t going shopping and already own one of these oft stolen cars, you can still get a good car insurance quote by adding some extra protection to your car. The National Insurance Crime Bureau says that the best way to go in terms of protecting your car and getting a good comprehensive car insurance quote is to put your anti theft measures on in layers, instead of just equipping one anti theft device.

• First layer: Don’t be dumb.

Some people think that it’s okay to leave the car on and the key in the ignition if they’re just running into the store for a minute and will be able to see the car the entire time, but this is not much protection. I read a story recently about a woman that did this, and someone stole the car, which had her one year old in it, and only brought it back because he didn’t want to be charged for kidnapping. First of all, no, don’t use your kids as anti theft devices. But also don’t leave your keys in the car. By the time you notice someone is in your car and run out into the parking lot, the car will be gone.

You also should make sure that, if possible, you park in well lit areas where there are a lot of people. It’s better to go to the store to do your shopping when it’s busy rather than in the middle of the night.

• Layer two: The deterrent.

Now, even if you are practicing common sense, there is still a chance that your car will get stolen. While deterrents usually won’t get you a good insurance rate, they are still a necessary component in your layered protection.

• Layer three: Disenablers.

If they have no fear of the deterrents and manage to get into the vehicle itself, this type of anti theft device will make sure they are unable to hotwire your vehicle, or at least have a very difficult time of it. This type of device will get you a  car insurance discount with most companies.

If you want to get the best discount with this type of anti theft device, then you need to get an active one. An active anti theft device is always active, whereas a passive one has to be activated by you every time that you leave the car.

• Layer four: Finding it.

If the thief is especially persistent and experienced, and somehow manages to bypass all of the other protections on your vehicle, then you will need a way to get your car back. Most stolen cars are not recovered, and police have to act very fast to get to the car before it is taken to the chop shop or across the border.

A tracking device can help you make sure that your car is recovered. It sends a signal to police so that they can find the find the car.

What Should You Look For In a Car Insurance Company?

Most people in the U.S. are pretty busy with their lives, between family, friends, work, and sometimes school, that they don’t have the time to shop around for a new car insurance policy every six months. For these people, it is not any less necessary for them to get the best insurance premium, so if they must, they can restrict their shopping around to when they have a life changing event instead of doing it by the calendar.

• If you move.

In most of the country, zip codes can have a big effect on your auto insurance premium, but with car insurance the effect is not as huge thanks to a California auto insurance law passed to make the location a small factor in the auto insurance premium. The reason it is a factor at all is mostly due to the amount of cars stolen in the area, and the law was passed because the policy had a negative affect mostly on low income and minority drivers.

However, even though your zip code does not say as much for your insurance score as before, it does affect it. When you move to a new zip code, you need to shop around for a better car insurance premium. In any case, you should at least see a change in the premium from your current company.

• If you buy a car.

Before you buy a car, you should check the insurance quotes to make sure it is the best choice in make and model. However, if you’re already certain of what car you want to get, you should still shop around to see what the quotes are from other companies in the area.

Car insurance companies base their rates for collision and comprehensive car insurance coverage on the number of claims they have gotten for those coverages in company, so one company might have seen more claims for your car than another. It’s best to go with the company that has had the best history with your new vehicle, and you can find out which one this is by getting several insurance quotes.

• If you get hitched.

They say that when you get married, two people become one, so naturally they will have a different  insurance rate together than they would apart. Men profit the most out of this, seeing their rates decrease a good deal when they tie the knot, but so long as neither partner is very high risk, both will benefit from the union.

• If you get a new job.

Not only do many insurance companies give you discounts on your car insurance for the degree that you hold, but you can also get one based on what you do. For example, if you are a teacher or an engineer or a military service member, then you can get a discount on your insurance premium.

• If you stop working altogether.

When you retire, you are usually just between being in the cheapest car insurance demographic, and one of the most expensive. Being between fifty five and seventy, you are in a group of the safest drivers and will thus get the lowest rates. However, after seventy, your rates will go up. Many car insurance companies offer discounts to retired people, but you can get the best deal by buying your insurance policy through AARP. Whatever the case, it is best to shop around.

• If you’re just fed up.

You may have a liked a  car insurance company for awhile, and then just got sick of paying the high rates and finding few available discounts. While there is a limited number of excuses not to shop around, there’s certainly no limit to reasons to do so.

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.

What Is Comprehensive Car Insurance?

Reader question:

What is comprehensive car insurance coverage?

Greg

Great question, Greg.

Like collision coverage, if you are buying a new car then in most cases you will be required to add comprehensive to your cheap California auto insurance coverage. It is also required to be on your policy before you can buy gap insurance coverage. Many of the same basic rules that apply to collision coverage also apply to comprehensive coverage:

• If you’re not making payments anymore but you have a somewhat new car, you probably need it.
• If your car is worth less than $1000, you definitely don’t need it.

The comprehensive part of your cheap California auto insurance policy is there to cover several types of incidents. These incidents are:

• When your vehicle is stolen.
• When your vehicle is vandalized.
• When insured parts of your vehicle (i.e. air bags) are stolen, even if the vehicle itself remains.
• Hit and runs.
• Natural distasters, covering damages such as fire damage, flood damage, and more.

Many drivers do not need to add comprehensive coverage to their cheap California auto insurance policy because they are not at high risk. For example, if you have a relatively new vehicle and you live in an area that often floods, then it would be a good idea for you to pay for comprensive car insurance coverage, although you may have to pay slightly more than usual. If you own a high performance car, which is a type of car that is at an unusual risk for theft, then you also probably want to consider it, again at a higher price.

However, even if your car is not the newest or the most expensive, that doesn’t mean that it is not under the risk of theft. Many old cars are sold for good money to underground chop shops, while the new, most popular cars are sold for other reasons. On the list of the most often stolen cars every year, several of the vehicles are somewhat homely and a few years old.

In order to get a better price for comprhensive on your cheap California auto insurance policy, you need to add some anti theft devices. This will get you a discount. Most insurance companies require some kind of anti theft device before they even sell you comprehensive coverage, but if you get an active disabling device it will be cheaper for you. You should also consider raising your deductible.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.

Types of California Car Insurance – Which is Best?

There are several types of car insurance that you will need in California, an at-fault, tort car insurance law state. While not all are necessary, in order to abide by California car insurance law, you must have at least the three basic types of liability coverage, which can be bought either at the state minimum or at a number above this. California car insurance law requires you to have a minimum of five thousand dollars of property damage liability for when you get into an at fault accident. It isn’t much, and most California car insurance companies suggest that you get at least fifty thousand to prevent problems with being underinsured.

What is California car insurance property damage liability?

When you get to into a car accident that is caused by your own negligence or intent, most of the time this accident will involve someone else. Unless you get into the accident on your own driveway, your California car insurance company will probably have to pay out a property damage liability claim. What this type of coverage takes care of is the damage done to whatever you hit–be it a house, a mailbox, or even, most commonly, another car entirely. There is a separate type of coverage for injuries to another person.

What property damage California car insurance coverage does not take care of is any damage inflicted on your vehicle, even if you crash your vehicle into some part of your own property, such as another vehicle of yours. If this happens, you will have to depend on collision car insurance.

Do You Have Enough California Car Insurance Coverage?

There are a lot of people on the road who either don’t have insurance at all (over five million in California) or who don’t have enough insurance to cover the injuries of the other driver should their negligence lead to a car accident. The limits for required California car insurance are fairly low, so it is important, taking these two things in mind, to consider adding on a couple of extra types of car insurance coverage, although it may raise your California car insurance quote.

• Underinsured motorist coverage.

This is for if the other driver’s insurance does not cover damage in the case of an accident. For example, if the damages caused to you and your vehicle are in a total of $40,000, but the insured only has $35,000 of car insurance coverage, then your underinsured motorist coverage will kick in to take care of the rest.

There are two different ways that this will work out. In some cases, the underinsured driver’s coverage amount will be added together with your own underinsured motorist coverage, and in other cases it will be subtracted.

• Uninsured motorist coverage.

Whenever you go to get your car insurance policy, the company must inquire whether or not you want to get uninsured motorist coverage. If you choose not to get this type of coverage, then you have to sign a waiver stating that you have declined, and then they can give you your California car insurance quote.

Uninsured motorist coverage takes care of your damages when get into an accident in which the other person does not have any car insurance.

Optional California Car Insurance Coverage You Might Want To Have?

In addition to the other types of car insurance coverage already listed, your California car insurance company should also offer other types of coverage. These types of coverage are not related to paying for damages or replacing stolen objects, or even for helping with injuries, but instead are mostly focused on making your claims and driving experience better and easier for you. If your California car insurance company does not offer these types of coverage, you might want to think about going with someone else.

• Rental reimbursement coverage.

This is an extremely useful type of coverage that practically every California car insurance company will offer. It provides for you to rent a vehicle while your own is getting repaired or replaced, usually for up to thirty days. The rental will be billed to your California car insurance company, and all you will have to pay is the security deposit, which will be returned to you at the same time as you return the car.

This insurance is a no brainer if you consider the regular costs of renting a car. The amount that you will pay on your California car insurance company policy for a year will still be less than what you would have paid for a rental car for only one day.

• Roadside assistance.

Towing a vehicle costs a lot of money. I had never had a car towed until recently when I bought a new car, and we needed our broken down trade in towed to the dealership. I didn’t think it would cost more than a hundred dollars, but as it turned out it would cost over $300 to tow this vehicle to a location only forty minutes away. This is why rosadside assistance is so useful. If you break down on the side of the road or get into a car accident, then your California car insurance company will cover the costs.

Who Offers Cheap Southern California Auto Insurance?

After I wrote a few blog posts ago about the cheap southern California auto insurance program, I got some feedback from a couple of readers who were complaining about the fact that they would not qualify for the program because they were ‘bad drivers’, and yet at the same time they could not afford to get a southern Califronia auto insurance policy. So, in the end, they were just stuck in the middle. There was a program out there for low income drivers, but they couldn’t take advantage of it, and the program for high risk drivers was too expensive.

Well, the first thing that I want to suggest to them in this post is that they thoroughly read this site to see if they can’t, applying all of the other discounts and ways to get a better price on southern California auto insurance, find a way to afford their car insurance coverage.

If that doesn’t work, though, and you absolutely have no choice whatsoever other than to drive uninsured, I’d like to suggest a bit of activism. Contact your state legislature.

For some people, that seems a little extreme, but think about it. These people are the ones that made the southern California auto insurance laws in the first place. If there are people who cannot follow those laws, and not for lack of trying, then they should do something about it. After all, car insurance laws are not the same kind of law as no theft, which requires no effort whatsoever. Many people who live below the poverty level, and even many who live above it and right on, find that they cannot perform this required payout.

This is how programs like the low cost southern California auto insurance program come about. If you really want an option for low income, high risk drivers and you can’t do it the usual way, then you need to bring your legislators’ attention to it. It’s in their best interest to decrease the amount of uninsured drivers on the road, so it couldn’t hurt to try.

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