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
I Need Cheap Car Insurance in California
Choosing the right California depends on you. It isn’t the responsibility of the insurance company nor an agent to determine what type of coverage you need. You may be able to have an open discussion with an agent so you can decide what is the best option for you that fits your needs. You should need to know and decide the best coverage for you before you get involved in an accident and not after the accident.
Threes a lot of options available when choosing for the right coverage so you should shop carefully and compare the prices that these insurance companies offer.
The first thing that you should ask yourself is if you need a higher limits. You have the option to consider a policy with a higher limits from the required minimum liability coverage from the state since you are personally responsible for the damages you may cause in the event of an accident. It would be worth considering an extra coverage due to increase of hospital bills and other expenses like car repairs.
The next best thing to do is to shop around. Each insurance company is allowed to calculate its own rate based on the past laws experience and expenses. Therefore the rates will differ since company’s experience are different even if they are located in the same geographical area. You may be able to contact any independent agents, company agents that represent a certain insurance company, websites and other writers for insurance company. They will be able to help you decide which company to choose and the best rate that you can get.
You should be wise on choosing the right insurance company for you. This can greatly affect the premiums that you pay for your vehicle, It is best to compare before deciding what policy to choose.
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.
Cheap and Easy Ways To Get a Lower Car Insurance Rate
Reader question:
What are the cheapest and easiest ways to get a better rate on my car insurance policy?
Margo
That’s a great question, Margo.
There are two main ways that anybody can use to lower their car insurance premium without lifting any more than a finger. All you have to do is call your car insurance company and spend about ten minutes on the phone, and with both of these changes you can save around fifty percent or more on your current car insurance premium.
The first one I want to address is
- Cutting your coverage!
Collision and comprehensive coverage take up about forty percent of your premium, so if you cut them out you’ve saved almost half of what you were paying already. However, you have to figure out if it is good for yo to drop full coverage and stick to the minimum liability. If you have a leased car, or if you’re buying a new car in payments, then you are probably required to have comprehensive and collision coverage on your insurance policy.
If you’re car is only a couple of years old, then you might want it. No one wants to spend a couple of years paying off a car, and then total it for nothing. I suggest you decide based on how much your car is worth. Case in point: this car
probably does not need comprehensive or collision. The general rule that I go by is that if it’s worth less than a thousand dollars, then you need to cut it down to the minimum liability required by your state. There’s no reason to pay more for your insurance policy than your car is actually worth. That’s just crazy.
Way number two to get a good deal on your insurance policy without barely lifting a finger:
- Raise your deductible!
This is the thing that most people are scared of, because they think that if they raise their deductible, they might not be able to afford it when the time comes to pay for it. Note to class: if you’re a good driver, you don’t have much to worry about. When are you ever going to have to pay your deductible? I have a thousand dollar deductible and I’ve had it for several years, and haven’t had to pay it once.
And if you’re a bad driver? Aren’t you paying enough for your insurance policy as it is? Instead of fretting about the high deductible, raise it, and then put the money you’re saving in a savings account with interest. You might never have to use it, and in the meanwhile, it’s sitting there getting bigger and bigger. I did this three years ago when I first raised my deductible, and I put the savings in a high interest money market account, along with my other savings. It grows by %5, and I’m making money without doing anything at all.
Keep these two things in mind when you’re trying to figure out a way to save on your car insurance premium. Remember that even if you can’t do anything else, you can definitely raise your deductible and cut your coverage.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
Cheap Auto Insurance California For Low Income Family
Reader’s question:
Is there a low cost car insurance for low income families in the state of California?
Jaybee
Yes.
It si called the Low Cost Automobile Program.To be qualified for this program, you, the applicant must be:
1. living in the eligible county (LA, San Francisco, Alameda Fresno, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego)
2. have financial needs
3.must show as a good driver (no more than 1 at-fault accident and no at fault accident involving injury or death within the last three years and no violation of misdemeanor of the vehicle code)
This program is limited to families with an income that do not exceed 250% of the federal poverty level ($24500 for one person, $33000 for 2 persons and $50000 for a family of four) . The value of the vehicle that will be insured should not be more than $20000.The minimum liability limit for this program is 10/20/3. Although this is less than the mandatory state limit, this will still satisfy the financial responsibility law.
This does not cover the physical damage coverage but you have the option for other coverage like medical payments. This insurance may cost you $268 a year without other optional coverage but this may differ in different county.
Goodluck!
MariCAR
Do I Need Car Insurance in California To Drive My Friend’s Car?
Reader’s question:
I have a California driver’s license but I do not have car insurance. Can I still use my friend’s car if its insured?
Cheska
Good question Cheska.
According to the California Department of Motor Vehicle, all car drivers and vehicle owners must have the required minimum liability car insurance. This means that even if you do not have a vehicle, you would still need to carry an auto insurance and a driver’s license in California.
You may check with your friends insurance policy if you are covered with her policy if you’re going to drive your friend’s car. If you are going to drive that car on a regular basis, your friend should add you as the occasional driver on that car.
Normally, the car insurance insurance follows the car. So you should be covered by your friend’s car insurance.
It is best to check with the insurance provider if they have any exclusion in this kind of situation.
Goodluck!
MariCAR
California Auto Insurance Question
Reader’s question:
I live in California and My car is registered in California but my sister uses it in Arizona. Should I get an insurance in Arizona if my sister is authorized to drive my car?
Ether
Thank you for asking Ether.
You should insure the car in the state where you registered it. It would be difficult to insure your car in Arizona since your car is registered in California. Almost all insurance companies would not allow to insure the car if the owner living in the one place and the car is residing or garaged in another state. That means they do not allow insuring vehicles from more than one household.
One more thing is that there are different required insurance in different states. In California the mandatory minimum liability insurance is 15/30/5. This means that the personal injury protection is $15000 per one person per accident, $30000 per 2 or more persons per accident and the property damage liability is $5000. The state of Arizona, however, requires 15/30/10. It also required in Arizona for all motor vehicles that will be continuously on their roadways to be covered by the insurance providers that is authorized to do business in the state.
For your car to be insured in Arizona, you will need to register it in Arizona. You may contact the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles on how to go about insuring your car in that state.
Goodluck!
MariCAR
California State Liability Auto Insurance Coverage?
Reader’s question:
Can I register my car in California but still keep my insurance policy in Las Vegas, Nevada?
Ria
Good question.
The Department of Motor Vehicle states that your car insurance needs to meet the minimum liability requirement by the state of California and it should be issued by the insurance company licensed to do business in the state of California.
The minimum insurance required in California is 15/30/5. This means $15000 for the injury or death per person, $30000 per injury or death to more than one person and $5000 for property damage coverage.
Nevada has a different minimum requirement from CA. The basic coverage in the state of Nevada is 15/30/10. This means that the bodily injury coverage is $15000 per injured person up to the total of $3000 per accident and the property damage liability has the minimum limit of $1000.
Your insurance company is required to report or inform the California Department of Motor Vehicles the insurance information for of all private use vehicle liability policy. Most insurers will not insure vehicles if you move to out of state.
On the other hand, if your insurance company is licensed to do business in the state of California, you can contact your insurance provider on how to go about changing your Nevada insurance policy to California car insurance policy so you may be able to register it in the state of California. It is best to contact the California Department of Motor Vehicles to get more information of getting California car insurance and requirements for vehicle registration.
Goodluck!
MariCAR
Minimum Liability Auto Insurance Quote in California
Reader’s question:
What is the minimum liability insurance required for California drivers?
Michael
Thank you for asking.
The state law in California requires all motorist to show proof of financial responsibility. They must show their ability to pay for damages and injuries to others resulting from an accident.
Every driver and car owners are required by the California’s Compulsory Financial Responsibility Law to be financially responsible for all their actions. Here’s the minimum liability insurance requirement in California:
Bodily Injury:
- $15,000 for injury or death of one person per accident
- $30000 for all persons per accident
Property Damage:
- $5,000 per accident
There are ways to accomplish the financial responsibility
1. the coverage by a motor vehicle /automobile liability insurance policy
2. Financial Responsibility (FR) /cash deposit of $35000 with the DMV
3. certificate of self insurance issued by DMV to owners of fleets of more than 25 vehicles
4. surety bond for $35000 obtained from the licensed insurance company in CA
All motorist should have the minimum liability insurance or may have an alternative way to pay for the damages they may cause. Personal injury is not required but its an optional coverage that one might want to buy for reasonable and necessary medical expenses payment for you and your passengers.
Goodluck!
MariCAR
I Need Auto Insurance in California – Cheap!
Reader question:
What is way to get auto insurance in California other than getting it from a car insurance company?
Megan
Thanks for asking, Megan.
Getting your auto insurance in California with a licensed car insurance company or through some other Californian state auto insurance program are most certainly the easiest ways to get car insurance coverage in California, and most people wouldn’t have the money to do it any other way. However, California car insurance law does allow for more than one way, and one of the other ways is to get a surety bond. You can get this from a company that is licensed by the state, just as if you were getting your auto insurance in California from an actual insurance company.
These surety bonds are usually purchased by people who own a small business, not normally by those that are insuring a private car. Another option for small business owners is group commercial car insurance. Auto insurance in California law allows a surety bond to be purchased for at the least $35,000. This is equivalent to the minimum liability coverage, so if you want to have more coverage then you should purchase a larger bond.
Another way to get auto insurance in California without having to go through a car insurance company is to simply deposit the $35,000 minimum coverage with the department of motor vehicles for the state. Or, as another way, you could go the self insurance route. In order to do this you have to get a certificate from the department of motor vehicles showing that you are self insured. Remember, though, that whatever kind of insurance you get, you still have to be able to show proof of it when you are pulled over by a police officer or you get into a car accident. Proof can be your car insurance card, or your certificate of self insurance, your surety bond, whatever, so long as it is accepted proof by the department of motor vehicles.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.
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