It goes without saying that car insurance companies don’t want their policyholders to compare prices. Consumers who compare rates annually are likely to switch to a new company because they have a good chance of finding coverage at a more affordable price. A survey found that drivers who compared rate quotes regularly saved an average of $865 a year as compared to drivers who don’t regularly compare prices.
If saving the most money on insurance in San Jose is your intention, then knowing the best way to compare car insurance can save money and time.
Truthfully, the best way to find better pricing on auto insurance rates is to compare prices annually from providers in San Jose. Rate comparisons can be done by completing these steps.
- First, take a few minutes and learn about how insurance works and the measures you can control to prevent rate increases. Many factors that increase rates such as multiple speeding tickets and bad credit can be eliminated by making minor changes to your lifestyle.
- Second, compare prices from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can give quotes from a single company like GEICO or Allstate, while independent agents can quote prices for a wide range of insurance providers. Get quotes now
- Third, compare the new rates to the price on your current policy to see if you can save by switching companies. If you can save money, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
- Fourth, provide notification to your current agent or company to cancel your existing policy. Submit a signed application and payment to your new carrier. Once received, put the new proof of insurance paperwork in an accessible location in your vehicle.
A good tip to remember is to compare identical coverage information on every quote request and and to get rates from every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure a level playing field and a complete rate analysis.
Do you qualify for discounts?
Some companies do not list every discount very well, so the below list has some of the best known in addition to some of the lesser obvious discounts that you may qualify for. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you are not getting the best rate possible.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings since owning and maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
- Multi-line Discount – Larger insurance carriers have lower auto insurance rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Federal Government Employee – Employees or retirees of the government can save as much as 8% depending on your auto insurance provider.
- Drive Less and Save – Low mileage vehicles could be rewarded with lower rates due to less chance of an accident.
- Military Discounts – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
Policy discounts save money, but some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Despite the fact that it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it’s just not the way it works.
Companies that may have these money-saving discounts possibly include:
Double check with every insurance company how many discounts you can get. Some discounts may not apply everywhere. To see companies who offer free Lincoln LS insurance quotes in California, click here.
Getting a cheaper price on insurance is pretty simple and can save money. Consumers just need to take a few minutes comparing rates to find the company with affordable San Jose car insurance quotes.
The companies shown below can provide free rate quotes in California. If multiple companies are shown, we recommend you visit two to three different companies to get the lowest price.
Local insurance agents
Many people just want to have an agent’s advice and that is a personal choice. Good agents can answer important questions and help in the event of a claim. One of the great benefits of getting free rate quotes online is that you can find lower premium rates and still choose a local agent.
Once you complete this short form, your insurance coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents in San Jose who will give you bids for your coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to find an agent since rate quotes are delivered directly to you. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from a particular provider, you can always jump over to their website and complete a quote there.
Finding the right company needs to be determined by more than just a low price. These are some valid questions you should ask.
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- Is assistance available after office hours?
- In the event of vehicle damage, can you pick the collision repair facility?
- Do they see any coverage gaps in your plan?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Will you get a loaner vehicle if you car is being repaired?
If you would like to find an insurance agent, there are two different types of agents and how they can write your policy. San Jose agents are considered either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer. Both do a good job, but it’s important to know the difference between them since it can affect the kind of agent you use.
Exclusive Car Insurance Agents
Exclusive insurance agents can only provide pricing for a single company such as Allstate and State Farm. Exclusive agencies are unable to compare other company’s rates so they have to upsell other benefits. These agents receive extensive training on the products they sell and that enables them to sell even at higher rates. Consumers sometimes purchase coverage from exclusives mostly because of the brand name and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
Listed below is a short list of exclusive agents in San Jose that are able to give price quotes.
- Mike Murillo – State Farm Insurance Agent
1449 Park Ave #3 – San Jose, CA 95126 – (408) 295-0554 – View Map - Frank Kachkouche – State Farm Insurance Agent
901 S White Rd – San Jose, CA 95127 – (408) 923-2073 – View Map - Mike Myers – State Farm Insurance Agent
4855 Atherton Ave #150 – San Jose, CA 95130 – (408) 550-7868 – View Map
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
These agents are not limited to a single company and that gives them the ability to insure with a variety of different insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If premiums increase, they can switch companies in-house and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing rates, you absolutely need to get rate quotes from at a minimum one independent agency in order to have the best price comparison. Most independent agents also contract with companies that do not advertise much that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
Shown below is a short list of independent insurance agents in San Jose willing to provide comparison quotes.
- All Spectrum Insurance Brokers
4010 Moorpark Ave #117 – San Jose, CA 95117 – (408) 604-0092 – View Map - Gatewood Insurance Agency Inc
1095 Bird Ave #2 – San Jose, CA 95125 – (408) 298-1611 – View Map - Casey Nguyen Insurance Agency, Inc.
1639 Meridian Ave a – San Jose, CA 95125 – (408) 286-4467 – View Map
In conclusion
Lower-priced Lincoln LS insurance in San Jose can be bought on the web and also from your neighborhood San Jose agents, and you should compare rates from both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who don’t offer internet price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies only sell coverage through independent agents.
In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to lower your Lincoln LS insurance premium rates in San Jose. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding low cost San Jose car insurance quotes. You may even find the lowest premium rates come from some of the lesser-known companies.
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s a bad idea to buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are many occasions where consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to buy enough coverage for the lowest cost, but do not skimp to save money.
To learn more, feel free to visit the articles below:
- Steps to Take After an Auto Accident (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for Handicapped Drivers in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap San Jose Car Insurance Quotes for a Subaru Outback? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Lyft Drivers in San Jose? (FAQ)
- No-Fault Auto Insurance Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Think You’re a Safe Driver? (State Farm)
- Five Mistakes to Avoid (Insurance Information Institute)