Shockingly, over 70% of consumers have bought insurance from the same company for well over three years, and almost half have never compared rates to find cheap insurance. Many consumers in California could save nearly $470 every year just by comparing rates, but they don’t know the actual amount they would save if they bought a different policy.
The easiest way to find lower priced Suzuki Aerio insurance is to compare quotes annually from different companies who sell insurance in San Jose. Price quotes can be compared by following these steps.
First, spend some time learning about what is in your policy and the things you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many policy risk factors that cause high rates like inattentive driving and your credit history can be improved by making minor changes to your lifestyle.
Second, get rate quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only quote rates from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agencies can quote prices for many different companies.
Third, compare the price quotes to your current policy premium to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find better rates and change companies, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to use identical deductibles and limits on every quote and and to get prices from as many companies as you can. This provides a fair rate comparison and a complete rate analysis.
The intent of this article is to introduce you to how insurance works and some tricks to saving. If you are already insured, you will definitely be able to get lower rates using the techniques presented in this article. But California consumers benefit from understanding how big insurance companies set your policy premium because rates fluctuate considerably.
When comparing insurance rates, know that quoting more helps locate better pricing.
The companies shown below provide comparison quotes in California. If multiple companies are listed, it’s highly recommended you get rate quotes from several of them to find the cheapest car insurance rates.
Discounts mean cheaper rates for Suzuki Aerio insurance in San Jose
Not many people think insurance is cheap, but you might be missing out on some discounts that can help lower your rates. Some of these discounts will be visible at quote time, but less common discounts must be inquired about prior to receiving the credit.
- Payment Method – By making one initial payment instead of making monthly payments you may have a lower total premium amount.
- Distant Student – College-age children who are attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may qualify for this discount.
- Theft Prevention System – Cars and trucks with anti-theft systems are stolen with less frequency so companies will give you a small discount.
- Employee of Federal Government – Federal government employees could qualify for a slight premium decrease depending on your company.
- Policy Bundle Discount – If you can bundle your homeowners and auto insurance with the same company you could save approximately 10% to 15%.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more as compared to drivers with claims.
- Passive Restraints – Vehicles with factory air bags could see savings of more than 20%.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a deployed family member may lower your premium rates slightly.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
Popular auto insurance companies and the discounts they provide are included below.
- American Family may offer discounts for multi-vehicle, accident-free, defensive driver, bundled insurance, and good driver.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for multiple policy, anti-theft, accident-free, passive restraint, good driver, and Drive Safe & Save.
- 21st Century may include discounts for teen driver, early bird, air bags, good student, defensive driver, and 55 and older.
- Travelers discounts include early quote, save driver, student away at school, hybrid/electric vehicle, good student, multi-car, and home ownership.
- GEICO has savings for good student, anti-lock brakes, multi-policy, air bags, emergency military deployment, daytime running lights, and membership and employees.
Before you buy a policy, ask all companies you are considering which discounts you may be entitled to. A few discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state. If you would like to see a list of insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in San Jose, click this link.
Car insurance does more than just protect your car
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Suzuki in San Jose, car insurance may be required and benefits you in several ways.
- Most states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a specific level of liability protection in order to drive the car legally. 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 have a lien on your Suzuki, most lenders will stipulate that you carry insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you let the policy lapse, the bank will be required to insure your Suzuki at an extremely high rate and require you to reimburse them for the expensive policy.
- Car insurance protects not only your Suzuki but also your financial assets. Insurance will also pay for many types of medical costs for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if you are sued as the result of an accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of insuring your car more than cancel out the cost, particularly for liability claims. But the average driver in California overpays more than $810 a year so compare rates every year to be sure current rates are still competitive.
Compare prices but work with a local San Jose insurance agency
A small number of people still prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is recommended in a lot of cases The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is that you can find lower rates and still buy from a local agent. Supporting neighborhood agents is definitely important in San Jose.
After completing this form (opens in new window), the quote information is transmitted to agents in your area who will return price quotes for your business. You won’t even need to find an agent on your own because prices are sent to you. Get lower rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you need to quote rates from a specific insurance company, don’t hesitate to jump over to their website to submit a rate quote request.
San Jose auto insurance agents come in two flavors
If you are searching for a reputable agency, there are two different types of agencies and how they can write your policy. Car insurance agencies can be classified as either independent (non-exclusive) or exclusive.
Independent Car Insurance Agents
Agents that choose to be independent do not sell for just one brand so they can insure your vehicles with a variety of different insurance companies and get the cheapest rates. If they find a cheaper price, the agent simply finds a different carrier which is easy for the insured.
When comparing car insurance rates, you need to compare prices from at a minimum one independent agency to have the best price comparison. Many write coverage with additional companies that you may not be familiar with that may provide cheaper car insurance rates.
Listed below is a small list of independent insurance agents in San Jose who may be able to give you rate 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 - Oasis Insurance Agency Inc. Branch 4
1629 Alum Rock Ave – San Jose, CA 95116 – (408) 929-6111 – View Map
Exclusive Car Insurance Agencies
Agents that choose to be exclusive can only provide one company’s prices and some examples include AAA, Allstate, and State Farm. They are unable to shop your coverage around so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Exclusive insurance agents receive extensive training on their company’s products which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Consumers frequently use the same exclusive agent mostly because of the brand legacy rather than low price.
Shown below are exclusive insurance agents in San Jose that can give you price quote information.
- Farmers Insurance: Jose Manabat
1620 Oakland Rd #D107 – San Jose, CA 95131 – (408) 437-5456 – View Map - Reed Sparks – State Farm Insurance Agent
3119 Alum Rock Ave – San Jose, CA 95127 – (408) 923-2055 – View Map - Frank Kachkouche – State Farm Insurance Agent
901 S White Rd – San Jose, CA 95127 – (408) 923-2073 – View Map
Selecting a insurance agency should include more criteria than just a cheap price quote. Some important questions to ask are:
- Do they assist clients in filing claims?
- Are there any discounts for paying up front?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Do they get paid more for recommending certain coverages?
- Do they offer claims assistance after hours?
- Do they have a Better Business Bureau rating in San Jose?