Want to learn how to buy cheaper car insurance rates in Oakland, CA? Oakland consumers have options when looking for low-cost Hummer H2 SUT insurance. They can either spend hours struggling with agents getting price quotes or leverage the internet to get rate quotes. There is a right way and a wrong way to buy car insurance so you’re going to learn the best way to price shop coverage for a Hummer and get the lowest price.
Lowering your auto insurance rates can be quick and easy. The only thing you need to do is invest a little time to compare rate quotes provided by online insurance companies.
The car insurance companies shown below offer comparison quotes in Oakland, CA. If you want cheap car insurance in Oakland, we suggest you visit several of them in order to find the most affordable rates.
Affordable Hummer H2 SUT insurance in Oakland
Insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but discounts can save money and there are some available that could help you make your next renewal payment. Certain credits will be shown when you get a quote, but once in a while a discount must be specially asked for before you will receive the discount.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags can get savings as much as 30%.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Early Signing – Some larger companies provide a discount for renewing your policy before your current coverage expires. This discount can save up to 10%.
- Accident-Free Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can earn big discounts as opposed to bad drivers.
- Distant Student – College-age children who are attending college and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Waiver for an Accident – This one is not really a discount per se, but some companies like Allstate, Progressive, and GEICO will let one accident slide without raising rates if you have no claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Owning a home in Oakland can save a few bucks because of the fact that having a home is proof of financial responsibility.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Defensive Driving Course – Participating in a course in defensive driving could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
We need to note that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it’s just not the way it works. But any discount should help reduce the premium cost.
Popular insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are outlined below.
- GEICO may have discounts that include air bags, five-year accident-free, multi-policy, driver training, seat belt use, and membership and employees.
- Mercury Insurance may include discounts for low natural disaster claims, location of vehicle, good student, age of vehicle, multi-policy, and professional/association.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts for early shopping, good student, teen driver, multi-car, youthful driver, bundle discounts, and electronic funds transfer.
- Auto-Owners Insurance has discounts for anti-lock brakes, paperless, good student, safe vehicle, safe driver, paid in full, and mature driver.
- Liberty Mutual includes discounts for teen driver discount, safety features, multi-policy, exclusive group savings, new move discount, and hybrid vehicle.
- SAFECO offers discounts including teen safety rewards, anti-theft, anti-lock brakes, drive less, and safe driver.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including continuous coverage, online signing, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, and homeowner.
- USAA offers premium reductions for vehicle storage, good student, family discount, annual mileage, and military installation.
If you need lower rates, check with all companies you are considering which discounts can lower your rates. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be offered on policies in Oakland.
Why you need quality insurance for your Hummer H2 SUT
Despite the fact that car insurance is not cheap in Oakland, insuring your vehicle is required for several reasons.
- Most states have mandatory insurance requirements which means state laws require a specific minimum amount of liability coverage if you don’t want to risk a ticket. 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 your H2 SUT has a loan, it’s most likely the lender will make it a condition of the loan that you have comprehensive coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the lender will be forced to insure your Hummer for a much higher rate and force you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.
- Insurance protects both your vehicle and your assets. It will also pay for many types of medical costs for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of having insurance are without a doubt worth the cost, particularly for liability claims. According to a recent study, the average American driver overpays as much as $865 each year so it’s important to compare rates at every policy renewal to save money.
Neighborhood Oakland auto insurance agents
Some consumers prefer to talk to a local agent and doing that can be a smart decision Licensed agents can answer important questions and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is that drivers can save money and get lower car insurance rates and still choose a local agent.
After completing this quick form, the coverage information is submitted to agents in your area who will give competitive quotes for your coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to search for any insurance agencies since rate quotes are delivered immediately to you. If you need to compare rates from a particular provider, feel free to go to their quote page and give them your coverage information.
Finding a good insurer is decision based upon more than just the bottom line cost. Below are some questions you should ask.
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
- Is the quote a firm price?
- How long has the business existed?
- Do they prorate repair cost based on vehicle mileage?
- Which insurance company do they prefer to write with?
- Does the company have a local claim office in Oakland?
- Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
- Are they giving you every discount you deserve?
Types of auto insurance agents in Oakland
If you want to buy auto insurance from a reputable agency, it can be helpful to understand the different types of agencies and how they can service your needs differently. Auto insurance policy providers are categorized either independent agents or exclusive agents. Either can sell auto insurance policies, but it’s good to learn the subtle differences because it may have an impact on your selection of an agent.
Exclusive Agencies
Exclusive agencies generally can only insure with one company such as American Family, State Farm, and AAA. They generally cannot give you multiple price quotes so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. They are usually quite knowledgeable on sales techniques which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Some consumers prefer to buy from exclusive agents primarily because of the brand legacy and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
The following is a list of exclusive agents in Oakland that are able to give rate quotes.
- Farmers Insurance – Anthony Sue
3333 Grand Ave #203 – Oakland, CA 94610 – (510) 465-1544 – View Map - Allstate Insurance: Amy Cheok
180 2nd St #1 – Oakland, CA 94607 – (510) 338-3570 – View Map - Farmers Insurance – Mahir Abdul-Haqq
4267 Masterson St – Oakland, CA 94619 – (510) 530-8502 – View Map
Independent Auto Insurance Agents
Agents of this type can sell policies from many different companies and that enables them to quote your coverage through many different auto insurance companies and find the cheapest auto insurance rates. If they find a lower price, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to find a new agent. If you are trying to find cheaper rates, it’s a good idea to get several quotes from several independent insurance agents to get the best comparison. Many write coverage with different regional companies that may have much lower rates than larger companies.
Shown below is a short list of independent agents in Oakland who can help you get rate quotes.
- Western-Southern Life Insurance Co
80 Swan Way # 102 – Oakland, CA 94621 – (510) 877-4119 – View Map - Greater Metrowest Insurance Agency
Oakland, CA 94612 – Oakland, CA 94612 – (510) 444-1404 – View Map - JCB Insurance Services
6427 Westover Dr – Oakland, CA 94611 – (510) 336-3490 – View Map