The easiest way to find cheaper prices for Pontiac Grand Prix insurance is to do a yearly price comparison from companies that sell auto insurance in Oakland.
- Step 1: Try to understand how insurance companies determine prices and the measures you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many things that are responsible for high rates like traffic violations and an imperfect credit history can be rectified by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.
- Step 2: Get rate quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from a single company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agencies can quote prices for many different companies. Select a company
- Step 3: Compare the quotes to the price on your current policy to see if a cheaper rate is available in Oakland. If you can save some money and decide to switch, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
- Step 4: Provide proper notification to your current company of your intent to cancel the current policy and submit any necessary down payment along with the completed application to the new company. Be sure to store the certificate of insurance in an accessible location in your vehicle.
One key aspect of rate comparisons is to try to compare similar deductibles and liability limits on every quote and and to get price estimates from as many companies as possible. This guarantees the most accurate price comparison and many rates to choose from.
Anyone knows that car insurance companies want to keep you from comparing prices. People who shop around annually will, in all likelihood, buy a different policy because they have good chances of finding lower rate quotes. A recent car insurance study revealed that drivers who compared rates annually saved about $865 annually compared to policyholders who never shopped around for better prices.
If finding the cheapest rates on auto insurance is your goal, learning the best ways to find and compare insurance premiums can save money and time.
If you have a current auto insurance policy or are just looking to switch companies, follow these tips to find better prices and still have adequate protection. Getting quotes for affordable auto insurance coverage in Oakland is not as confusing as people think. You just have to use the most effective way to compare rate quotes online from multiple companies.
Most major insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO allow consumers to get coverage price quotes direct online. Comparing prices online for Pontiac Grand Prix insurance in Oakland is pretty painless as you simply type in your coverage preferences as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, their rating system requests reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price quote based on many factors.
Using the web to get rate quotes for Pontiac Grand Prix insurance in Oakland makes it easy to compare insurance prices and it is imperative to compare as many rates as possible if you want to find a better rate.
To compare rates now, check out the car insurance providers below. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you replicate your coverages as shown on your current policy. This way, you are getting a rate comparison based on identical coverages.
The companies in the list below are ready to provide free quotes in California. If you wish to find cheaper auto insurance in Oakland, CA, we suggest you visit as many as you can to get a more complete price comparison.
Why you need car insurance
Even though it can be expensive, maintaining insurance is required in California but it also protects you in many ways.
- Almost all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires specific limits 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 you have a lien on your Pontiac, almost every bank will require you to carry insurance to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank may insure your Pontiac at a much higher rate and force you to pay the higher price.
- Insurance safeguards both your Pontiac Grand Prix and your assets. It will also provide coverage for hospital and medical expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, will also pay for a defense attorney in the event you are sued. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, collision and comprehensive coverages will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of having car insurance greatly outweigh the cost, especially for larger claims. But the average driver in California is overpaying more than $750 every year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at least once a year to help ensure money is not being wasted.
The coverage is in the details
Learning about specific coverages of a auto insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.
Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays for damage to your Grand Prix resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage protects against claims like crashing into a building, sustaining damage from a pot hole, damaging your car on a curb and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible on your Grand Prix in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Liability insurance – This coverage can cover damage that occurs to other’s property or people by causing an accident. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have policy limits of 15/30/5 that translate to a $15,000 limit per person for injuries, $30,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $5,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability insurance covers claims such as legal defense fees, court costs, medical expenses, structural damage and medical services. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy higher limits if possible. California state law requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.
The illustration below shows why buying minimum limits may not be adequate.
Comprehensive coverages – This will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as hitting a bird, falling objects, fire damage, vandalism and hail damage. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Coverage for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for bills such as ambulance fees, rehabilitation expenses, surgery and chiropractic care. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover all vehicle occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Pontiac Grand Prix.
Since many California drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (15/30/5), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important.