Affordable Insurance for a Honda Ridgeline in Oakland

Shocking but true, a large majority of insurance policyholders in California have remained with the same insurance company for more than four years, and just under half have never taken the time to shop around. With the average insurance premium being $1,847, American drivers could save $860 a year just by getting comparison quotes, but they just assume it’s a time-consuming process to compare rate quotes.

The best way we recommend to get discount car insurance rates is to compare prices once a year from insurers who provide auto insurance in Oakland. Prices can be compared by completing these steps.

First, spend some time learning about how your policy works and the steps you can take to keep rates in check. Many rating criteria that drive up the price like distracted driving and a not-so-good credit score can be remedied by paying attention to minor details. This article gives ideas to get lower rates and find additional discounts you may qualify for.

Second, quote rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only give rate quotes from one company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while independent agents can quote prices from multiple insurance companies.

Third, compare the price quotes to your existing rates to see if a cheaper rate is available in Oakland. If you find a lower rate quote and decide to switch, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.

Fourth, provide adequate notice to your current company of your decision to cancel your current auto insurance policy. Submit the signed application along with the required initial payment for your new coverage. Immediately upon receiving it, store the certificate of insurance in your glove compartment.

One piece of advice is that you’ll want to compare the same deductibles and limits on each quote and and to get rate quotes from all possible companies. This guarantees a fair rate comparison and a complete price analysis.

If you’re already insured or are shopping for new coverage, follow these tips to save money and still have adequate protection. Buying affordable insurance in Oakland is really quite simple as long as you have a good starting point. Shoppers just need to understand the most effective way to compare rate quotes online.

First Step: Get free Honda Ridgeline insurance quotes

The majority of larger companies make it easy to get prices from their websites. The process doesn’t take a lot of time because you just enter the coverage amounts you desire into a form. After the form is submitted, the company’s rating system automatically orders reports for credit and driving violations and generates a price determined by many factors. The ability to get online price quotes for Honda Ridgeline insurance in Oakland helps simplify price comparisons, and it’s also necessary to get many rate quotes if you want to get the most affordable premium possible.

To compare rates now, compare quotes from the companies shown below. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended that you enter the coverage information exactly as they are listed on your policy. This guarantees you will receive a rate comparison based on similar coverages.

The providers in the list below provide price quotes in California. If multiple companies are listed, we recommend you click on several of them to find the lowest car insurance rates.

Honda Ridgeline insurance rate analysis

The coverage table below outlines estimates of insurance prices for Honda Ridgeline models. Being more informed about how premiums are established can help drivers make smart choices when purchasing an insurance policy.

Premium data assumes married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-policy. Prices do not factor in garaging location in Oakland which can impact rates noticeably.

Analysis of deductible levels

One common question asked by Oakland drivers is how high or low should comp and collision deductibles be. The comparison tables below may aid in understanding the rate differences between high and low physical damage coverage deductibles. The first pricing table uses a $250 deductible for comprehensive and collision coverage and the second set of prices uses a $500 deductible.

Table data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, multi-policy, and homeowner. Table data does not factor in Oakland location which can modify price quotes significantly.

Based on these figures, using a $250 deductible will cost you roughly $18 more each month or $216 for a full year averaged for all Ridgeline models than buying the higher $500 deductible. Since the policyholder would be required to pay $250 more to settle a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you normally go at a minimum 14 months between claims, you would come out ahead by selecting a higher deductible. Here’s an example of how this decision is made.

One important caveat is that raising deductibles to get cheaper rates means you will have to cover more of the damage yourself when you do file a claim. You should have some funds available in order to pay more to get your vehicle repaired.

How violations and accidents impact rates

The chart below highlights how speeding tickets and accidents can drive up Honda Ridgeline insurance costs for each age group. The price estimates are based on a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

Full coverage rates vs. liability-only in Oakland

The example below visualizes the comparison of Honda Ridgeline insurance premiums when comparing full coverage to liability only. The premiums assume no claims or driving citations, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied.

When to buy liability coverage only

There is no set rule for phasing out physical damage coverage, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.

For example, let’s say your Honda Ridgeline replacement value is $4,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $3,000 after paying your policy deductible. If premiums are more than $300 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

There are some scenarios where dropping physical damage coverage is not in your best interest. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you have to carry full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not consider dropping full coverage.

How You Can Control Honda Ridgeline Insurance Rates

Lots of things are part of the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic like your driving record, but other criteria are not quite as obvious such as your credit history or your vehicle rating.

• Rates can change based on your address – Choosing to live in a rural area is a good thing when it comes to insurance. Less people translates into fewer accident claims and a lower car theft rate. Residents of big cities regularly have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Spending more time driving statistically corresponds to a higher accident and claim rate.
• Cheaper rates after marriage – Having a wife or husband may save some money on your insurance bill. It generally demonstrates drivers are more stable financially it has been statistically shown that drivers who are married are more cautious.

• Guys tend to take more risk – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females tend to be a little less risky than males. Now that doesn’t mean men are worse drivers. Males and females are responsible for fender benders at about the same rate, but the males have costlier accidents. Not only are claims higher, but men have more aggressive citations like reckless driving and DUI.

  The chart below shows the comparison of Honda Ridgeline insurance costs for male and female drivers. The premiums are based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

• Cars with good safety ratings save money – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer serious injuries means less money paid by your insurance company which can mean better rates for you.

Three main reasons to buy insurance

Even though Oakland Ridgeline insurance rates can get expensive, paying for insurance is required by state law in California and it also provides benefits you may not be aware of.

• Most states have minimum liability requirements which means you are required to carry specific limits of liability coverage 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 your vehicle has a loan, most banks will have a requirement that you buy insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If the policy lapses, the lender may insure your Honda for a lot more money and require you to pay for the expensive policy.
• Insurance protects both your assets and your Honda Ridgeline. It will also provide coverage for all forms of medical expenses for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. Liability coverage also pays for attorney fees and expenses if you cause an accident and are sued. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.

The benefits of insuring your Ridgeline definitely exceed the price paid, particularly if you ever have a claim. In a recent study of 1,000 drivers, the average customer is overpaying over $865 each year so compare quotes from several companies every year to ensure rates are competitive.

California auto insurance companies ranked

Insuring your vehicle with a good quality car insurance provider is difficult considering how many choices drivers have in California. The company ratings displayed below may help you pick which car insurance providers you want to consider buying from.

Top 10 Oakland Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Satisfaction

1. Titan Insurance – 95%
2. USAA – 94%
3. AAA of Southern California – 92%
4. AAA Insurance – 91%
5. Nationwide – 90%
6. State Farm – 90%
7. The Hartford – 89%
8. GEICO – 89%
9. The General – 88%
10. 21st Century – 88%