It’s hard to believe, but most insurance policyholders in California kept their policy with the same company for more than four years, and just under half have never compared rates to find cheap insurance. American drivers can save nearly $859 each year by just comparing quotes, but they think it’s difficult to save money by comparing rate quotes.
The best way we recommend to get budget car insurance rates is to do a yearly price comparison from insurers that insure vehicles in Oakland.
- Try to learn about how auto insurance works and the measures you can control to lower rates. Many policy risk factors that cause high rates such as speeding tickets, careless driving and a substandard credit score can be rectified by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.
- Compare price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only quote rates from a single company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agents can provide prices for many different companies. View prices
- Compare the price quotes to your current policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you can save money and make a switch, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
The key thing to remember is to use the same deductibles and limits on each price quote and and to get price estimates from as many carriers as you can. Doing this ensures an accurate price comparison and the best rate selection.
Save money with these five money saving discounts
Some companies don’t always list every discount available very clearly, so we took the time to find some of the best known as well as the least known discounts that may be available.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – If the company offers life insurance, you could get a discounted price on car insurance if you buy some life insurance too.
- 55 and Retired – Drivers over the age of 55 may be able to get better insurance rates.
- Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than spreading payments over time you can avoid the installment charge.
- Bundle and Save – If you combine your homeowners and auto policies with one company you could save as much as 10 to 15 percent.
- Good Student – Being a good student could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. Most companies allow this discount up until you turn 25.
Keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears it’s possible to get free car insurance, you’re out of luck.
Some of the insurance companies that may offer policyholders most of these discounts are:
Before buying, ask every company which discounts they offer. Some credits might not be offered on policies everywhere.
Just remember that comparing a large number of companies helps you find the best rates. Some regional insurers cannot provide price estimates online, so you also need to get rates from them, too.
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide price quotes in Oakland, CA. If you want to find cheap auto insurance in Oakland, it’s a good idea that you visit several of them to get the best price comparison.
Local Oakland insurance agencies
Many drivers would prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and often times that is recommended The best thing about getting online price quotes is that drivers can save money and get lower rates and still have an agent to talk to. Buying insurance from neighborhood insurance agencies is still important in Oakland.
Upon completion of this form (opens in new window), the quote information is sent to local insurance agents that provide free Oakland car insurance quotes for your car insurance coverage. You never need to leave your house because prices are sent to you directly. You can find better rates without a big time investment. If you want to get a price quote from a specific company, you can always go to their quote page and complete a quote there.
If you prefer to buy car insurance from a reputable agency, you should know the different types of agencies and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Car insurance agents are considered either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents of this type are normally appointed by many insurers so they can insure your vehicles with multiple insurance companies and get you the best rates possible. If they find a cheaper price, they simply switch companies in-house which makes it simple for you. If you are trying to find cheaper rates, you definitely need to get rate quotes from several independent agencies so that you can do a thorough price comparison. Most independent agents also contract with small mutual carriers that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
Listed below is a small list of independent insurance agencies in Oakland that may be able to give you price quote information.
- Cook Disharoon and Greathouse Insurance Brokers
1942 Embarcadero – Oakland, CA 94606 – (510) 437-1900 – View Map - JCB Insurance Services
6427 Westover Dr – Oakland, CA 94611 – (510) 336-3490 – View Map - Greater Metrowest Insurance Agency
Oakland, CA 94612 – Oakland, CA 94612 – (510) 444-1404 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Exclusive agencies can only quote rates from one company like Farmers Insurance, Allstate, or State Farm. They usually cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they have to upsell other benefits. Exclusive insurance agents are trained well on their company’s products and that allows them to sell at a higher price point. Consumers sometimes use the same exclusive agent mostly because of the brand and strong financial ratings.
Shown below is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in Oakland willing to provide price quote information.
- Farmers Insurance – Jimmie Oliver
1800 55th Ave – Oakland, CA 94621 – (510) 517-7663 – View Map - Stephanie Canessa – State Farm Insurance Agent
6228 Merced Ave – Oakland, CA 94611 – (510) 339-4444 – View Map - Farmers Insurance – Anthony Sue
3333 Grand Ave #203 – Oakland, CA 94610 – (510) 465-1544 – View Map
Deciding on an insurance agent should include more criteria than just the bottom line cost. These are valid questions to ask:
- How many years have they been established?
- How many companies do they write for?
- Does the agency have a positive business rating?
- What company holds the largest book of business for them?
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- Is there a 24/7 contact number?
- If independent agents, which companies do they recommend?
Car insurance 101
Learning about specific coverages of your policy can be of help when determining the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage
This coverage gives you protection when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Jaguar S-Type.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (15/30/5 in California), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time the UM/UIM limits are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Collision protection
This coverage pays for damage to your S-Type resulting from colliding with an object or car. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for things like colliding with a tree, hitting a mailbox, backing into a parked car and driving through your garage door. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible on your S-Type to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive coverages
Comprehensive insurance pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as hitting a deer, hitting a bird and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum amount your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Auto liability insurance
This coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to a person or their property in an accident. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.
Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see limits of 15/30/5 which stand for $15,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and property damage coverage for $5,000. Another option is a combined single limit or CSL that pays claims from the same limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability insurance covers claims such as court costs, legal defense fees, repair costs for stationary objects, structural damage and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but buy as much as you can afford. California requires drivers to carry at least 15/30/5 but drivers should carry higher limits.
The chart below shows why buying minimum limits may not be enough.
Coverage for medical payments
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for immediate expenses such as pain medications, funeral costs and chiropractic care. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
You can lower your auto insurance rates
Consumers switch companies for a number of reasons such as unfair underwriting practices, policy cancellation, delays in paying claims or delays in responding to claim requests. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching auto insurance companies is easier than you think.
Cheaper auto insurance in Oakland is attainable from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture. Some auto insurance companies do not provide internet price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.
We covered a lot of tips how to reduce Jaguar S-Type insurance premium rates online in Oakland. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get prices for, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with the least-expected company.
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