Car Insurance Rates for a GMC Sierra in Oakland

The preferred way to get more affordable car insurance rates is to compare prices once a year from providers that sell auto insurance in Oakland.

1. Read and learn about what coverages are included in your policy and the measures you can control to drop your rates. Many risk factors that result in higher rates such as traffic tickets, fender benders, and a substandard credit score can be improved by paying attention to minor details.
2. Request rate estimates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide price quotes from multiple insurance companies. Select a company
3. Compare the new rates to your existing policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a better price, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
4. Give notification to your agent or company of your intention to cancel your current auto insurance policy. Submit a down payment along with a signed application to your new insurance company. As soon as you receive it, place your new certificate verifying proof of insurance in your glove compartment.

The critical component of shopping around is to try to compare similar coverage information on every price quote and and to analyze as many companies as possible. This enables a fair rate comparison and the most accurate and complete price analysis.

Smart shoppers know that insurance companies don’t want policyholders to shop around. Drivers who rate shop once a year will most likely switch auto insurance companies because there is a good chance of finding more affordable rates. Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that people who made a habit of comparing rates saved over $70 a month compared to people who never shopped for cheaper rates.

If finding the cheapest price on GMC Sierra insurance is the reason you’re here, understanding the best ways to find and compare insurance premiums can save time, money, and frustration.

Locating the best rates in Oakland is actually quite easy if you know where to start. Virtually each driver who is looking for cheaper car insurance will probably be able to find better rates. But California vehicle owners do need to know the way insurance companies price online insurance because rates fluctuate considerably.

How You Can Control GMC Sierra Insurance Costs

Many things are part of the calculation when you get your auto insurance bill. A few of the factors are predictable like an MVR report, but other criteria are less apparent such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.

The list below includes most of the major factors companies use to determine prices.

Multi-policy discounts can save money – The majority of car insurance companies will award better rates to customers that purchase more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you still need to comparison shop to help ensure you have the lowest rates.

Your address can impact price – Choosing to live in small towns and rural areas is a positive aspect when talking about car insurance. Residents of big cities tend to have traffic congestion and more severe claims. Fewer drivers translates into fewer accident claims.

Save money with excellent credit – An insured’s credit rating is a large factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with poor credit scores. If your credit rating is low, you could potentially save money when insuring your GMC Sierra by improving your rating.

Married drivers get better prices – Being married may earn you lower rates when buying car insurance. Having a spouse usually means you are more mature and responsible and insurance companies reward insureds because being married results in fewer claims.

GMC Sierra historical loss data – Insurers use data from past claims when setting rates for each model. Models that the data shows to have higher loss trends will be charged more to insure. The table below outlines the historical insurance loss data for GMC Sierra vehicles.

For each policy coverage, the claim amount for all vehicles, regardless of make or model, equals 100. Percentage values below 100 imply a favorable loss record, while numbers that are greater than 100 point to more claims or an increased chance of larger losses than average.

To find the best insurance quotes, there are several ways to compare rate quotes from different Oakland insurance companies. The simplest method to find the lowest GMC Sierra rates is to jump online and get quotes.

Doing price comparisons online is so simple that it makes it a waste of time to waste gas driving to different Oakland agent offices. Comparing online rate quotes eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you prefer the trained advice that can only be provided by a licensed insurance agent. It is possible to obtain prices from the web and have a local agent actually service the policy. Just remember that having more price comparisons helps improve the odds of finding the best offered rates. Some regional insurers cannot provide Oakland Sierra insurance quotes over the internet, so you should also compare price quotes from the smaller companies as well.

The companies shown below are ready to provide quotes in California. To find the best car insurance in Oakland, CA, we suggest you visit two to three different companies to get a more complete price comparison.

Insurance statistics and figures

The table shown next showcases estimates of coverage prices for GMC Sierra models. Having insight into how auto insurance policy rates are determined can help guide drivers when making smart choices when choosing a car insurance company.

Data assumes single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, homeowner, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Rates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can affect coverage prices considerably.

Physical damage deductibles: Should you raise them?

One of the more difficult decisions when buying insurance is which deductibles should you choose. The rates below may help you to understand the costs and benefits when you choose different insurance deductibles. The first table uses a $100 deductible for comprehensive and collision coverage and the second price chart uses a $500 deductible.

Premium data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Estimates do not factor in specific location information which can modify auto insurance rates greatly.

Based on this data, we can arrive at the conclusion that using a $100 deductible will cost you approximately $33 more each month or $396 annually across all GMC Sierra models than requesting the higher $500 deductible. Since you would pay $400 more out-of-pocket with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you go at a minimum 12 months between claim filings, you would save money if you choose the higher deductible.

The chart below illustrates how choosing a deductible and can change GMC Sierra premium costs for different age groups. The rates are based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.

Male drivers versus female drivers

The information below illustrates the difference between GMC Sierra auto insurance rates for male and female drivers. The premium estimates are based on no violations or accidents, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, single marital status, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Insurance protects more than just your car

Despite the potentially high cost of GMC Sierra insurance, insurance is required in California but also provides important benefits.

• Just about all states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to buy a specific level of liability if you drive a vehicle. 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 carry insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank may insure your GMC at a significantly higher premium and make you pay much more than you were paying before.
• Insurance preserves both your GMC and your personal assets. It will also pay for hospital and medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability coverage will also pay to defend you if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If you have damage to your GMC as the result of the weather or an accident, collision and comprehensive coverages will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.

The benefits of buying insurance more than cancel out the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. As of last year, the average driver in California is overpaying over $850 per year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison once a year at a minimum to be sure current rates are still competitive.

Companies offer money-saving discounts on GMC Sierra insurance in Oakland

Some providers don’t always publicize every discount very well, so we researched both well-publicized as well as the least known auto insurance savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, you are just wasting money.

• Driver Education Discount – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them enroll and complete driver’s education as it can save substantially.
• Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save a little off PIP or medical payments premium.
• No Charge for an Accident – This one is not really a discount per se, but certain companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
• ABS Brakes – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Senior Citizen Discount – Seniors may be able to get a small discount on rates.
• Discount for Life Insurance – If the company offers life insurance, you could get a discounted premium rate on car insurance if you buy some life insurance in addition to your auto policy.
• Own a Home – Owning your own home or condo can earn you a little savings because it means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
• Driver Training Discounts – Taking a course in defensive driver could earn you a small percentage discount and also improve your driving technique.
• Telematics Discount – Oakland drivers who agree to allow data collection to analyze driving manner by using a telematic data system such as Progressive’s Snapshot could see a rate decrease as long as the data is positive.
• Bundled Policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you may earn at least 10 to 15 percent or more.

Remember that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down your policy premiums.

The information below compares GMC Sierra car insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The premiums are based on a male driver, a clean driving record, no claims, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, marriage, claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, and multi-car discounts applied.

The best auto insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are:

• Progressive may have discounts that include continuous coverage, good student, online quote discount, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy.
• MetLife may include discounts for good driver, accident-free, good student, multi-policy, defensive driver, and claim-free.
• Mercury Insurance offers discounts for ease of repair, low natural disaster claims, accident-free, multi-policy, and location of vehicle.
• Nationwide policyholders can earn discounts including good student, accident-free, family plan, multi-policy, defensive driving, and easy pay.
• GEICO has discounts for air bags, military active duty, driver training, federal employee, good student, emergency military deployment, and anti-theft.
• AAA discounts include AAA membership discount, education and occupation, pay-in-full, anti-theft, and good student.

When quoting, ask all companies you are considering how you can save money. All car insurance discounts may not apply to policyholders everywhere. If you would like to see a list of insurers that have a full spectrum of discounts in California, follow this link.

Insurance agents can help

Certain consumers prefer to sit down with an agent and that is a smart decision One of the great benefits of comparing insurance prices online is you can get the lowest rates and still choose a local agent.

For easy comparison, once you complete this short form, your information is transmitted to local insurance agents in Oakland who will give you quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You never need to contact an agency because prices are sent directly to you. You’ll get the best rates without requiring a lot of work. In the event you want to quote rates from one company in particular, you just need to search and find their rate quote page to submit a rate quote request.

Choosing the best provider requires you to look at more than just a cheap quote. Some important questions to ask are:

• Do they offer accident forgiveness?
• Does the company use OEM repair parts?
• Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
• How are claims handled?
• Is auto insurance their primary focus in Oakland?
• What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
• What companies can they write with?

If you prefer to buy car insurance from a reliable insurance agent, you need to know there are two types of insurance agents and how they can write your policy. Car insurance agents are either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for.

Exclusive Car Insurance Agencies

Agents that choose to be exclusive generally can only insure with one company like AAA, Allstate, and State Farm. These agents are unable to give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. Exclusive insurance agents are well schooled on what they offer which aids in selling service over price.

Below are exclusive agents in Oakland willing to provide rate quotes.

More Oakland agents

Independent Agencies or Brokers

These agents are normally appointed by many insurers and that enables them to quote your coverage through many different car insurance companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. To move your coverage to a new company, your policy is moved internally and the insured can keep the same agent. When comparing rate quotes, you will definitely want to get some free quotes from multiple independent agents to maximize your price options.

Below are independent agencies in Oakland that are able to give price quotes.

More Oakland agents

Car insurance company ratings

Ending up with the top insurance company is hard considering how many companies there are in Oakland. The information shown next could help you pick which auto insurers you want to consider when comparing rate quotes.

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%

Which policy gives me the best coverage?

Always keep in mind that when comparing insurance from an agent or online for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different.

For example, these questions might point out if you could use an agent’s help.

• Am I covered if my car is in a flood?
• Do I need replacement cost coverage?
• What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
• Do I have newly-acquired coverage?
• Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
• What does roadside assistance cover?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to an agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form.

Don’t give up on cheaper rates

As you quote Oakland auto insurance, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced collision coverage only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your objective should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

People switch companies for many reasons like being labeled a high risk driver, policy cancellation, unfair underwriting practices or even not issuing a premium refund. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new insurance company is less work than it seems.

Cost effective GMC Sierra insurance can be sourced from both online companies and from local insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers may not have online quoting and many times these smaller providers sell through independent agents.

More information

• Eight Auto Insurance Myths (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Used Cars in Oakland? (FAQ)
• How Much are Car Insurance Rates for Infrequent Drivers in Oakland? (FAQ)
• Uninsured Motorists: Threats on the Road (Insurance Information Institute)
• Get the Right Protection (InsureUonline.org)
• Insurance losses by make and model (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)