Affordable Quotes for Volkswagen Passat Insurance in Oakland

The preferred way to find better pricing on auto insurance rates is to do an annual price comparison from insurance carriers in Oakland. Price quotes can be compared by following these steps.

• Step 1: Spend a few minutes and learn about car insurance and the things you can change to lower rates. Many rating factors that cause rate increases like speeding and an imperfect credit rating can be amended by making minor changes in your lifestyle. This article gives more details to get lower rates and find possible discounts that are available.
• Step 2: Request price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only quote rates from one company like GEICO or Allstate, while independent agencies can give you price quotes from many different companies. Get quotes now
• Step 3: Compare the price quotes to your current policy premium and determine if cheaper Passat coverage is available. If you find better rates, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.

The most important part of shopping around is to make sure you enter the same deductibles and limits on each price quote and and to get quotes from as many companies as possible. Doing this provides a level playing field and a thorough price selection.

Sadly, the vast majority of drivers have purchased from the same company for more than four years, and just short of a majority have never even shopped around for lower-cost coverage. With the average premium in the United States being $1,847, drivers could save approximately $860 a year just by shopping around, but they just don’t understand how much they could save if they swap their current policy for a cheaper one.

Most larger insurance companies give prices for coverage from their websites. Getting quotes for Volkswagen Passat insurance in Oakland is pretty painless because you just enter your coverage preferences into the quote form. Once entered, their rating system gets your driving and credit reports and generates pricing information based on these factors. Using the web to get price quotes for Volkswagen Passat insurance in Oakland makes comparing rates easy, and it’s very important to have as many quotes as possible if you want to get affordable auto insurance pricing.

To save time and find out how much you’re overpaying now, consider comparing rates from the companies shown below. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you complete the form with the coverage information exactly as shown on your declarations page. Doing this guarantees you’re receiving a rate comparison for exact coverage.

The providers in the list below offer quotes in California. If you wish to find cheap auto insurance in CA, we recommend you get rates from several of them to get the best price comparison.

Car insurance is not optional in California

Despite the potentially high cost of Volkswagen Passat insurance, car insurance may be required and benefits you in several ways.

• Most states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to buy a minimum amount of liability insurance in order to be legal. 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 Passat, it’s guaranteed your bank will require that you buy insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If the policy lapses, the lender will be forced to insure your Volkswagen for a much higher rate and require you to reimburse them a much higher amount than you were paying before.
• Car insurance preserves not only your vehicle but also your financial assets. It also can pay for all forms of medical expenses for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. Liability coverage also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are sued as the result of your driving. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.

The benefits of insuring your car are definitely more than the cost, especially if you ever need it. The average driver in America is overpaying more than $865 each year so smart consumers compare quotes at every policy renewal to ensure rates are competitive.

Coverage statistics and figures

The premium information displayed next highlights estimates of insurance policy prices for Volkswagen Passat models. Having knowledge of how car insurance prices are figured is important for making smart policy decisions.

Price data assumes married male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, and homeowner. Premium amounts do not factor in specific Oakland garaging location which can influence price quotes considerably.

Deductible comparison

One frequently asked question is which comprehensive and collision deductibles to buy. The comparisons below sum up the price difference between low and high physical damage deductibles. The first rate comparisons uses a $250 deductible for comprehensive and collision coverage and the second pricing table uses a $1,000 deductible.

Data variables include married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, homeowner, safe-driver, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in specific location which can impact price quotes considerably.

Based on the figures above, using a $250 deductible costs about $35 more each month or $420 for a full year than opting for the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $750 more out-of-pocket with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you have at a minimum 21 months between claim filings, you would come out ahead if you elect the higher deductible. The illustration below shows how you can come to your own conclusion.

One important caveat is that increasing deductibles to save money means you will have to cover more of the damage yourself when you have a physical damage claim. You need to make sure you have enough disposable income in the event you have to pay more to get your vehicle repaired.

The information below shows how choosing a deductible and can influence Volkswagen Passat insurance costs for different insured age categories. The price estimates are based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Full coverage rates compared to liability-only

The example below shows the difference between Volkswagen Passat premium costs with and without full coverage. The costs are based on no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied.

When to eliminate full coverage

There is no clear-cut formula to exclude physical damage insurance, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than 10% of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s say your Volkswagen Passat book value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company would pay you is $6,000 after you pay the deductible. If it’s costing you more than $600 a year for full coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

There are some circumstances where dropping physical damage coverage is not financially feasible. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest in the vehicle. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should maintain full coverage.

Do you qualify for discounts?

Companies do not advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the list below contains both the well known as well as some of the hidden savings tricks you should be using when you buy Oakland car insurance online.

• Theft Deterrent – Cars and trucks with anti-theft systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Pay Early and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
• Professional Organizations – Joining certain professional organizations is a simple method to lower premiums on your next renewal.
• Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to use their safety belts may be able to save a few bucks off the PIP or medical payment premium.
• Early Switch Discount – Some larger companies give discounts for renewing your policy early. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Life Insurance Discount – Not all insurance carriers offer life insurance, but some may give you lower premium rates if you buy some life insurance too.
• Distant Student – Youth drivers who live away from home at college and do not take a car to college could get you a discount.
• Braking Control Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with ABS and/or traction control are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
• Claim-Free Discount – Insureds with no claims or accidents pay much less in comparison with bad drivers.
• Telematics Devices – Policyholders that allow driving data submission to scrutinize their driving habits by using a telematics device such as Snapshot from Progressive or Drivewise from Allstate could see a rate decrease if they have good driving habits.

As is typical with insurance, some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like all those discounts means the company will pay you, it’s just not the way it works. But any discount should help reduce the amount you have to pay.

The information below illustrates the comparison of Volkswagen Passat yearly insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The price estimates are based on a male driver, no claims or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-policy, multi-car, claim-free, safe-driver, marriage, and homeowner discounts applied.

Larger insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are outlined below.

• Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online quote discount, continuous coverage, online signing, homeowner, multi-vehicle, and good student.
• Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include multi-car, teen driver, pay in full, business and professional, youthful driver, alternative fuel, and early shopping.
• Farm Bureau includes discounts for 55 and retired, good student, multi-policy, renewal discount, and youthful driver.
• State Farm offers discounts including Drive Safe & Save, defensive driving training, safe vehicle, accident-free, driver’s education, anti-theft, and multiple autos.
• GEICO offers discounts for daytime running lights, military active duty, defensive driver, emergency military deployment, good student, anti-lock brakes, and multi-policy.
• SAFECO may include discounts for bundle discounts, safe driver, anti-lock brakes, multi-car, accident prevention training, and teen safe driver.
• Liberty Mutual may offer discounts for safety features, new graduate, newly married, multi-policy, new move discount, and preferred payment discount.

Before you buy a policy, ask every insurance company how many discounts you can get. Some discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state. If you would like to choose from a list of insurance companies who offer free Volkswagen Passat insurance quotes in Oakland, follow this link.