Smart shoppers know that car insurance companies want to keep you from shopping around. Insureds who compare other rates are highly likely to switch car insurance companies because there are good odds of finding a more affordable policy. A recent study showed that consumers who compared rate quotes regularly saved as much as $3,400 over four years compared to other drivers who didn’t regularly shop around.
If saving the most money on auto insurance is the reason for your visit, then having an understanding of how to find companies and compare insurance coverage can save money and time.
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to find low-cost prices for Cadillac CTS insurance in Oakland is to start comparing prices regularly from different companies who sell insurance in California. You can shop around by completing these steps.
Step 1: Read and learn about how insurance works and the modifications you can make to lower rates. Many things that increase rates like speeding tickets, accidents and a bad credit rating can be amended by making minor changes in your lifestyle.
Step 2: Request rate estimates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can give quotes from a single company like Progressive and State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes for many different companies.
Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy and see if there is a cheaper rate. If you can save money and buy the policy, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
The key aspect of shopping around is to use the same deductibles and limits on every quote and and to analyze every insurance company. This enables an apples-to-apples comparison and a complete rate analysis.
Locating the best rates in Oakland is really not that difficult. If you are insured now, you will most likely be able to shop for the lowest rates using the ideas covered in this article. Although California consumers should learn how the larger insurance companies sell online because rates fluctuate considerably.
To find the cheapest Cadillac CTS rate quotes, there are several ways to compare quotes from many available insurance companies in California. One of the best ways to comparison shop is to get quotes online.
It’s important to know that getting more free quotes helps locate the best offered rates.
The companies shown below offer comparison quotes in Oakland, CA. To buy cheap car insurance in Oakland, it’s highly recommended you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Analysis of coverages
The coverage information displayed below outlines different coverage prices for Cadillac CTS models. Being aware of how rates are calculated can help guide drivers when making decisions on which insurance to purchase.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTS AWD | $272 | $426 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,484 | $124 |
| CTS | $272 | $426 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,484 | $124 |
| CTS Luxury AWD | $272 | $490 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,548 | $129 |
| CTS Performance AWD | $272 | $490 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,548 | $129 |
| CTS Luxury | $272 | $490 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,548 | $129 |
| CTS Performance | $272 | $490 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,548 | $129 |
| CTS Sport | $272 | $490 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,548 | $129 |
| CTS Premium | $302 | $490 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,578 | $132 |
| CTS Premium AWD | $302 | $490 | $578 | $34 | $174 | $1,578 | $132 |
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Data based on single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and homeowner. Price information does not factor in specific garaging location which can decrease or increase prices considerably.
Auto insurance premiums based on gender
The diagram below visualizes the comparison of Cadillac CTS insurance prices for male and female drivers. The premium estimates are based on no claims, a clean driving record, full coverage, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no other discounts are factored in.
Three reasons to not skimp on car insurance
Despite the high cost, maintaining insurance may be required for several reasons.
- The majority of states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage in order to drive the car. 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 vehicle, most banks will require you to have insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If you let the policy lapse, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Cadillac for a lot more money and force you to pay the higher price.
- Insurance safeguards not only your Cadillac CTS but also your assets. It will also pay for medical expenses that are the result of an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, will also pay attorney fees if you are sued as the result of your driving. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, your policy will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of buying enough insurance more than cancel out the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. An average driver in America is overpaying over $820 a year so we recommend shopping around at every renewal to make sure the price is not too high.
Get cheaper Cadillac CTS insurance in Oakland with discounts
Car insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but there are discounts available that you may not know about. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you complete an application, but a few need to be inquired about before you will receive the discount. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount available, you are throwing money away.
- Employee of Federal Government – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
- Early Renewal Discounts – Select larger companies give a discount for buying a new policy before your current expiration date. The savings is around 10%.
- 55 and Retired – Drivers that qualify as senior citizens are able to get reduced rates.
- Discounts for New Vehicles – Insuring a vehicle that is new can cost up to 25% less because newer vehicles are generally safer.
- Seat Belts Save – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to fasten their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can get savings of 25 to 30%.
Please keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. Even though the math looks like you can get free auto insurance, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
The diagram below shows the difference between Cadillac CTS auto insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The rates are based on a female driver, no accidents or driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with safe-driver, marriage, multi-car, multi-policy, homeowner, and claim-free discounts applied.
Large car insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are detailed below.
- State Farm may have discounts that include Steer Clear safe driver discount, good student, multiple policy, good driver, and multiple autos.
- GEICO includes discounts for multi-policy, driver training, emergency military deployment, seat belt use, and five-year accident-free.
- Allstate offers premium reductions for passive restraint, anti-theft, senior citizen, premier plus, farm vehicle, and good student.
- SAFECO has savings for teen safe driver, anti-theft, multi-car, bundle discounts, homeowner, accident prevention training, and drive less.
- Farm Bureau may offer discounts for multi-policy, renewal discount, safe driver, driver training, and 55 and retired.
- Progressive discounts include multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, online signing, and multi-policy.
- AAA offers discounts for good student, education and occupation, pay-in-full, AAA membership discount, multi-policy, anti-theft, and multi-car.
Before purchasing a policy, check with each company or agent which discounts you may be entitled to. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be offered on policies in Oakland.
Are auto insurance agents used anymore?
Some consumers still prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that is just fine! One of the great benefits of comparing insurance prices online is you can get cheap car insurance rates and still choose a local agent.
After filling out this short form, the coverage information is transmitted to local insurance agents in Oakland who will give you quotes to get your business. You won’t even need to even leave your home since price quotes are sent to you instantly. Get lower rates AND a local agent. If you wish to compare prices for a specific company, you would need to visit that company’s website and submit a quote form there.
Selecting an insurance company shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Here are some questions to ask:
- Can you contact them at any time?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in California?
- Will the agent or a CSR service your policy?
- What is the financial rating for the quoted company?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
Your situation helps dictate your coverage
When buying your policy, there really isn’t a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is a little different so your insurance needs to address that.
These are some specific questions could help you determine if your situation could use an agent’s help.
- Will damage be repaired with OEM parts?
- Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
- How long can I keep a teen driver on my policy?
- Can my babysitter drive my car?
- When should I have rental car coverage?
- Are my company tools covered if they get stolen?
- What does roadside assistance cover?
- How does medical payments coverage work?
- Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
Auto insurance specifics
Understanding the coverages of your auto insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are the usual coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Coverage for medical expenses
Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for expenses for chiropractic care, funeral costs, EMT expenses and dental work. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive auto insurance
This will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like fire damage, hitting a deer, damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from flooding and hitting a bird. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Cadillac CTS.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 15/30/5), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family.
Coverage for collisions
Collision insurance pays for damage to your CTS caused by collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for claims such as colliding with another moving vehicle, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible on your CTS to bring the cost down.
Liability auto insurance
Liability coverage provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people that is your fault. It protects you from claims by other people. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: 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 which means $15,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $30,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $5,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability insurance covers things like repair costs for stationary objects, medical services and funeral expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as much as you can afford. California state minimum liability requirements are 15/30/5 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.
The illustration below shows why buying the state minimum limits may not be enough coverage.
Shop around and save
When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage and found out when filing a claim that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your objective should be to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to get a better price on Cadillac CTS insurance in Oakland. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding cheaper Oakland auto insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from an unexpected company. They can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.
Affordable Cadillac CTS insurance in Oakland can be found online and with local Oakland insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not offer rate quotes online and most of the time these small, regional companies prefer to sell through independent insurance agencies.
Other resources
- Comprehensive Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for a Hyundai Sonata in Oakland? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for a 20 Year Old Female in Oakland? (FAQ)
- How Much are Oakland Car Insurance Rates for a Jeep Grand Cherokee? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance for a Nissan Versa in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Crash Avoidance Technologies FAQ (iihs.org)
- How Does Hitting a Deer Impact Insurance Rates? (Allstate)
- Senior Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
- Neck Injury FAQ (iihs.org)