Are you searching for cheaper insurance rates in Oakland, CA? Oakland drivers have options when trying to find the lowest priced Acura ILX insurance. You can either waste hours struggling with agents trying to get quotes or leverage the internet to get rate quotes.
There are more efficient ways to shop for insurance and you need to know the best way to quote coverages for a Acura and get the cheapest rates from both online companies and Oakland agents.
Our objective is to instruct you on how auto insurance companies operate and some tips to save money. If you already have coverage, you will surely be able to reduce premiums using the following tips. Drivers just need to understand the most time-saving way to get comparison quotes using one simple form.
What Impacts Acura ILX Insurance Premiums?
Many things are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Some are obvious like a motor vehicle report, but some are not quite as obvious like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating. It’s important that you understand the different types of things that aid in calculating your premiums. When you understand what determines base rates, this enables you to make decisions that may reward you with lower premium levels.
Shown below are some of the most common factors auto insurance companies consider when setting prices.
- Vehicles with better crash test results means lower premiums – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and lower injury rates means your insurance company pays less and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Bump up deductibles to lower rates – The deductibles represent how much money the insured will be required to pay if you file a covered claim. Insurance for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims would be rear-ending another vehicle, damage from fire, and damage from wind. The larger the amount you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the better rate you will receive.
- Lower miles driven equals lower premium – The higher the miles on your Acura annually the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies apply a rate determined by how the vehicle is used. Autos not used for work or commuting receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Incorrect rating for your ILX may be costing you. Ask your agent if your declarations sheet is rated on annual mileage, because it can save money.
- Expect high rates for teens – Older drivers are proven to be safer behind the wheel, statistically cause fewer accidents, and get fewer tickets. Drivers with little experience have been known to be less responsible when behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates.
- Gender and insurance coverage rates – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. That doesn’t necessarily mean that males are worse at driving than females. Men and women are responsible for accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also statistically get higher numbers of serious violations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
- More traffic means higher claims – Having an address in smaller towns and rural areas of the country has definite advantages when talking about auto insurance. Urban drivers regularly have more auto accidents and longer commutes to work. Fewer drivers and short commutes means a lower chance of having an accident in addition to fewer liability claims.
-
Acura ILX insurance claim data – Companies analyze historical claim data to help calculate premium rates. Vehicles that historically have higher loss trends will be charged more to insure. The table below shows the historical loss data for Acura ILX vehicles.
For each policy coverage, the statistical loss for all vehicles, regardless of manufacturer or model, is represented as 100. Percentages below 100 suggest a positive loss record, while numbers above 100 point to more losses or an increased chance of larger losses than average.
Insurance Loss Ratings for Acura ILX Vehicles Specific Acura Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Acura ILX 96 94 83 112 111 97 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEData Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Verify you’re getting every discount
Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the next list breaks down some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits that you can use to lower your rates.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Simply owning a home can get you a discount since home ownership shows financial diligence.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates as compared to drivers with claims.
- Drive Less and Save – Keeping the miles down on your Acura may allow you to get slightly better prices than normal.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts may get savings of 20 to 30 percent.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars that have anti-lock braking systems can avoid accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Renewal Discounts – A few insurance companies allow discounts for switching companies early. You can save around 10% with this discount.
- Discount for Life Insurance – If the company offers life insurance, you could get a discount if you purchase some life insurance too.
- Good Grades Discount – This discount can save 20 to 25%. Most companies allow this discount up until you turn 25.
- Theft Deterrent – Cars and trucks equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen and can earn a small discount on your policy.
Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, nobody gets a free ride.
Popular insurance companies and the discounts they provide can be read below.
- State Farm includes discounts for good student, accident-free, Drive Safe & Save, anti-theft, passive restraint, and multiple autos.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts including homeowner, early shopping, business and professional, good student, and bundle discounts.
- GEICO offers discounts for daytime running lights, anti-lock brakes, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, and seat belt use.
- American Family may offer discounts for air bags, good student, good driver, Steer into Savings, and bundled insurance.
- Nationwide may have discounts that include defensive driving, good student, family plan, multi-policy, and easy pay.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including multi-policy, online quote discount, good student, homeowner, continuous coverage, and multi-vehicle.
When comparing rates, check with each insurance company how you can save money. Discounts might not be available to policyholders in your state. To see a list of insurance companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in California, click this link.
Don’t give up on cheaper rates
You just learned many ways to lower your Acura ILX insurance prices in Oakland. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote Oakland car insurance, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest prices come from a lesser-known regional company.
More affordable insurance in Oakland is possible both online as well as from independent agents in Oakland, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies may not have online quoting and usually these regional carriers sell through independent agencies.
Drivers who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including policy cancellation, questionable increases in premium, poor customer service or even delays in paying claims. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching companies can be less work than you think.
Steps to finding affordable quotes for Acura ILX insurance in Oakland
It takes a few minutes, but the best way to find low-cost prices for Acura ILX insurance is to compare prices at least once a year from insurers who provide car insurance in Oakland. You can compare rates by following these guidelines.
- Step 1: Spend some time learning about the coverage provided by your policy and the factors you can control to lower rates. Many things that are responsible for high rates such as getting speeding tickets and a less-than-favorable credit history can be rectified by making minor changes to your lifestyle.
- Step 2: Request price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive or State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote prices from multiple companies.
- Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if a cheaper rate is available in Oakland. If you find a lower rate and switch companies, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
- Step 4: Notify your current company of your intent to cancel the current policy and submit payment and a signed application to the new company. As soon as you can, safely store the certificate of insurance in your vehicle’s glove compartment or console.
The key aspect of shopping around is to compare the same level of coverage on every quote request and and to get rate quotes from all possible companies. Doing this ensures a level playing field and a good representation of prices.
Even more information can be read in the articles below:
- Protecting Teens from Drunk Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has the Cheapest Oakland Auto Insurance Quotes for Ride Shares? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a Ford F-150 in Oakland? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Oakland Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers with Good Credit? (FAQ)
- Vehicle Insurance in the U.S. (Wikipedia)
- What is a Telematics Device? (Allstate)
- How Much Auto Coverage do I Need? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Think You’re a Safe Driver? (State Farm)