We don’t have to tell you that insurance companies don’t want you comparing rates. Insureds who shop around for cheaper price quotes are likely to switch companies because there is a good probability of finding good coverage at a lower price. A recent survey revealed that people who regularly compared price quotes saved on average $3,500 over four years compared to policyholders who never shopped around for lower prices.
If finding the lowest price on auto insurance is your target objective, then having a good understanding how to shop for insurance coverage can save time, money, and frustration.
The easiest way to get cheaper Pontiac G5 insurance is to compare quotes annually from companies that sell auto insurance in San Jose.
- Step 1: Get a basic knowledge of how your policy works and the things you can change to lower rates. Many factors that drive up the price such as speeding tickets, accidents and poor credit can be controlled by making minor changes in your lifestyle.
- Step 2: Obtain price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give prices from one company like GEICO and State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide prices for a wide range of insurance providers.
- Step 3: Compare the price quotes to your existing policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a better price, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
- Step 4: Notify your agent or company of your intent to cancel the current policy and submit a completed policy application and payment for your new policy. When you receive it, place your new certificate of insurance with your vehicle’s registration.
The key aspect of shopping around is to use identical coverages on every quote and and to get quotes from as many carriers as you can. This guarantees an apples-to-apples comparison and and a good selection of different prices.
Cheapest companies for Pontiac G5 insurance
The auto insurance companies shown below can provide quotes in California. If multiple providers are shown, we suggest you click on several of them in order to find the cheapest rates.
Seven Things That Impact Your Insurance Premiums
Smart consumers have a good feel for a few of the rating criteria that aid in calculating the level of your policy premiums. When you understand what controls the rates you pay, this enables you to make decisions that will entitle you to lower premium levels.
The list below includes just a few of the factors used by insurance companies to determine your premiums.
Youthful drivers pay higher prices – Young drivers in California are statistically shown to be inattentive and easily distracted when at the wheel of a vehicle and because of this, their insurance rates are much higher. Older, more experienced drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to file fewer claims, and receive fewer citations.
Prices go up with performance – The make and model of the vehicle you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a significant difference in your auto insurance rates. Economy passenger vehicles generally receive the lowest base rates, but that’s not the only thing that factors into the final price.
Poor credit decisions can cost you – A driver’s credit history is a big factor in calculating your insurance rates. If your credit is low, you could be paying less to insure your Pontiac G5 if you improve your credit rating. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit scores.
Insurance premiums and driver gender – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes get in at-fault accidents in similar numbers, but the males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also statistically get higher numbers of serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Young men ages 16 to 20 are most likely to cause an accident and therefore have the most expensive insurance rates.
Choose high NHTSA crash test ratings and save – Vehicles that have high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and better occupant protection means less money paid by your insurance company and cheaper rates on your policy. If your Pontiac G5 is rated at a minimum four stars on Safercar.gov you may be receiving a better rate.
Where you live is a factor – Residing in small towns and rural areas can be a good thing when talking about insurance. Fewer drivers on the road corresponds to lower accident rates and a lower car theft rate. People who live in big cities have to deal with congested traffic and much longer commute distances. Higher commute times means a statistically higher chance of an accident.
File policy claims and pay more – If you frequently file small claims, you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Companies in California provide discounts to drivers that do not abuse their auto insurance. Your insurance policy is intended to be relied upon for claims that you cannot pay yourself.
Save with these discounts on Pontiac G5 insurance in San Jose
Companies do not advertise every available discount very clearly, so we researched some of the best known and the harder-to-find credits that you can use to lower your rates.
- Smart Student Discounts – Excelling in school may save as much as 25% on a San Jose auto insurance quote. Earning this discount can benefit you until age 25.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
- Telematics Data – Insureds that choose to allow their auto insurance company to spy on driving manner by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as In-Drive from State Farm or Allstate’s Drivewise system could save a few bucks if they have good driving habits.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts can save a little off the personal injury premium cost.
- First Accident Forgiveness – Not a discount per se, but some companies like Allstate and GEICO will allow you to have one accident without getting socked with a rate hike if you are claim-free prior to being involved in the accident.
- Auto/Home Discount – If you combine your homeowners and auto policies with one insurance company you may earn nearly 15% which can help you find affordable Pontiac G5 insurance rates in San Jose.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with ABS braking systems or traction control prevent accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll and complete driver’s education in school or through a local driver safety program.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking a driver safety course may get you a small discount depending on where you live.
- Organization Discounts – Participating in a civic or occupational organization in San Jose is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for auto insurance.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount should definitely cut your overall bill.
The best auto insurance companies and some of the discounts are shown below.
- 21st Century policyholders can earn discounts including teen driver, good student, defensive driver, early bird, student driver, anti-lock brakes, and homeowners.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for good student, online signing, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, multi-policy, and continuous coverage.
- State Farm discounts include good driver, Drive Safe & Save, passive restraint, defensive driving training, anti-theft, multiple autos, and student away at school.
- Nationwide offers discounts including family plan, anti-theft, Farm Bureau membership, business or organization, multi-policy, and accident-free.
- Esurance may have discounts that include multi-car, anti-theft, multi-policy, good student, anti-lock brakes, and safety device.
- The Hartford may include discounts for anti-theft, vehicle fuel type, driver training, defensive driver, air bag, and bundle.
Double check with all companies you are considering which discounts they offer. Some of the discounts discussed earlier might not be available to policyholders in your area.
Car insurance agents can give valuable advice
Some consumers just prefer to talk to an insurance agent and doing so can bring peace of mind One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is that you can find cheap insurance quotes and still buy from a local agent.
Upon completion of this quick form, your insurance coverage information is submitted to agents in your area who will give you quotes for your coverage. There is no reason to contact any agents since rate quotes are delivered to your email. You can most likely find cheaper rates AND a local agent. In the event you want to get a comparison quote from a particular provider, feel free to find their quoting web page to submit a rate quote request.
Deciding on an provider requires you to look at more than just a cheap price. You should also get answers to these questions.
- How long have they been in business?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- What company holds the largest book of business for them?
- Is the agent CPCU or CIC certified?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
When finding a local insurance agency, it’s important to understand the different agency structures and how they function. Agents can either be exclusive agents or independent agents.
Exclusive Agents
These type of agents work for only one company such as State Farm, Allstate, or Farmers Insurance. These agents are not able to shop your coverage around so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. Exclusive agents receive a lot of sales training on the products they sell and that can be a competitive advantage.
The following is a short list of exclusive agencies in San Jose who can help you get price quotes.
Dennis Stroup – State Farm Insurance Agent
6455 Almaden Expy Ste 103 – San Jose, CA 95120 – (408) 268-7800 – View Map
Allstate Insurance: David Tofig
6116 Camino Verde Dr Ste 9 – San Jose, CA 95119 – (408) 281-9190 – View Map
Joe Fiorentino – State Farm Insurance Agent
1153 Redmond Ave Ste C – San Jose, CA 95120 – (408) 927-7526 – View Map
Independent Agents
These type of agents do not write with just one company so they can insure your vehicles through lots of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, your policy is moved internally and you don’t have to find a new agent. If you need cheaper insurance rates, you definitely need to get some free quotes from several independent agencies in order to compare the most rates.
Listed below is a short list of independent agencies in San Jose who can help you get comparison quotes.
Cya Insurance Agency From Sn
1271 Story Rd #50 – San Jose, CA 95122 – (408) 971-4172 – View Map
Filice Insurance Agency
738 N 1st St – San Jose, CA 95112 – (408) 350-5700 – View Map
San Jose Insurance
2542 S Bascom Ave – Campbell, CA 95008 – (408) 371-3700 – View Map
You can lower your insurance rates
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out that it was a big error on their part. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at the best cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
You just learned a lot of techniques to lower your Pontiac G5 insurance premium rates in San Jose. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest premium rates are with an unexpected company. These companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost than their larger competitors like Progressive or GEICO.
More detailed insurance information can be read in the articles below:
- Vehicle Insurance in the U.S. (Wikipedia)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for a Ford F-150 in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Rates for 18 Year Olds in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for Police Officers in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Welfare Recipients in San Jose? (FAQ)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for a Company Car in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Homeowners in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Frontal Crash Tests (iihs.org)
- Tread Depth and Tire Safety (State Farm)