It’s safe to conclude that car insurance companies don’t want policyholders to compare prices from other companies. People who compare other prices will, in all likelihood, buy a new policy because there is a great chance of finding a cheaper policy. A survey found that consumers who compared prices regularly saved over $865 a year compared to drivers who don’t make a habit of comparing rates.
If finding the best rates on auto insurance in San Jose is your ultimate target, then knowing the best ways to shop for auto insurance can help you be more efficient.
If you want to save the most money, the best way to get budget Chevy Venture insurance in San Jose is to compare prices annually from companies in California. This can be done by completing these steps.
- Step 1: Get an understanding of the coverage provided by your policy and the things you can control to keep rates down. Many factors that are responsible for high rates such as accidents, traffic violations, and an imperfect credit score can be amended by making minor changes in your lifestyle. Read the full article for ideas to help keep rates affordable and get discounts that may be available to you.
- Step 2: Get rate quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can provide rates from one company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agents can provide price quotes from multiple insurance companies. Get quotes now
- Step 3: Compare the price quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you can save money and buy the policy, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
One piece of advice is to compare the same deductibles and limits on every quote and and to get rate quotes from as many companies as you can. This enables a fair price comparison and the most accurate and complete price analysis.
Our objective in writing this article is to instruct you on the best way to buy inexpensive auto insurance and how to save the most money. If you’re already insured, you will be able to save money using the following tips. But California car owners can benefit from knowing the way insurance companies price insurance differently and use this information to your advantage.
The best way we recommend to compare rate quotes for Chevy Venture insurance in San Jose is to realize most of the bigger providers provide online access to give rate comparisons. The only thing you need to do is give them rating details such as if you’re married, whether the vehicles are used for commuting, if you went to college, and daily mileage. The rating information is sent automatically to insurance carriers in your area and they provide comparison quotes with very little delay.
To find lower cheap Chevy Venture insurance rates now, click here and complete the quick form.
The providers in the list below can provide free quotes in California. If the list has multiple companies, we suggest you visit as many as you can to get a more complete price comparison.
Why do I need car insurance?
Despite the potentially high cost of Chevy Venture insurance, buying insurance may be required and benefits you in several ways.
- Just about all states have minimum liability requirements which means you are required to carry specific minimum amounts of liability insurance 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 bought your vehicle with a loan, more than likely the lender will have a requirement that you have comprehensive coverage to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank will be required to insure your Chevy at a more expensive rate and force you to pay the higher price.
- Insurance preserves both your car and your assets. It will also pay for many types of medical costs for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability coverage also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you cause an accident and are sued. If your Chevy gets damaged, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of carrying enough insurance definitely exceed the price paid, particularly for liability claims. Today the average American driver overpays more than $820 a year so it’s important to compare rates at every policy renewal to ensure rates are inline.
How You Can Control Chevy Venture Insurance Prices
When buying insurance it’s important to understand some of the factors that are used to determine insurance rates. If you have some idea of what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that could help you find lower premium levels. Lots of factors are considered when pricing auto insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving history, but others are not quite as obvious such as your marital status or how safe your car is.
- Drive less and save – The more you drive your Chevy annually the higher the price you pay to insure it. The majority of insurers charge rates based upon how much you drive. Cars and trucks that do not get driven very much can be on a lower rate level than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Ask your agent if your vehicle rating is showing the correct driver usage. A policy that improperly rates your Venture may be wasting your money.
- Higher deductibles lower costs – Comp and collision deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend before a claim is paid by your company. Insurance for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Examples of covered claims are collision with another vehicle, collision with a deer, and damage caused by road hazards. The larger the amount you have to pay, the better rate you will receive.
- Reduce prices by driving cars with good safety ratings – Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. Vehicles built for safety protect occupants better and lower rates of occupant injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your Chevy Venture is rated at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website you may pay a lower rate.
- Maintain insurance coverage – Driving with no insurance is against the law and insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance lapse. And not only will insurance be more expensive, the inability to provide proof of insurance may earn you a steep fine or even jail time. You could then be forced to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the California motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
Auto insurance policy discounts for Chevy Venture insurance in San Jose
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there could be significant discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. Certain credits will be shown when you quote, but once in a while a discount must be manually applied in order for you to get them.
- No Charge for an Accident – Not necessarily a discount, but certain companies will turn a blind eye to one accident before they charge you more for coverage so long as you are claim-free prior to the accident.
- Homeowners Savings – Being a homeowner can earn you a little savings because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
- New Car Discount – Buying a new car model can be considerably cheaper since newer models have better safety ratings.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars and trucks with ABS braking systems or traction control prevent accidents so companies give up to a 10% discount.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars optioned with advanced anti-theft systems have a lower chance of being stolen and can earn a small discount on your policy.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking a course in safe driver is a good idea and can lower rates if your company offers it.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Not all auto insurance companies offer life insurance, but some may give you better prices if you take out some life insurance too.
It’s important to understand that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. If you do the math and it seems like you can get free auto insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A few of the larger companies and a partial list of their discounts can be found below.
- American Family discounts include TimeAway discount, accident-free, mySafetyValet, good student, good driver, and air bags.
- State Farm may include discounts for driver’s education, defensive driving training, Drive Safe & Save, multiple policy, student away at school, multiple autos, and good student.
- 21st Century includes discounts for anti-lock brakes, good student, teen driver, defensive driver, air bags, and early bird.
- Travelers has discounts for good student, multi-policy, new car, multi-car, payment discounts, and early quote.
- GEICO offers discounts including military active duty, good student, driver training, anti-theft, multi-policy, anti-lock brakes, and defensive driver.
If you are trying to find affordable Chevrolet Venture insurance quotes, ask each company or agent how many discounts you can get. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply in your area. To find insurers that provide some of the discounts listed above in California, follow this link.
What is the best auto insurance coverage?
Always keep in mind that when comparing insurance from an agent or online, there really is no “best” method to buy coverage. Your financial needs are unique.
Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if your insurance needs would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Should I carry comprehensive and collision coverage?
- Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
- Which is better, split liability limits or combined limits?
- Does coverage follow the driver or the vehicle?
- Do I need rental car coverage?
- Is there a penalty for late payment?
- I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
- Do I need replacement cost coverage on my Chevy Venture?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form.
When to have guidance from an insurance agent
Many drivers prefer to talk to an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. A nice benefit of comparing insurance online is the fact that drivers can get lower rates but also keep your business local. And providing support for local agencies is definitely important in San Jose.
For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, the coverage information is submitted to insurance agents in San Jose that can provide free San Jose auto insurance quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You don’t have to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent to you directly. It’s the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from a specific company, feel free to find their quoting web page and submit a quote form there.
When finding a reliable insurance agent, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents and how they can write your policy. Insurance agencies in San Jose are categorized either independent or exclusive.
Independent Agents
These type of agents are not employed by any specific company so they can insure your vehicles with many different companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To move your coverage to a new company, the business is moved internally which makes it simple for you. If you are comparing rate quotes, you absolutely need to get quotes from a couple of independent agencies for maximum quote selection. They also have the ability to place coverage with additional companies that you may not be familiar with who may have lower rates.
Below is a short list of independent agencies in San Jose who can help you get pricing information.
- Nationwide Insurance: Nathan Douglas Gleason Agency
1625 The Alameda Ste 402 – San Jose, CA 95126 – (408) 656-0034 – View Map - Care Insurance Agency Inc
900 N 1st St E – San Jose, CA 95112 – (408) 292-2925 – View Map - Donald Browne Insurance Services
330 W Hedding St #207 – San Jose, CA 95110 – (408) 292-4329 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Exclusive agencies can only provide pricing for a single company and some examples include Farmers Insurance and State Farm. Exclusive agencies are unable to place coverage with different providers so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Exclusive agents are trained well on their company’s products which aids in selling service over price. A lot of people use the same exclusive agent primarily because of the brand rather than having the cheapest rates.
Below is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in San Jose willing to provide rate quotes.
- GEICO Insurance Agent
2195 Monterey Rd #20 – San Jose, CA 95125 – (408) 286-4342 – View Map - Al Olseen – State Farm Insurance Agent
3267 S White Rd – San Jose, CA 95148 – (408) 274-4900 – View Map - Steve Sosnowski – State Farm Insurance Agent
841 Blossom Hill Rd #102 – San Jose, CA 95123 – (408) 629-4700 – View Map
Deciding on an auto insurance agent requires you to look at more than just a low price. These are some questions your agent should answer.
- Do they have adequate Errors and Omissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- If they are an independent agency in San Jose, which companies do they recommend?
- What company do they have the most business with?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Does the agency support the community they serve?
- Will the quote change when the policy is issued?
- How experienced are they in personal risk management?
The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest
Some insurance companies may not have the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these smaller providers prefer to sell through independent agencies. Discount Chevy Venture insurance can be sourced both online as well as from insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection.
While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, an insured cut liability coverage limits only to regret that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Drivers change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as questionable increases in premium, delays in responding to claim requests, lack of trust in their agent and being labeled a high risk driver. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new company is not as difficult as it may seem.
More information is located below:
- Crash Avoidance Technologies FAQ (iihs.org)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for a Nissan Versa in San Jose? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for a School Permit in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable San Jose Auto Insurance for a Dodge Ram? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for Drivers Under 25 in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Good Students in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for College Graduates in San Jose? (FAQ)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for a Hyundai Elantra in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Older Driver Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Understanding your Policy (NAIC.org)
- How to Avoid Staged Accidents (State Farm)
- How Does Hitting a Deer Impact Insurance Rates? (Allstate)