It goes without saying that insurance companies don’t want customers comparing rates. People who shop around for the cheapest rate are likely to buy a new policy because there is a high probability of finding a more affordable policy premium. Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that drivers who compared prices regularly saved as much as $70 a month compared to those who never shopped around.
If finding the lowest price on auto insurance is the reason you’re here, then learning about how to shop for auto insurance can make it easier for you to save money.
The recommended way to get budget auto insurance rates is to compare prices regularly from companies who provide car insurance in San Jose.
First, gain an understanding of what coverages are included in your policy and the things you can change to keep rates down. Many policy risk factors that are responsible for high rates like tickets, at-fault accidents, and a substandard credit history can be amended by making minor changes in your lifestyle.
Second, request price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only give rate quotes from a single company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes from multiple insurance companies.
Third, compare the price quotes to the price on your current policy to determine if you can save on Grand Prix insurance in San Jose. If you find a better price, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
Fourth, provide adequate notice to your current company of your decision to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit a signed application and payment to your new insurance company. Make sure you keep your new certificate verifying coverage with the vehicle registration.
A good piece of advice is to compare similar coverage information on each price quote and and to get rates from as many different companies as possible. This helps ensure a fair price comparison and a complete price analysis.
When shopping for Pontiac Grand Prix insurance in San Jose there are multiple ways to get quotes from insurance companies in your area. The fastest way to compare rates consists of shopping online.
Comparing free quotes online is easy and it, takes the place of having to spend time driving to insurance agents’ offices. The internet has reduced the need for local agents unless your situation requires the professional abilities of a local agency. Some companies do allow you to comparison shop your insurance online but have a local agent actually write the policy.
It’s important to know that obtaining a wide range of quotes increases your odds of finding more affordable insurance. Not every company allows you to get online rate quotes, so it’s important to compare quotes from the smaller companies as well.
The providers in the list below are our best choices to provide quotes in California. If more than one company is shown, it’s highly recommended you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Car insurance discounts are available to cut your rates
Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but you may qualify for discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but a few must be inquired about in order for you to get them.
- No Accidents – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims pay much less compared to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars that have anti-lock braking systems can stop better under adverse conditions and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Auto/Home Discount – If you can combine your auto and homeowners policy and insure them with the same company you may earn nearly 15% which can help you find affordable Pontiac Grand Prix insurance rates in San Jose.
- Early Renewal Discounts – A few companies give discounts for switching policies prior to your current Grand Prix insurance policy expiring. You can save around 10% with this discount.
- Discounts for Government Workers – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% with select insurance companies.
Don’t be surprised that most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.
To choose insurance companies who offer discounts in San Jose, click this link.
When to contact an insurance agent
Some people prefer to talk to an insurance agent and that is a smart decision The biggest benefit of comparing car insurance online is you may find better rates and still choose a local agent.
Once you complete this quick form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents that give free quotes to get your business. You never need to contact any agents because quoted prices will be sent immediately to you. You can most likely find cheaper rates and a licensed agent to work with. If you wish to compare prices for a specific company, don’t hesitate to navigate to their website and fill out their quote form.
Picking the best company requires more thought than just the premium amount. These are valid questions to ask:
- How experienced are they in personal risk management?
- How many years have they been established?
- Are aftermarket or OEM parts used to repair vehicles?
- In the event of vehicle damage, can you pick the collision repair facility?
- Does the agent have a valid license to sell insurance in California?
- Does the quote include credit and driving reports?
- Which companies can they place coverage with?
Pick the best car insurance agent in San Jose for you
When looking for local San Jose agents, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents from which to choose. Car insurance agents in San Jose can be classified as either exclusive or independent.
Exclusive Agents
These type of agents generally can only insure with one company and examples are Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. They generally cannot compare other company’s rates so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. They are usually quite knowledgeable on the products they sell which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates.
The following are San Jose exclusive agents who can help you get price quotes.
Andre Nguyen – State Farm Insurance Agent
4990 Speak Ln #220 – San Jose, CA 95118 – (408) 265-8888 – View Map
Rachel Bhan – State Farm Insurance Agent
1625 N Capitol Ave – San Jose, CA 95132 – (408) 272-2629 – View Map
Rolando Suarez – State Farm Insurance Agent
696 E Santa Clara St #110 – San Jose, CA 95112 – (408) 642-1399 – View Map
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Agents that choose to be independent can quote rates with many companies so as a result can place your coverage with a variety of different insurance companies depending on which coverage is best. If your agent finds better pricing, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to switch agencies.
If you are comparing rate quotes, you will want to check rates from a few independent agents so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare.
Listed below is a list of independent agents in San Jose willing to provide price quote information.
San Jose Insurance
2542 S Bascom Ave – Campbell, CA 95008 – (408) 371-3700 – View Map
Cya Insurance Agency From Sn
1271 Story Rd #50 – San Jose, CA 95122 – (408) 971-4172 – View Map
Oasis Insurance Agency Inc. Branch 4
1629 Alum Rock Ave – San Jose, CA 95116 – (408) 929-6111 – View Map
What is the best car insurance coverage?
Always remember that when buying adequate coverage, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different so this has to be addressed.
Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.
- Are rock-chip repairs free?
- Is motorclub coverage worth it?
- Am I covered while delivering pizza?
- What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
- What if I total my Pontiac Grand Prix and owe more than it’s worth?
- Does every company file a SR-22 automatically?
- Do I need higher collision deductibles?
- Who is covered by my policy?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier
How do Insurance Providers Determine Pontiac Grand Prix Insurance Premiums?
The best way to find cheaper insurance is to take a look at some of the factors that come into play when calculating your insurance rates. When you understand what influences your rates, this enables informed choices that could result in lower insurance prices. Many factors are considered when you get a price on insurance. Some are pretty understandable like a motor vehicle report, but others are more obscure such as whether you are married or your vehicle rating.
Shown below are some of the most common factors used by companies to determine rates.
- Eliminate unneeded add-on coverages – Policies have extra add-on coverages that may not really be needed if you aren’t diligent. Things like roadside assistance, accident forgiveness, and extra life insurance coverage could be just wasting money. The coverages may be enticing when buying your policy, but your needs may have changed so consider taking them off your policy.
- Your age impacts your premiums – Drivers with little experience are statistically shown to be inattentive when driving with friends and because of this, their insurance rates are much higher. Older people are more cautious drivers, statistically cause fewer accidents, and get fewer tickets.
- Save money by raising coverage deductibles – Deductibles for physical damage define how much you are willing to pay if a claim is determined to be covered. Insurance for physical damage to your car, aka comp and collision, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims are a windshield broken by a bird, damage caused by hail, and damage from wind. The more damage repair cost the insured has to pay upfront, the lower your rates will be.
- Don’t cut corners with liability protection – The liability section of your policy will protect you in the event that a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not cut corners here.
Protect your Grand Prix and other assets
Despite the high cost of buying insurance for a Pontiac Grand Prix in San Jose, insuring your vehicle may be required and benefits you in several ways.
First, just about all states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means you are required to buy a minimum amount of liability insurance coverage in order to license the vehicle. 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.
Second, if you have a loan on your car, most lenders will make it a condition of the loan that you have full coverage to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you default on your policy, the bank will be required to insure your Pontiac at a more expensive rate and force you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.
Third, insurance safeguards both your car and your assets. It also can pay for medical expenses that are the result of an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, will also pay attorney fees if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, collision and comprehensive coverages will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.
The benefits of buying insurance are definitely more than the cost, especially for larger claims. An average driver in America overpays more than $865 each year so you should quote and compare rates every year to ensure rates are inline.
Affordable insurance rates are out there
In this article, we covered many ways to reduce Pontiac Grand Prix insurance rates online in San Jose. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the biggest savings come from a small mutual company. They may only write in your state and offer lower car insurance rates than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm and Allstate.
Lower-priced insurance in San Jose can be found from both online companies as well as from independent agents in San Jose, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who may not provide price quotes online and these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agencies.
To read more, feel free to visit the articles below:
- Understanding Car Crashes Video (iihs.org)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Unemployed Drivers in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for 4×4 Vehicles in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance for Real Estate Agents in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for College Graduates in San Jose? (FAQ)
- How Much is San Jose Auto Insurance for High Risk Drivers? (FAQ)
- Vehicle Insurance in the U.S. (Wikipedia)
- No-Fault Auto Insurance Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)