Did a good deal turn into high-priced Pontiac GTO insurance in San Jose? You’re in good company because many San Jose drivers have buyer’s remorse.
It’s safe to conclude that car insurance companies don’t want their customers to go rate shopping. Drivers who compare price quotes will probably switch auto insurance companies because they stand a good chance of finding good coverage at a lower price. A recent survey found that consumers who regularly compared rates saved $850 each year compared to other drivers who never shopped for cheaper rates.
If finding the cheapest rates on car insurance in San Jose is the reason you’re here, then having some knowledge of how to find companies and compare insurance can save time, money, and frustration.
You have multiple insurers to buy insurance from, and although it’s nice to have a choice, lots of choices makes it harder to adequately compare rates for Pontiac GTO insurance in San Jose.
It is always a good idea to compare rates on a regular basis since insurance rates are usually higher with each renewal. Even if you think you had the lowest rate on Pontiac GTO insurance in San Jose two years ago you will most likely find a better price today. You’ll find a ton of advice on GTO insurance online, but in a few minutes you can learn some tested techniques to lower your auto insurance premiums.
Locating the most cost-effective auto insurance policy in San Jose is much easier if you have a good place to start. If you have a policy now, you should be able to lower your rates using the techniques covered below. Although California vehicle owners benefit from understanding how insurance companies price insurance differently because rates fluctuate considerably.
Lower rate quotes on Pontiac GTO insurance in San Jose with these auto insurance discounts
Companies don’t necessarily list all possible discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the list below contains a few of the more well known as well as the least known auto insurance savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you could be getting lower rates.
- Membership in Organizations – Affiliation with certain professional organizations may earn a discount on your next auto insurance statement.
- Sign Online – A few companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy digitally online.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Driving fewer miles may enable drivers to earn lower premium rates due to less chance of an accident.
- Anti-lock Brake Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have anti-lock braking systems are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Resident Student – Older children living away from San Jose attending college and don’t have a car could qualify for this discount.
- Military Rewards – Being deployed in the military could mean lower prices.
- Good Drivers – Drivers without accidents could pay up to 40% less than drivers with accident claims.
- Good Grades Discount – A discount for being a good student may save you up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though it sounds like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it’s just not the way it works.
The best auto insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer include:
- American Family policyholders can earn discounts including Steer into Savings, early bird, bundled insurance, good driver, and accident-free.
- State Farm has savings for defensive driving training, driver’s education, good student, Steer Clear safe driver discount, anti-theft, and accident-free.
- 21st Century offers discounts including student driver, anti-lock brakes, driver training, automatic seat belts, air bags, defensive driver, and 55 and older.
- Travelers may have discounts that include new car, driver training, home ownership, multi-policy, and student away at school.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for seat belt use, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, driver training, and defensive driver.
If you are trying to find affordable Pontiac GTO insurance quotes, ask each company or agent which discounts they offer. A few discounts may not be available in your state. To choose auto insurance companies who offer free Pontiac GTO insurance quotes in California, click here.
Where can I get cheap San Jose Pontiac GTO insurance?
When comparison shopping, there are several ways of comparing rates from companies that offer car insurance in California. The best way to compare rates is to use the internet to compare rates.
Online shopping is fast and free, and it takes the place of having to call or drive to insurance agents’ offices. The fact that you can get quotes online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you’re the type of person who wants the professional assistance of a licensed agent. Drivers can compare the best prices online but buy the policy through an agent. When price shopping your coverage, comparing a wide range of rates helps increase your odds of locating more affordable insurance.
The following companies are ready to provide price comparisons in California. If multiple companies are shown, it’s highly recommended you visit several of them to get the lowest price.
How to Lower Your Insurance Premiums
One of the most helpful ways to save on insurance is to to have a grasp of the different types of things that go into determining the rates you pay for insurance. When you understand what determines premiums, this allows you to make good choices that can earn you lower premium levels. Multiple criteria are used when you get a price on insurance. Most are fairly basic such as traffic violations, but others are more obscure such as whether you are married or how safe your car is.
The list below includes a few of the things that factor into rates.
- Costs are impacted by vehicle performance – The performance level of the car you need insurance for makes a huge difference in your premium level. The lowest premiums will normally be found when insuring the lowest performance passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Do you really need roadside assistance? – There are many additional coverages that you can buy on your GTO policy. Add-on coverages like rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage, and extra life insurance coverage are examples of these. They may sound like good ideas when you first buy your policy, but if you’ve never needed them in the past eliminate them to save money.
- Lower rates with a multi-policy discount – Most major insurance companies afford a discount for people that purchase more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you already get this discount, it’s still a good idea to check prices from other companies to help ensure you have the lowest rates.
- Vehicles with better crash test results cost less to insure – Safe vehicles cost less to insure. The safest vehicles reduce the chance of injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates directly to fewer claims passed on to you as lower rates.
- Lower premiums with GPS tracking and theft deterrents – Owning a car with advanced anti-theft systems can help lower your rates. Anti-theft features like OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms help track and prevent auto theft.
- Never let your insurance policy lapse – Having a gap between insurance policy dates is a fast way to pay more for insurance. In addition to paying higher premiums, failure to provide proof of insurance may earn you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license. Then you may be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the California motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
How do I know if I need professional advice?
When choosing coverage online or from an agent, there is no one size fits all plan. Your situation is unique and your insurance should unique, too. These are some specific questions can aid in determining whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Am I insured when driving a different vehicle?
- When would I need additional glass coverage?
- What if I total my Pontiac GTO and owe more than it’s worth?
- Is my Pontiac GTO covered for flood damage?
- Is motorclub coverage worth it?
- Is other people’s property covered if stolen from my vehicle?
- Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
- When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
- Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
- Should I rate my Pontiac GTO as pleasure use or commute?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area.
What if I want to buy from local San Jose car insurance agents?
Certain consumers would rather visit with an insurance agent. A nice benefit of comparing insurance online is the fact that drivers can get cheap rate quotes but still work with a licensed agent.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this simple form, your insurance data is immediately sent to participating agents in San Jose that give free quotes for your insurance coverage. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to contact any insurance agencies due to the fact that quote results will go directly to you. You can most likely find cheaper rates and work with a local agent. If you have a need to get a rate quote from one company in particular, you can always navigate to their website and complete a quote there.
Finding the right insurance company should depend on more than just a low price. These are some questions you should get answers to.
- Does the agent help file claims?
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- How often do they review coverages?
- How are they compensated?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
- How will an accident affect your rates?
How to choose the best car insurance agent in San Jose
If you are wanting to purchase insurance from a reputable agency, it’s important to understand the different types of agencies and how they are slightly different. Insurance agents are categorized either exclusive agents or independent agents.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Exclusive agencies can only write with one company and examples are State Farm, AAA, and Liberty Mutual. Exclusive agents cannot compare rates from other companies so you might not find the best rates. They receive extensive training on their company’s products which can be an advantage.
Shown below is a list of exclusive insurance agents in San Jose willing to provide rate quotes.
Allstate Insurance: Valentine Deleon
1425 Foxworthy Ave b – San Jose, CA 95118 – (408) 266-8500 – View Map
Doug Kim – State Farm Insurance Agent
1361 S Winchester Blvd #107 – San Jose, CA 95128 – (408) 370-2008 – View Map
Jim Edington – State Farm Insurance Agent
361 Piercy Rd – San Jose, CA 95138 – (408) 225-2463 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
These agents are not locked into one company and that is an advantage because they can write policies with multiple insurance companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can switch companies which is easy for the insured. If you are trying to find cheaper rates, you will want to get quotes from a couple of independent agencies in order to have the best price comparison.
Shown below are independent insurance agencies in San Jose that are able to give price quotes.
Gatewood Insurance Agency Inc
1095 Bird Ave #2 – San Jose, CA 95125 – (408) 298-1611 – View Map
Filice Insurance Agency
738 N 1st St – San Jose, CA 95112 – (408) 350-5700 – View Map
Taylor Benefits Insurance Agency
4820 Harwood Rd #130 – San Jose, CA 95124 – (408) 358-7502 – View Map
Three main reasons to buy car insurance
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Pontiac in San Jose, buying car insurance may be mandatory for several reasons.
First, almost all states have minimum liability requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry specific minimum amounts of liability coverage if you want to drive legally. 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 lien on your GTO, more than likely the lender will require you to have comprehensive coverage to guarantee loan repayment. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Pontiac at a much higher rate and force you to pay the higher premium.
Third, car insurance preserves your car and your assets. Insurance will also pay for medical transport and hospital expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of insuring your car more than cancel out the cost, especially when you need to use it. On average, a vehicle owner in San Jose is overpaying over $855 a year so it’s important to compare rates at every policy renewal to make sure the price is not too high.
Shop around and save
Lower-priced car insurance in San Jose is possible online and also from your neighborhood San Jose agents, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies may not have price quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through independent agents.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of information how to compare Pontiac GTO insurance rates in San Jose. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even find the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies. These companies often have lower auto insurance rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like State Farm or Progressive.
How to find cheaper Pontiac GTO insurance in San Jose
If you want to save the most money, the best way to find cheaper auto insurance rates is to start comparing prices regularly from insurance carriers who provide car insurance in San Jose.
First, take a few minutes and learn about policy coverages and the steps you can take to prevent expensive coverage. Many risk factors that increase rates such as getting speeding tickets and poor credit rating can be amended by being financially responsible and driving safely.
Second, request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only quote rates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide price quotes for many different companies. View rates
Third, compare the new rate quotes to your current policy premium to determine if switching companies saves money. If you can save some money, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
An essential thing to point out is to use identical coverage information on each price quote and and to get price quotes from as many car insurance companies as possible. Doing this enables a fair price comparison and a thorough price selection.
Additional detailed information is available in the articles below:
- Distracted Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for High School Students in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for a Ford Fusion in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Preventing Carjacking and Theft (Insurance Information Institute)
- Uninsured Motorists: Threats on the Road (Insurance Information Institute)
- Eight Auto Insurance Myths (Insurance Information Institute)
- Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)