It’s hard to fathom, but over 70% of consumers kept their coverage with the same insurance company for over three years, and virtually 40% of consumers have never even shopped around for lower-cost coverage. Drivers in San Jose could save as much as $500 each year just by getting comparison quotes, but they assume it’s a waste of time to shop around.
The easiest way to get discount car insurance rates in San Jose is to annually compare prices from providers that sell auto insurance in California.
First, take a few minutes and learn about the coverage provided by your policy and the measures you can take to prevent rate increases. Many factors that result in higher rates like careless driving and bad credit can be improved by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.
Second, quote rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agencies can provide prices from multiple insurance companies.
Third, compare the price quotes to your existing policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you can save some money and change companies, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
One thing to remember is to compare identical coverages on every quote request and to quote with as many car insurance companies as possible. This enables a fair rate comparison and plenty of rates choose from.
If you are already insured or need new coverage, use these tips to lower your rates and still have adequate protection. The goal of this article is to teach you the most effective ways to compare rates and how you can save the most money. Smart shoppers just need to know the proper methods to compare price quotes on the web.
Finding cheap insurance prices is not a difficult process. All that’s required is to spend a few minutes on the computer comparing rate quotes to find out which insurance company has the cheapest Audi A3 rate quotes.
The companies shown below can provide quotes in California. If the list has multiple companies, we recommend you compare several of them to find the most affordable car insurance rates.
Car insurance just makes sense
Despite the high cost, insurance is not optional due to several reasons.
First, most states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a specific level of liability coverage in order to be legal. 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 Audi A3, almost every bank will have a requirement that you buy insurance to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Audi for a lot more money and force you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.
Third, insurance protects both your vehicle and your personal assets. It will also pay for many types of medical costs for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, also covers legal expenses in the event you are sued. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of insuring your car definitely exceed the price paid, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. According to a 2015 survey, the average American driver overpays as much as $825 a year so shop around every year to be sure current rates are still competitive.
Audi A3 coverage analysis
The rate information shown below highlights different insurance premium costs for Audi A3 models. Having insight into how policy rates are figured helps drivers make decisions when choosing a new policy provider.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A3 2.0T Premium Package | $162 | $354 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,080 | $90 |
| A3 2.0T Premium Plus Package | $162 | $354 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,080 | $90 |
| A3 2.0T Quattro | $184 | $354 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,102 | $92 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Above prices assume married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Prices do not factor in garaging location in San Jose which can revise prices substantially.
Driving violations and accidents
The diagram below highlights how speeding tickets and at-fault claims influence Audi A3 insurance prices for different age groups. Data assumes a married female driver, full coverage, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
Audi A3 full coverage rates compared to liability only
The information below illustrates the difference between Audi A3 insurance costs with full coverage compared to only the California minimum liability coverage. The rates are based on no accidents or driving violations, $100 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.
Should you be buying full coverage?
There is no set rule to stop paying for physical damage insurance, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s say your Audi A3 settlement value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most your company will settle for is $7,000 after you pay the deductible. If premiums are more than $700 a year for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.
There are a few cases where only buying liability is not in your best interest. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you are required to maintain full coverage as part of the loan requirements. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not eliminate full coverage.
Lower rate quotes on Audi A3 insurance in San Jose with these discounts
Car insurance companies don’t always publicize every discount available very well, so the following list contains a few of the more common as well as the least known insurance savings.
- Memberships – Joining a civic or occupational organization in San Jose could earn you a nice discount on your next renewal.
- Responsible Drivers – Drivers without accidents may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.
- Discount for Passive Restraints – Cars that have air bags or motorized seat belts may get savings up to 30%.
- Switch and Save Discount – Some companies provide a discount for switching to them before your current expiration date. It could save around 10% when you buy San Jose car insurance online.
- Claim Free – Claim-free drivers have much lower rates in comparison with bad drivers.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Select insurance carriers reward you with lower rates if you buy life insurance.
- E-sign Discounts – A few insurance companies give back up to $50 for completing your application on the web.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle up before driving can save up to 10 percent (depending on the company) off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Driving Data Discount – Drivers that enable their company to analyze driving habits by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system could save a few bucks if they exhibit good driving behavior.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles and place coverage with the same company you may earn at least 10% off all policies.
One thing to note about discounts is that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Some only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.
The diagram below shows the comparison of Audi A3 insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The rate quotes are based on a female driver, no violations or claims, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with marriage, safe-driver, multi-car, homeowner, multi-policy, and claim-free discounts applied.
Some of the larger companies that may have most of the discounts above are:
It’s a good idea to ask every company which credits you are entitled to. Some discounts might not be offered everywhere. If you would like to see a list of companies offering insurance discounts in California, click here.
Your situation helps dictate your coverage
When selecting insurance from an agent or online, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that.
These are some specific questions can help discover if your insurance needs might need professional guidance.
- What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
- Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
- Does my policy cover me when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
- Why am I required to buy liability insurance?
- Are my custom wheels covered?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.