It takes a few minutes, but the best way to find affordable quotes for car insurance rates in San Jose is to compare prices regularly from companies who provide auto insurance in California.
- First, gain an understanding of how your policy works and the factors you can control to lower rates. Many rating criteria that drive up the price like speeding tickets, careless driving and an imperfect credit score can be eliminated by making minor changes in your lifestyle. This article provides information to prevent high rates and earn larger discounts.
- Second, request rate estimates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can provide rates from one company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agents can provide prices from multiple sources. Find a San Jose insurance agent
- Third, compare the new quotes to your existing coverage and see if there is a cheaper rate. If you find a lower rate quote and change companies, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
The key thing to remember is to try to compare the same amount of coverage on each price quote and and to compare as many car insurance companies as possible. This provides an apples-to-apples comparison and many rates to choose from.
It’s hard to fathom, but nearly 70% of consumers have been with the same company for at least the last four years, and nearly half have never quoted rates to find cheaper coverage. Consumers in California can save hundreds of dollars each year just by comparing rates, but they don’t know the actual amount they would save if they bought a different policy.
Our objective is to let you in on how auto insurance companies operate and how to save the most money. If you have a current insurance policy, you will definitely be able to shop for the lowest rates using the ideas presented in this article. But California consumers can benefit by having an understanding of how big insurance companies determine prices and use this information to your advantage.
Auto insurance policy discounts you can’t miss
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but you might find some hidden discounts that may help make it more affordable. Some discounts apply automatically when you complete an application, but a few need to be manually applied in order for you to get them. If they aren’t giving you every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
- Sign Online – A handful of larger companies will provide an incentive for buying your policy digitally online.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying in monthly installments you could save up to 5%.
- First Accident Forgiveness – Not really a discount, but companies like State Farm and Progressive may permit one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Sign Early and Save – Select insurance companies give a discount for buying a new policy before your current G35 insurance policy expires. You may see this discount when you get San Jose auto insurance quotes online.
- No Claims – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially compared to frequent claim filers.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
- Clubs and Organizations – Belonging to a civic or occupational organization in San Jose can get you a small discount on auto insurance.
Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the whole policy. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, nobody gets a free ride.
A few of the larger companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are shown below.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online signing, good student, multi-policy, online quote discount, continuous coverage, homeowner, and multi-vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance may offer discounts for switch companies, alternative fuel, business and professional, youthful driver, mature driver, and multi-car.
- Farm Bureau has savings for 55 and retired, multi-policy, safe driver, driver training, and youthful driver.
- State Farm has discounts for multiple autos, Drive Safe & Save, Steer Clear safe driver discount, passive restraint, defensive driving training, student away at school, and driver’s education.
- GEICO may have discounts that include driver training, good student, air bags, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights, and five-year accident-free.
- SAFECO offers discounts including safe driver, anti-theft, multi-car, homeowner, teen safety rewards, and anti-lock brakes.
- Liberty Mutual may include discounts for good student, newly retired, new move discount, hybrid vehicle, and multi-policy.
If you need lower rates, check with every insurance company how you can save money. Some credits might not be available to policyholders in every state. To find insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in San Jose, follow this link.
When comparing insurance rates, know that comparing a large number of companies provides better odds of finding a better price.
The companies shown below are ready to provide free rate quotes in San Jose, CA. If the list has multiple companies, we suggest you compare several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Compare rate quotes but work with a neighborhood San Jose auto insurance agent
Many drivers still prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and there is nothing wrong with that. The biggest benefit of comparing car insurance online is that you can find cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local. Supporting local agents is important especially in San Jose.
After completing this simple form, your coverage information gets sent to local insurance agents in San Jose that can give you free San Jose auto insurance quotes for your car insurance coverage. You don’t have to even leave your home as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. You’ll get the best rates and an insurance agent to talk to. In the event you want to compare prices from a particular provider, feel free to find their quoting web page to submit a rate quote request.
What type of San Jose auto insurance agent is right for you?
If you want to use an insurance agent, there are a couple of different types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Car insurance agents are considered either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents that choose to be independent are not limited to a single company so they can quote policies with lots of companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If you want to switch companies, your agent can just switch to a different company which is easy for the insured. When comparing rate quotes, we recommend you compare quotes from at least one independent agent 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.
Featured below is a small list of independent agents in San Jose who can help you get free price quotes.
- Mission Counties Insurance Agency
1777 Hamilton Ave – San Jose, CA 95125 – (408) 979-8160 – View Map - Sergio Plascencia Insurance Agency
3136 Story Rd – San Jose, CA 95127 – (408) 254-8336 – View Map - Taylor Benefits Insurance Agency
4820 Harwood Rd #130 – San Jose, CA 95124 – (408) 358-7502 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents in the exclusive channel have only one company to place business with such as Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They are unable to shop your coverage around so you need to shop around if the rates are high. They are very knowledgeable on their company’s products which aids in selling service over price. Some consumers prefer to buy from exclusive agents partially due to the brand name rather than having the cheapest rates.
Shown below is a list of exclusive agents in San Jose that can give you comparison quotes.
- Al Olseen – State Farm Insurance Agent
3267 S White Rd – San Jose, CA 95148 – (408) 274-4900 – View Map - Dennis Stroup – State Farm Insurance Agent
6455 Almaden Expy Ste 103 – San Jose, CA 95120 – (408) 268-7800 – View Map - Tami Pratt – State Farm Insurance Agent
360 Kiely Blvd #125 – San Jose, CA 95129 – (408) 247-6800 – View Map
Selecting an insurance agency requires more thought than just a cheap price quote. You should also get answers to these questions.
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- Where would glass claims be handled in San Jose?
- Are they involved in claim handling?
- What discounts might you be missing?
- Will one accident increase rates?
Compare. Compare. Compare.
You just read quite a bit of information on how to shop for Infiniti G35 insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get prices for, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from the least-expected company.
As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don’t buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, drivers have reduced liability coverage limits only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Drivers change insurance companies for any number of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, policy non-renewal, questionable increases in premium and high rates after DUI convictions. Whatever your reason, finding a new auto insurance company is easier than you think.
To read more, link through to these articles:
- Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for a School Permit in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap San Jose Auto Insurance for Retired Military? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for Police Officers in San Jose? (FAQ)
- Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
- Vehicle Size and Weight FAQ (iihs.org)
- Air Bags: Potential Dangers to Your Children (Insurance Information Institute)
- Bodily Injury Coverage (Liberty Mutual)