To save the most money, the best way to get affordable car insurance rates in Santa Ana is to compare prices regularly from different companies who sell auto insurance in California.
Step 1: Get a basic knowledge of how your policy works and the measures you can control to drop your rates. Many rating criteria that result in higher rates such as inattentive driving and a bad credit rating can be controlled by paying attention to minor details.
Step 2: Get rate quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive agents and direct companies can provide rates from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agencies can quote prices from multiple sources.
Step 3: Compare the quotes to your current policy premium to see if a cheaper rate is available. If you find a lower rate quote and change companies, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
A valuable tip to remember is to use identical coverage information on every quote and and to look at as many different insurance providers as possible. This provides a fair price comparison and plenty of rates choose from.
It's shocking but nearly 70% of consumers have been with the same company for well over three years, and nearly 40% of drivers have never compared quotes from other companies. American drivers could cut their rates by about 46.5% a year by just comparing quotes, but they just don't understand how easy it is to save money by comparing rate quotes.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to get lower rates using the techniques covered below. Pricing affordable protection in Santa Ana is not as confusing as people think. Nevertheless, California consumers need to have an understanding of how insurance companies determine premium rates.
There are several ways to compare rate quotes from many different California insurance companies. The best way to compare rates is to jump online and get quotes. Just remember that having more price comparisons gives you a better chance of getting the best offered rates. Not every company provides rate quotes online, so it's necessary to compare price estimates on coverage from those companies, too.
The following companies have been selected to offer quotes in Santa Ana, CA. If the list has multiple companies, we suggest you visit two to three different companies in order to find the lowest rates.
Insuring your Honda vehicle just makes sense
Even though it can be expensive, maintaining insurance is required by state law in California and it also provides benefits you may not be aware of.
- The majority of states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a minimum amount of liability protection if you drive a 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.
- If you took out a loan on your Accord Hybrid, it's guaranteed your bank will stipulate that you carry insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If the policy lapses, the bank may buy a policy for your Honda at a significantly higher premium and require you to fork over a much higher amount than you were paying before.
- Car insurance preserves not only your car but also your assets. Insurance will also pay for many types of medical costs for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay attorney fees if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of carrying enough insurance definitely exceed the price paid, particularly for liability claims. As of last year, the average driver in California overpays more than $700 annually so it's recommended you shop around once a year at a minimum to ensure rates are competitive.
Insurance Price Influencing Factors
One of the most helpful ways to save on car insurance is to to have a grasp of some of the elements that help calculate the rates you pay for car insurance. If you understand what impacts premium levels, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
Premiums drop with age - Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, are lower risk to insure, and usually have better credit. Teenage drivers are proven to get distracted easily when driving and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
Cheaper rates by combining - The majority of insurers allow better rates to clients that purchase more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can add up to ten or even fifteen percent. If you currently are using one company, drivers will still want to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money.There is a chance you can save more without the discount by insuring with multiple companies.
What type of car do you drive? - The performance level of the vehicle you drive makes a substantial difference in how high your rates are. The cheapest rates tend to be for economy passenger cars, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
Don't cancel your coverage without a new one in place - Driving without insurance is a big no-no and as a result your rates will increase for letting your insurance expire. Not only will you pay higher rates, the inability to provide proof of insurance may earn you fines and jail time.
Your credit history is important - Having a bad credit rating can be a huge factor in determining what you pay. Insureds that have very good credit scores tend to be more responsible than drivers with bad credit. Therefore, if your credit rating is not that good, you could save money insuring your Honda Accord Hybrid if you improve your credit rating.
Add-on coverages you don't need - There are many add-on coverages that you can buy when buying car insurance. Coverages like replacement cost coverage, accidental death, and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. They may sound like good ideas when you first buy your policy, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so remove them and pocket the money.
Don't skimp on liability coverage - The liability coverage on your policy is the coverage that protects you in the event that you are ruled to be at fault for damages from an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense which can cost a lot. It is affordable coverage compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Do you work long hours in a tough job? - Did you know your career choice can influence rates? Jobs like real estate brokers, air traffic controllers, and miners have higher premium rates due to job stress and long work hours. On the flip side, occupations such as scientists, engineers and performers pay lower than average rates.
Claims statistics for a Honda Accord Hybrid - Insurers study historical loss data to calculate a price that will offset any claims. Vehicles that historically have higher prevalence or dollar amount of losses will cost more for coverage.
The information below illustrates the compiled insurance loss statistics for Honda Accord Hybrid vehicles. For each type of coverage, the statistical loss for all vehicles combined as an average is a value of 100. Numbers that are below 100 suggest losses that are better than average, while numbers above 100 indicate more frequent claims or an increased likelihood of larger losses.
Specific Honda Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Honda Accord Hybrid | 96 | 80 | 98 | 89 | 76 | 84 |
Statistics from IIHS.org for 2013-2015 Model Years
Santa Ana insurance discounts for a Honda Accord Hybrid
Auto insurance companies don't always advertise every possible discount very clearly, so below is a list a few of the more common and the more hidden credits available to lower your premiums when you buy Santa Ana car insurance online.
- Discount for Home Ownership - Simply owning a home can get you a discount since owning and maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
- Drivers Ed for Students - Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver's ed class in school.
- Smart Student Discounts - Getting good grades could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. Many companies even apply the discount to college students well after school through age 25.
- Active Service Discounts - Having an actively deployed family member could trigger a small discount.
- College Student Discount - Any of your kids who attend college more than 100 miles from Santa Ana and leave their car at home may be able to be covered for less.
You can save money using discounts, but most discounts do not apply to the whole policy. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it's just not the way it works.
To see a list of providers with discount insurance rates in California, click here to view.
Independent versus exclusive insurance agents
Many drivers would rather talk to a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. A good thing about comparing rates online is that drivers can save money and get cheap rate quotes and still have a local agent.
Upon completion of this simple form, your information gets sent to agents in your area that give free quotes for your business. You won't need to contact any insurance agencies as quotes are delivered immediately to you. You can find the lowest rates without having to waste a lot of time. If you have a need to quote rates from one company in particular, you just need to find their quoting web page and give them your coverage information.
Finding the right provider requires more thought than just a low price. These are some questions you should get answers to.
- Do they write coverage based solely on cost?
- How does the company pay claims for a total loss?
- Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
- Do they get extra compensation for selling add-on coverages?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Who is covered by the car insurance policy?
Santa Ana car insurance agents are either independent or exclusive
When finding local Santa Ana agents, it helps to know the two types of agencies and how they can service your needs differently. Insurance agencies in Santa Ana are considered either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agents
These type of agents write business for a single company and examples are State Farm, Allstate, and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agents cannot shop your coverage around so you might not find the best rates. They are usually well trained on their company's products which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Consumers frequently choose to use a exclusive agent partially due to the prominence of the brand and strong financial ratings.
Listed below are Santa Ana exclusive agents willing to provide price quote information.
- Farmers Insurance - Eduardo Machado
1701 N Main St Ste 180 - Santa Ana, CA 92706 - (714) 352-0700 - View Map - Farmers Insurance - Rodolfo Guzman
1740 W Edinger Ave - Santa Ana, CA 92704 - (714) 556-5942 - View Map - David Reyes - State Farm Insurance Agent
1077 W 17th St b - Santa Ana, CA 92706 - (714) 285-0155 - View Map
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies
Independent insurance agents are appointed with more than one company and that gives them the ability to insure with an assortment of companies and get the cheapest rates. If you want to switch companies, your agent can just switch to a different company and you can keep the same agent.
If you are comparing auto insurance prices, we highly recommend that you get several quotes from independent agents to get the best comparison. Many can place coverage with smaller companies which can save you money.
Shown below is a list of independent insurance agents in Santa Ana who can help you get price quotes.
- First American Property and Casualty Insurance Group
4 First American Way - Santa Ana, CA 92701 - (714) 560-7850 - View Map - Leavitt Group - Leavitt Insurance Services of Southern California
1820 E First St #500 - Santa Ana, CA 92705 - (714) 569-2700 - View Map - Mural Insurance Agency
1202 17th St #103 - Santa Ana, CA 92701 - (714) 541-1003 - View Map
Upon receiving positive feedback to these questions and locked in a price quote, most likely you have located a car insurance agent that meets the criteria to service your policy. Just remember it's your coverage and you can terminate coverage any time you want so don't think you're contractually obligated to a specific company for the full term.
Don't give up on affordable coverage
In this article, we presented a lot of information how to shop for Honda Accord Hybrid insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get prices for, the higher your chance of finding affordable Honda Accord Hybrid insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the most savings is with a smaller regional carrier.
People who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including denial of a claim, delays in responding to claim requests, being labeled a high risk driver and even poor customer service. It doesn't matter why you want to switch finding a new company can be easy and end up saving you some money.
As you quote Santa Ana car insurance, it's very important that you do not skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later they didn't have enough coverage. Your objective should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Additional learning opportunities
- Understanding Your Insurance Deductible (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Santa Ana Car Insurance Quotes for Teenage Females? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for 4x4 Vehicles in Santa Ana? (FAQ)
- Auto Insurance Learning Center (State Farm)
- Parking Tips to Reduce Door Dings (State Farm)
- Teen Driving and Texting (State Farm)