Car Insurance Quotes for a Kia Optima in Santa Ana

It takes a few minutes, but the best way to get cheaper car insurance rates in Santa Ana is to regularly compare prices from insurers in California. You can compare prices by following these steps.

• Step 1: Try to learn about how car insurance works and the changes you can make to keep rates low. Many policy risk factors that are responsible for high rates like careless driving and an unacceptable credit score can be rectified by making lifestyle changes or driving safer. This article provides the details to find cheap rates and get additional discounts.
• Step 2: Compare rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only quote rates from one company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agencies can give you price quotes for many different companies. Compare rates
• Step 3: Compare the price quotes to your current policy and see if there is a cheaper rate in Santa Ana. If you find better rates and change companies, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
• Step 4: Provide written notification to your current company to cancel your current car insurance policy and submit payment along with a signed and completed policy application to the new company. As soon as coverage is bound, store the certificate verifying coverage above your visor, in the console, or in the glove compartment.

A tip to remember is to use similar limits and deductibles on every quote and and to get rate quotes from every company you can. Doing this provides an apples-to-apples comparison and the best price quote selection.

It's an obvious statement that car insurance companies don't want customers comparing rates. Consumers who get comparison quotes once a year will probably switch to a new company because they have good chances of finding a lower-priced company. A recent survey found that consumers who routinely compared quotes saved $3,400 over four years as compared to drivers who didn't regularly shop around.

If finding the most affordable auto insurance in Santa Ana is the reason you're here, then having some knowledge of how to find and compare cheaper coverage can help simplify the process.

These tips will instruct you on how to get online quotes. If you currently have auto insurance, you will be able to get lower rates using these methods. You just have to learn the best way to compare different rates from multiple carriers.

Buy Cheap Insurance with These Tips

The best way to find cheaper insurance is to take a look at some of the factors that help calculate your premiums. When you understand what influences your rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that could help you find much lower annual insurance costs.

• Avoid traffic tickets - Your driving citation history has a big impact on rates. Having a single ticket may cause rates to rise by as much as twenty percent. Drivers with clean records get better rates compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers unfortunate enough to have serious tickets such as DUI or willful reckless driving may need to complete a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to legally drive a vehicle.

  The chart below illustrates how speeding tickets and at-fault collisions increase Kia Optima insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The price estimates are based on a married female driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
• Good credit saves on insurance - Having a bad credit score is a large factor in determining what you pay for insurance. If your credit is lower than you'd like, you could pay less to insure your Kia Optima by spending a little time repairing your credit. Insureds that have very high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than drivers who have worse credit.
• Drive lots and pay more - The more you drive annually the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies apply a rate based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Autos used primarily for pleasure use receive lower rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your declarations sheet states the correct usage for each vehicle, because improper ratings can cost you money. A policy that improperly rates your Optima may be wasting your money.
• GPS tracking and theft deterrents reduce premiums - Buying a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all hinder auto theft.

• Cheaper to insure females? - Statistics demonstrate that females take fewer risks when driving. The data does not necessarily mean that males are worse at driving than females. Men and women tend to get into at-fault accidents in similar percentages, but guys tend to have higher claims. Not only are claims higher, but men get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.

  The example below shows the difference between Kia Optima insurance costs for male and female drivers. The premiums assume no claims, a clean driving record, full coverage, $100 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are factored in.
• More traffic means higher claims - Being located in a rural area is a good thing when buying insurance. Drivers in populated areas tend to have more auto accidents and longer commutes to work. Fewer people means reduced accidents.
• Gaps in coverage mean higher insurance rates - Going without insurance will be a guaranteed way to pay more for insurance. And not only will insurance be more expensive, failure to provide proof of insurance might get you a revoked license or a big fine.

• Insurance loss statistics a Kia Optima - Companies study historical loss data to calculate a price that will offset any claims. Vehicles that the data determines to have higher claim amounts or frequency will be charged more to insure.

  The next table illustrates the compiled insurance loss statistics for Kia Optima vehicles. For each coverage category, the loss probability for all vehicles, as a total average, is considered to be 100. Numbers below 100 represent a good loss history, while percentage values above 100 indicate more frequent claims or an increased likelihood of larger losses.

  Kia Optima Insurance Claim Statistics

  Vehicle Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Kia Optima	115	101	107	133	142	120
  Kia Optima Hybrid	143	115	116	139	158	151

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years

Statistics and details

The rate information below covers different insurance rates for Kia Optima models. Having a good understanding how insurance rates are determined can benefit drivers when making informed decisions.

Premium data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Rate information does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can modify rates noticeably.

Higher deductibles lower rates

One of the most common car insurance questions is how high or low should comp and collision deductibles be. The data tables below may help to conceptualize the rate fluctuation when you select higher and lower comp and collision deductibles. The first pricing table uses a $100 deductible and the second data table uses a $1,000 deductible.

Above prices assume married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and homeowner. Table data does not factor in zip code location which can increase or decrease insurance rates considerably.

Based on the data above, we can derive that using a $100 deductible costs approximately $48 more each month or $576 for a full year across all Kia Optima models than buying the higher $1,000 deductible. Due to the fact that you would have to pay $900 more to file a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you have more than 19 months between claim filings, you would probably come out ahead if you choose the higher deductible.

Should you buy full coverage?

The diagram below shows the difference between Kia Optima auto insurance costs with full coverage and liability only. The rates are based on no claims or violations, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are factored in.

Are you wasting money paying for full coverage?

There is no clear-cut formula of when to exclude full coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is about 10% or more of the vehicle's replacement cost less your deductible, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

For example, let's assume your Kia Optima book value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most your company would pay you is $6,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If premiums are more than $600 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

There are some cases where dropping physical damage coverage is not recommended. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you have to keep full coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should maintain full coverage.

Kia Optima insurance discounts in Santa Ana

Car insurance companies don't list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following list contains both well-publicized in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits that may apply to you.

• Low Mileage Discounts - Keeping the miles down on your Kia may allow you to get cheaper auto insurance rates.
• Waiver for an Accident - Not really a discount, but some insurance companies may permit one accident before hitting you with a surcharge with the catch being you have to be claim-free prior to the accident.
• Organization Discounts - Affiliation with a professional or civic organization is a simple method to lower premiums on your policy.
• Student Discounts - A discount for being a good student may save you up to 25%. You can use this discount normally up until you turn 25.
• Multi-line Discount - Select insurance carriers reward you with better auto insurance rates if you take out auto and life insurance together.
• Early Payment Discounts - If paying your policy premium upfront rather than spreading payments over time you could save up to 5%.
• Defensive Driving Course - Passing a course in defensive driver could save 5% or more and also improve your driving technique.

A little disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Even though it appears all the discounts add up to a free policy, insurance companies wouldn't stay in business. But all discounts will bring down your auto insurance premiums.

The diagram below shows the comparison of Kia Optima auto insurance rates with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The data assumes a male driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, multi-policy, marriage, claim-free, safe-driver, and homeowner discounts applied.

A list of companies and their possible discounts can be found below.

• GEICO may include discounts for multi-policy, anti-lock brakes, seat belt use, good student, and anti-theft.
• Auto-Owners Insurance includes discounts for paid in full, student away at school, paperless, air bags, and multi-policy.
• American Family has savings for accident-free, TimeAway discount, bundled insurance, good student, and multi-vehicle.
• Esurance may have discounts that include homeowner, safety device, DriveSense, emergency road assistance, anti-theft, renters, and anti-lock brakes.
• Progressive offers discounts for good student, homeowner, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, multi-policy, continuous coverage, and online signing.
• State Farm offers premium reductions for good driver, Steer Clear safe driver discount, defensive driving training, multiple policy, and good student.
• AAA has discounts for good driver, anti-theft, good student, pay-in-full, multi-policy, multi-car, and AAA membership discount.

If you want the cheapest Kia Optima rate quotes, ask each company or agent which discounts they offer. Some credits might not be available to policyholders in your state. To choose companies with significant discounts in California, click here to view.

Don't give up on affordable rates

We've covered a lot of information how to reduce Kia Optima insurance premium rates online in Santa Ana. It's most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the lowest premium rates come from a small mutual company.

When buying insurance coverage, it's very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, an insured cut physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate and still be able to protect your assets.

Lower-priced car insurance in Santa Ana can be sourced on the web in addition to local insurance agencies, so get free Santa Ana auto insurance quotes from both of them to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some car insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and these small insurance companies sell through independent insurance agents.

Other articles

• Winter Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Affordable Santa Ana Car Insurance Rates for Real Estate Agents? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for a Kia Forte in Santa Ana? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Santa Ana Car Insurance for a School Permit? (FAQ)
• How Can I Save Money on Auto Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)
• Dangers of fake or stolen airbags (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Teen Driving Statistics (GEICO)
• Car Insurance FAQ (Trusted Choice)