Cheapest Rates for Mercury Montego Insurance in Santa Ana

If your goal is the lowest price, then the best way to get budget Mercury Montego insurance in Santa Ana is to start comparing rates regularly from providers who sell insurance in California.

• First, learn about how auto insurance works and the measures you can take to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that result in higher rates like accidents, traffic violations, and a not-so-good credit score can be improved by making minor changes to your lifestyle. Keep reading for tips to find cheap rates and find discounts that you may qualify for.
• Second, quote rates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only give prices from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide prices from multiple sources. Compare rates now
• Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing rates to see if a cheaper rate is available. If you find a lower rate quote and make a switch, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.

An important bit of advice to remember is to compare identical deductibles and limits on each quote request and and to get price estimates from every insurance company. Doing this guarantees an accurate price comparison and many rates to choose from.

It's hard to fathom, but a large majority of car insurance policyholders in California kept buying from the same company for a minimum of four years, and roughly 40% of drivers have never shopped around. American drivers could pocket 46.5% a year by just comparing quotes, but they just don't understand how easy it is to find cheap insurance by shopping around.

If you have insurance now, you will surely be able to save money using these techniques. Buying the cheapest insurance in Santa Ana is much easier if you know where to start. But California drivers must understand how the larger insurance companies charge you for coverage and use it to find better rates.

Get discounts on Santa Ana car insurance

Car insurance is expensive, but you may qualify for discounts that many people don't even know exist. Some trigger automatically when you get a quote, but some need to be manually applied before they will apply.

• Discounts for New Vehicles - Adding a new car to your policy can cost up to 25% less since new vehicles are generally safer.
• Passenger Safety Discount - Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of 20 to 30 percent.
• Payment Discounts - If you pay your bill all at once instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
• Telematics Discount - Drivers that enable their car insurance company to study when and where they use their vehicle through the use of a telematics system like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive's Snapshot may see discounts if they show good driving skills.
• Theft Deterrent System - Cars and trucks equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems have a lower chance of being stolen and will save you 10% or more on Montego insurance in Santa Ana.
• Discounts for Responsible Drivers - Drivers without accidents can save up to 40% or more on their Santa Ana car insurance quote than their less cautious counterparts.
• Defensive Driver - Taking part in a defensive driving class may get you a small discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.
• No Claims - Drivers with accident-free driving histories get the best car insurance rates as compared to bad drivers.

As a sidenote, most credits do not apply to the whole policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like it's possible to get free car insurance, companies don't profit that way.

Companies and their offered discounts can be found below.

• State Farm offers discounts for good driver, driver's education, Steer Clear safe driver discount, passive restraint, anti-theft, student away at school, and good student.
• American Family may include discounts for good driver, TimeAway discount, accident-free, early bird, Steer into Savings, defensive driver, and mySafetyValet.
• AAA has savings for good student, multi-car, multi-policy, education and occupation, AAA membership discount, good driver, and anti-theft.
• GEICO discounts include air bags, emergency military deployment, federal employee, driver training, and good student.
• Mercury Insurance includes discounts for annual mileage, age of vehicle, multi-car, low natural disaster claims, ease of repair, and anti-theft.
• Farmers Insurance may have discounts that include mature driver, youthful driver, alternative fuel, switch companies, early shopping, and good student.
• Progressive offers premium reductions for good student, online signing, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, continuous coverage, and homeowner.

If you need lower rates, check with every company which discounts they offer. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be offered in every state. If you would like to see a list of companies that have a full spectrum of discounts in Santa Ana, follow this link.

The are a couple different ways to compare rate quotes from companies that offer auto insurance in California. The easiest way to find affordable insurance rates consists of obtaining rate quotes online.

Getting rate quotes online is very simple and it takes the place of having to actually drive to and from local Santa Ana insurance agencies. The internet eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless your situation requires the professional advice of an agent trained in personal lines coverage. Drivers can obtain prices from the web but buy from a local insurance agent.

Just remember that comparing more prices will enable you to find better pricing.

The companies in the list below are our best choices to provide price quotes in California. If more than one company is shown, we suggest you visit several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.

Insurance quotes from local Santa Ana insurance agencies

Many drivers would prefer to sit down and talk to an agent and we recommend doing that A good thing about comparing insurance online is the fact that drivers can get lower rates and still have an agent to talk to.

After filling out this simple form, your information is immediately sent to local insurance agents in Santa Ana who want to provide quotes for your insurance coverage. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won't have to contact any agents as quotes are delivered to your email. You can most likely find cheaper rates without requiring a lot of work. If you have a need to compare prices from one company in particular, don't hesitate to navigate to their website and complete a quote there.

Finding the right insurer requires you to look at more than just a cheap price. Here are some questions to ask:

• How would your car be valued if totaled?
• What companies can they write with?
• Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
• Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
• How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
• How long has the business existed?
• Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
• What discounts might you be missing?

Different types of auto insurance agents in Santa Ana

If you prefer to buy insurance from a local agent, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they work. Agencies in Santa Ana are considered either independent (non-exclusive) or exclusive.

Exclusive Agencies

Agents that elect to be exclusive write business for a single company such as Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. Exclusive agents are unable to place coverage with different providers so keep that in mind. Exclusive agents are very knowledgeable on their company's products and that can be a competitive advantage.

The following are Santa Ana exclusive agencies who may provide you with comparison quotes.

View more Santa Ana agents

Independent Insurance Agents

These type of agents can sell policies from many different companies so they can write business with a variety of different insurance companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house and you don't have to find a new agent.

If you need lower rates, you will definitely want to get insurance quotes from a few independent agents in order to have the best price comparison.

The following is a list of independent insurance agencies in Santa Ana that are able to give comparison quotes.

View more Santa Ana agents

Once you have received answers to your satisfaction to these questions and an acceptable price quote, you may have just found an auto insurance agent that is a good match to service your policy. Just understand that once you purchase a policy you can cancel your policy whenever you wish so never assume you are locked into a specific company for the full policy term.

Three reasons to not skimp on auto insurance

Despite the high cost, buying auto insurance is required in California but also provides important benefits.

• Most states have minimum liability requirements which means you are required to buy specific minimum amounts of liability coverage 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 have a loan on your Mercury, most lenders will require that you buy insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the lender may insure your Mercury at an extremely high rate and require you to reimburse them for it.
• Insurance safeguards both your car and your assets. It will also pay for medical bills for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to repair the damage.

The benefits of carrying enough insurance more than offset the price you pay, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. An average driver in America is wasting up to $855 a year so it's very important to do a rate comparison at every policy renewal to make sure the price is not too high.

Insurance coverage basics

Having a good grasp of your policy helps when choosing the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the normal coverages found on the average insurance policy.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle's occupants when the "other guys" are uninsured or don't have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and damage to your Mercury Montego.

Due to the fact that many California drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (California limits are 15/30/5), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.

Comprehensive coverage

This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as falling objects, damage from flooding, hitting a bird, damage from a tornado or hurricane and vandalism. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle's value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Auto collision coverage

Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, crashing into a ditch, hitting a mailbox and driving through your garage door. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible on your Montego to get cheaper collision coverage.

Liability

Liability insurance protects you from damage or injury you incur to people or other property that is your fault. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have values of 15/30/5 which stand for a $15,000 limit per person for injuries, $30,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $5,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability insurance covers claims such as medical expenses, court costs, medical services, funeral expenses and attorney fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. California requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but you should consider buying more coverage.

The illustration below shows why buying the state minimum limits may not be high enough to adequately cover claims.

Medical payments coverage and PIP

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for immediate expenses for pain medications, rehabilitation expenses, X-ray expenses and doctor visits. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Shop smart and save

You just learned a lot of information how to compare Mercury Montego insurance premium rates in Santa Ana. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the biggest savings come from some of the lesser-known companies. Some small companies can often provide lower prices in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive or GEICO.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, make sure you don't reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. The aim is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

Cheap Mercury Montego insurance in Santa Ana can be found on the web as well as from independent agents in Santa Ana, so get free Santa Ana car insurance quotes from both of them to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies may not provide price quotes online and many times these small, regional companies work with independent insurance agents.

More detailed auto insurance information can be found in the articles below:

• Information for Teen Drivers (GEICO)
• How Much is Auto Insurance for a Hyundai Elantra in Santa Ana? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates for Drivers Over Age 60 in Santa Ana? (FAQ)
• Air Bags: Potential Dangers to Your Children (Insurance Information Institute)
• Auto Insurance 101 (About.com)
• Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)