If your goal is the lowest price, then the best way to get discount auto insurance rates is to regularly compare prices from insurance carriers that sell auto insurance in Santa Ana. Drivers can shop around by completing these steps.
First, gain an understanding of how companies set rates and the modifications you can make to keep rates low. Many rating factors that increase rates like speeding tickets, careless driving and a bad credit rating can be eliminated by making minor changes to your lifestyle. Later in this article we will cover more ideas to help keep prices low and get bigger discounts that may have been overlooked.
Second, compare rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from a single company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while independent agencies can give you price quotes for many different companies.
Third, compare the price quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if you can save by switching companies. If you can save some money and make a switch, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
Fourth, provide notification to your current company to cancel your current auto insurance policy and submit a down payment along with a signed application to the newly selected company. When you receive it, safely store the proof of insurance certificate in an accessible location in your vehicle.
A tip to remember is to use the same liability limits and deductibles on each price quote and and to compare as many companies as you can. Doing this provides an apples-to-apples comparison and a thorough price selection.
It's well known that auto insurance companies want to prevent you from shopping around. Drivers who compare other rates will probably switch insurance companies because there is a good chance of finding a lower-priced policy. A recent study showed that people who shopped around saved $70 a month compared to policyholders who never shopped around for better prices.
If finding the most affordable car insurance in Santa Ana is your ultimate target, then having some insight into the best way to shop and compare car insurance can make shopping around easier.
If you have a policy now, you should be able to cut your premiums using the ideas presented in this article. Buying affordable car insurance in Santa Ana is actually very simple if you learn how to start. Nevertheless, California car owners do need to learn the way companies determine premium rates and use it to your advantage.
To find inexpensive Santa Ana car insurance quotes, there are several ways to compare rate quotes from many auto insurance companies in California. The recommended way to do a complete rate comparison is to perform an online rate comparison.
Online shopping is fast and free, and it makes it a waste of time to spend your day driving to and from local Santa Ana insurance agencies. Comparing Suzuki Equator insurance rates online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you require the professional abilities only provided by licensed Santa Ana agents. However, consumers can comparison shop online and still use a local agent. When comparison shopping, comparing more prices will increase your chances of finding lower pricing. Not every company provides price estimates online, so it's important to also get price quotes on coverage from those companies, too.
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide free quotes in California. If multiple companies are shown, we suggest you get price quotes from several of them to get the most affordable price.
Get cheaper Suzuki Equator insurance rates in Santa Ana
Car insurance companies do not advertise every policy discount very well, so here is a list a few of the more common and also the more inconspicuous insurance savings. If you check and find you aren't receiving every discount you deserve, you could be paying more than you need to.
- Membership in Organizations - Being a member of qualifying clubs or civic groups could qualify you for a break when shopping for insurance.
- Sign Early and Save - A few companies give discounts for buying a policy before your current coverage expires. It could save around 10% when you buy Santa Ana car insurance online.
- Telematics Data - Insureds that choose to allow driving data submission to monitor vehicle usage by using a telematics device such as Allstate's Drivewise and State Farm's In-Drive system might get better premium rates if they have good driving habits.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Factory options such as air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of 25 to 30%.
- Braking Control Discount - Vehicles with ABS braking systems or traction control are much safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
It's important to understand that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like it's possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn't work that way. Any amount of discount will positively reduce your policy premiums.
The illustration below illustrates the difference between Suzuki Equator insurance rates with and without policy discounts. Data assumes a male driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, 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 marriage, multi-policy, claim-free, homeowner, safe-driver, and multi-car discounts applied.
To choose insurance companies who offer cheap Suzuki Equator insurance quotes in Santa Ana in California, follow this link.
Analysis of Suzuki Equator rates
The information shown next showcases a range of prices for Suzuki Equator models. Knowing how rate quotes are determined can assist in making decisions on the best policy to buy.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $292 | $544 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,562 | $130 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $292 | $544 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,562 | $130 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $334 | $662 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,722 | $144 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $334 | $662 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,722 | $144 |
Equator Ext Cab 4WD | $334 | $662 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,722 | $144 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $378 | $780 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,884 | $157 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $378 | $780 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,884 | $157 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $378 | $780 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,884 | $157 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Prices based on single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Rates do not factor in specific zip code location which can impact auto insurance rates noticeably.
How high should deductibles be?
One of the most common insurance questions is how high should the physical damage deductibles be. The data tables below lay out the price difference between high and low policy deductibles. The first data set uses a $100 comprehensive and collision deductible and the second pricing table uses a $500 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $332 | $564 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,521 | $127 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $332 | $564 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,521 | $127 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $380 | $686 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,691 | $141 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $380 | $686 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,691 | $141 |
Equator Ext Cab 4WD | $380 | $686 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,691 | $141 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $430 | $810 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,865 | $155 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $430 | $810 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,865 | $155 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $430 | $810 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,865 | $155 |
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Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $242 | $382 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,224 | $102 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $242 | $382 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,224 | $102 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $278 | $464 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,342 | $112 |
Equator Ext Cab 2WD | $278 | $464 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,342 | $112 |
Equator Ext Cab 4WD | $278 | $464 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,342 | $112 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $314 | $546 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,460 | $122 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $314 | $546 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,460 | $122 |
Equator Crew Cab 4WD | $314 | $546 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,460 | $122 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Table data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in specific location which can raise or lower rates noticeably.
Using the premium rates above, we can conclude that using a $100 deductible costs approximately $30 more each month or $360 each year than quoting the higher $500 deductible. Since you would pay $400 more to settle a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you have more than 13 months between claims, you would most likely save money by going with a higher deductible.
How to determine when to raise your deductibles
Average monthly premium for $100 deductibles: | $143 |
Average monthly premium for $500 deductibles (subtract): | - $113 |
Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $30 |
Difference between deductibles ($500 - $100): | $400 |
Divide difference by monthly savings: | $400 / $30 |
Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 13 months |
One important caveat is that raising deductibles to save money means you pay more out-of-pocket when you have a claim. That will require some extra funds in order to pay the higher deductible in order to repair your vehicle.
Suzuki Equator full coverage rates compared to liability only
The chart below illustrates the difference between Suzuki Equator insurance costs when comparing full coverage to state minimum liability only. The costs are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $100 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.
When to buy liability coverage only
There is no exact formula that is best for determining when to drop physical damage insurance, but there is a general convention. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is 10% or more of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
For example, let's pretend your Suzuki Equator replacement value is $5,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most your company would pay you is $4,000 after the deductible is paid. If you are paying in excess of $400 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are some conditions where dropping full coverage is not a good idea. If you haven't paid off your loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not buy liability only.
Suzuki Equator Insurance Rate Factors
Lots of things are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Some factors are common sense like a motor vehicle report, but other criteria are more obscure like your vehicle usage and annual miles driven. The best way to find cheaper insurance is to take a look at the rating factors that help calculate the price you pay for insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates, this helps enable you to make changes that can earn you lower rates.
Gender matters - Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. This data doesn't prove that females are better at driving than males. Men and women cause fender benders at a similar rate, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Not only are claims higher, but men get cited for more serious violations like driving under the influence (DUI).
The information below compares Suzuki Equator insurance costs for male and female drivers. Data assumes no claims or violations, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, single status, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Cheaper insurance rates using alarm systems - Buying a car with advanced anti-theft systems can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar help track and prevent your car from being stolen.
Poor driving leads to higher premiums - Your driving record impacts premiums far more than you think. Careful drivers have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Even one driving citation may cause rates to rise by as much as thirty percent. Drivers unfortunate enough to have multiple citations such as DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may face state-mandated requirements to submit a SR-22 form with their state's department of motor vehicles in order to drive a vehicle legally.
The example below shows how traffic citations and fender-benders impact Suzuki Equator insurance premiums for each age group. The rate quotes are based on a single female driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Physical damage deductibles - Physical damage protection, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your Suzuki. A few examples of covered claims would be a broken side mirror, damage caused by hail, and having your car stolen. The deductibles you choose are the amount of money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. The larger the amount you choose to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.
Cheaper prices with safer cars - Cars with high safety ratings tend to have lower insurance rates. Safer cars reduce the chance of injuries and lower injury rates means your insurance company pays less passed on to you as lower rates.
Your location is a factor - Being located in small towns and rural areas can save you money when shopping for auto insurance. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents and lower theft and vandalism rates. Residents of big cities tend to have more road rage incidents and much longer commute distances. Higher commute times translates into higher accident risk.