It’s an obvious statement that auto insurance companies don’t want you comparing rates. People who compare price quotes will probably move their business because of the high probability of finding better rates. A recent study showed that drivers who routinely compared rates saved on average $3,400 over four years compared to other drivers who never compared prices.
If finding the best rates on car insurance is your ultimate target, then understanding how to find and compare insurance can make it simple to find affordable coverage.
If you want to save money, the best way to find discount car insurance rates in San Francisco is to regularly compare price quotes from companies who provide car insurance in California. Drivers can shop around by completing these steps.
- First, try to learn about auto insurance and the steps you can take to prevent rate increases. Many risk factors that are responsible for high rates like speeding tickets, careless driving and poor credit history can be controlled by making minor changes to your lifestyle.
- Second, compare rates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only provide price estimates from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agents can provide prices for a wide range of insurance providers.
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to the price on your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find a better price and decide to switch, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
- Fourth, give notification to your agent or company to cancel your current auto insurance policy. Submit the signed application along with the required initial payment for your new coverage. Don’t forget to put the proof of insurance certificate along with the vehicle’s registration papers.
One tip to remember is to make sure you enter the same physical damage deductibles and liability limits on every price quote and to quote with as many auto insurance providers as possible. This helps ensure a fair rate comparison and a complete rate analysis.
The intent of this article is to let you in on the best methods to compare rates and some tricks to saving. If you have a policy now, you will definitely be able to find better prices using these tips. But California vehicle owners do need to learn how the larger insurance companies calculate your car insurance rates.
Low Cost car insurance in San Francisco, CA
The companies shown below offer price quotes in San Francisco, CA. If multiple companies are listed, we recommend you get rates from several of them in order to find the most competitive rates.
Get cheaper Buick Rendezvous insurance rates in San Francisco
Not too many consumers would say insurance is affordable, but you can get discounts that you may not even know about. Some of these discounts will be visible at the time of purchase, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before you get the savings. If you aren’t receiving every discount you qualify for, it’s possible you qualify for a lower rate.
- Telematics Data – San Francisco drivers who agree to allow their insurance company to monitor where and when they drive by using a telematics device such as Progressive’s Snapshot and State Farm’s In-Drive may see discounts if they show good driving skills.
- Multi-line Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a discount if you purchase some life insurance too.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
- Memberships – Being a member of a professional or civic organization may earn a discount on your bill.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts may get savings up to 30%.
- Senior Discount – Older drivers may be able to get better insurance rates.
- Save with a New Car – Putting insurance coverage on a new Rendezvous can save up to 30% since new vehicles have better safety ratings.
- Paperwork-free – A few larger online companies give back up to $50 for signing up online.
- Use Seat Belts – Forcing all vehicle occupants to buckle up before driving can save up to 15% on medical payment and PIP coverage.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may reduce your total bill.
Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to the whole policy. A few only apply to specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like you could get a free insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way.
To choose companies that offer many of these discounts in San Francisco, click here.
Insurance Price Influencing Factors
Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the factors that help determine the level of your policy premiums. If you understand what determines base rates, this enables informed choices that can earn you much lower annual insurance costs. Lots of factors are used when quoting car insurance. Some are obvious like your driving record, although others are more transparent such as your marital status or your vehicle rating.
- Vehicle risk impacts premiums – The performance level of the vehicle you are insuring makes a substantial difference in how high your rates are. Economy passenger cars usually are quite affordable to insure, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Your age impacts your prices – Older drivers are shown to be more cautious, cost insurance companies less in claims, and are generally more financially stable. Young drivers are statistically shown to be more careless when driving with friends so car insurance rates are higher.
- Job can influence premiums – Jobs such as judges, executives, and emergency personnel tend to pay higher rates than average because of stressful work requirements and long work hours. On the flip side, jobs such as farmers, engineers and homemakers have the lowest average rates.
- Extra coverages can cost a lot – There are a ton of optional add-on coverages that may not really be needed on your Rendezvous policy. Add-on coverages like personal injury protection, better glass coverage, and motor club memberships are examples of these. They may sound like good ideas initially, but your money might be better spent on other coverage so consider taking them off your policy.
Different people need different insurance coverages
When it comes to a policy, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply.
These are some specific questions can help discover if your insurance needs might need professional guidance.
- Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
- Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?
- Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
- Is a driver training discount available?
- When should my teen driver be added to my policy?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Is a fancy paint job covered?
- Should I buy full coverage?
- Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
If you can’t answer these questions then you might want to talk to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or click here for a list of insurance companies in your area.
Get rate quotes but work with a local San Francisco insurance agent
A small number of people just prefer to buy from a local agent and that is OK! A nice benefit of getting online price quotes is that drivers can save money and get lower rates but also keep your business local. And providing support for local agents is especially important in San Francisco.
For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, your information is sent to local insurance agents that can give you free San Francisco car insurance quotes for your business. You never need to search for an agent due to the fact that quote results will go to your email. Get lower rates and a licensed agent to work with. In the event you want to compare prices for a specific company, you just need to go to their quote page and give them your coverage information.
When researching an insurance agent, there are two types of agencies and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are considered either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Independent Agents
Agents in the independent channel often have affiliation with several companies so they can write business with lots of companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply move your policy to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies.
When searching for an agent, you definitely need to get several quotes from a few independent agents in order to have the best price comparison.
Below is a list of independent insurance agencies in San Francisco who may provide free price quotes.
Scarborough Insurance Agency
329 Bryant St – San Francisco, CA 94107 – (415) 371-1398 – View Map
April Insurance Agency
1788 19th Ave – San Francisco, CA 94122 – (415) 242-8100 – View Map
Carrie Insurance
2126 Sutter St – San Francisco, CA 94115 – (415) 567-7660 – View Map
View more San Francisco agents
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents that elect to be exclusive normally can only provide a single company’s rates and examples are Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agencies are unable to place coverage with different providers so they have to upsell other benefits. These agents are trained well on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents.
Shown below are San Francisco exclusive agencies that are able to give rate quotes.
Tiffany Won – State Farm Insurance Agent
1250 Missouri St Unit 305 – San Francisco, CA 94107 – (415) 872-5734 – View Map
Joe Freund – State Farm Insurance Agent
1734 Divisadero St – San Francisco, CA 94115 – (415) 359-9311 – View Map
Linda Williams – State Farm Insurance Agent
1536 20th St – San Francisco, CA 94107 – (415) 648-1155 – View Map
View more San Francisco agents
Choosing a car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price quote. Any agent in San Francisco should be forthright in answering these questions:
- What companies can they write with?
- What discounts might you be missing?
- Are they actively involved in the community?
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Do they have cheaper tiers of coverage?
- Are there any discounts for paying up front?
Be persistent and save
In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to shop for Buick Rendezvous insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the higher your chance of finding inexpensive San Francisco car insurance quotes. You may even find the most savings is with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies often have lower rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like GEICO and State Farm.
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. Too many times, an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. The goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate.
Some companies don’t offer price quotes online and most of the time these regional insurance providers prefer to sell through independent agencies. Low-cost Buick Rendezvous insurance in San Francisco is definitely available from both online companies and from local agencies, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates.
Additional information is available below:
- Dangers of fake or stolen airbags (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Teachers in San Francisco? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest San Francisco Car Insurance Rates for a Nissan Sentra? (FAQ)
- Should I Purchase an Umbrella Liability Policy? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Safety Features for Your New Car (State Farm)
- Learn About Car Insurance (GEICO)
- Reducing Your Risks in a Car Crash Video (iihs.org)