It’s an obvious conclusion that car insurance companies want to keep you from comparing prices. People who shop for lower prices are very likely to buy a different policy because there is a good probability of finding coverage at a more affordable price. A recent study showed that consumers who compared price quotes annually saved as much as $3,450 over four years compared to drivers who don’t make a habit of comparing rates.
If finding budget-friendly rates on car insurance in San Francisco is why you’re reading this, then having some insight into how to get rate quotes and compare auto insurance can save time and money.
Truthfully, the best way to get budget car insurance rates is to do an annual price comparison from different companies who sell auto insurance in San Francisco.
Step 1: Take a little time to learn about how your policy works and the steps you can take to keep rates in check. Many factors that are responsible for high rates like accidents, careless driving, and an unacceptable credit history can be eliminated by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes. Continue reading for information to keep prices down and earn larger discounts.
Step 2: Compare rates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can give quotes from a single company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agencies can quote rates for a wide range of companies.
Step 3: Compare the new quotes to your existing policy and determine if cheaper Acadia coverage is available in San Francisco. If you can save some money and decide to switch, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.
Step 4: Give notification to your agent or company of your intention to cancel your existing policy and submit a down payment along with a completed application to your new carrier. Immediately upon receiving it, keep your new proof of insurance paperwork along with the vehicle’s registration papers.
An important note is to make sure you’re comparing the same liability limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to compare all possible companies. Doing this ensures an accurate price comparison and a better comparison of the market.
Locating the best rates in San Francisco can be easy if you know a few tricks. If you have a policy now or just want cheaper rates, you can learn to save money without having to cut coverage. Vehicle owners only need to know the best way to find the lowest price from many different companies.
GMC Acadia insurance rate analysis
The coverage information below showcases a range of prices for GMC Acadia models. Having knowledge of how insurance policy rates are determined helps drivers make smart choices when choosing a car insurance company.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acadia SL 2WD | $186 | $316 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,066 | $89 |
| Acadia SL AWD | $214 | $316 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,094 | $91 |
| Acadia SLE 2WD | $214 | $316 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,094 | $91 |
| Acadia SLE AWD | $214 | $386 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,164 | $97 |
| Acadia SLT 2WD | $214 | $386 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,164 | $97 |
| Acadia SLT AWD | $242 | $386 | $416 | $24 | $124 | $1,192 | $99 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Data assumes married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, and claim-free. Information does not factor in San Francisco location which can modify coverage rates substantially.
Rate difference between full and liability-only coverage
The chart below visualizes the comparison of GMC Acadia insurance rates when comparing full coverage to state minimum liability only. The prices are based on no claims or driving citations, $100 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied.
Should you pay for full coverage?
There isn’t a steadfast formula to stop paying for comp and collision coverage, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of having full coverage is 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your GMC Acadia settlement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, you would only receive $5,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If you are currently paying more than $500 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some conditions where buying only liability insurance is not in your best interest. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not eliminate full coverage.
Insurance quotes and discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise every available discount in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the best known and the harder-to-find savings tricks you should be using when you buy San Francisco car insurance online.
- Theft Deterrent – Vehicles optioned with advanced anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and earn discounts up to 10% off your San Francisco car insurance quote.
- Claim-Free Discount – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims pay much less in comparison with insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Accident Forgiveness – Not necessarily a discount, but a handful of insurance companies permit an accident before they charge you more for coverage if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
- E-sign – A few insurance companies will give you a small discount for buying your policy on the web.
- 55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you may receive reduced rates.
- Safe Driver Discounts – Drivers without accidents can save as much as half off their rates as compared to drivers with claims.
- Early Switch Discount – A few larger companies allow discounts for buying a new policy before your current coverage expires. It can save you around 10%.
- Telematics Discount – Policyholders that allow their company to analyze driving patterns through the use of a telematics system such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system could possibly reduce rates as long as the data is positive.
One thing to note about discounts is that most credits do not apply to the whole policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Even though it appears all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way.
The illustration below illustrates the comparison of GMC Acadia insurance rates with and without discounts. The premiums assume a female driver, no claims, a clean driving record, California state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, homeowner, claim-free, marriage, safe-driver, and multi-policy discounts applied.
A partial list of companies that may have these discounts include:
If you need cheaper San Francisco car insurance quotes, ask every insurance company the best way to save money. All car insurance discounts may not be offered everywhere. If you would like to see a list of companies who offer online GMC Acadia insurance quotes in San Francisco, click this link.
Auto insurance coverage options for a GMC Acadia
Knowing the specifics of your auto insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Auto insurance terms can be confusing and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are the usual coverages offered by auto insurance companies.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for immediate expenses like dental work, EMT expenses, doctor visits and hospital visits. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision coverage – Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your Acadia caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision insurance covers things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, hitting a mailbox, colliding with a tree, damaging your car on a curb and scraping a guard rail. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. You can also raise the deductible on your Acadia to get cheaper collision coverage.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This coverage provides protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your GMC Acadia.
Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (California limits are 15/30/5), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, hitting a deer and theft. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Liability auto insurance – Liability coverage protects you from damage that occurs to other people or property that is your fault. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see values of 15/30/5 which means $15,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and $5,000 of coverage for damaged property.
Liability can pay for claims like attorney fees, legal defense fees and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. California requires drivers to carry at least 15/30/5 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.
The next chart shows why buying the state minimum limits may not be high enough to adequately cover claims.
In the end, you can save money
We’ve covered a lot of ways to compare GMC Acadia insurance auto insurance rates in San Francisco. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding affordable San Francisco car insurance quotes. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with a lesser-known regional company. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or GEICO.
Cost effective GMC Acadia insurance can be purchased on the web and from local insurance agents, so get free San Francisco car insurance quotes from both of them to get a complete price analysis. A few companies may not have online quoting and these regional carriers work with independent insurance agents.
For more information, link through to the articles below:
- Coverage Information (Progressive Insurance)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for Used Cars in San Francisco? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for Felons in San Francisco? (FAQ)
- Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
- Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)