Best Toyota Matrix Insurance in San Francisco

Unfortunately, most auto insurance policyholders in California kept buying from the same company for four years or more, and 38% of drivers have never shopped around. U.S. insurance shoppers could save up to $850 every year by just shopping around, but they don’t want to take the time to shop their coverage around.

To save the most money, the best way to get cheaper auto insurance rates in San Francisco is to compare prices at least once a year from providers in California.

• First, get a basic knowledge of what coverages are included in your policy and the factors you can control to prevent rate increases. Many rating criteria that result in higher prices like speeding and a not-so-good credit rating can be remedied by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. Keep reading for tips to help prevent costly coverage and find available discounts that you may qualify for.
• Second, get rate quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give rate quotes from one company like GEICO or Allstate, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers.
• Third, compare the new rate quotes to your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you can save money and switch companies, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
• Fourth, provide adequate notice to your current company to cancel your current coverage. Submit the signed application along with the required initial payment for your new policy. Once the paperwork is finalized, keep your new proof of insurance paperwork somewhere easily accessible.

An important bit of advice to remember is that you’ll want to compare the same amount of coverage on each quote and and to compare as many companies as you can. This ensures a fair rate comparison and the best price quote selection.

How much is Toyota Matrix insurance in San Francisco, California?

Most companies provide insurance quotes online. Getting quotes for Toyota Matrix insurance in San Francisco doesn’t take a lot of time because it’s just a matter of typing in your personal and coverage information as detailed in the form. Behind the scenes, their system automatically orders your credit score and driving record and quotes a price based on these factors. Using the web to get rates for Toyota Matrix insurance in San Francisco simplifies rate comparisons, and it’s necessary to perform this step if you want to find the best rate possible.

To find out how much you’re overpaying now, take a look at the companies shown below. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you type in the coverages exactly as they are listed on your policy. This guarantees you will be getting comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.

The companies in the list below can provide price comparisons in California. If multiple providers are shown, it’s highly recommended you visit as many as you can to get the best price comparison.

Toyota Matrix coverage analysis

The information shown next outlines a range of prices for Toyota Matrix models. Having a better understanding of how car insurance prices are figured is important to be able to make informed decisions when comparing rate quotes.

Price data assumes married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, and claim-free. Premium costs do not factor in garaging location in San Francisco which can impact coverage rates greatly.

Physical damage deductible comparison

One of the hardest decisions when shopping for auto insurance is which deductibles should you choose. The following insurance rates determine the costs and benefits of buying low and high coverage deductibles. The first set of rates uses a $250 deductible for physical damage and the second price table uses a $500 deductible.

Price data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, multi-policy, and homeowner. Table data does not factor in vehicle location which can affect coverage rates noticeably.

Using the premium rates above, we can conclude that using a $250 deductible will cost in the ballpark of $17 more each month or $204 every year than quoting the higher $500 deductible. Due to the fact that you would have to pay $250 more if you file a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you average at a minimum 15 months between claims, you would more than likely save some money by selecting a higher deductible.

The diagram below illustrates how your deductible choice and can increase or decrease Toyota Matrix insurance costs for each age group. The premiums are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.

Price comparison of only insuring for liability

The information below shows the difference between Toyota Matrix insurance costs with and without full coverage. The data is based on no claims or driving citations, $100 deductibles, single status, and no other discounts are factored in.

When to switch to liability coverage only

There is no definitive rule of when to eliminate full coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of coverage is about 10% or more of the settlement you would receive from your company, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your Toyota Matrix replacement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most your company will settle for is $5,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If it’s costing in excess of $500 annually for your policy with full coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

There are some conditions where dropping physical damage coverage is not a good idea. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you must maintain physical damage coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest in the vehicle. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should maintain full coverage.

Insurance is an important decision

Even though it can be expensive, insurance is not optional due to several reasons.

• The majority of states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to carry specific minimum amounts of liability protection if you want to drive legally. 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 your Matrix has a loan, almost every bank will make it mandatory that you buy insurance to guarantee loan repayment. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Toyota at a much higher rate and force you to pay for the expensive policy.
• Insurance protects not only your vehicle but also your assets. Insurance will also pay for medical transport and hospital expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney if you are sued as the result of your driving. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.

The benefits of buying insurance are without a doubt worth the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. As of last year, the average driver in California overpays as much as $700 annually so it’s important to compare rates at every policy renewal to be sure current rates are still competitive.

Get affordable rates on Toyota Matrix insurance in San Francisco with these six auto insurance discounts

Companies offering auto insurance do not advertise every discount they offer very well, so we took the time to find some of the best known as well as some of the hidden discounts that may be available.

• Drivers Ed for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class as it can save substantially.
• Auto/Life Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a small discount if you purchase some life insurance too.
• Discount for New Cars – Insuring a new Matrix may earn a small discount because newer models have to meet stringent safety requirements.
• Anti-lock Brakes – Cars equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
• Senior Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive a discount up to 10%.
• Pay Upfront and Save – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you can avoid monthly service charges.

Keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the whole policy. Most cut specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.

The example below illustrates the comparison of Toyota Matrix annual premium costs with and without discounts applied to the rates. Data assumes a male driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with claim-free, multi-car, homeowner, multi-policy, marriage, and safe-driver discounts applied.

To see a list of companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in California, follow this link.

Compare rate quotes but still have a local San Francisco insurance agency

Certain consumers would rather go talk to an agent and doing so can bring peace of mind Licensed agents can point out coverage gaps and give you someone to call. An additional benefit of comparing car insurance online is that you can find the lowest rates and still buy from a local agent.

Once you complete this form (opens in new window), your information is transmitted to participating agents in San Francisco that give free quotes to get your business. It’s much easier because you don’t need to search for an agent because prices are sent to you directly. If for some reason you want to get a price quote from a specific car insurance provider, don’t hesitate to find their quoting web page and fill out their quote form.

Picking an insurance company should include more criteria than just a cheap quote. Some important questions to ask are:

• If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
• Are they in the agency full-time?
• Will you work with the agent or an assistant?
• Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in San Francisco?

Car insurance coverages explained

Understanding the coverages of car insurance can be of help when determining which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find the usual coverages offered by car insurance companies.

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You need to pay your deductible first then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things like hitting a deer, falling objects, theft and rock chips in glass. The maximum amount your car insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Collision coverage protection

Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your Matrix from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You will need to pay your deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for things such as rolling your car, sideswiping another vehicle and backing into a parked car. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible on your Matrix to save money on collision insurance.

Medical expense insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills like nursing services, funeral costs, chiropractic care and surgery. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not available in all states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

This provides protection when other motorists either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family and also any damage incurred to your Toyota Matrix.

Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (15/30/5 in California), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Liability insurance

This can cover damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see liability limits of 15/30/5 that means you have $15,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and $5,000 of coverage for damaged property.

Liability insurance covers claims such as bail bonds, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, pain and suffering, structural damage and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. California state minimum liability requirements are 15/30/5 but you should consider buying more coverage.

The illustration below shows why the minimum limit may not be high enough to cover claims.

Quote more to save more

When searching for cheaper San Francisco car insurance quotes, do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are many occasions where consumers will sacrifice uninsured motorist or liability limits and discovered at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

You just learned many ideas to compare Toyota Matrix insurance rates in San Francisco. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the higher your chance of finding affordable San Francisco car insurance quotes. Drivers may even discover the most savings is with the least-expected company. These companies may have significantly lower car insurance rates on certain market segments than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.

Cheaper auto insurance in San Francisco is available both online as well as from insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection. Some auto insurance companies do not offer rates over the internet and these regional carriers only sell coverage through independent insurance agencies.

Additional detailed information is located at these sites:

• Hybrid vehicles cost insurers more (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers Over Age 50 in San Francisco? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for Immigrants in San Francisco? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes for a Learners Permit in San Francisco? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest San Francisco Car Insurance Quotes for a Chevrolet Silverado? (FAQ)
• Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Your Car has been Stolen: Now What? (Allstate)
• What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Institute)
• Where can I buy Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)