Save Money on Toyota Prius Insurance in Los Angeles

How many times have you told yourself it’s time to shop around for low-cost auto insurance rates in Los Angeles, CA? Los Angeles drivers have many options when trying to find the lowest priced Toyota Prius insurance. They can either waste time calling around trying to get quotes or utilize the internet to compare rates.

There is a right way and a wrong way to shop for auto insurance and you need to know the proper way to compare rates on a Toyota and obtain the best price possible.

This information will instruct you on the best methods to compare rates and some money-saving tips. If you have coverage now, you will most likely be able to reduce premiums using these techniques. Smart buyers only need an understanding of the fastest way to get comparison quotes from many different companies online.

Discounts mean cheaper rates for Toyota Prius insurance in Los Angeles

Auto insurance is not an enjoyable expense, but there could be available discounts that can help lower your rates. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but a few need to be manually applied before they will apply. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Early Switch Discount – Select auto insurance companies give a discount for buying a new policy early. It’s a savings of about 10%.
• Discount for New Cars – Insuring a new Prius may earn a small discount because newer models are generally safer.
• Student Discount for Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education in school.
• Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
• Discount for Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts may qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
• No Accidents – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims pay much less when compared with insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
• Good Grades Discount – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
• Senior Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 are able to get a discount up to 10%.
• Professional Memberships – Being a member of a qualifying organization may earn a discount on your bill.
• Good Drivers – Drivers without accidents can pay as much as 50% less than their less cautious counterparts.

It’s important to note that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Even though it may seem like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck.

The illustration below visualizes the comparison of Toyota Prius insurance prices with and without discounts applied. The costs are based on a female driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-policy, multi-car, safe-driver, homeowner, marriage, and claim-free discounts applied.

A few of the larger companies and some of the discounts are included below.

• Farmers Insurance may include discounts for homeowner, good student, early shopping, switch companies, youthful driver, and multi-car.
• Esurance policyholders can earn discounts including emergency road assistance, multi-car, claim free, homeowner, paid-in-full, Switch & Save, and renters.
• State Farm offers premium reductions for accident-free, good driver, defensive driving training, student away at school, and multiple policy.
• GEICO has discounts for defensive driver, emergency military deployment, federal employee, membership and employees, and daytime running lights.
• Allstate offers discounts including safe driver, new car, premier discount, auto/life discount, senior citizen, anti-lock brakes, and premier plus.

When comparing rates, check with every company to apply every possible discount. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be offered on policies in your area. If you would like to view insurance companies who offer online Toyota Prius insurance quotes in California, click this link.

The providers in the list below are our best choices to provide price quotes in California. If multiple companies are listed, we recommend you visit two to three different companies in order to find the most competitive rates.

Toyota Prius insurance rate analysis

The coverage information shown below highlights different coverage costs for Toyota Prius models. Understanding how insurance policy rates are determined can aid in making decisions on the best policy to buy.

Above prices assume married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-vehicle, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-policy. Rate information does not factor in vehicle location which can influence rates noticeably.

Where to set your deductibles

A question often asked by Los Angeles drivers is how high should the deductibles for physical damage be. The figures shown below may help to conceptualize the differences in price between high and low physical damage deductibles. The first data table uses a $100 physical damage coverage deductible and the second pricing table uses a $1,000 deductible.

Prices above based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, claim-free, and safe-driver. Rate information does not factor in specific location which can change price quotes substantially.

Based on this data, using a $100 deductible costs approximately $45 more each month or $540 each year across all Toyota Prius models than buying the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would pay $900 more to file a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you tend to go at a minimum 20 months between claims, you would probably come out ahead if you elect the higher deductible.

The example below highlights how deductible choice and can impact Toyota Prius annual premium costs for different age groups. The premiums are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.

Rate comparison of men versus women

The illustration below compares Toyota Prius yearly insurance costs for male and female drivers. The rates are based on no claims or driving citations, full physical damage coverage, $500 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are applied.

Five Things That Determine Your Insurance Premiums

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that help determine the price you pay for insurance. When you know what positively or negatively positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that can earn you big savings.

The factors shown below are some of the most common factors used by insurance companies to determine your prices.

• Combine policies and save – Lots of insurance companies provide a discount to policyholders that purchase more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even if you qualify for this discount already, it’s still a good idea to check prices from other companies to guarantee you are still saving the most.
• Keep insurance rates low by being claim-free – Companies in California award most affordable rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Auto insurance is intended for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
• Your credit rating is important – An insured’s credit score is a big factor in determining your rates. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims as compared to drivers with worse credit. If your credit score can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your Toyota Prius by taking the time to improve your credit score.
• Occupation can influence premiums – Did you know your insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Jobs like military personnel, architects, and financial analysts tend to pay higher premiums than the average policyholder attributed to intense work situations and incredibly demanding work hours. On the flip side, jobs such as scientists, historians and retirees pay lower than average rates.
• A coverage lapse is a bad thing – Not maintaining insurance is illegal and you may have a hard time finding new coverage because you let your insurance coverage expire. And not only will insurance be more expensive, not being able to provide proof of insurance might get you a license revocation or jail time. You may then have to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the California department of motor vehicles.

• Insurance loss probability for a Toyota Prius – Companies take into consideration insurance loss statistics for every vehicle to help calculate premium prices. Models that the data shows to have a higher amount or frequency of claims will have higher rates for specific coverages.

  The next table illustrates the historical insurance loss data for Toyota Prius vehicles. For each insurance policy coverage type, the claim probability for all vehicles, as an average, is set at 100. Numbers below 100 represent a good loss history, while numbers above 100 point to more claims or an increased probability of a larger loss.

  
  

  Insurance Loss Ratings for Toyota Prius Vehicles

  Make and Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Toyota Prius C Hybrid	113	100	87	120	121	113
  Toyota Prius Hybrid	101	97	98	103	118	103
  Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid	98	89	87	106	114	93
  Toyota Prius V Hybrid	94	86	88	88	94	97

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Data Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years

Independent versus exclusive insurance agencies

Many people just want to visit with an insurance agent and doing so can bring peace of mind Professional insurance agents can help you choose the best coverages and help submit paperwork. An additional benefit of comparing rates online is you can get cheap auto insurance rates and still buy from a local agent. Buying insurance from local agencies is definitely important in Los Angeles.

For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, your information is sent to local insurance agents that can provide free Los Angeles car insurance quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You never need to do any legwork since price quotes are sent directly to your email. If you need to quote rates from a specific insurance company, you would need to go to their quote page and complete a quote there.

Finding the right provider shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Here are some questions to ask:

• Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
• What companies can they write with?
• Does the company use OEM repair parts?
• Does the agency support the community they serve?
• How long has their agency been open in Los Angeles?
• Will the agent help in case of a claim?
• How would your car be valued if totaled?
• Do they offer claims assistance after hours?

Why you need to buy auto insurance

Despite the high cost, insuring your vehicle is required by state law in California and it also provides benefits you may not be aware of.

• The majority of states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a specific level of liability insurance in order to be legal. 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 vehicle has a lienholder, more than likely the lender will have a requirement that you buy insurance to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If you default on your policy, the bank will be required to insure your Toyota at an extremely high rate and force you to reimburse them for the much more expensive policy.
• Insurance protects both your Toyota and your personal assets. Insurance will pay for hospital and medical expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, will also pay for a defense attorney if you cause an accident and are sued. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, your auto insurance policy will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.

The benefits of buying enough insurance outweigh the cost, especially if you ever need it. But the average driver in California is overpaying more than $820 a year so smart consumers compare quotes at every policy renewal to help ensure money is not being wasted.

In conclusion

People change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as denial of a claim, poor customer service, delays in responding to claim requests and unfair underwriting practices. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new insurance company is not as hard as you think.

We just showed you quite a bit of information on how to save on Toyota Prius insurance in Los Angeles. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced insurance comes from a lesser-known regional company.

Cheap Toyota Prius insurance in Los Angeles is available from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not offer online quoting and most of the time these smaller providers provide coverage only through independent insurance agents.

Helpful learning opportunities

• Vehicle Insurance in the U.S. (Wikipedia)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Teachers in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Teenage Females in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
• How Much is Los Angeles Auto Insurance for Drivers with Good Credit? (FAQ)
• Teen Driving and Texting (State Farm)
• No-Fault Auto Insurance Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Avoiding Deer Collisions (Insurance Information Institute)