Have you finally had enough of trying to scrape together enough money to make your insurance payment? You are in the same boat as many other California drivers.
Unbelievable but true, about 70% of customers renewed their policy with the same company for at least four years, and approximately 38% of consumers have never even compared rates from other companies. With the average insurance premium being $1,390, California drivers could save an average of 35% each year just by shopping around, but they just don’t understand how easy it is to compare rates online.
Popular companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually hit you with ad campaigns and it is challenging if not impossible to ignore the flashy ads and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
You need to get comparison quotes before your policy renews since insurance prices go up and down regularly. Even if you think you had the best price on Chevy Sonic insurance in Los Angeles two years ago you will most likely find a better rate quote today. Ignore everything you know about insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in how to quote online to lower your annual insurance bill.
If you already have coverage, you will surely be able to get lower rates using the following tips. Locating the best rates in Los Angeles is not that difficult as long as you know where to start. Although California consumers can benefit by having an understanding of how companies calculate their prices and take advantage of how the system works.
Cheaper rates by taking advantage of discounts
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there may be some discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time of purchase, but some discounts are required to be asked about before you get the savings.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars with ABS and/or traction control prevent accidents and the ABS can save up to 10%.
- Distant Student – Older children who live away from home to go to college and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
- Waiver for an Accident – This one is not really a discount per se, but companies like GEICO, Progressive, and Allstate will forgive one accident without getting socked with a rate hike if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could qualify you for better premium rates.
- Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to fasten their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks off the medical payments premium.
As a footnote on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though you would think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn’t quite work that way.
The best car insurance companies and their offered discounts can be read below.
- State Farm has discounts for defensive driving training, accident-free, anti-theft, good student, multiple autos, and safe vehicle.
- American Family has savings for multi-vehicle, good student, good driver, bundled insurance, mySafetyValet, and Steer into Savings.
- AAA offers premium reductions for AAA membership discount, good student, anti-theft, good driver, multi-car, education and occupation, and multi-policy.
- GEICO offers discounts for military active duty, multi-policy, federal employee, seat belt use, and good student.
- Mercury Insurance offers discounts including age of vehicle, multi-policy, ease of repair, anti-theft, good student, and accident-free.
- Farmers Insurance discounts include mature driver, early shopping, bundle discounts, multi-car, and teen driver.
- Progressive may have discounts that include good student, online signing, multi-policy, homeowner, continuous coverage, and multi-vehicle.
If you want inexpensive Los Angeles car insurance quotes, ask every insurance company what discounts are available to you. Some credits may not be offered in Los Angeles. If you would like to see a list of car insurance companies with the best Chevy Sonic insurance discounts in California, follow this link.
All the larger car insurance companies give coverage price quotes directly from their websites. This process is possible for anyone as all you need to do is type in your coverage preferences as requested by the quote form. After you submit the form the quote system obtains your driving and credit reports and quotes a price based on many factors. Quoting online for Chevy Sonic insurance in Los Angeles makes it a lot easier to compare rates and it’s also necessary to perform this step in order to find a lower rate.
To save time and use this form to compare rates, compare rate quotes from the providers shown below. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you type in coverages and limits identical to your current policy. This helps ensure you will get comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.
The auto insurance companies shown below are our best choices to provide price quotes in Los Angeles, CA. If multiple providers are shown, we suggest you visit as many as you can to find the most affordable auto insurance rates.
Learn How to Lower Your Insurance Rates
Many factors are taken into consideration when pricing auto insurance. Some factors are common sense like an MVR report, but other criteria are less obvious such as your marital status or your commute time. When buying auto insurance it’s important to understand the factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for auto insurance. When you understand what determines base rates, this allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.
Liability – The liability coverage on your policy will protect you when you are ruled to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
Never go without auto insurance – Having a gap between insurance policy dates will be a sure-fire way to increase your rates. Not only will rates go up, failure to provide proof of insurance may result in fines or a revoked license.
Lower rates by increasing deductibles – Insurance for physical damage, aka comp and collision, protects your Chevy from damage. Examples of covered claims are a windshield shattered by a rock, hitting a deer, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles you choose define the amount the insured will be required to pay if a covered claim is submitted. The more damage repair cost you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the less your auto insurance will be.
When should you file a claims? – Insurance companies in California generally give better rates to people who are not frequent claim filers. If you file a lot of claims you can expect much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Your insurance policy is meant to be used in the event of the large, substantial claims.
Single vs. married – Getting married may save some money on auto insurance. Having a significant other may mean you are more mature and responsible it has been statistically shown that married couples file fewer claims.
More traffic means higher claims – Being located in a rural area has definite advantages when talking about auto insurance. Drivers in populated areas tend to have more auto accidents and longer commutes to work. Lower population means reduced accidents and a lower car theft rate.
Prevent your car from being stolen – Choosing to buy a car with a theft deterrent system can save you some money. Anti-theft features such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers all help prevent your vehicle from being stolen.
Eliminate add-on coverages – There are quite a few add-on coverages that can add up but may not be useful. Coverages like rental car reimbursement, accidental death, and extra life insurance coverage are probably not needed. The coverages may be enticing when deciding what coverages you need, but now you might not need them so think about removing them and cutting costs.
Insurance loss probability for a Chevy Sonic – Insurance companies include the past claim trends for vehicles to calculate a rate that will offset any claims. Models that tend to have higher claim frequency or loss amount will cost more to insure.
The table below illustrates the collected loss data for Chevy Sonic vehicles. For each policy coverage, the claim amount for all vehicles, without regard to make or model, is set at 100. Numbers that are below 100 indicate better than average losses, while values over 100 show a trend for more claims or an increased probability of a larger loss.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Sonic | 104 | 132 | 91 | 167 | 189 | 159 |
Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
When should I contact an agent?
Some consumers still prefer to go talk to an agent and that can be a smart move One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is you can get cheap rate quotes and also buy local. Supporting local agents is important especially in Los Angeles.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, your coverage information gets sent to companies in Los Angeles who will gladly provide quotes to get your business. You won’t need to search for any insurance agencies because quoted prices will be sent immediately to you. You can find lower rates without requiring a lot of work. If you need to get a price quote from a specific company, don’t hesitate to search and find their rate quote page and give them your coverage information.
If you want to buy insurance from a good insurance agency, you need to know there are two different types of agents and how they can service your needs differently. Insurance agents in Los Angeles are classified as either exclusive or independent.
Independent Agents
Agents that elect to be independent are normally appointed by many insurers and that is an advantage because they can write policies through many different insurance companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If you are not satisfied with one company, they can switch companies in-house which makes it simple for you.
If you need cheaper insurance rates, you need to get some free quotes from multiple independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.
Shown below is a short list of independent agents in Los Angeles who may be able to give you free price quotes.
Malcom Brown Insurance Agency
2861 Robertson Blvd – Los Angeles, CA 90034 – (310) 280-0946 – View Map
STARC INSURANCE AGENCY,INC
5250 W Century Blvd #426 – Los Angeles, CA 90045 – (888) 400-4004 – View Map
Starco Insurance
1905 S Western Ave #19 – Los Angeles, CA 90018 – (310) 215-9991 – View Map
Exclusive Agencies
Agents in the exclusive channel generally can only insure with one company such as State Farm or Allstate. Exclusive agencies are unable to place coverage with different providers so keep that in mind. Exclusive agents are usually well trained on their products and sales techniques which helps them compete with independent agents.
Listed below are Los Angeles exclusive insurance agents who can help you get comparison quotes.
State Farm: Pogos Ichmelyan
750 Colorado Blvd – Los Angeles, CA 90041 – (323) 257-1107 – View Map
Allstate Insurance: Carmina San Jose
628 N Vermont Ave Ste 12 – Los Angeles, CA 90004 – (213) 383-5120 – View Map
Allyson Weber – State Farm Insurance Agent
1063 Colorado Blvd – Los Angeles, CA 90041 – (323) 258-5801 – View Map
Selecting an insurance agency is decision based upon more than just a low price. Here are some questions you might want to ask.
- Will the company cover a rental car if your car is getting fixed?
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in Los Angeles?
- What is the financial rating for the quoted company?
- Do they have a Better Business Bureau rating in Los Angeles?
- Can you choose the body shop in case repairs are needed?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- How are claims handled?
- Is there a local claims center in Los Angeles?
Once you have received positive responses to any questions you have as well as an affordable premium quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that will service your policy. Just be aware that you have the power to cancel your policy any time you want so never assume that you’re stuck with any specific company for the full policy term.
Three main reasons to buy auto insurance
Despite the high cost, maintaining insurance may be required for several reasons.
- Almost all states have mandatory insurance requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a specific minimum amount of liability in order to get the vehicle licensed. 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 Chevy Sonic has a loan, almost all lenders will make it a condition of the loan that you have physical damage coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the lender will be forced to insure your Chevy for a lot more money and force you to pay the higher price.
- Insurance safeguards your vehicle and your assets. Insurance will also pay for most medical and hospital costs that are the result of an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If you have damage to your Chevy as the result of the weather or an accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of insuring your car greatly outweigh the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. Unknowingly, the average driver is overpaying more than $700 annually so you should quote and compare rates each time the policy renews to save money.
Cheap insurance rates are possible
As you prepare to switch companies, don’t be tempted to buy poor coverage just to save money. Too many times, an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to find cheaper Chevy Sonic insurance in Los Angeles. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding low cost Los Angeles car insurance quotes. Consumers may even find the best price on insurance is with a smaller regional carrier. They may only write in your state and offer lower premium rates as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or GEICO.
Additional detailed information is available at these sites:
- Auto Theft Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Low Credit Scores in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for a Honda Pilot in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Rates for Seniors in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance for High School Students in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for a Company Car in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for a Chevrolet Silverado in Los Angeles? (FAQ)
- Collision Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- State Car Insurance Guides (GEICO)