Unthinkable but true, the vast majority of auto insurance customers have purchased from the same company for at least the last four years, and roughly 40% of drivers have never compared rates to find affordable insurance. The average driver in California could save 35% each year by just comparing quotes, but they just don’t understand how easy it is to go online and compare rates.
If saving money is your primary concern, then the best way to get cheaper auto insurance rates is to begin comparing prices regularly from different companies who provide car insurance in Fresno. You can shop around by following these steps.
First, get a basic knowledge of the coverage provided by your policy and the modifications you can make to keep rates down. Many factors that drive up the price such as multiple speeding tickets and a lousy credit rating can be remedied by being financially responsible and driving safely.
Second, request price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can give quotes from a single company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agents can provide rate quotes from multiple sources.
Third, compare the new rates to your current policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate and make a switch, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
Fourth, provide notification to your current agent or company to cancel your current coverage and submit a signed application and payment for the new coverage. As soon as you can, put the new certificate of insurance in a readily accessible location in your vehicle.
A good tip to remember is to make sure you’re comparing similar limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to get price estimates from as many companies as you can. This ensures an accurate price comparison and many rates to choose from.
If you’re already insured or are shopping for new coverage, you can use these techniques to buy cheaper insurance without reducing protection. Buying the cheapest insurance in Fresno is easy if you know what you’re doing. Shoppers only need to know the most time-saving way to compare price quotes from multiple carriers.
The companies shown below have been selected to offer free quotes in Fresno, CA. To locate the cheapest car insurance in California, we recommend you click on several of them to get the most affordable price.
Discounts mean cheaper rates for BMW X1 insurance in Fresno
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that can dramatically reduce your bill. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of purchase, but a few must be requested specifically in order for you to get them.
- Accident Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents can save substantially as opposed to frequent claim filers.
- Discounts for Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
- Payment Method – By paying your policy upfront rather than spreading payments over time you could save up to 5%.
- Distant College Student Discount – Older children who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from Fresno and leave their car at home can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Buy New and Save – Buying a new car model is cheaper because new model year vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Good Student Discount – Being a good student may save you up to 25%. You can use this discount normally until age 25.
You can save money using discounts, but some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, insurance companies aren’t that generous.
Popular insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts can be read below.
- GEICO discounts include seat belt use, membership and employees, driver training, daytime running lights, military active duty, multi-vehicle, and anti-lock brakes.
- SAFECO may have discounts that include accident prevention training, drive less, anti-lock brakes, homeowner, safe driver, teen safe driver, and bundle discounts.
- State Farm offers discounts for student away at school, passive restraint, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good student, and accident-free.
- MetLife may offer discounts for claim-free, multi-policy, good student, good driver, and accident-free.
- 21st Century policyholders can earn discounts including anti-lock brakes, teen driver, good student, air bags, driver training, and student driver.
- Progressive may include discounts for multi-vehicle, homeowner, online quote discount, continuous coverage, good student, online signing, and multi-policy.
Before purchasing a policy, check with all companies you are considering to apply every possible discount. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not be available everywhere.
Why Smart Buyers Pay Less for BMW X1 Insurance
Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that go into determining your premiums. If you understand what determines premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may result in cheaper rates. Multiple criteria are used when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable like a motor vehicle report, but others are more transparent such as whether you are married or how safe your car is.
- Your location is important – Residing in a small town has it’s advantages when trying to find low car insurance rates. People who live in big cities have traffic congestion and a longer drive to work. Fewer drivers and short commutes means reduced accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
- Safety ratings are a factor – Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. Highly rated vehicles reduce occupant injuries and any reduction in injury severity means your insurance company pays less passed on to you as lower rates. If your BMW X1 has at least four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you are probably receiving a discount.
- Continuous coverage saves money – Driving without insurance is against the law and any future policy may cost more because you let your insurance coverage expire. In addition to paying higher rates, being ticketed for driving with no insurance could result in a fine, jail time, or a revoked license. You may then have to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the California motor vehicle department.
- Safeguard your assets with liability coverage – The liability coverage on your policy is the protection if you are responsible for physical damage or personal injury to other. It provides you with a defense in court up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
- Does insurance cost less for women? – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown that females tend to be a little less risky than males. It does not mean women are better drivers. Women and men get in accidents in similar numbers, but the males cause more damage. Not only are claims higher, but men get higher numbers of serious violations such as reckless driving.
- Deter theft and pay less – Choosing to buy a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can get you a discount on your insurance. Theft prevention features such as vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack all help prevent auto theft.
- Insure your auto and home with one company – Lots of insurance companies allow discounts to insureds that purchase more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. The discount can add up to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even if you already get this discount, it’s always a smart idea to compare other Fresno X1 insurance rates to help guarantee you have the best rates. You may still be able to find lower rates by insuring with multiple companies.
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Insurance loss data for a BMW X1 – Companies analyze historical claim data as a tool for profitable underwriting. Vehicles that the data shows to have increased losses will cost more to insure.
The table below demonstrates the compiled insurance loss statistics for BMW X1 vehicles. For each type of coverage, the statistical loss for all vehicles, as an average, is a value of 100. Numbers under 100 indicate a favorable loss history, while percentage numbers above 100 indicate more frequent claims or a tendency for losses to be larger than average.
Insurance Loss Ratings for BMW X1 Vehicles Vehicle Make and Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury BMW X1 4dr 2WD 99 86 113 90 95 87 BMW X1 4dr 4WD 103 96 120 73 69 82 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEData Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Auto insurance agents are trained to help
A small number of people still like to talk to a local agent and that can be a great decision Good insurance agents are trained risk managers and help file insurance claims. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is you may find cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local. Putting coverage with local insurance agents is still important in Fresno.
After completing this quick form, your coverage information is emailed to participating agents in Fresno that can provide free Fresno auto insurance quotes for your coverage. You never need to contact an agency due to the fact that quote results will go instantly to you. If you need to compare rates from a specific auto insurance provider, don’t hesitate to navigate to their website and submit a quote form there.
If you want to buy auto insurance from a local agent, it’s important to understand the types of insurance agents and how they can service your needs differently. Auto insurance policy providers are classified as either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for. Both insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn the differences since it could factor into the type of agent you choose.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agents are appointed with more than one company so they can insure your vehicles with multiple insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can just switch to a different company and you don’t have to do anything. When shopping rates, we recommend you contact at least one independent agent to get the most accurate price comparison.
Featured below is a list of independent agencies in Fresno who may provide competitive price quotes.
McCarty Insurance
7078 N Maple Ave # 106 – Fresno, CA 93720 – (559) 324-1421 – View Map
New Horizon Insurance
3039 W Ashlan Ave – Fresno, CA 93726 – (559) 244-6644 – View Map
Walter L. Clark and Associates, Inc.
7673 N Ingram Ave #103 – Fresno, CA 93711 – (559) 222-0300 – View Map
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agencies
Exclusive agents can only quote rates from one company and some examples include American Family, State Farm, and AAA. They generally cannot place coverage with different providers so you need to shop around if the rates are high. These agents are usually well trained on sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Shown below are exclusive insurance agencies in Fresno that can give you comparison quotes.
Lynn Hamilton – State Farm Insurance Agent
6716 N Cedar Ave #210 – Fresno, CA 93710 – (559) 323-9800 – View Map
Karen Barry-Ennis – State Farm Insurance Agent
1205 E Olive Ave – Fresno, CA 93728 – (559) 268-7431 – View Map
Andy Bergstrom – State Farm Insurance Agent
470 E Herndon Ave #109 – Fresno, CA 93720 – (559) 435-8332 – View Map
Finding a good insurance agency needs to be determined by more than just a low price. Any agent in Fresno should have no problem answering these questions:
- How are they compensated?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- When do they do a full risk review?
- How many years have they been established?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
- Does the agency have a current Errors and Omissions policy?
More effort can pay off
We covered a lot of information how to lower your BMW X1 insurance prices in Fresno. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may even discover the lowest priced car insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than their larger competitors like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
Lower-priced BMW X1 insurance in Fresno is definitely available both online as well as from independent agents in Fresno, so you need to shop Fresno auto insurance with both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these small, regional companies sell through local independent agencies.
Additional detailed information can be found by following these links:
- Choosing an Insurance Company (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for 19 Year Olds in Fresno? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for a Toyota Corolla in Fresno? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Fresno Auto Insurance Rates for a Toyota Camry? (FAQ)
- Honda warning system reduces insurance claims (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)
- Vehicle Size and Weight FAQ (iihs.org)
- New head restraint design cuts injuries (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)