Shocking but true, most California insurance customers kept buying from the same company for a minimum of four years, and nearly 40% of drivers have never compared rates to find cheap insurance. American consumers could save an average of approximately 46.5% each year by just shopping around, but they feel it’s too difficult to do a rate comparison.
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to save money on Chevy Bolt insurance in Fresno is to do a yearly price comparison from insurers in California. Drivers can shop around by following these steps.
Step 1: Try to comprehend policy coverages and the measures you can take to lower rates. Many things that drive up the price like traffic violations, accidents, and a not-so-good credit rating can be eliminated by paying attention to minor details. Later in this article we will cover instructions to help reduce premium rates and get additional discounts that may be available.
Step 2: Get rate quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from a single company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can provide prices from many different companies. Get quotes now
Step 3: Compare the new rates to the price on your current policy to see if you can save by switching companies. If you can save money and change companies, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.
Step 4: Give notification to your current company of your intent to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit a completed policy application and payment to your new agent or company. Once the paperwork is finalized, put the new certificate verifying proof of insurance in an easily accessible location.
The critical component of shopping around is to use identical deductibles and limits on each quote and and to get prices from as many car insurance companies as possible. Doing this provides an accurate price comparison and the best price quote selection.
The quickest way to compare car insurance rates for Chevy Bolt insurance in Fresno is to understand car insurance companies actually pay money for the chance to give you rate quotes. The only thing you need to do is spend a couple of minutes providing details such as your occupation, which vehicles you own, driver details, and whether the vehicles are used for commuting. Your insurance information is then submitted to many different companies and they return cost estimate instantly.
If you wish to get multiple quotes for your Chevy Bolt now, click here and enter your coverage details.
The companies shown below can provide comparison quotes in California. To get cheaper car insurance in California, we recommend you compare several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Why you need insurance
Despite the potentially high cost of Chevy Bolt insurance, insuring your vehicle is required in California but it also protects you in many ways.
- Just about all states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means the state requires a specific level of liability 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 you have a lien on your vehicle, more than likely the lender will require that you have comprehensive coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank may buy a policy for your Chevy at a significantly higher premium and force you to pay for it.
- Insurance preserves not only your car but also your assets. It will also cover medical expenses for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance also pays expenses related to your legal defense if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to restore your vehicle to like-new condition.
The benefits of having insurance more than offset the price you pay, particularly if you ever have a claim. According to a 2015 survey, the average American driver overpays as much as $855 a year so you should quote your policy with other companies every year to save money.
Get cheaper Chevy Bolt insurance in Fresno with discounts
Some companies don’t list all possible discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below details both the well known and the harder-to-find ways to save on insurance.
- Student Discount for Driver Training – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers enroll in driver’s education if offered at their school.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a lower price if you buy life insurance from them.
- New Vehicle Savings – Adding a new car to your policy is cheaper since new model year vehicles have better safety ratings.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying coverage for multiple cars or trucks on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags may qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
- Fresno Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a house in Fresno may earn you a small savings because it means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
- Early Renewal Discounts – A few insurance companies allow discounts for switching companies before your current Bolt insurance policy expires. You could save around 10% when you buy Fresno car insurance online.
You should keep in mind that many deductions do not apply the whole policy. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, that’s just not realistic.
A few popular companies and their possible discounts include:
- State Farm policyholders can earn discounts including multiple autos, safe vehicle, defensive driving training, multiple policy, Steer Clear safe driver discount, passive restraint, and student away at school.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for homeowner, continuous coverage, good student, multi-policy, and online signing.
- Progressive includes discounts for multi-policy, homeowner, good student, continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, and online quote discount.
- MetLife offers discounts including good student, claim-free, accident-free, defensive driver, and multi-policy.
- Farm Bureau has savings for multi-policy, 55 and retired, driver training, renewal discount, good student, and youthful driver.
- GEICO may include discounts for seat belt use, driver training, membership and employees, military active duty, and anti-lock brakes.
- SAFECO may offer discounts for anti-lock brakes, drive less, bundle discounts, teen safe driver, homeowner, and safe driver.
Double check with every insurance company which discounts they offer. Discounts might not apply in your state. For a list of providers with the best discounts in Fresno, follow this link.
Insurance is available from agents near you
Some consumers prefer to go talk to an agent and doing that can be a smart decision An additional benefit of comparing rates online is that you can find better rates but still work with a licensed agent.
Upon completion of this simple form, your insurance data is transmitted to participating agents in Fresno who will give you quotes to get your business. It’s much easier because you don’t need to find an agent because quoted prices will be sent to your email. You can find lower rates without the usual hassles of price shopping. If you need to get a comparison quote from one company in particular, you just need to jump over to their website and submit a quote form there.
Picking the best company should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. Any agent in Fresno should be willing to answer these questions.
- Are there any discounts for paying up front?
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
- Is every driver in your family covered?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Will the quote change when the policy is issued?
- Do they offer accident forgiveness?
If you want to buy insurance from a reliable insurance agent, it’s important to understand the different types of agencies and how they function. Insurance policy providers are categorized either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer.
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents that elect to be exclusive can only provide pricing for a single company like Farmers Insurance, State Farm, or Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot place coverage with different providers so they have to upsell other benefits. Exclusive agents are well trained on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
The following are Fresno exclusive insurance agents who may provide you with price quote information.
Karen Barry-Ennis – State Farm Insurance Agent
1205 E Olive Ave – Fresno, CA 93728 – (559) 268-7431 – View Map
Bob Perry – State Farm Insurance Agent
3210 E Shields Ave #6 – Fresno, CA 93726 – (559) 224-4546 – View Map
Mark Headrick State FarmĀ®
1020 E Perrin Ave #101 – Fresno, CA 93720 – (559) 433-3733 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agencies
Agents in the independent channel are not required to write business for one company so they can quote policies with an assortment of companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If they find a lower price, they can switch companies in-house and you don’t have to do anything.
When comparison shopping, it’s a good idea to compare quotes from several independent insurance agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.
Listed below is a list of independent agents in Fresno who can help you get comparison quotes.
Schramm Insurance
964 Pollasky Ave b – Clovis, CA 93612 – (559) 323-0333 – View Map
Central Auto Insurance
3668 W Shaw Ave – Fresno, CA 93711 – (559) 275-9911 – View Map
California A1 Stars Insurance Solutions
1589 W Shaw Ave #13 – Fresno, CA 93711 – (559) 412-2957 – View Map
Coverages available on your policy
Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Below you’ll find the normal coverages available from insurance companies.
Coverage for medical payments
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for immediate expenses like hospital visits, funeral costs and chiropractic care. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive coverages
Comprehensive insurance pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers things such as hitting a deer, vandalism, fire damage and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The most you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Auto liability
This provides protection from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property. It protects YOU against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for damage to your own property or vehicle.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. As an example, you may have values of 15/30/5 that translate to a $15,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $30,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $5,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability insurance covers things such as medical services, court costs, bail bonds, attorney fees and repair costs for stationary objects. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying as high a limit as you can afford. California requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.
The chart below shows why buying low liability limits may not be high enough to cover claims.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your Chevy Bolt.
Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits (15/30/5 in California), their limits can quickly be used up. So UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Auto collision coverage
This covers damage to your Bolt from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for things like damaging your car on a curb, colliding with a tree, crashing into a building, backing into a parked car and sustaining damage from a pot hole. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible on your Bolt to bring the cost down.
Shop smart and save
Budget-friendly auto insurance in Fresno can be sourced from both online companies as well as from insurance agents, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some auto insurance companies may not have online rate quotes and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through local independent agencies.
We covered a lot of tips how to shop for Chevy Bolt insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding the cheapest Chevrolet Bolt rate quotes. Consumers may even find the lowest car insurance rates come from a smaller regional carrier. Some small companies often have lower premium rates on specific markets than their larger competitors like State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
Even more information can be read in these articles:
- Protect Yourself Against Auto Theft (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for Low Mileage Drivers in Fresno? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Good Drivers in Fresno? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers Under 21 in Fresno? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a Subaru Outback in Fresno? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers Over Age 50 in Fresno? (FAQ)
- How Much are Fresno Auto Insurance Quotes for 4×4 Vehicles? (FAQ)
- Understanding Car Crashes Video (iihs.org)
- Teen Driving Statistics (iihs.org)
- Safety Belts FAQ (iihs.org)