It goes without saying that auto insurance companies don’t want you to look at other companies. Consumers who get comparison quotes at least once a year will presumably buy a new policy because they stand a good chance of finding a lower-cost company. A recent survey found that consumers who made a habit of comparing rates saved an average of $860 a year compared to drivers who never shopped for cheaper rates.
If finding the lowest price on auto insurance in Fresno is why you’re here, then learning about how to compare insurance premiums can make shopping around easier.
If saving the most money is your goal, then the best way to get affordable GMC Sierra 3500HD insurance in Fresno is to do a yearly price comparison from insurance carriers in California.
- First, gain an understanding of how companies set rates and the modifications you can make to keep rates down. Many risk factors that result in higher rates such as at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and bad credit can be rectified by being financially responsible and driving safely. This article provides additional tips to help prevent expensive coverage and find more discounts that you may not know about.
- Second, compare prices from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can give quotes from one company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while independent agencies can quote prices from multiple insurance companies.
- Third, compare the price quotes to your existing coverage to determine if you can save on Sierra 3500HD insurance. If you can save some money, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.
- Fourth, provide written notification to your current company of your decision to cancel your current coverage and submit the application along with any required down payment to your new agent or company. As soon as coverage is bound, keep your new certificate verifying proof of insurance along with your vehicle registration.
An important part of this process is to use identical limits and deductibles on every quote request and and to get quotes from every insurance company. This ensures a fair rate comparison and a complete price analysis.
Buying affordable car insurance in Fresno is actually quite easy if you know where to start. If you have coverage now, you will most likely be able to save money using the ideas you’re about to read. Vehicle owners just have to know the fastest way to compare prices on the web.
How to find affordable GMC Sierra 3500HD insurance in Fresno, California
The companies shown below have been selected to offer free quotes in Fresno, CA. If multiple companies are listed, we suggest you visit as many as you can in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Premium rates and analysis
The premium table shown below covers estimates of coverage costs for GMC Sierra 3500HD models. Understanding how insurance rates are calculated can aid in making decisions when choosing a new policy provider.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sierra 3500HD SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $530 | $996 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $2,336 | $195 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Regular Cab 4WD | $530 | $1146 | $746 | $44 | $224 | $2,690 | $224 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $530 | $996 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $2,336 | $195 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Extended Cab 2WD | $530 | $996 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $2,336 | $195 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Extended Cab 4WD | $530 | $1146 | $746 | $44 | $224 | $2,690 | $224 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $530 | $1146 | $746 | $44 | $224 | $2,690 | $224 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Extended Cab 2WD | $530 | $996 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $2,336 | $195 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Crew Cab 4WD | $530 | $1146 | $746 | $44 | $224 | $2,690 | $224 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Extended Cab 4WD | $530 | $1146 | $746 | $44 | $224 | $2,690 | $224 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Crew Cab 2WD | $586 | $1146 | $596 | $36 | $178 | $2,542 | $212 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Prices based on single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Information does not factor in specific location information which can decrease or increase coverage rates considerably.
Policy deductible comparison
The hardest decision when buying coverage is how high should your deductibles be. The comparison tables below summarize the difference in cost of buying low and high deductibles. The first table uses a $250 physical damage coverage deductible and the second set of prices uses a $1,000 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sierra 3500HD SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $430 | $678 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,733 | $144 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Regular Cab 4WD | $430 | $780 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,985 | $165 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $430 | $678 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,733 | $144 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Extended Cab 2WD | $430 | $678 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,733 | $144 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Extended Cab 4WD | $430 | $780 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,985 | $165 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $430 | $780 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,985 | $165 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Extended Cab 2WD | $430 | $678 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,733 | $144 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Crew Cab 4WD | $430 | $780 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,985 | $165 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Extended Cab 4WD | $430 | $780 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,985 | $165 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Crew Cab 2WD | $474 | $780 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,879 | $157 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sierra 3500HD SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $266 | $426 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,292 | $108 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Regular Cab 4WD | $266 | $490 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,506 | $126 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $266 | $426 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,292 | $108 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Extended Cab 2WD | $266 | $426 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,292 | $108 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Extended Cab 4WD | $266 | $490 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,506 | $126 |
Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 4WD | $266 | $490 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,506 | $126 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Extended Cab 2WD | $266 | $426 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,292 | $108 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Crew Cab 4WD | $266 | $490 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,506 | $126 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Extended Cab 4WD | $266 | $490 | $552 | $32 | $166 | $1,506 | $126 |
Sierra 3500HD SLT Crew Cab 2WD | $292 | $490 | $442 | $26 | $132 | $1,382 | $115 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Above prices assume married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, safe-driver, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Rate information does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can affect prices substantially.
Using the data above, we can ascertain that using a $250 deductible will cost you roughly $38 more each month or $456 every year than opting for the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would pay $750 more to settle a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you average at a minimum 20 months between claims, you would probably come out ahead if you opt for a higher deductible. Here’s an example of how this decision is made.
Average monthly premium for $250 deductibles: | $156 |
Average monthly premium for $1,000 deductibles (subtract): | – $118 |
Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $38 |
Difference between deductibles ($1,000 – $250): | $750 |
Divide difference by monthly savings: | $750 / $38 |
Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 20 months |
One important issue to know is that raising deductibles to save money means you will have to pay more of your own money when you file a claim. You need to have some non-essential savings in order to pay more for the deductible.
The illustration below demonstrates how choosing different deductibles and can affect GMC Sierra 3500HD insurance rates for different insured age categories. The premiums are based on a married female driver, full coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
Annual premiums for males versus females
The example below visualizes the comparison of GMC Sierra 3500HD auto insurance rates for male and female drivers. The premiums assume a clean driving record, no claims, full coverage, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied.
Three reasons auto insurance is important
Despite the potentially high cost of GMC Sierra 3500HD insurance, maintaining insurance serves an important purpose.
- Almost all states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage if you don’t want to risk a ticket. 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 took out a loan on your GMC Sierra 3500HD, most lenders will require that you have full coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you do not keep the policy in force, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your GMC for a much higher rate and force you to pay for the expensive policy.
- Insurance safeguards both your car and your assets. Insurance will also pay for all forms of medical expenses that are the result of an accident. Liability insurance will also pay attorney fees 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 repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of having auto insurance are without a doubt worth the cost, especially if you ever need it. But the average driver in California overpays as much as $830 a year so compare quotes from several companies every year to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Educate yourself about insurance coverages
Having a good grasp of insurance can be of help when determining appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Listed below are the usual coverages available from insurance companies.
Auto liability insurance
Liability insurance provides protection from damage that occurs to other’s property or people that is your fault. It protects you against claims from other people. Liability doesn’t cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.
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. Your policy might show policy limits of 15/30/5 that means you have $15,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and a limit of $5,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability insurance covers things such as attorney fees, court costs and legal defense fees. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as large an amount as possible. California state minimum liability requirements are 15/30/5 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.
The next chart demonstrates why the minimum limit may not provide adequate coverage.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and damage to your GMC Sierra 3500HD.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (California limits are 15/30/5), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.
Comprehensive insurance
This will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims such as falling objects, damage from a tornado or hurricane, fire damage and hitting a deer. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Coverage for medical expenses
Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for immediate expenses such as dental work, doctor visits and ambulance fees. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Auto collision coverage
This covers damage to your Sierra 3500HD resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things like hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from lower value vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible on your Sierra 3500HD in order to get cheaper collision rates.
One last thing about your coverage
Throughout this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to find affordable GMC Sierra 3500HD insurance in Fresno. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote Fresno auto insurance, the higher your chance of finding the cheapest GMC Sierra 3500HD rate quotes. Drivers may even discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small mutual company. They may only write in your state and offer lower car insurance rates than the large multi-state companies such as GEICO and State Farm.
When buying insurance coverage, you should never reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, an insured dropped collision coverage and learned later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your strategy should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Helpful articles
- How Can I Save Money on Auto Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Single Moms in Fresno? (FAQ)
- Help Your Teen Be a Better Driver (State Farm)
- Property Damage Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- Should I Purchase an Umbrella Liability Policy? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Safe Vehicles for Teens (iihs.org)