To save the most money, the best way to find low-cost auto insurance rates is to start comparing prices regularly from different companies in Fresno.
First, spend some time learning about how auto insurance works and the things you can change to prevent rate increases. Many things that result in higher rates such as multiple speeding tickets and poor credit history can be controlled by being financially responsible and driving safely. This article gives additional ideas to help keep prices low and find more discounts that you may not know about.
Second, request price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive and State Farm, while independent agencies can provide rate quotes for a wide range of insurance providers. Click to view companies
Third, compare the new rate quotes to the price on your current policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you can save some money and switch companies, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
One key aspect when comparing rates is to use the same deductibles and limits on every price quote and to quote with all possible companies. This enables a fair rate comparison and a good representation of prices.
It’s safe to conclude that auto insurance companies don’t want their customers to go rate shopping. Insureds who shop around once a year will probably buy a new policy because the odds are good of finding lower rate quotes. A recent car insurance study discovered that drivers who shopped around every year saved an average of $865 a year as compared to drivers who never shopped around.
If finding the lowest rates on Volkswagen Atlas insurance in Fresno is the reason you’re here, then learning about the best ways to find and compare insurance can make it easier for you to save money.
Decisions You Make Can Impact Your Insurance Costs
When buying car insurance it’s important to understand the factors that help determine the level of your policy premiums. When you understand what determines premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower premium levels. Lots of things are part of the calculation when you quote your car insurance policy. Most are fairly basic like an MVR report, although some other factors are less obvious like where you live or how financially stable you are.
The factors shown below are a few of the things used by your company to calculate prices.
- Occupation stress can make you pay more – Do you work in a high-stress field? Occupational choices like military personnel, business owners, and emergency personnel tend to have higher rates than the rest of us in part from intense work-related stress and long work hours. Conversely, careers such as professors, engineers and retirees pay the least.
- Better rates with anti-theft devices – Choosing a vehicle that has a built-in theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features such as vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack can help prevent your vehicle from being stolen.
- More performance means higher rates – The type of vehicle you own makes a big difference in the rate you pay. Smaller low performance passenger vehicles receive the most favorable rates, but your final cost has many other factors.
- High premiums for younger drivers – Teen drivers in California have been known to be more careless with other occupants in the car and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher. Parents adding a inexperienced driver to your policy can be very expensive. Older insureds are shown to be more cautious, statistically cause fewer accidents, and are safer drivers.
- Where do you drive? – The more miles you rack up on your Volkswagen in a year the more you’ll pay to insure it. A lot of companies price each vehicle’s coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars left parked in the garage cost less to insure than vehicles that have high annual mileage. Ask your agent if your vehicle rating reflects the correct usage for each vehicle. An improperly rated Atlas is throwing money out the window.
Insurance quotes and discounts
Not too many consumers would say insurance is affordable, but you may find discounts to help bring down the price. Some of these discounts will be visible at the time you complete a quote, but some may not be applied and must be specifically requested before you get the savings.
- Distant College Student Discount – Youth drivers who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from Fresno and do not have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching companies early. You may see this discount when you get Fresno car insurance quotes online.
- Own a Home – Just being a homeowner can earn you a little savings since home ownership requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Memberships – Joining a professional or civic organization could earn you a nice discount on your next insurance statement.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you can bundle your home and auto insurance with the same insurance company you will save 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Paperwork-free – Many larger companies will give a small break simply for signing on your computer.
It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you’re out of luck.
Companies and a partial list of their discounts include:
- 21st Century policyholders can earn discounts including driver training, defensive driver, automatic seat belts, student driver, 55 and older, good student, and theft prevention.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for good student, anti-theft, accident-free, passive restraint, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- AAA may offer discounts for AAA membership discount, education and occupation, multi-car, pay-in-full, multi-policy, good student, and good driver.
- Liberty Mutual has savings for preferred payment discount, new move discount, exclusive group savings, teen driver discount, good student, new graduate, and multi-car.
- Progressive has discounts for continuous coverage, good student, online quote discount, multi-policy, online signing, multi-vehicle, and homeowner.
Double check with every company which discounts they offer. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not be available in your state.
How to find a good California car insurance company
Insuring your vehicle with the top company is difficult considering how many companies provide coverage in Fresno. The rank data shown below could help you pick which providers to look at shopping your coverage with.
Top 10 Fresno Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- Esurance
- AAA Insurance
- Progressive
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- Allstate
- Titan Insurance
- The Hartford
Top 10 Fresno Car Insurance Companies Overall
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
A conclusion for your insurance search
More affordable insurance in Fresno is attainable both online in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should compare rates from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. The ultimate goal is to purchase plenty of coverage at the lowest possible cost, not the least amount of coverage.
We just presented some good ideas how you can compare Volkswagen Atlas insurance rates in Fresno. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get car insurance rates for, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the lowest rates are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
More detailed insurance information can be found in these articles:
- How to Avoid Staged Accidents (State Farm)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Ride Shares in Fresno? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a Nissan Rogue in Fresno? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for a Chevrolet Silverado in Fresno? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for Unemployed Drivers in Fresno? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Business Use in Fresno? (FAQ)
- What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- Rearview cameras reduce backing crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)