Car Insurance in Fontana California – 9 Tips to Lower Rates

Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Trust us, there are many people just like you.

You have multiple insurers to pick from, and although it’s nice to have a selection, it makes it harder to compare rates and find the lowest cost car insurance.

Buying car insurance in Fontana is not that difficult. Essentially every driver who shops for car insurance will most likely be able to lower their premiums. Although California consumers should learn how the larger insurance companies price online insurance and use this information to your advantage.

Car Insurance Comparison Rates in Fontana, California

There are several ways to compare quotes and find the best price. The fastest way to find the lowest rates is to perform an online rate comparison. It is quite easy and can be accomplished in several different ways.

The best way to get quotes for comparison is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This type of form eliminates the need for repetitive form entry for each company you want a rate for. One form submission gets rate comparisons from many national carriers.
A slightly less efficient method to obtain and compare quotes online requires a visit to the website for each individual company to complete a price quote. For example, let’s say you want to compare Nationwide, Progressive and Allstate. To get each rate you have to go to every website and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Fontana, click here.

Which method you use is up to you, but compare identical deductibles and coverage limits with every price quote. If the quotes have different limits and deductibles on each one it will be very difficult to find the best deal in Fontana. Having just a slight variation in insurance coverages can result in a big premium difference. Just remember that obtaining a wide range of quotes gives you a better chance of getting a lower rate.

Do you qualify for these nine discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance do not list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of both the well known as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using.

Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than their less cautious counterparts.
Paperwork-free – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break just for signing your application over the internet.
New Car Discount – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
Safety Course Discount – Completing a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill if you qualify.
One Accident Forgiven – A few companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
Multiple Policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a house in Fontana can help you save on car insurance because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.
Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have a discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts up to 30%.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only cut individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

To choose insurers with the best car insurance discounts in Fontana, click here.

Don’t assume everyone needs the same coverage

When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a perfect coverage plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions can aid in determining whether your personal situation may require specific advice.

Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Fontana?
Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?
Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
Do I need motorclub coverage?
Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
What can I do if my company denied a claim?
Can I afford low physical damage deductibles?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

More detailed California car insurance information is located at the California Department of Insurance website. California consumers can read industry bulletins, report car insurance fraud, and view a list of available companies.

Other informative sites include Auto Insurance 101 and this page where you can research Fontana insurance agents.

Car insurance coverage specifics

Learning about specific coverages of car insurance can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the usual coverages found on most car insurance policies.

UM/UIM Coverage

This coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family and damage to your vehicle.

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. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

This coverage pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like damage from flooding, damage from getting keyed, hitting a deer and hitting a bird. The most you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Liability

This coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 50/100/50 which means $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 of coverage for damaged propery.

Liability coverage protects against claims such as bail bonds, legal defense fees, attorney fees and pain and suffering. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but you should buy as much as you can afford. California requires drivers to carry at least 15,000/30,000/5,000 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.

Medical costs insurance

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for short-term medical expenses such as X-ray expenses, EMT expenses and funeral costs. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers both the driver and occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states and may carry a deductible

Collision coverage

Collision coverage covers damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with an object or car. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision can pay for things like backing into a parked car, scraping a guard rail, driving through your garage door and hitting a parking meter. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Do the work, save more money

While you’re price shopping online, don’t be tempted to skimp on coverage in order to save money. In many instances, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price.

In this article, we covered a lot of ways to shop for car insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the lowest premiums are with some of the lesser-known companies. These companies often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.