It’s amazing but nearly 70% of customers have bought auto insurance from the same company for more than four years, and roughly 40% of drivers have never quoted rates to find affordable coverage. Many consumers in Bakersfield could save up to $500 a year just by shopping around, but they don’t know the actual amount they would save if they bought a different policy.
If you want to save money, the best way to get low-cost Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid insurance is to do an annual price comparison from companies who can sell car insurance in Bakersfield. This can be done by following these guidelines.
- Try to comprehend how companies set rates and the things you can control to keep rates down. Many rating factors that drive up the price like traffic citations and poor credit history can be improved by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes. This article gives more ideas to help reduce prices and find discounts that may have been missed.
- Compare price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agencies can provide prices for a wide range of insurance providers. Start a quote
- Compare the price quotes to the premium of your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you can save some money and decide to switch, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
- Tell your current agent or company of your intent to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit the signed application along with the required initial payment for your new coverage. Once coverage is bound, keep the new proof of insurance paperwork in your vehicle’s glove compartment or console.
The most important part of shopping around is to try to compare similar limits and deductibles on every quote and and to get quotes from as many companies as feasibly possible. This ensures an apples-to-apples comparison and a complete rate analysis.
How do Car Insurance Companies Determine Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid Insurance Costs?
Many things are part of the equation when you get a price on insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as traffic violations, but other criteria are not quite as obvious such as your marital status or your vehicle rating.
More than one policy can earn a discount – Most larger insurers will give a discount to customers who have multiple policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Even if you qualify for this discount already, consumers should still get quotes from other companies to verify if the discount is saving money. It’s possible to still find lower rates even if you insure with multiple companies
Cut insurance rates and deter theft – Owning a car with advanced anti-theft systems can save you a little every year. Anti-theft features such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all help stop vehicle theft.
More performance means more cost – The type of vehicle you need to insure makes a huge difference in your premium level. The lowest rates tend to be for lower performance four cylinder passenger vehicles, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
Avoid unnecessary extra coverages – Insurance policies have a lot of extra add-on coverages that can waste your money on your Optima Plug-In Hybrid policy. Insurance for things like roadside assistance, accidental death, and term life insurance may be costing you every month. The coverages may be enticing when discussing your needs, but your needs may have changed so eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Credit history impacts costs – Having a bad credit history can be a huge factor in determining what you pay for insurance. People that have excellent credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower ratings. So if your credit score can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid by improving your credit score.
Drive less and get lower costs – The more miles you rack up on your Kia each year the higher your rates will be. Almost all companies calculate prices based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Autos that do not get driven very much qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Having an incorrect usage rating on your Optima Plug-In Hybrid may be wasting your money. It’s always a good idea to double check that your insurance policy is rated on the correct usage.
Obey driving laws and save – Attentive drivers get better rates than people who have multiple driving citations. Having just one citation can increase the cost of insurance by twenty percent. Drivers who have received severe violations like DUI or reckless driving are required to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to legally drive.
Rates and job – Did you know your career choice can influence rates? Occupations like military personnel, police officers, and stock brokers usually pay higher rates than the rest of us because of intense work requirements and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, occupations like scientists, historians and homemakers have the lowest average rates.
Check for these premium slashing discounts
Car insurance is expensive, but there are discounts available that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but a few need to be requested specifically prior to receiving the credit.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Select insurance companies reward you with a lower car insurance rate if you buy a life policy as well.
- Low Miles Discount – Driving less can earn substantially lower rates.
- Drive Safe and Save – Drivers without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accident claims.
- Drivers Ed for Students – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers participate in a local driver’s education class in high school.
- One Accident Forgiven – This one isn’t a discount, but companies like GEICO, Progressive, and Allstate will let one accident slide without getting socked with a rate hike if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
- Discounts for Government Workers – Employees or retirees of the government can save as much as 8% with a few car insurance companies.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Buying insurance for primary and secondary vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- College Student Discount – College-age children who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from Bakersfield without a vehicle on campus can receive lower rates.
Remember that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.
Popular car insurance companies and the discounts they provide can be found below.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including air bags, driver training, daytime running lights, emergency military deployment, military active duty, multi-policy, and anti-lock brakes.
- SAFECO may include discounts for homeowner, safe driver, anti-lock brakes, drive less, bundle discounts, and accident prevention training.
- State Farm offers discounts for student away at school, Steer Clear safe driver discount, Drive Safe & Save, defensive driving training, and good driver.
- MetLife may have discounts that include defensive driver, accident-free, claim-free, good driver, and multi-policy.
- 21st Century offers premium reductions for theft prevention, student driver, anti-lock brakes, automatic seat belts, teen driver, and driver training.
- Progressive discounts include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and homeowner.
When getting free Bakersfield car insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to every company which discounts you qualify for. A few discounts may not apply to policies in Bakersfield. If you would like to choose from a list of insurance companies that have a full spectrum of discounts in Bakersfield, click this link.
The best rates come from being thorough
Drivers leave their current company for many reasons like not issuing a premium refund, lack of trust in their agent, unfair underwriting practices or policy cancellation. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching companies is not as difficult as it may seem.
The cheapest Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid insurance in Bakersfield is attainable on the web as well as from insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who don’t offer internet price quotes and many times these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.
You just learned a lot of techniques to lower your Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid insurance premium rates in Bakersfield. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with the least-expected company.
Additional detailed information is located in the articles below:
- Rollover Crash FAQ (iihs.org)
- Who Has Cheap Bakersfield Auto Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Highlander? (FAQ)
- Front crash protection reduces rear-end crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)
- Determining Your Vehicle’s Value and Repair Cost (Insurance Information Institute)
- Safe Vehicles for Teens (iihs.org)