Do you want to stop overpaying and find the cheapest Dodge Magnum insurance in Bakersfield? Have you finally had enough of wondering where the money will come from each month for auto insurance? You have the same problem as many other vehicle owners in California.
Shockingly, about 70% of customers renewed their policy with the same company for at least four years, and almost 40% of drivers have never even shopped around for cheap coverage. Most drivers in Bakersfield can save hundreds of dollars each year just by comparing rates, but they don’t know the rate savings if they switched.
Vehicle owners have so many insurance companies to pick from, and although it’s a good thing to have a selection, it can be more challenging to find the lowest cost provider for Dodge Magnum insurance in Bakersfield.
Locating the best rates in Bakersfield is not that difficult as long as you know where to start. Nearly every car owner who needs more affordable insurance most likely will find better rates. Nevertheless, California vehicle owners need to learn how insurance companies determine how much to charge and apply this information to your search.
When quoting insurance, remember that comparing a large number of companies helps increase your odds of locating a better price.
The companies in the list below are our best choices to provide price quotes in California. If more than one company is shown, it’s highly recommended you compare several of them in order to find the lowest rates.
Insuring your Dodge Magnum just makes sense
Despite the high cost, auto insurance is required in California but it also protects you in many ways.
- Just about all states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means state laws require specific limits of liability protection in order to drive the car legally. 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 Magnum, it’s most likely the lender will stipulate that you carry insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If you do not keep the policy in force, the lender will be forced to insure your Dodge at a significantly higher premium and require you to fork over for the expensive policy.
- Auto insurance preserves both your vehicle and your personal assets. It will also reimburse you for medical bills for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, your policy will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of insuring your car definitely exceed the cost, especially for larger claims. The average driver in California overpays more than $850 per year so compare rates at every renewal to ensure rates are competitive.
You may qualify for discounts for Dodge Magnum insurance in Bakersfield
Auto insurance is not inexpensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Certain reductions will be credited at the time of purchase, but a few must be asked for before they will apply. If they aren’t giving you every credit available, you could be getting lower rates.
- Savings for New Vehicles – Buying a new car instead of a used Magnum is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
- Good Grades Discount – Getting good grades can save 20 to 25%. Most companies allow this discount well after school through age 25.
- Senior Discount – Mature drivers may receive a slight reduction on a Bakersfield auto insurance quote.
- Theft Deterrent System – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices are less likely to be stolen and that can save you a little bit as well.
- Paper-free Discount – A few larger online companies provide a small discount for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
- Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay less when compared to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for all your vehicles with one company can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% with certain companies.
Remember that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, that’s just not realistic. But any discount will bring down your overall bill.
A list of companies and a selection of discounts are detailed below.
- Farm Bureau has savings for good student, multi-vehicle, renewal discount, 55 and retired, multi-policy, driver training, and safe driver.
- MetLife may include discounts for good driver, defensive driver, good student, accident-free, and claim-free.
- Progressive has discounts for multi-policy, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online signing, and online quote discount.
- AAA policyholders can earn discounts including good driver, multi-car, multi-policy, good student, and anti-theft.
- American Family offers discounts including early bird, multi-vehicle, good driver, air bags, and TimeAway discount.
- GEICO discounts include membership and employees, defensive driver, military active duty, air bags, and anti-theft.
- State Farm includes discounts for passive restraint, Steer Clear safe driver discount, driver’s education, defensive driving training, good student, and student away at school.
Before purchasing a policy, check with every prospective company which discounts can lower your rates. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not apply in Bakersfield. To locate insurance companies that provide some of the discounts listed above in California, click this link.
Are auto insurance agents of importance?
Certain consumers still prefer to buy from a local agent and that can be a smart move A good thing about price shopping on the web is the fact that drivers can get cheap rate quotes and still have an agent to talk to.
Upon completion of this simple form, your information is transmitted to local insurance agents that can give you free Bakersfield auto insurance quotes to get your business. There is no need to visit any agencies due to the fact that quote results will go to you instantly. You can find the lowest rates without requiring a lot of work. If you want to get a comparison quote for a specific company, you just need to navigate to their website to submit a rate quote request.
Picking a company should include more criteria than just a cheap price quote. Any good agent in Bakersfield should know the answers to these questions.
- Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
- Has the agent ever had any license suspensions?
- How long has their agency been open in Bakersfield?
- What company holds the largest book of business for them?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
When finding a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agents and how they can service your needs differently. Agents can be classified as either independent or exclusive.
Exclusive Agencies
Agents that choose to be exclusive write business for a single company and some examples include Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They usually cannot compare rates from other companies so always compare other rates. Exclusive insurance agents are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
The following is a list of exclusive agencies in Bakersfield who may provide you with comparison quotes.
Sal Brito – State Farm Insurance Agent
1410 Wible Rd #107 – Bakersfield, CA 93304 – (661) 398-5144 – View Map
Dennis Stitt – State Farm Insurance Agent
1811 Oak St Ste 155 – Bakersfield, CA 93301 – (661) 327-6990 – View Map
James Banks – State Farm Insurance Agent
1525 Columbus St #400 – Bakersfield, CA 93305 – (661) 872-5140 – View Map
Independent Auto Insurance Agents
These type of agents do not sell for just one brand so as a result can place your coverage amongst many companies and get the cheapest rates. If you want to switch companies, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to switch agencies.
If you need lower rates, we highly recommend that you compare quotes from a couple of independent agencies for the best price selection.
Below is a list of independent insurance agencies in Bakersfield who can help you get comparison quotes.
Lorena Magana Insurance Agency, Inc.
4141 Ming Ave – Bakersfield, CA 93309 – (559) 783-9550 – View Map
Crosby and Crosby Insurance Services
111 H St – Bakersfield, CA 93304 – (661) 327-5531 – View Map
William K Lyons Agency Inc
2100 F St # 200 – Bakersfield, CA 93301 – (661) 327-9731 – View Map
Insurance coverages explained
Understanding the coverages of your policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the normal coverages available from insurance companies.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix 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 insurance covers claims like damage from getting keyed, hail damage, a tree branch falling on your vehicle, theft and hitting a bird. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Medical expense insurance – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills for things like dental work, rehabilitation expenses, surgery, prosthetic devices and pain medications. They can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers you and your occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Coverage for liability – This coverage protects you from damage that occurs to other’s property or people. Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 15/30/5 which means a $15,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and a total limit of $5,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability can pay for things such as repair costs for stationary objects, medical services, pain and suffering, court costs and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. California state law requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.
The illustration below shows why buying minimum limits may not be adequate.
Collision – Collision coverage pays for damage to your Magnum from colliding with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision coverage protects against claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, colliding with a tree, rolling your car and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible on your Magnum in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. It can pay for injuries to you and your family and damage to your Dodge Magnum.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (15/30/5), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
More effort can pay off
You just learned quite a bit of information on how to save on Dodge Magnum insurance in Bakersfield. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding affordable Dodge Magnum insurance quotes. Drivers may even discover the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies. They may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as GEICO and State Farm.
As you shop your coverage around, never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your objective should be to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.
A few companies may not have online rate quotes and most of the time these smaller providers work with independent agencies. Cheaper auto insurance in Bakersfield is possible online and with local Bakersfield insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis.
How to find better rates for Dodge Magnum insurance in Bakersfield
The preferred way to get affordable Dodge Magnum insurance in Bakersfield is to begin comparing prices regularly from companies that sell auto insurance in California.
- Try to comprehend the coverage provided by your policy and the things you can control to keep rates in check. Many risk factors that are responsible for high rates like speeding and a poor credit rating can be rectified by paying attention to minor details.
- Compare rates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can only provide price estimates from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while independent agents can provide prices for a wide range of companies.
- Compare the price quotes to your current policy premium to see if a cheaper price is available in Bakersfield. If you can save some money and decide to switch, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
The most important part of this process is to use similar limits and deductibles on each quote and and to analyze every company you can. Doing this enables a fair rate comparison and a thorough price selection.
Additional auto insurance information can be found on the following sites:
- Insurance losses by make and model (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for Uber Drivers in Bakersfield? (FAQ)
- Choosing a Car for Your Teen (State Farm)
- Child Safety Seats (Insurance Information Institute)