Cheap Quotes for Volkswagen Passat Insurance in Bakersfield

Feel like you’re a prisoner to an overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you many Bakersfield drivers feel the same as you.

It’s easy to assume that car insurance companies don’t want their policyholders to compare prices. Insureds who do rate comparisons will most likely buy a different policy because they have good chances of finding better rates. A recent study showed that drivers who make a habit of shopping around saved as much as $865 annually compared to other drivers who never shopped around for lower prices.

If finding low prices for Volkswagen Passat insurance is your goal, then knowing how to quote and compare insurance coverage can help simplify the process.

How to find more affordable Volkswagen Passat insurance in Bakersfield

It takes a little time, but the best way to find lower priced auto insurance rates in Bakersfield is to compare prices regularly from insurance carriers in California. You can compare rates by following these steps.

Step 1: Try to learn a little about what is in your policy and the steps you can take to keep rates low. Many policy risk factors that are responsible for high rates like traffic citations, accidents, and a negative credit score can be amended by being financially responsible and driving safely.

Step 2: Compare price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only quote rates from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote rates for a wide range of companies. View prices

Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy and see if there is a cheaper rate in Bakersfield. If you can save money and switch companies, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.

One thing to remember is to compare the same liability limits and deductibles on every quote request and and to compare as many car insurance companies as possible. Doing this helps ensure a fair rate comparison and a better comparison of the market.

Big-name insurance companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually hit you with advertising and it is difficult to avoid their marketing magic and do the work needed to find the best deal.

If you have a policy now, you stand a good chance to be able to cut your premiums using the techniques covered below. Finding the cheapest coverage in Bakersfield is easy if you know what you’re doing. But California vehicle owners must know how the larger insurance companies compete online.

Companies offering low-cost Volkswagen Passat prices in Bakersfield, CA

The companies in the list below have been selected to offer free quotes in California. If the list has multiple companies, we recommend you visit several of them to find the most affordable car insurance rates.

Analysis of coverages

The premium table shown next covers detailed analysis of rate quotes for Volkswagen Passat models. Having knowledge of how insurance rates are figured can be of help when making decisions on the best policy coverages.

Data based on single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, homeowner, multi-policy, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can modify coverage prices noticeably.

The chart below illustrates how your choice of deductibles and can affect Volkswagen Passat insurance costs for different age groups. The data is based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Violations and accidents raise rates

The information below illustrates how traffic citations and accidents influence Volkswagen Passat insurance costs for different categories of driver ages. The rates are based on a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

Volkswagen Passat insurance premiums by gender in Bakersfield

The example below visualizes the comparison of Volkswagen Passat yearly insurance costs for male and female drivers. The premiums assume no violations or claims, full coverage, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Price comparison of only insuring for liability

The information below illustrates the difference between Volkswagen Passat car insurance rates with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The rate quotes are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

When to drop comprehensive and collision coverage

There is no written rule of when to exclude comp and collision coverage, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of coverage is 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.

For example, let’s assume your Volkswagen Passat replacement cost is $4,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most your company will settle for is $3,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If it’s costing you more than $300 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

There are some cases where eliminating full coverage is not in your best interest. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to carry full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should keep full coverage in place.

Bakersfield car insurance discounts

Not too many consumers would say car insurance is affordable, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that may help make it more affordable. Many of these discounts will be applied automatically at quote time, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before being credited.

• Multi-car Discount – Buying a policy with multiple cars on the same car insurance policy could earn a price break for each car.
• Low Mileage – Low mileage vehicles may allow you to get substantially lower car insurance rates.
• Home Ownership Discount – Owning a home in Bakersfield may earn you a small savings since home ownership means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
• Federal Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government could provide a small rate reduction with certain companies.
• Waiver for an Accident – Not really a discount, but some companies like Progressive, Allstate, and GEICO may permit one accident before your rates go up so long as you are claim-free for a specific time period.
• Mature Driver Discount – Older drivers can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
• Distant College Student Discount – Children who are enrolled in higher education away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.

As is typical with insurance, most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

The information below illustrates the difference between Volkswagen Passat insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The data assumes a female driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-car, claim-free, and marriage discounts applied.

Car insurance companies that may include some of the above discounts include:

• American Family
• Farm Bureau
• State Farm
• Travelers
• The Hartford
• GEICO
• Progressive

When getting free Bakersfield auto insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to each company or agent the best way to save money. All car insurance discounts may not be available in your state. To view insurers that have a full spectrum of discounts in California, click here.

Compare prices but still have a local Bakersfield insurance agency

Some people would prefer to sit down with an agent and that is a personal choice. An additional benefit of comparing rate quotes online is that drivers can save money and get cheap insurance rates and still buy from a local agent.

For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, the quote information is transmitted to participating agents in Bakersfield who will give competitive quotes for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to search for an agent since price quotes are sent immediately to your email address. It’s the lowest rates AND a local agent. If for some reason you want to quote rates from one company in particular, don’t hesitate to jump over to their website and fill out the quote form the provide.

Finding the right insurer shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price quote. These are some questions your agent should answer.

• Is the agent properly licensed in California?
• Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
• Are they full-time agents?
• How experienced are they in personal risk management?
• What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?

The difference between Bakersfield auto insurance agents

If you prefer to buy insurance from a reliable agent, you need to know there are two different types of agencies and how they operate. Insurance agencies may be either independent or exclusive.

Exclusive Insurance Agencies

Agents of this type work for only one company and some examples include Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. Exclusive agents cannot place coverage with different providers so always compare other rates. Exclusive agencies are trained well on the products they sell which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.

Shown below is a short list of exclusive agencies in Bakersfield that are able to give comparison quotes.

View more Bakersfield agents

Independent Insurance Agents

These type of agents are not restricted to one company and that is an advantage because they can write policies through lots of different companies and find the cheapest insurance rates. If your premiums go up, your agent can just switch to a different company and you don’t have to do anything.

When comparing rate quotes, it’s recommended you include price quotes from a couple of independent agencies for the best price selection.

Listed below are independent agencies in Bakersfield who can help you get price quotes.

View more Bakersfield agents

Auto insurance 101

Understanding the coverages of your policy can help you determine the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. These are the normal coverages offered by insurance companies.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Volkswagen Passat.

Because many people carry very low liability coverage limits (15/30/5 in California), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.

Liability insurance – Liability insurance provides protection from damage that occurs to other people or property. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show values of 15/30/5 which means $15,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and $5,000 of coverage for damaged property.

Liability coverage protects against things such as legal defense fees, funeral expenses, repair bills for other people’s vehicles, repair costs for stationary objects and emergency aid. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as high a limit as you can afford. California requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.

The next chart demonstrates why low liability limits may not be enough coverage.

Collision – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision insurance covers things like hitting a parking meter, damaging your car on a curb and colliding with another moving vehicle. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible on your Passat to save money on collision insurance.

Medical payments coverage and PIP – Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses for prosthetic devices, pain medications and hospital visits. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to both the driver and occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and may carry a deductible

Comprehensive coverage – This coverage will pay to fix damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as damage from getting keyed, hitting a bird and hitting a deer. The highest amount 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 consider dropping full coverage.

Cheap auto insurance premiums are possible

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice collision coverage to discover at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

We just covered a lot of ways to reduce Volkswagen Passat insurance premium rates online in Bakersfield. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the better likelihood of getting affordable Volkswagen Passat insurance quotes. You may even find the best price on auto insurance is with a lesser-known regional company. Some small companies often have lower prices on specific markets than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.

Steps to finding cheaper quotes for Volkswagen Passat insurance in Bakersfield

To save the most money, the best way to find lower priced Volkswagen Passat insurance in Bakersfield is to start comparing rates regularly from insurance carriers who provide auto insurance in California. Prices can be compared by following these steps.

Step 1: Spend a few minutes and learn about car insurance and the things you can change to lower rates. Many risk factors that cause high rates such as traffic violations and a bad credit rating can be controlled by making minor changes to your lifestyle.

Step 2: Quote rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give rate quotes from a single company like Progressive or Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide prices for a wide range of companies. Get quotes now

Step 3: Compare the new quotes to your current policy premium and determine if there is any savings. If you find better rates and decide to switch, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.

A valuable tip to remember is to make sure you’re comparing the same level of coverage on every quote request and to quote with as many auto insurance providers as possible. Doing this enables a fair rate comparison and maximum price selection.

Much more information about auto insurance in California is located at these links:

• No-Fault Auto Insurance Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Cheap Bakersfield Auto Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Highlander? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Rates for 4×4 Vehicles in Bakersfield? (FAQ)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers Over Age 50 in Bakersfield? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Bakersfield Auto Insurance for a Jeep Wrangler? (FAQ)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Used Cars in Bakersfield? (FAQ)
• Avoiding Deer Collisions (Insurance Information Institute)
• Rental Car Insurance Tips (Insurance Information Institute)
• Automakers compete to add autobraking (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Medical Payments Coverage (Liberty Mutual)