Vehicle owners who are new to comparing auto insurance quotes on the web might discover buying low cost Volvo V90 insurance is not as easy as it seems.
How to find cheaper rates for Volvo V90 insurance in Bakersfield
If you want to save the most money, the best way to get the cheapest Volvo V90 insurance in Bakersfield is to start comparing rates regularly from companies who sell insurance in California. You can shop around by following these steps.
First, try to learn about what is in your policy and the modifications you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that are responsible for high rates such as accidents, traffic violations, and a bad credit rating can be eliminated by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. Continue reading for more ideas to prevent expensive rate increases and find available discounts that you may qualify for.
Second, request price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only quote rates from a single company like GEICO or Allstate, while independent agencies can quote rates for many different companies.
Third, compare the new rates to your existing policy and determine if there is any savings. If you can save 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.
Fourth, provide written notification to your current company of your intention to cancel your current coverage. Submit a down payment along with a completed application to your new agent or company. As soon as coverage is bound, put the certificate verifying proof of insurance above your visor, in the console, or in the glove compartment.
One bit of advice is to try to use similar limits and deductibles on every price quote and and to analyze all possible companies. This guarantees a level playing field and a thorough price selection.
It’s astonishing, but most drivers have stayed with the same insurance company for four years or more, and practically 40% of insurance customers have never compared rates from other carriers. Many consumers in Bakersfield could save almost $500 a year just by shopping around, but they won’t spend time to find lower-cost rates by getting comparison quotes.
It is always a good idea to do price comparisons occasionally because insurance prices change quite often. If you had the best quotes on Volvo V90 insurance in Bakersfield on your last policy you can probably find a better rate now. There are a lot of ways to save on V90 insurance out there, but in this article, you’re going to get some tested techniques to save money.
If you’re already insured, you will be able to reduce premiums using the techniques covered below. The purpose of this post is to help you learn how to compare rates easily and how you can save the most money. Nevertheless, California vehicle owners should learn the way insurance companies determine what you pay and use it to find better rates.
Auto insurance providers offering affordable rates in California
The following companies can provide free rate quotes in Bakersfield, CA. If multiple companies are listed, it’s a good idea that you visit as many as you can in order to find the cheapest rates.
What Determines Volvo V90 Insurance Rates?
Many factors are part of the equation when quoting car insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious like an MVR report, but others are less obvious such as your marital status and annual miles driven. Smart consumers have a good feel for a few of the rating criteria that come into play when calculating insurance rates. If you have a feel for what determines premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower premium levels.
- Lower performance equals lower insurance prices – The performance of the vehicle you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a substantial difference in your car insurance bill. Small economy passenger cars usually have the lowest premiums, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
- Protect yourself with liability coverage – Your insurance policy’s liability coverage kicks in when a jury decides you are liable for an accident. This coverage provides you with a defense in court which can cost a lot. Liability insurance is pretty cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
- Improve your credit rating and save – Your credit history is a big factor in determining what you pay for insurance. If your credit leaves room for improvement, you could potentially save money when insuring your Volvo V90 by repairing your credit. Drivers who have very high credit ratings tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with bad credit.
- Low stress vocation equals lower premiums – Occupational choices like military personnel, business owners, and accountants are shown to have higher rates than average in part from intense work requirements and extremely grueling work hours. On the other hand, jobs such as actors, historians and performers receive lower rates.
- Insurance costs and driver gender – Over the last 30 years, statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men cause auto accidents at about the same rate, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. Not only are claims higher, but men get cited for more serious violations like driving under the influence (DUI). Male teenagers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore pay the highest rates.
- More traffic means higher claims – Living in small towns and rural areas may provide you with better prices when insuring your vehicles. Fewer people means less chance of accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. Residents of big cities have to deal with traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. Higher commute times means more chances of being involved in an auto accident.
- Your car’s features help determine rates – Selecting a car model that has an advanced theft prevention system can save you some money. Systems that thwart thieves like OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms all aid in stopping car theft.
- Incidental coverages that may not be needed – There are quite a few extra coverages that can waste your money if you aren’t careful. Coverages for rental car coverage, better glass coverage, and membership fees could be just wasting money. They may sound like good ideas initially, but if they’re wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Don’t overlook these Volvo V90 insurance discounts
Insuring your fleet can be pricey, but there may be some discounts that you may not even know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but some discounts are required to be asked about before you get the savings. If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount available, you are just wasting money.
- ABS Braking Discount – Cars equipped with ABS or steering control can reduce accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.
- College Student – Kids who live away from home at college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory options such as air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may qualify for discounts of 25 to 30%.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles that have factory anti-theft systems are stolen with less frequency so companies will give you a small discount.
- Save with a New Car – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% because new model year vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Save with More Vehicles Insured – Buying insurance for primary and secondary vehicles on the same auto insurance policy qualifies for this discount.
- Early Signing – Select auto insurance companies give a discount for buying a policy before your current expiration date. You may see this discount when you get Bakersfield auto insurance quotes online.
- Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government could qualify for a slight premium decrease with some auto insurance companies.
Discounts lower rates, but some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you aren’t that lucky.
A list of companies and some of the discounts are shown below.
- State Farm has discounts for passive restraint, Steer Clear safe driver discount, safe vehicle, multiple policy, and student away at school.
- GEICO offers discounts for defensive driver, daytime running lights, air bags, anti-theft, good student, and five-year accident-free.
- Progressive has savings for online quote discount, multi-vehicle, good student, continuous coverage, and homeowner.
- 21st Century may have discounts that include theft prevention, student driver, automatic seat belts, defensive driver, and good student.
- American Family policyholders can earn discounts including mySafetyValet, good student, multi-vehicle, early bird, TimeAway discount, bundled insurance, and good driver.
- The Hartford may include discounts for bundle, defensive driver, good student, anti-theft, vehicle fuel type, air bag, and driver training.
- AAA offers discounts including multi-car, multi-policy, AAA membership discount, education and occupation, good student, anti-theft, and pay-in-full.
If you want affordable Bakersfield auto insurance quotes, ask every insurance company which discounts they offer. A few discounts may not be offered in every state. To locate insurers that offer many of these discounts in Bakersfield, follow this link.
Insurance agent or online?
Many people would rather visit with an insurance agent and we recommend doing that A nice benefit of comparing insurance prices online is that you can find lower rates and still have an agent to talk to. Buying insurance from local insurance agents is still important in Bakersfield.
To find an agent, once you fill out this quick form, your insurance coverage information is submitted to participating agents in Bakersfield who want to provide quotes for your coverage. There is no need to contact any insurance agencies because quoted prices will be sent to you directly. You can find better rates AND a local agent. If for some reason you want to quote rates from a specific auto insurance provider, just find their quoting web page and fill out the quote form the provide.
If you need to find a reliable insurance agent, it’s important to understand the types of agencies and how they can quote your rates. Bakersfield agents are either exclusive agents or independent agents.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Agents that elect to be independent do not write with just one company so they can quote policies with an assortment of companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, your agent can switch companies which requires no work on your part. If you are comparing auto insurance prices, you will want to include a couple of independent agencies in order to have the best price comparison. A lot of them also have access to companies you’ve never heard of that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
Below is a small list of independent insurance agencies in Bakersfield that can possibly get you price quotes.
- Fox, James H – James H Fox Insurance
42 Bernard St – Bakersfield, CA 93305 – (661) 322-2023 – View Map - Edward J. Herrera Insurance Agency
2017 19th St – Bakersfield, CA 93301 – (661) 327-4028 – View Map - Paul Sheldon Insurance and Benefits Planning
5251 Office Park Dr #100 – Bakersfield, CA 93309 – (661) 398-2298 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Exclusive insurance agents can only place business with one company and examples are Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agents cannot shop your coverage around so they have to upsell other benefits. They are very knowledgeable on what they offer which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Drivers often use the same agent mainly due to the brand and strong financial ratings.
Listed below are Bakersfield exclusive insurance agents that are able to give rate quotes.
- Farmers Insurance: Ruth Escobar
400 Chester Ave – Bakersfield, CA 93301 – (661) 631-2420 – View Map - Keith Goree – State Farm Insurance Agent
11350 Ming Ave #230 – Bakersfield, CA 93311 – (661) 663-9000 – View Map - Dawn Fore – State Farm Insurance Agent
4801 Truxtun Ave #200 – Bakersfield, CA 93309 – (661) 324-2300 – View Map
Deciding on an insurance agency should include more criteria than just a cheap quote. The questions below may impact your decision as well.
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- Is the agency active in community causes in Bakersfield?
- Do they have a Better Business Bureau rating in Bakersfield?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- Does the agent help file claims?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
- Are all drivers listed on the coverage quote?
Be persistent to save money
You just read some good ideas how to find lower-cost Volvo V90 insurance in Bakersfield. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get prices for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even be surprised to find that the best premium rates are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
Consumers leave their current company for a number of reasons such as high rates after DUI convictions, policy non-renewal, policy cancellation or even lack of trust in their agent. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new insurance company is easier than you think.
The cheapest Volvo V90 insurance in Bakersfield can be found online and from local agencies, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not offer rate quotes online and these regional insurance providers only sell through local independent agents.
Steps to buying cheaper Volvo V90 insurance in Bakersfield
The preferred way to find lower priced Volvo V90 insurance is to regularly compare price quotes from different companies who provide auto insurance in Bakersfield.
First, take a few minutes and learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the factors you can control to keep rates low. Many policy risk factors that result in higher prices such as accidents, traffic tickets, and a bad credit score can be improved by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
Second, request rate estimates from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give prices from a single company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while independent agencies can give you price quotes from many different companies.
Third, compare the price quotes to your existing policy to see if a cheaper rate is available in Bakersfield. If you find a lower rate quote, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.
One bit of advice is that you’ll want to make sure you compare the same physical damage deductibles and liability limits on every quote and and to get rate quotes from as many different insurance providers as possible. This helps ensure an apples-to-apples comparison and the best price selection.
Additional information
- State Car Insurance Guides (GEICO)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for a Honda CR-V in Bakersfield? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Bakersfield Auto Insurance for a Toyota RAV4? (FAQ)
- Young Drivers: The High Risk Years Video (iihs.org)
- Should I Buy a New or Used Car? (Allstate)
- Higher speed limits cause more fatalities (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)