Would you prefer to buy the cheapest Kia Optima insurance in San Diego? Have you finally had enough of wondering where the money will come from to pay high car insurance rates every month? You are in the same boat as most other people in California.
Astonishing but true, a large majority of drivers kept their coverage with the same car insurance company for a minimum of four years, and virtually 40% of consumers have never even compared rates from other companies. With the average premium in California being $1,390, drivers could save as much as $500 each year by just comparing rate quotes, but most undervalue the rate savings if they changed companies.
You have multiple insurers to pick from, and even though it’s nice to have a selection, more options can take longer to adequately compare rates for Kia Optima insurance in San Diego.
You should take the time to quote other rates quite often because prices are constantly changing. Just because you found the lowest price on Kia Optima insurance in San Diego a few years ago there may be better deals available now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to teach you the only way to lower your annual insurance bill.
Get More Affordable Insurance Costs by Understanding These Factors
The best way to find cheaper insurance is to take a look at some of the factors that come into play when calculating your policy premiums. When consumers understand what influences your rates, this helps enable you to make changes that can help you get lower premium levels.
Listed below are some of the major factors companies use to determine your rate level.
- Drive fewer miles and save – Driving more miles in a year’s time the more you will pay for insurance. The majority of insurers rate vehicles based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate than those that get driven frequently. Double check that your insurance policy correctly shows how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money. An incorrectly rated Optima may be costing you higher rates.
- Accidents cost more than a fine – Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance compared to bad drivers. Even one moving violation can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Drivers who have gotten serious violations such as DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may be required to maintain a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
- Your occupation and insurance rates – Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Occupations such as military personnel, business owners and accountants generally have higher rates than the rest of us due to high stress levels and extremely grueling work hours. On the flip side, professions such as professors, students and homemakers generally pay rates lower than average.
- No insurance gaps is important – Having an insurance coverage lapse will be a fast way to increase your rates. Not only will you pay more, not being able to provide proof of insurance might get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license. You may have to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the California DMV.
- Raising coverage deductibles lowers premiums – The deductibles you choose define the amount you are willing to pay in the event of a claim. Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some coverage claims are rearending another vehicle, damage caused by hail, and damage from wind. The more expense you choose to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
- Your address can impact prices – Being located in small towns and rural areas is a good thing when it comes to insurance. Fewer drivers and short commutes means a lower chance of having an accident and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. People who live in big cities tend to have congested traffic and higher rates of accident claims. More time commuting statistically corresponds to a higher accident and claim rate.
- File insurance claims and pay more – If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Auto insurance companies in California generally give the best rates to insureds who are claim-free. Auto insurance is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
- Prices go up with performance – The type of vehicle you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a substantial difference in your premium level. The best insurance prices are usually found on lower cost passenger cars, but your final cost has many other factors. Since the Kia Optima is classified as a passenger car, insuring your vehicle will cost similar in price or lower as compared to the average rate in San Diego.
- Kia Optima insurance loss statistics – Insurance companies take into consideration historical loss data for every vehicle in order to profitably underwrite each model. Vehicles that the data determines to have higher loss trends will cost more to insure.
The table below outlines the insurance loss data for Kia Optima vehicles. For each policy coverage, the claim probability for all vehicles, regardless of make, model or trim level, is equal to 100. Numbers shown that are under 100 suggest a positive loss record, while values over 100 point to more frequent losses or tendency to have larger claims.
Auto Insurance Loss Data for Kia Optima Models
Vehicle Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Kia Optima 115 101 107 133 142 120 Kia Optima Hybrid 143 115 116 139 158 151 Data Source: iihs.org (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) for 2013-2015 Model Years
There are several ways to obtain and compare prices from many different California insurance companies. The simplest method to do a complete rate comparison is simply to get online rate quotes.
Comparing free price quotes online is easy and it, replaces the need to spend your day driving to insurance agencies in your area. Doing it all online reduces the need to sit down with an agent unless you prefer the guidance that can only be provided by a licensed insurance agent. Although, it is possible find lower rates online but purchase the actual policy in an agency. Just remember that more quotes will enable you to find better pricing. Some smaller insurers do not give online price quotes, so it’s important to also get rates on coverage from those companies, too.
The following companies are ready to provide free rate quotes in San Diego, CA. If several companies are displayed, it’s highly recommended you get prices from several of them to get the most competitive price.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optima LX | $294 | $564 | $564 | $34 | $168 | $1,624 | $135 |
| Optima EX | $370 | $792 | $524 | $32 | $156 | $1,874 | $156 |
| Optima SX | $332 | $664 | $524 | $32 | $156 | $1,708 | $142 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Table data assumes married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and multi-policy. Table data does not factor in specific zip code location which can impact price quotes considerably.
Choosing deductibles
The diagram below highlights how deductible choice and can change Kia Optima insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The price estimates are based on a single female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
Car insurance buyers beware
Car insurance providers like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive endlessly run ads in print and on television. They all seem to convey the message about how much you will save if you move to them. How is it possible that every company can offer drivers better rates? This is the way they can do it.
Insurance companies quote their cheapest rates for the type of insured that earns them the most money. For example, this type of driver could possibly be over the age of 50, has never had a policy lapse, and drives a lower-performance vehicle. A customer getting a price quote that meets those criteria gets the lowest auto insurance rates and will also save a lot on San Diego Kia Optima insurance if they switch.
Consumers who cannot meet this ideal profile may be forced to pay a higher rate and this results in the customer buying from someone else. If you pay close attention to the ads, they say “people that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. That’s the way companies can truthfully advertise the savings.
Because of the profiling, it is so important to do a rate comparison at every renewal. It is impossible to guess which company will have better rates than you’re paying now.
Three main reasons to buy insurance
Despite the fact that insurance is not cheap in San Diego, paying for insurance is required for several reasons.
First, just about all states have minimum liability requirements which means the state requires a specific minimum amount of liability insurance coverage in order to get the vehicle licensed. 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.
Second, if you have a lien on your Optima, it’s most likely the lender will stipulate that you have comprehensive coverage to guarantee loan repayment. If you do not keep the policy in force, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Kia at an extremely high rate and require you to reimburse them for the much more expensive policy.
Third, insurance protects both your vehicle and your assets. It will also reimburse you for all forms of medical expenses for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, your policy will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of insuring your car definitely exceed the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. But the average driver in California is overpaying more than $820 a year so you should quote and compare rates at every renewal to ensure rates are inline.
Save a ton by taking advantage of discounts
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that you may not even know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but occasionally some discounts must be specifically requested prior to receiving the credit.
- Sign Online – Some companies may give you up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up on your computer.
- College Student – Any of your kids living away from San Diego attending college and do not take a car to college could qualify for this discount.
- Good Driver Discount – Insureds who avoid accidents can pay as much as 50% less than drivers with accidents.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a deployed family member could be rewarded with lower premium rates.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Simply owning a home can save a few bucks since home ownership requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child take driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
- Save over 55 – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you are able to get a small decrease in premiums.
- Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents get the best auto insurance rates compared to policyholders that have many claims.
- Policy Bundle Discount – If you can bundle your homeowners and auto insurance and insure them both with the same insurance company you will save nearly 15% which can help you find cheap Optima insurance.
- One Accident Forgiven – This one isn’t a discount, but some companies like Allstate and Progressive may permit one accident before they charge you more for coverage if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
You can save money using discounts, but many deductions do not apply to the whole policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. If you do the math and it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you aren’t that lucky.
To locate auto insurance companies that offer many of these discounts in California, click here.
Get rate quotes but buy from a local neighborhood San Diego car insurance agent
Some consumers just prefer to talk to a local agent and often times that is recommended A nice benefit of comparing auto insurance online is that drivers can save money and get cheaper car insurance rates and still have a local agent. Buying insurance from neighborhood agents is important especially in San Diego.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this simple form, your insurance coverage information is emailed to local insurance agents in San Diego that can provide free San Diego car insurance quotes to get your business. You never need to leave your computer as quotes are delivered directly to your email. You can find the lowest rates AND an agent nearby. If for some reason you want to compare prices from a specific auto insurance provider, you just need to visit that company’s website and submit a quote form there.
When finding a reliable insurance agent, it helps to know the two different types of agencies and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Auto insurance agents in San Diego can be classified as either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Independent Agents
These type of agents are not required to write business for one company and that enables them to quote your coverage with a variety of different insurance companies and find you the best rates. If your premiums go up, they simply move your policy to a different company without you having to go to a different agency. If you need lower rates, you absolutely need to check rates from at a minimum one independent agency to have the best price comparison.
Below is a short list of independent agencies in San Diego that may be able to provide competitive price quotes.
Barney and Barney Insurance Services LLC
9171 Towne Centre Dr Suite 500 – San Diego, CA 92122 – (800) 321-4696 – View Map
Oversea Insurance Agency, Inc
1274 Scott St – San Diego, CA 92106 – (800) 266-2662 – View Map
Nationwide Insurance: Richard Turner Insurance Agency
3443 Camino del Rio S #221 – San Diego, CA 92108 – (619) 296-6222 – View Map
Exclusive Agents
Agents in the exclusive channel can only quote rates from one company and some examples include Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They usually cannot compare other company’s rates so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive agencies receive a lot of sales training on what they offer which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.
Shown below is a list of exclusive agents in San Diego that are able to give price quotes.
Bill Flanigan – State Farm Insurance Agent
8888 Clairemont Mesa Blvd n – San Diego, CA 92123 – (858) 279-2173 – View Map
Bob Francy III – State Farm Insurance Agent
11885 Carmel Mountain Rd #905 – San Diego, CA 92128 – (858) 451-1915 – View Map
Myles Collins – State Farm Insurance Agent
9920 Mira Mesa Blvd A – San Diego, CA 92131 – (858) 271-6400 – View Map
Finding a good auto insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. Any agent in San Diego should have no problem answering these questions:
- Are they in the agency full-time?
- Does the agent recommend any additional coverage?
- How many years of experience in personal auto insurance do they have?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in San Diego?
- Does their agency support local causes in San Diego?
- How would your car be valued if totalled?
Cover all your bases
We’ve covered a lot of techniques to lower your Kia Optima insurance rates in San Diego. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote San Diego car insurance, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the most savings is with a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies may have significantly lower car insurance rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like Allstate or State Farm.
The cheapest Kia Optima insurance in San Diego can be found both online and also from your neighborhood San Diego agents, so you should compare both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some auto insurance companies do not offer price quotes online and these small insurance companies prefer to sell through local independent agents.
As you quote San Diego car insurance, make sure you don’t buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are many occasions where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your objective should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford.
More information is located at these links:
- Vehicle Insurance in the U.S. (Wikipedia)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Young Drivers in San Diego? (FAQ)
- Understanding Car Crashes Video (iihs.org)
- Protecting Teens from Drunk Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
- Understanding Your Insurance Deductible (Insurance Information Institute)