Best Ways to Save on San Diego Chevy Malibu Insurance

Want a free price quotes on more affordable Chevy Malibu insurance in San Diego? Did budget coverage turn out to be overpriced Chevy Malibu insurance in San Diego? Don’t sweat it because there are lots of people in the same boat.

Unbelievably, almost 70% of drivers in California have purchased from the same company for over three years, and just short of a majority have never compared quotes from other companies. With the average premium in the U.S. being $1,847, drivers could save up to $859 a year by just comparing quotes, but most undervalue the amount of savings they would get if they switched.

You have multiple insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and although it’s a good thing to have a choice, it makes it harder to get the best deal for Chevy Malibu insurance in San Diego.

When comparison shopping, comparing all the rates in your area provides better odds of finding a lower rate.

The auto insurance companies shown below have been selected to offer free rate quotes in San Diego, CA. If multiple companies are shown, we recommend you click on several of them in order to find the most competitive rates.

Premium data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, claim-free, multi-policy, and homeowner. Rate quotes do not factor in specific location which can decrease or increase auto insurance rates substantially.

How high should deductibles be?

The information below shows how different deductible levels and can affect Chevrolet Malibu insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The rates are based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

Higher deductibles lower rates

One frequently asked question is how high should the physical damage coverage deductibles be. The rates below illustrate the premium difference when you choose different coverage deductibles. The first set of prices uses a $250 physical damage coverage deductible and the second rate chart uses a $1,000 deductible.

Price data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, safe-driver, claim-free, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy. Estimates do not factor in specific San Diego garaging location which can change premiums greatly.

Based on the data above, we can derive that using a $250 deductible will cost you roughly $33 more each month or $396 annually than selecting the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $750 more out of your own pocket with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you tend to go at least 23 months between claim filings, you would come out ahead if you decide on a higher deductible.

These discounts can lower your auto insurance quotes

Auto insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. A few discounts will automatically apply when you get a quote, but some discounts are required to be manually applied in order for you to get them.

• Low Mileage Discounts – Low annual miles can qualify you for cheaper prices.
• Claim Free – Insureds with no claims or accidents are rewarded with significantly better rates on San Diego car insurance quote when compared with policyholders that have many claims.
• College Student – Older children living away from San Diego attending college and leave their car at home could get you a discount.
• Memberships – Being a member of specific professional or occupational memberships or organizations could trigger savings on your policy.
• Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one is not really a discount per se, but companies like GEICO, Allstate and Liberty Mutual will allow you to have one accident without raising rates if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
• Driver Safety – Successfully completing a course teaching safe driver skills is a good idea and can lower rates and make you a better driver.

As a sidenote, many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.

Auto insurance companies that may offer policyholders some of the above discounts may include but are not limited to:

• 21st Century
• Progressive
• State Farm
• Nationwide
• Esurance
• The Hartford

When quoting, ask all companies you are considering which discounts you may be entitled to. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be available to policyholders in your state. To see a list of insurance companies with discount rates in California, follow this link.

When to talk to an insurance agency

Some people just prefer to talk to a local agent and often times that is recommended The best thing about getting free rate quotes online is that you can obtain cheap insurance quotes but also keep your business local.

For easy comparison, once you complete this form (opens in new window), your information is transmitted to local insurance agents in San Diego that give free quotes for your business. It’s much easier because you don’t need to drive around since rate quotes are delivered to your email. You can find better rates without having to waste a lot of time. If you have a need to get a price quote from a particular provider, you can always go to their quote page and give them your coverage information.

Picking the best provider requires more thought than just a low price. Here are some questions you might want to ask.

• Is the agent properly licensed in California?
• Which family members are covered?
• Are they actively involved in the community?
• Do they offer accident forgiveness?
• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
• Do they assist clients in filing claims?
• What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?

Exclusive and independent San Diego car insurance agents

When narrowing the list to find an insurance agent, it’s helpful to know the different agency structures and how they are distinctly different. Insurance policy providers can be categorized as either exclusive or independent.

Exclusive Insurance Agents

These agents work for only one company like State Farm, Allstate, or Farmers Insurance. Exclusive agents cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so keep that in mind. Exclusive agents receive a lot of sales training on their company’s products which aids in selling service over price.

The following are San Diego exclusive insurance agencies who can help you get price quotes.

More San Diego agents

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent agencies are not limited to a single company so they have the ability to put coverage with an assortment of companies and potentially find a lower price. If prices rise, an independent agent can move your coverage and you stay with the same agent. If you are comparing rate quotes, you need to check rates from independent agents in order to have the best price comparison.

The following is a list of independent insurance agencies in San Diego who can help you get price quote information.

More San Diego agents

Get Lower-cost Insurance with These Tips

Multiple criteria are used in the calculation when you quote your car insurance policy. A few of the factors are predictable such as traffic violations, but some are less apparent such as whether you are married or your vehicle rating. It’s important that you understand some of the factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for insurance. If you have some idea of what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower premium levels.

• See if your company offers a multi-policy discount – Some insurance companies will give better rates to people that have more than one policy. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you qualify for this discount already, you still need to shop around to help guarantee you have the best rates. It’s possible to still save money by splitting coverages up.
• Always keep your policy in place – Letting your insurance expire is a guaranteed way to increase your insurance rates. In addition to paying higher premiums, not being able to provide proof of insurance can result in a license revocation or jail time.
• Performance makes a difference – The make and model of the vehicle you are trying to find cheaper insurance for makes a substantial difference in your auto insurance rates. The cheapest insurance rates are usually found on lower cost passenger vehicles, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors. Since the Chevrolet Malibu falls in the passenger car class, insurance will be similar in price or lower as compared to the average rate in San Diego.
• Lower deductibles cost more – Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, helps pay for damage to your vehicle. Examples of some claims that would be covered are a dented fender, hail damage, and windstorm damage. Physical damage deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend before a claim is paid by your company. The more of the claim you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.
• Your address can impact price – Being located in smaller towns and rural areas of the country has definite advantages when shopping for auto insurance. Less people living in that area translates into fewer accident claims. Drivers who live in large California cities have to deal with more auto accidents and much longer commute distances. Longer commute distances statistically corresponds to a higher accident and claim rate.
• Drive fewer miles and save – The more you drive your Chevy annually the higher your rates will be. Most insurance companies charge to insure your cars partially by how you use the vehicle. Cars not used for work or commuting cost less to insure as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. It’s always a good idea to double check that your vehicle rating properly reflects the correct driver usage. Having an incorrect usage rating on your Malibu may be costing you higher rates.
• Prices increase with policy add-ons – There are a ton of additional coverages that can waste your money if you aren’t diligent. Coverage for things like rental car coverage, towing, and extra life insurance coverage are probably not needed. You may think they are a good idea when you first buy your policy, but your needs may have changed so think about removing them and cutting costs.
• Insurance loss statistics a Chevy Malibu – Companies take into consideration historical loss data for every vehicle as a way to help calculate a profitable premium price. Models that tend to have higher frequency or amount of claims will be charged more to insure.

  The table below demonstrates the insurance loss data for Chevy Malibu vehicles. For each coverage type, the loss probability for all vehicles as a whole is equal to 100. Values that are below 100 imply a favorable loss record, while numbers shown that are more than 100 point to more claims or a tendency for losses to be larger than average.

  Insurance Loss Ratings for Chevrolet Malibu Vehicles

  Make and Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Chevrolet Malibu	94	100	109	139	145	120

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Data Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years

Auto insurance protects more than just your car

Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Chevy in San Diego, maintaining insurance is mandatory in California but it also protects more than you think.

• The majority of states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means the state requires a specific level of liability protection 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.
• If your Malibu has a loan, almost every bank will make it a condition of the loan that you have full coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank may insure your Chevy for a lot more money and require you to pay for the expensive policy.
• Insurance safeguards not only your Chevy Malibu but also your financial assets. It will also provide coverage for medical bills for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are sued as the result of your driving. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, your policy will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.

The benefits of having auto insurance more than cancel out the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. The average driver in America is wasting up to $750 every year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at every policy renewal to help ensure money is not being wasted.

Compare but don’t skimp

While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many cases where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to reduce Chevy Malibu insurance premium rates online in San Diego. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding low cost San Diego car insurance quotes. Drivers may even discover the biggest savings come from the smaller companies. These companies may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.

For more information, feel free to browse these articles:

• Your Car has been Stolen: Now What? (Allstate)
• Who Has Affordable San Diego Car Insurance for Low Credit Scores? (FAQ)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Teachers in San Diego? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable San Diego Car Insurance Quotes for Retired Military? (FAQ)
• Dangers of fake or stolen airbags (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Drunk Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Safe Vehicles for Teens (iihs.org)