Everyone knows that insurance companies don’t want you to look for a cheaper policy. Insureds who shop around for cheaper rates are very likely to switch companies because there is a high probability of finding a lower-priced company. A survey found that consumers who routinely compared quotes saved on average $3,500 over four years compared to policyholders who never compared other company’s rates.
If finding budget-friendly Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance in Irvine is the reason for your visit, then having a grasp of how to find and compare insurance coverage can help you be more efficient.
It takes a little time, but the best way to get affordable Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance in Irvine is to regularly compare price quotes from insurance carriers in California.
- Try to learn a little about the coverage provided by your policy and the modifications you can make to keep rates in check. Many things that result in higher rates like getting speeding tickets and a less-than-favorable credit score can be improved by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes. This article gives more details to help find cheaper rates and find more discounts that you may not know about.
- Compare prices from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct and exclusive agents can give quotes from one company like GEICO or Farmers Insurance, while independent agencies can quote prices from many different companies.
- Compare the price quotes to your existing coverage and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate quote, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Tell your current company to cancel the current policy and submit any necessary down payment along with the completed application for your new policy. When you receive it, place the new certificate verifying proof of insurance with the vehicle registration.
A valuable tip to remember is that you’ll want to make sure you compare the same level of coverage on every quote request and and to get rate quotes from as many companies as feasibly possible. This helps ensure the most accurate price comparison and the best price quote selection.
Our objective is to tell you the most effective ways to compare rates and some tricks to saving. If you have coverage now, you will be able to shop for the lowest rates using the tips covered below. Nevertheless, California vehicle owners can benefit from knowing how insurance companies determine premium rates and apply this information to your search.
The most recommended method to compare rate quotes for Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance in Irvine is to realize most larger insurance companies provide online access to give rate comparisons. To get started, all you need to do is give them rating details such as whether your vehicle is owned or leased, your general credit rating, whether the vehicles are used for commuting, and what you do for a living. The data is then submitted to many of the top insurers and you receive quotes instantly.
To check Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance prices now, click here and complete the form.
The providers in the list below have been selected to offer comparison quotes in Irvine, CA. To find the cheapest auto insurance in Irvine, CA, we suggest you click on several of them to get the lowest price.
Rates and information analytics
The coverage table shown next showcases a range of insurance prices for Chrysler PT Cruiser models. Having a good understanding how insurance prices are established can help customers make smart policy decisions.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PT Cruiser 2WD 4-Dr | $230 | $392 | $354 | $20 | $106 | $1,102 | $92 |
| PT Cruiser 2WD 4-Dr | $230 | $392 | $354 | $20 | $106 | $1,102 | $92 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Above prices assume married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and safe-driver. Rate information does not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can lower or raise premiums significantly.
Deductible comparison
When comparing car insurance rates, the most common question is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The premium rates below may aid in understanding the difference in cost when you buy lower versus higher deductibles. The first table uses a $250 deductible for comprehensive and collision coverage and the second pricing table uses a $500 deductible.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PT Cruiser 2WD 4-Dr | $298 | $472 | $376 | $22 | $112 | $1,305 | $109 |
| PT Cruiser 2WD 4-Dr | $298 | $472 | $376 | $22 | $112 | $1,305 | $109 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PT Cruiser 2WD 4-Dr | $242 | $382 | $376 | $22 | $112 | $1,134 | $95 |
| PT Cruiser 2WD 4-Dr | $242 | $382 | $376 | $22 | $112 | $1,134 | $95 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Table data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, and homeowner. Table data does not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can affect premiums greatly.
Based on the above data, using a $250 deductible could cost the average driver approximately $14 more each month or $168 each year than buying the higher $500 deductible. Due to the fact that you would have to pay $250 more out of your own pocket with a $500 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you tend to have more than 18 months between claim filings, you would more than likely save some money if you choose the higher deductible. The table below shows how you can do this calculation yourself.
| Average monthly premium for $250 deductibles: | $109 |
| Average monthly premium for $500 deductibles (subtract): | – $95 |
| Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $14 |
| Difference between deductibles ($500 – $250): | $250 |
| Divide difference by monthly savings: | $250 / $14 |
| Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 18 months |
One important caveat is that increasing deductibles to lower your rates results in a higher out-of-pocket expense at claim time. That will require some money saved in the event you have to pay the deductible to have repairs made.
Rate comparison of males versus females
The information below visualizes the comparison of Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance prices for male and female drivers. The premium estimates are based on no violations or accidents, full physical damage coverage, $100 deductibles, single status, and no policy discounts are applied.
Cost of full coverage
The information below shows the comparison of Chrysler PT Cruiser yearly insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The premiums assume no claims or driving violations, $100 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.
Are you wasting money on full coverage?
There is no clear-cut rule for phasing out comp and collision coverage, but there is a general school of thought. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your Chrysler PT Cruiser replacement value is $5,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would get paid by your company is $4,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If premiums are more than $400 a year for comprehensive and collision coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some conditions where eliminating full coverage is not a good plan. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not remove full coverage.
Buying the right PT Cruiser insurance in California is an important decision
Even though Irvine PT Cruiser insurance rates can get expensive, paying for insurance is mandatory in California but it also protects more than you think.
First, the majority of states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means state laws require a specific minimum amount of liability if you don’t want to risk a ticket. 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 took out a loan on your PT Cruiser, more than likely the lender will make it a condition of the loan that you carry insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank may insure your Chrysler at a much higher rate and force you to pay the higher premium.
Third, insurance protects not only your car but also your financial assets. It will also reimburse you for most medical and hospital costs incurred in an accident. Liability insurance also pays for attorney fees and expenses if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.
The benefits of buying enough insurance more than cancel out the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. In a recent study of 1,000 drivers, the average customer overpays more than $865 each year so you should quote and compare rates at least once a year to make sure the price is not too high.
Five Tips to Get More Affordable Irvine Insurance Prices
Smart consumers have a good feel for a few of the rating criteria that play a part in calculating your insurance rates. When consumers understand what determines base rates, this enables informed choices that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs. Multiple criteria are part of the equation when you quote your car insurance policy. Some are pretty understandable like your driving record, but others are more obscure such as whether you are married and annual miles driven.
- Improve your credit rating and save – An insured’s credit score factor in calculating your premium rate. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better risks to insure than those with lower ratings. Therefore, if your credit history is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your Chrysler PT Cruiser by spending a little time repairing your credit.
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Tickets will cost you – Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Having just one speeding ticket can boost insurance rates by as much as twenty percent. Drivers who have license-revoking tickets like DUI or reckless driving may find they need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to legally drive a vehicle.
The chart below shows how speeding tickets and at-fault collisions can influence Chrysler PT Cruiser annual premium costs for different categories of driver ages. The rate quotes are based on a single female driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
- Never let your insurance policy lapse – Allowing your coverage to lapse is a quick way to drive up your policy premiums. Not only will you pay higher rates, not being able to provide proof of insurance could result in a steep fine or even jail time.
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Teenagers are high risk – Inexperience drivers are known to get distracted easily behind the wheel therefore insurance rates are much higher. Older insureds are more cautious drivers, cause fewer claims and accidents, and get fewer tickets.
The data below is based on a single driver, full coverage with $250 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.
- If you don’t need it don’t buy it – There are a lot of extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your insurance policy. Coverage for things like personal injury protection, accident forgiveness, and extra equipment coverage are examples of these. You may think they are a good idea when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them eliminate them to save money.
Discounts for affordable car insurance rates
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you might be missing out on some discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some of these discounts will be visible at the time of quoting, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before you get the savings.
- Accident Free – Good drivers with no accidents get the best car insurance rates when compared to bad drivers.
- Multi-line Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
- Irvine Homeowners Pay Less – Owning a home in Irvine may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
- Professional Memberships – Being a member of certain professional organizations can get you a small discount on your policy.
- Senior Discount – Drivers over the age of 55 could receive a slight reduction on a Irvine car insurance quote.
- Government Employee Discount – Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% depending on your car insurance provider.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may earn rate discounts up to 30%.
A little disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, you’re out of luck.
The diagram below shows the comparison of Chrysler PT Cruiser annual premium costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The premiums are based on a female driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with marriage, claim-free, multi-policy, homeowner, safe-driver, and multi-car discounts applied.
Some companies who might offer these benefits may include but are not limited to:
Before you buy a policy, ask each insurance company which discounts they offer. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be offered on policies in your state. If you would like to view car insurance companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in California, follow this link.
When to get advice from a local insurance agent
A small number of people just want to have an agent’s advice and there is nothing wrong with that. An additional benefit of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find cheap auto insurance rates and still buy from a local agent. Buying insurance from neighborhood insurance agencies is important particularly in Irvine.
After completing this quick form, the coverage information is transmitted to local insurance agents that can provide free Irvine car insurance quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You won’t even need to search for any insurance agencies since rate quotes are delivered to you directly. You can find lower rates and a licensed agent to work with. If you wish to get a price quote from a specific insurance company, you would need to search and find their rate quote page and complete a quote there.
Not all auto insurance agents are the same
If you would like to find a good insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the different types of agents and how they work. Agents may be either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).
Independent Agents
Agents that choose to be independent do not work for one specific company and that gives them the ability to insure amongst many companies and potentially find a lower price. If they find a cheaper price, they simply move your policy to a different company which is easy for the insured. When searching for an agent, you will want to include rate quotes from independent agents to have the most options to choose from. They also have the ability to place coverage with small regional insurance companies which can save you money.
Below is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Irvine who can help you get free auto insurance quotes.
- AIS | Auto Insurance Specialists | Irvine
16969 Von Karman Ave #100 – Irvine, CA 92606 – (949) 660-7061 – View Map - Journey Insurance
9541 Irvine Center Dr – Irvine, CA 92618 – (888) 323-7480 – View Map - Lockton Insurance Brokers
19800 MacArthur Blvd #1250 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 252-4400 – View Map
Exclusive Auto Insurance Agencies
Exclusive agencies have only one company to place business with such as State Farm, Allstate and AAA. These agents are not able to give you multiple price quotes so they have to upsell other benefits. They are well schooled in insurance sales which aids in selling service over price. Some people will only choose to use an exclusive agent primarily because of high brand loyalty and the convenience of having a single billing for all their coverages.
Below is a list of exclusive insurance agencies in Irvine that can give you comparison quotes.
- Ray Vermeulen – State Farm Insurance Agent
2151 Michelson Dr #242 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 752-6335 – View Map - State Farm Insurance Agent: Kevin Chhiv
2101 Business Center Dr Suite 110 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 202-0338 – View Map - Farmers Insurance – Charmaine Lim
20 Pacifica #1450 – Irvine, CA 92618 – (949) 387-9999 – View Map
Choosing an car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Any agent in Irvine should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Are they involved in claim handling?
- If independent agents, which companies do they recommend?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
- What is the agency’s Better Business Bureau rating?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
Irvine auto insurance company ratings
Choosing the best car insurance provider can be difficult considering how many companies sell coverage in Irvine. The company information listed below could help you decide which auto insurance companies to look at comparing rates from.
Top 10 Irvine Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Value
- USAA
- American Family
- The Hartford
- AAA of Southern California
- Titan Insurance
- The General
- AAA Insurance
- State Farm
- Mercury Insurance
- Nationwide
Top 10 Irvine Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Satisfaction
- Titan Insurance – 95%
- USAA – 94%
- AAA of Southern California – 92%
- AAA Insurance – 91%
- Nationwide – 90%
- State Farm – 90%
- The Hartford – 89%
- GEICO – 89%
- The General – 88%
- 21st Century – 88%
Persistence pays off
There are still a few companies who may not provide online price quotes and many times these regional carriers only sell through independent insurance agencies. Cheaper Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance in Irvine is attainable from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best chance of saving money.
When shopping online for car insurance, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The goal is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just covered many ideas to compare Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance auto insurance rates in Irvine. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get premium rates for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from the least-expected company.
More tips and info about car insurance can be found at these sites:
- Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
- Who Has the Cheapest Irvine Car Insurance Rates for Inexperienced Drivers? (FAQ)
- How Much are Irvine Car Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Tacoma? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Nurses in Irvine? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Used Cars in Irvine? (FAQ)
- How Much are Auto Insurance Quotes for Drivers Requiring a SR22 in Irvine? (FAQ)
- New head restraint design cuts injuries (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- Things to Know Before you Cancel Insurance (Allstate)