The easiest way to find cheaper prices for Mercury Montego insurance in Irvine is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from insurance carriers in California. Rate comparisons can be done by completing these steps.
- First, take a few minutes and learn about what coverages are included in your policy and the modifications you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many policy risk factors that result in higher rates such as accidents, careless driving, and a poor credit rating can be remedied by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
- Second, request price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give prices from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes from multiple companies.
- Third, compare the new rates to the price on your current policy to see if a cheaper price is available in Irvine. If you can save some money and change companies, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Fourth, tell your current agent or company to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit a down payment along with a completed application to the new insurer. Immediately store the proof of insurance paperwork along with your vehicle registration.
A good tip to remember is that you’ll want to make sure you compare identical coverages on each quote and and to look at as many companies as feasibly possible. This provides an accurate price comparison and the best price selection.
A recent NerdWallet.com study revealed that most car insurance policyholders kept buying from the same company for more than four years, and roughly 40% of drivers have never shopped around. California consumers could save as much as $470 a year by just comparing quotes, but they mistakenly think it’s difficult to shop their coverage around.
When looking for affordable Mercury Montego insurance quotes, there are a couple ways to compare rate quotes from lots of California insurance companies. The easiest way to compare rates is to use the internet to compare rates. Just remember that having more price comparisons will improve the odds of getting more affordable rates.
The companies shown below are ready to provide price comparisons in California. If you want cheap auto insurance in CA, we suggest you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Cheaper Mercury Montego insurance quotes in Irvine
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but you may find discounts that many consumers don’t even know exist. Some of these discounts will be visible at the time of purchase, but a few need to be specially asked for prior to getting the savings.
- Sign Online – Certain companies may give you up to $50 for buying your policy on the web.
- New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a vehicle that is new is cheaper because new model year vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Low Miles Discount – Keeping the miles down on your Mercury could be rewarded with discounted premium rates on garaged vehicles.
- Good Grades Discount – Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Being a homeowner can help you save on car insurance since home ownership requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Discounts for Government Workers – Federal government employees can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
- Discount for Multiple Policies – When you have multiple policies and insure them with the same company you could save as much as 10 to 15 percent.
- Theft Deterrent Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs optioned with advanced anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and will qualify for a discount on a Irvine car insurance quote.
- Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents pay much less when compared to drivers with a long claim history.
Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you could get a free car insurance policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
A few popular companies and the discounts they provide are shown below.
- 21st Century may offer discounts for driver training, automatic seat belts, anti-lock brakes, student driver, teen driver, and theft prevention.
- State Farm offers discounts including good student, passive restraint, defensive driving training, safe vehicle, multiple autos, accident-free, and Drive Safe & Save.
- AAA offers premium reductions for good student, anti-theft, education and occupation, multi-policy, and multi-car.
- Liberty Mutual has discounts for hybrid vehicle, multi-car, multi-policy, preferred payment discount, newly married, teen driver discount, and exclusive group savings.
- Progressive discounts include online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, homeowner, continuous coverage, and good student.
Before you buy a policy, ask every company to apply every possible discount. Some credits might not be offered on policies in Irvine. If you would like to view providers with discount car insurance rates in California, click here.
Buying from car insurance agents
Many people just want to get professional advice from a licensed agent and that is a smart decision A good thing about getting free rate quotes online is that you can obtain lower rates and still have a local agent. Supporting local insurance agencies is important particularly in Irvine.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this quick form, the quote information is submitted to agents in your area that can give you free Irvine car insurance quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to leave your house because quoted prices will be sent to you directly. You can find better rates without requiring a lot of work. If you need to compare rates from one company in particular, feel free to search and find their rate quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.
When narrowing the list to find a good insurance agency, you need to know there are two types of insurance agents and how they are distinctly different. Irvine agents are classified as either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent agents are normally appointed by many insurers so they can write business through lots of different companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If you want to switch companies, an independent agent can move your coverage and the insured can keep the same agent. When comparing rate quotes, you will definitely want to compare quotes from several independent insurance agents for the best price selection. Most can insure with smaller mutual companies who may have lower rates.
Listed below is a list of independent agencies in Irvine that may be able to give you comparison quotes.
- KCAL Insurance Agency (Irvine)
14795 Jeffrey Rd – Irvine, CA 92618 – (949) 786-6888 – View Map - Professional Choice Insurance
2151 Michelson Dr Suite 250 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (714) 467-8726 – View Map - Wells Fargo Insurance Services: Harper James
2030 Main St #700 – Irvine, CA 92614 – (949) 358-6100 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Agents of this type can only quote rates from one company and examples are Farmers Insurance, Allstate, or State Farm. Exclusive agencies are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so they have to upsell other benefits. Exclusive agents receive extensive training on sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Some consumers prefer to buy insurance from these agents mainly due to the brand legacy rather than low rates.
Shown below are Irvine exclusive insurance agents that can give you price quote information.
- Mike Stitt – State Farm Insurance Agent
17452 Irvine Blvd #208 – Tustin, CA 92780 – (714) 544-4717 – View Map - Sharon Leung – State Farm Insurance Agent
18004 Sky Park Cir #250 – Irvine, CA 92614 – (949) 252-0900 – View Map - Farmers Insurance: James Lohse
4850 Barranca Pkwy #202 – Irvine, CA 92604 – (949) 559-0175 – View Map
Picking an insurance agency should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Can you contact them at any time?
- How are claims handled?
- Will the agent or a CSR service your policy?
- Does the agency have a current Errors and Omissions policy?
- What companies can they write with?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
Why you need to buy car insurance
Even though it can be expensive, buying car insurance is required by state law in California and it also provides benefits you may not be aware of.
- The majority of states have minimum liability requirements which means it is punishable by state law to not carry a minimum amount of liability coverage if you drive a vehicle. 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 you have a loan on your Montego, most lenders will require you to have comprehensive coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If you do not keep the policy in force, the bank may insure your Mercury at a much higher rate and require you to fork over for it.
- Car insurance preserves both your assets and your vehicle. It also can pay for all forms of medical expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, also pays expenses related to your legal defense if you are sued as the result of an accident. If you have damage to your Mercury as the result of the weather or an accident, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay to restore your vehicle to like-new condition.
The benefits of carrying enough insurance outweigh the cost, specifically if you ever have a liability claim. As of last year, the average driver in California is overpaying more than $750 every year so compare quotes from several companies at every policy renewal to ensure rates are competitive.
Learn about insurance coverages for a Mercury Montego
Having a good grasp of a insurance policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need for your vehicles. Insurance terms can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your Mercury Montego.
Since many California drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (California limits are 15/30/5), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time these coverages are set the same as your liability limits.
Liability – This coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU against other people’s claims, and does not provide coverage for damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see values of 15/30/5 that means you have a $15,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $30,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $5,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability can pay for claims such as attorney fees, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and medical services. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but buy higher limits if possible. California state minimum liability requirements are 15/30/5 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.
The next chart shows why low liability limits may not be high enough to adequately cover claims.
Collision coverage – Collision coverage covers damage to your Montego from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision coverage pays for claims like rolling your car, crashing into a building, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a parking meter. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible on your Montego to bring the cost down.
Coverage for medical expenses – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for immediate expenses like chiropractic care, nursing services, prosthetic devices, X-ray expenses and dental work. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as hitting a bird, hitting a deer and hail damage. The maximum payout your insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Don’t give up on affordable coverage
We covered some good ideas how you can shop for Mercury Montego insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may even discover the biggest savings come from a small mutual company.
Cheaper Mercury Montego insurance in Irvine can be sourced from both online companies and from local insurance agents, so get free Irvine car insurance quotes from both of them to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies don’t offer price quotes online and these regional insurance providers prefer to sell through local independent agencies.
When getting Irvine car insurance quotes online, never reduce needed coverages to save money. In many instances, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best cost, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
Even more information is located in these articles:
- Front crash protection reduces rear-end crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Infrequent Drivers in Irvine? (FAQ)
- How Much are Irvine Car Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Tacoma? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Teenagers in Irvine? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Irvine Auto Insurance Quotes for Drivers Over Age 70? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for Uninsured Drivers in Irvine? (FAQ)
- Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- What Does No-Fault Insurance Cover? (Allstate)
- Understanding Limits and Deductibles (Allstate)