The easiest way to get affordable Pontiac Grand Prix insurance in Irvine is to make a habit of regularly comparing prices from insurers in California.
- Take a little time to learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the measures you can take to prevent high rates. Many policy risk factors that result in higher prices such as multiple speeding tickets and a substandard credit history can be controlled by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility. This article gives additional ideas to help keep rates affordable and get discounts that may be overlooked.
- Request rate estimates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive and direct companies can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote prices from multiple sources.
- Compare the price quotes to the price on your current policy to see if cheaper Grand Prix coverage is available in Irvine. If you find better rates and decide to switch, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.
- Tell your current company of your intention to cancel your current coverage. Submit the required down payment along with the signed application for your new policy. Once the paperwork is finalized, put the proof of insurance certificate along with the vehicle’s registration papers.
An important note is that you use identical coverages on each quote and to quote with every insurance company. This helps ensure a fair rate comparison and maximum price selection.
We don’t have to tell you that insurance companies want to keep you from shopping around. Consumers who shop around for a cheaper policy will presumably buy a new policy because there is a high probability of finding a lower rate. A recent insurance study revealed that drivers who make a habit of shopping around saved an average of $70 a month compared to people who didn’t regularly shop around.
If finding the best rates on insurance in Irvine is your goal, then having some knowledge of how to get free comparison quotes and analyze coverage rates can save time and money.
Companies offering Pontiac Grand Prix insurance in California
The auto insurance companies shown below have been selected to offer free quotes in California. To find the cheapest auto insurance in CA, we suggest you compare several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Earn discounts on Irvine car insurance
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always publicize all possible discounts very well, so below is a list a few of the more common as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving when you buy Irvine car insurance online. If you do not check that you are getting every discount available, you could be paying more than you need to.
- Theft Deterrent – Cars equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently so companies will give you a small discount.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
- Discount for Passive Restraints – Options like air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems could see savings up to 30%.
- Professional Memberships – Joining a civic or occupational organization in Irvine could qualify you for a break on your policy.
- Good Grades Discount – Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles on your Pontiac could earn lower premium rates due to less chance of an accident.
- Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for primary and secondary vehicles with the same car insurance company can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
- Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government could qualify for a slight premium decrease depending on your company.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle up before driving may be able to save a few bucks off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- No Charge for an Accident – Not a discount per se, but a few companies such as Allstate, Progressive, and GEICO allow you one accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear for a specific time period.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Despite the appearance that all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A list of car insurance companies and some of the discounts include:
- State Farm may offer discounts for passive restraint, good student, good driver, student away at school, and safe vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance includes discounts for business and professional, teen driver, distant student, bundle discounts, and good student.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including anti-lock brakes, emergency military deployment, multi-vehicle, air bags, military active duty, and good student.
- American Family discounts include defensive driver, Steer into Savings, early bird, multi-vehicle, bundled insurance, good student, and mySafetyValet.
- Nationwide may include discounts for good student, defensive driving, Farm Bureau membership, anti-theft, accident-free, business or organization, and family plan.
- Progressive offers discounts for multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, online signing, and online quote discount.
Before you buy a policy, ask each company what discounts are available to you. Some discounts may not apply to policyholders in Irvine.
Compare rates but buy from a local Irvine insurance agent
A small number of people would prefer to go talk to an agent. One of the great benefits of getting free rate quotes online is you can get cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local.
After filling out this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is emailed to local insurance agents in Irvine who will return price quotes for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to drive around as quotes are delivered immediately to you. You can most likely find cheaper rates and work with a local agent. If you have a need to compare prices from one company in particular, you would need to go to their quote page and fill out their quote form.
Finding the right insurer requires more thought than just a cheap price. Any agent in Irvine should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Will they take your side in the event of a claim?
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in California?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- How are claims handled?
- What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
- How will an accident affect your rates?
- Are they giving you every discount you deserve?
- How does the company pay claims for a total loss?
If you’re trying to find a local Irvine insurance agency, there are two different types of agencies and how they function. Auto insurance agents are classified as either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents that choose to be exclusive have only one company to place business with and examples are State Farm or Allstate. These agents are not able to provide rate quotes from other companies so always compare other rates. They are trained well on the products they sell which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Consumers often buy from the same agent for years primarily because of the prominence of the brand instead of buying on price only.
The following are Irvine exclusive insurance agencies who can help you get price quote information.
- Rich Stevens – State Farm Insurance Agent
4482 Barranca Pkwy #224 – Irvine, CA 92604 – (949) 552-6601 – View Map - Chris Barr – State Farm Insurance Agent
17802 Irvine Blvd a121 – Tustin, CA 92780 – (714) 544-2558 – View Map - Rebecca Higgs – State Farm Insurance Agent
5410 Trabuco Rd #100 – Irvine, CA 92620 – (949) 726-9015 – View Map
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
These type of agents are not limited to a single company and that is an advantage because they can write policies amongst many companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If they quote lower rates, they simply switch companies in-house and you stay with the same agent.
If you are comparing rate quotes, you will definitely want to contact a few independent agents so that you can do a thorough price comparison. Most have the option of insuring with small mutual carriers that many times have cheaper rates.
The following are independent agencies in Irvine that are able to give price quotes.
- Willis Insurance Services of CA Inc
18101 Von Karman Ave # 600 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 885-1200 – View Map - Lockton Insurance Brokers
19800 MacArthur Blvd #1250 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 252-4400 – View Map - Sentry Insurance – Irvine
16815 Von Karman Ave #200 – Irvine, CA 92606 – (949) 930-6100 – View Map
After you get reasonable responses to any questions you may have in addition to an acceptable price estimate, it’s a good possibility that you have found an insurance agency that can be relied on to provide auto insurance coverage. Just keep in mind you can always terminate your policy for any reason so don’t think you are locked into any particular company with no way to switch.
Irvine car insurance companies
Selecting the highest-rated insurance company can be rather challenging considering how many companies sell insurance in California. The information displayed below can help you select which car insurance providers to look at purchasing a policy from.
Top 10 Irvine Car Insurance Companies Overall
- USAA
- American Family
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- The General
- Titan Insurance
- Progressive
Top 10 Irvine Car Insurance Companies by A.M. Best Rank
- USAA – A++
- Travelers – A++
- State Farm – A++
- GEICO – A++
- Esurance – A+
- Nationwide – A+
- Allstate – A+
- Mercury Insurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- Titan Insurance – A+
Auto insurance is unique, just like you
When quoting and comparing coverage online or from an agent for your personal vehicles, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your auto insurance should be unique as well.
For instance, these questions may help highlight if your situation would benefit from professional advice.
- Can I make deliveries for my home business?
- I have a DUI can I still get coverage?
- What does PIP insurance cover?
- Should I rate my vehicle as business use?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
- What is GAP insurance?
- Will damage be repaired with OEM parts?
- Can my babysitter drive my car?
- Should I sign the liability waiver when renting a car?
- Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.
Specific coverage details
Having a good grasp of auto insurance can be of help when determining appropriate coverage for your vehicles. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Below you’ll find the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your Pontiac Grand Prix.
Due to the fact that many California drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (California limits are 15/30/5), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Auto liability – Liability insurance will cover damage or injury you incur to other people or property in an accident. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see limits of 15/30/5 which stand for a $15,000 limit per person for injuries, $30,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $5,000 for damage to vehicles and property.
Liability coverage pays for things like medical services, repair costs for stationary objects, legal defense fees, loss of income and attorney fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but consider buying as much as you can afford. California requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but it’s recommended drivers buy more coverage.
The chart below demonstrates why buying the state minimum limits may not be adequate coverage.
Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays for damage to your Grand Prix resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision can pay for claims such as driving through your garage door, crashing into a building, sideswiping another vehicle and hitting a mailbox. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also increase the deductible on your Grand Prix to get cheaper collision coverage.
Comprehensive protection – This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as damage from a tornado or hurricane, vandalism, falling objects, damage from flooding and damage from getting keyed. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
Medical expense coverage – Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP provide coverage for bills such as pain medications, ambulance fees, dental work, EMT expenses and hospital visits. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Cheaper car insurance rates are possible
Throughout this article, we presented many ways to get a better price on Pontiac Grand Prix insurance in Irvine. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get prices for, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Consumers could even find that the lowest premium rates come from a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as GEICO and State Farm.
As you shop your coverage around, you should never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time that the savings was not a smart move. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best cost and still be able to protect your assets.
More detailed car insurance information is located in the articles below:
- Self-driving cars won’t replace humans (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Quotes After a Speeding Ticket in Irvine? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for Handicapped Drivers in Irvine? (FAQ)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for Good Students in Irvine? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for Welfare Recipients in Irvine? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Irvine Auto Insurance for First-time Drivers? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for Seniors in Irvine? (FAQ)
- Property Damage Coverage (Liberty Mutual)
- Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)