Locating the cheapest insurance for a Jeep Compass in California can turn out to be difficult, but you can use the following methods to make it easier.
There is a better way to find auto insurance online so you’re going to learn the absolute fastest way to price shop coverage on a Jeep and get the lowest possible price from Irvine insurance agents and online providers.
We don’t have to tell you that auto insurance companies want to keep you from shopping around. Insureds who shop around for cheaper price quotes will presumably move their business because there is a high probability of finding a policy with more affordable rates. Remarkably, a study showed that people who compared prices once a year saved as much as $72 a month compared to drivers who don’t regularly compare prices.
If finding the best price on Jeep Compass insurance in Irvine is your objective, understanding how to shop for car insurance can save time and make the process easier.
How Insurance Providers Calculate Jeep Compass Insurance Prices
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that are used to determine the level of your policy premiums. When consumers understand what determines base rates, this enables informed choices that can earn you lower premium levels. Many things are part of the equation when you quote your car insurance policy. Most are fairly basic like a motor vehicle report, but other factors are less obvious like your vehicle usage or your financial responsibility.
Safer cars means cheaper insurance – Cars with five star safety ratings cost less to insure. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and better occupant protection means your insurance company pays less and lower rates for you.
High credit rating translates to low prices – Credit score can be a huge factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. So if your credit rating can be improved, you could potentially save money when insuring your Jeep Compass by improving your credit score. Drivers with good credit tend to be more responsible than those with poor credit.
Never go without auto insurance – Driving your car without having proper coverage can get you a ticket and any future policy may cost more because you let your coverage cancel without a new policy in place. And not only will your rates increase, the inability to provide proof of insurance may earn you fines and jail time.
Male premiums may be higher – Statistics demonstrate women are more cautious behind the wheel. It does not mean males are worse at driving than females. Men and women are in auto accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species get into accidents with more damage. Men also tend to have more aggressive citations like driving under the influence (DUI).
The illustration below compares Jeep Compass insurance rates for male and female drivers. The premium estimates are based on no claims or driving citations, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied.
How many miles do you drive? – Driving more miles annually the higher your rate. A lot of companies rate vehicles based upon how the vehicle is primarily used. Vehicles left parked in the garage qualify for better rates than cars that get driven a lot. Improper usage on your Compass can result in significantly higher rates. Make sure your declarations sheet reflects the proper vehicle usage.
Insurance loss data for Jeep Compass vehicles – Companies take into consideration historical loss data for every vehicle when setting rates for each model. Models that are shown to have higher prevalence or dollar amount of losses will cost more for coverage. The information below illustrates the loss history for Jeep Compass vehicles.
For each coverage type, the loss probability for all vehicles, as an average, is considered to be 100. Numbers below 100 are indicative of better than average losses, while percentage numbers above 100 indicate higher probability of having a loss or tendency to have higher losses.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeep Compass 4dr 2WD | 87 | 135 | 58 | 128 | 124 | 142 |
| Jeep Compass 4dr 4WD | 76 | 114 | 63 | 99 | 107 | 106 |
Data Source: iihs.org (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) for 2013-2015 Model Years
The providers in the list below are ready to provide price comparisons in California. If your goal is to find cheap car insurance in Irvine, we recommend you compare several of them in order to find the cheapest rates.
Coverage analysis
The coverage information displayed below showcases a range of insurance costs for Jeep Compass models. Learning more about how insurance quotes are calculated can help customers make smart choices when buying a car insurance policy.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compass Sport 2WD | $292 | $544 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,562 | $130 |
| Compass Sport 4WD | $334 | $662 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,722 | $144 |
| Compass Limited 2WD | $334 | $662 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,722 | $144 |
| Compass Limited 4WD | $334 | $662 | $534 | $32 | $160 | $1,722 | $144 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Premium data assumes single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and homeowner. Rate information does not factor in your specific Irvine location which can decrease or increase coverage rates greatly.
Insurance rate increases from tickets or accidents
The chart below demonstrates how traffic citations and accident claims can influence Jeep Compass car insurance rates for each age group. The costs are based on a married male driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.
Full coverage rates vs. liability-only
The chart below illustrates the comparison of Jeep Compass auto insurance costs with full coverage compared to only the California minimum liability coverage. The information is based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, marital status is single, and no policy discounts are applied.
When to drop full coverage
There isn’t a steadfast formula for dropping full coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is about 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.
For example, let’s assume your Jeep Compass book value is $4,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would receive is $3,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If it’s costing in excess of $300 annually for physical damage coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.
There are some scenarios where only buying liability is not financially feasible. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to maintain full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should maintain full coverage.
Three reasons to not skimp on insurance
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Jeep in Irvine, maintaining insurance may be required for several reasons.
- Most states have minimum liability requirements which means the state requires a specific minimum amount of liability insurance 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 Jeep has a lienholder, most lenders will require that you have physical damage coverage to guarantee payment of the loan. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank may buy a policy for your Jeep at a much higher premium rate and require you to pay the higher premium.
- Insurance protects not only your Jeep but also your assets. It will also pay for hospital and medical expenses incurred in an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, also pays expenses related to your legal defense if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If you receive damage to your vehicle caused by a storm or accident, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of buying enough insurance outweigh the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. Unknowingly, the average driver overpays more than $865 each year so smart consumers compare quotes at every renewal to help ensure money is not being wasted.
You may qualify for discounts for Jeep Compass insurance in Irvine
Some companies don’t always list every discount very clearly, so the list below contains a few of the more well known as well as the least known ways to save on insurance.
- Cautious Drivers – Accident-free drivers could pay up to 40% less than drivers with accidents.
- Seat Belts Save – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.
- Early Signing – Some larger companies provide a discount for switching companies prior to your current Compass insurance policy expiring. You can save around 10% with this discount.
- Accident Forgiveness – This isn’t a discount exactly, but a few companies such as State Farm and Allstate will forgive one accident without getting socked with a rate hike with the catch being you have to be claim-free prior to the accident.
- Telematics Discount – Insureds who allow their company to look at when and where they use their vehicle remotely like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot could possibly reduce rates if their driving habits are good.
- Irvine Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner can help you save on insurance since home ownership means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
- Student in College – Youth drivers who attend college more than 100 miles from Irvine and do not take a car to college may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Theft Deterrent Discount – Cars optioned with advanced anti-theft systems are less likely to be stolen and will save you 10% or more on Compass insurance in Irvine.
It’s important to understand that some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think you could get a free insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will definitely lower the premium cost.
The illustration below shows the comparison of Jeep Compass insurance premiums with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. Data assumes a male driver, no accidents, no driving violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with homeowner, marriage, multi-car, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-policy discounts applied.
A list of companies and some of their more popular discounts are shown below.
- State Farm includes discounts for passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, good driver, safe vehicle, anti-theft, driver’s education, and multiple autos.
- Progressive has discounts for good student, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, homeowner, online signing, and online quote discount.
- Travelers offers discounts including early quote, hybrid/electric vehicle, good student, payment discounts, and driver training.
- American Family offers premium reductions for defensive driver, good student, bundled insurance, Steer into Savings, and mySafetyValet.
- Liberty Mutual offers discounts for new vehicle discount, multi-policy, safety features, hybrid vehicle, teen driver discount, newly married, and exclusive group savings.
If you are trying to find affordable Jeep Compass insurance quotes, ask each company or agent which discounts can lower your rates. Discounts may not be offered in Irvine.
Buying from insurance agents
Many drivers still like to get advice from a local agent and that is a personal choice. Good agents can make sure you are properly covered and give you someone to call. The best thing about comparing rates online is that you can find the lowest rates and still buy from a local agent. Buying from local agents is especially important in Irvine.
After completing this form (opens in new window), your coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents in Irvine that give free quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t even need to search for an agent because prices are sent immediately to you. If for some reason you want to compare rates for a specific company, you can always go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
If you’re trying to find a reliable insurance agent, you should know the types of agencies and how they function. Insurance agents in Irvine are categorized either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive). Both types can handle insurance, but it’s important to point out the differences since it may influence which type of agent you select.
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents of this type can sell policies from many different companies so they can write business with an assortment of companies and potentially find a lower price. If they find a cheaper price, the business is moved internally which is easy for the insured.
When comparing insurance prices, you absolutely need to get rate quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to have the best price comparison. Most also have access to mutual insurance companies which may have better rates.
Featured below is a partial list of independent agents in Irvine who can help you get price quote information.
- Sentry Insurance – Irvine
16815 Von Karman Ave #200 – Irvine, CA 92606 – (949) 930-6100 – View Map - Isu Insurance Services Irvine
18022 Cowan Ste 225 – Irvine, CA 92614 – (949) 419-2100 – View Map - Morning Star Agency Insurance Services Incorporated
1340 Reynolds Ave #103 – Irvine, CA 92614 – (949) 833-2030 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents that elect to be exclusive generally can only insure with one company and some examples include AAA, Allstate, and State Farm. Exclusive agencies are unable to place coverage with different providers so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive agencies are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques which aids in selling service over price. Drivers often purchase coverage from exclusives partially due to high brand loyalty instead of buying on price only.
The following are exclusive insurance agencies in Irvine willing to provide comparison quotes.
- State Farm Insurance Agent: Kevin Chhiv
2101 Business Center Dr Suite 110 – Irvine, CA 92612 – (949) 202-0338 – View Map - Allstate Insurance: Jeff Adams
4860 Irvine Blvd Ste 206 – Irvine, CA 92620 – (714) 505-2457 – View Map - State Farm: Richard Tay
14210 Culver Dr A – Irvine, CA 92604 – (949) 559-8866 – View Map
Choosing a car insurance agent should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
- Do they offer accident forgiveness?
- Can you choose the body shop in case repairs are needed?
- Is the agency active in community causes in Irvine?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
Lower rates by being persistent
Insureds leave their current company for a variety of reasons including lack of trust in their agent, poor customer service, policy non-renewal and even being labeled a high risk driver. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to save on Jeep Compass insurance in Irvine. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get premium rates for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may even discover the lowest auto insurance rates are with the smaller companies.
How to find better rates for Jeep Compass insurance in Irvine
Truthfully, the best way to find cheaper Jeep Compass insurance in Irvine is to compare prices at least once a year from insurers in California.
- First, get an understanding of how car insurance works and the things you can change to keep rates low. Many things that result in higher rates such as accidents, traffic violations, and a negative credit history can be amended by being financially responsible and driving safely.
- Second, compare price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can only give prices from one company like Progressive and State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes from multiple sources. View insurance agents
- Third, compare the quotes to your existing policy to see if cheaper Compass coverage is available in Irvine. If you can save money and decide to switch, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
- Fourth, give proper notification to your current agent or company of your intent to cancel your current policy and submit a down payment and signed policy application for the new coverage. Once received, place the new certificate verifying proof of insurance above your visor, in the console, or in the glove compartment.
A crucial key to this process is that you’ll want to compare identical coverage information on each quote request and and to get price estimates from as many car insurance companies as possible. This ensures the most accurate price comparison and a complete selection of prices.
Even more information can be read in the articles below:
- How Much Auto Coverage do I Need? (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for Active Military in Irvine? (FAQ)
- A Tree Fell on Your Car: Now What? (Allstate)
- Side airbags reduce rollover fatalities (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Frontal Crash Tests (iihs.org)