Which Company Has the Lowest Cost of Car Insurance in Long Beach?

Are you trying to find a good rate on car insurance in Long Beach, California? While California is not considered a cheap place to live in the United States, many residents do enjoy lower premiums than drivers elsewhere. There are many factors that impact the total cost of insurance throughout the state and rates often vary drastically between cities.

Population plays an important role in determining insurance rates. Cities with lower population density often usually have cheaper insurance premiums. In particular, locations with fewer than 5,000 people per square mile have the lowest average rates. In 2019 Long Beach was home to an estimated 462,628 people, which means there were approximately 9,199 people per square mile.

However, the population size is often correlated with higher premiums because of the way it affects other factors. Such as commute; the average amount of time workers spend traveling to and from places of employment is significant. More time on the road increases the opportunity for accidents. Between the years 2014 and 2018, Long Beach workers, age 16 and older, had an average travel time of just over 30 minutes.

Additionally, fewer occurrences of vehicle theft often correlate with lower car insurance rates. It is important to realize, however, that this varies and is not the case for every state and city. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), with 53,928 car thefts reported in 2018, the Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim metropolitan statistical area ranks #38 in car thefts among cities in the United States.

What are the Insurance Requirements in Long Beach?

California is considered a fault state, meaning all parties involved in the accident will file claims through the insurance company representing the individual deemed responsible. The state has a number of minimum insurance requirements to help keep all drivers safe.

Coverage expectations include:

  • Bodily Injury Liability Coverage
    Drivers must have a minimum of $15,000 in coverage per person and $30,000 of coverage per accident in case there are multiple injuries.
  • Property Damage Liability Coverage
    Drivers must have a minimum of $5,000 coverage for any property damaged caused in an accident.
  • Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury Coverage
    Drivers must have minimum of $15,000 in coverage per person and $30,000 of coverage per accident for uninsured motorists. (Can be waived)
  • Uninsured Motorist Property Damage Coverage
    Drivers must have a minimum of $3,500 coverage for uninsured motorists. (Can be waived)

While these minimums are required by the state, it is recommended that drivers secure additional coverage to meet their unique needs. It is also important to realize that liability insurance doesn’t cover bodily injuries or property damage sustained by you, your passengers, or your vehicle during an accident caused by you. It only covers whoever is not deemed to be “at fault”.

Most Expensive and Least Expensive Insurance Rates by Zip Code

Cheap Car Insurance in Long Beach by Insurer

Cost should never the sole determining factor when considering which car insurance to buy, but finding a good rate is important. Whether you want minimum or full coverage, the company offering the cheapest solution for California drivers is Geico. When compared to other companies, Geico’s rates are significantly lower than those offered by the next cheapest option, United Financial.

Use this guide to compare the best auto insurance premiums by company.

Low Cost Auto Insurance for Bad Credit in Long Beach

Unlike many other states, insurance companies in California are not permitted to use drivers’ credit scores to determine premium costs. Instead, providers must set prices based on other factors, including customer driving records and the number of miles driven per year. For drivers in Long Beach, California, a bad credit history will not impact the cost of insurance.

Learn how bad credit can affect your car insurance rates.

Differences Between the Two Main Coverages

What is Liability Only Coverage?

Liability-only policies cover any damage you do as a driver, or which results from your automobile. These policies meet the minimum requirement for drivers in Fresno, California and are generally the cheapest. That is because the policy does not cover your car. Thus, if an uninsured driver hits your car, and is at fault, any damage you incur must be repaired at your expense. You will also be unable to make a claim if your car is damaged due to weather or as a result of some other non-driving incident.

What is Full Coverage?

Full coverage is not a category used by insurance companies. Rather, it is a colloquial term used to describe policies that cover both you and other drivers. Thus, if you are in a collision with an uninsured motorist, you can make a claim to repair damage to your car. If your car is injured by some other sort of accident or even vandalism, you can claim those repairs, too.

When you purchase a car on a financing plan, your lender will probably insist that you cover the car with a comprehensive policy that will cover any damage. Even if you purchase a car outright you might want to purchase a comprehensive policy so that your beautiful car remains pristine for as long as possible.

What You Need to Know About the Differences Between the Car Insurance Types

Liability and Full coverage policies have many distinctions but the chief one is that under a liability policy your car is not covered. If you are in an accident and are found at-fault, your liability policy will cover the other driver and her passengers. A full coverage policy, on the other hand, covers damage done to your car as a result of a wide range of accidents, even if you are at-fault. These policies also differ when it comes to premium payments.

Average Annual Car Insurance Rates in California by City

Additional cities in California you can check out.

How to Lower Your Insurance Rates Policy

The following auto insurance discounts can be used to help lower your premiums in Long Beach:

  • Don’t Speed

    If you are caught speeding, your license will accrue points. With each additional point, your insurance company considers you more of a liability and so will charge you more for insurance. Stick to local in-town limits and use your cruise control on the highway to avoid excessive speed.

  • Shop Around

    Different insurers charge different premiums for virtually the same policies. Since the essential service is often identical from company to company, you are sure to save money by comparing rates from multiple companies.

  • Avoid Accidents

    When you are at fault in an accident, law enforcement will add points to your license. Further, the other party is likely to file a claim against your policy. When insurers pay out on claims, they typically raise the premiums for those policy holders.

  • Bundled Insurance Packages

    If you have renter’s insurance or are a homeowner, you may be able to add your automobile to the policy. This also goes for other vehicles or even health insurance. Insurance companies love to bundle policies and offer incentives for customers to do so. You will only have one premium payment to make, which makes things easy, and you’ll save money, as well.

  • Insure Multiple Cars

    If you own multiple cars, your per-car rates are bound to be lower if you put them all on the same policy. You can also include a car owned by your spouse or domestic partner. You could also add your partner to health insurance or cover their recreational vehicles under your policy.

Learn more about car insurance discounts with this guide.

What are the Factors that Affect Your Long Beach Car Insurance Premiums

As you can see, car insurance rates are influenced by a complex set of factors, all of them are determined by risk data for each insurance agency. How much each agency charges, though, based upon similar risk data, can vary widely. In the case of younger drivers, they can save literally thousands of dollars each year by shopping around. The insurance agencies will charge drivers different rates for their automobile insurance premiums by their age and marital status, driving record, area they live in, and whether they carry liability-only or full coverage insurance. If the customer opts for collision insurance, the carriers will charge more for a lower deductible.

Since there are so many factors to take into consideration in how much an insurance agency charges you for automobile insurance, it quite literally pays to thoroughly educate yourself about automobile insurance and to shop around for the best quote.

Learn how a bad driving record can affect your car insurance rates.

Helpful Long Beach, California Vehicle Resources:

Live Traffic Accidents by City
http://cad.chp.ca.gov/traffic.aspx

DMV (Find Locations, Vehicle Registration, Titles and Insurance Info)
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/

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