Which Company Has the Lowest Cost of Car Insurance in Santa Ana?
Santa Ana, CA is a medium-sized city in Orange County and part of the greater Los Angeles metro area. According to the last census, the city is comprised of just over 330,000 residents who command a median income of $65,000 per household. This rather young city has a median age of 32, is largely Latino, and has a median property value of $534,600. Such a bustling town requires a lot of commuting, and citizens drive an average of 28 minutes to work every day. Thus, each household drives a combined average of 560 minutes just for work every week.
Compared to other cities in Southern California, Santa Ana ranks fairly well for auto theft. When counted as part of the LA/Long Beach/ Anaheim metro area, the city ranks 38th nationwide. That area recorded over 53,000 thefts in 2018 for a theft rate of 405 per 100k local residents. For comparison, nearby Riverside is ranked #11 nationwide.
Given that Southern California is known for heavy traffic and tourism, it would be wise for residents of Sana Ana carry solid automobile insurance policies. While the state requires that every driver carry at least a liability automobile policy, smart drivers know to increase their coverage to cover the car no matter who does the damage. To determine the best rates and the best policy, and make sure they pay only what they need to, you’ll want to review this page carefully.
How Much Auto Insurance Coverage is Needed for Santa Ana Drivers?
Many drivers these days need to cut costs and one great place to do so is on insurance. California drivers are held to certain required minimum insurance standards by the state, but they also must abide minimum standards that apply if they have financed their automobiles. The state requirements for all drivers is that they carry a liability policy.
Liability auto insurance is a bare-bones policy that covers only the victims in an accident. In the event of a collision, the at-fault driver does not receive any compensation for the damages their vehicle incurs. Further, the victims must wait for the at-fault driver’s insurance to process the claim and then compensate them.
If the victims have comprehensive automobile insurance policies, they can immediately file a claim with their insurance and expedite their repairs. Their company will then settle the matter financially with the other company.
Thus, while liability insurance is a good short-term solution for one’s financial picture, it does not always pay off in the long-term. Furthermore, if the automobile is financed through a bank or some other lender, drivers will likely be required to carry comprehensive coverage as a condition of that loan.
Most Expensive and Least Expensive Insurance Rates by Zip Code
Cheap Car Insurance in Santa Ana by Insurer
Drivers in Santa Ana will quickly see that Geico leads the pack for the cheapest automobile insurance policies. They do have some tight competition, however. Drivers should be sure to investigate multiple insurers so that they can make the very best decision. The more expensive carriers may offer certain packages or incentives that sweeten their deal.
Are you looking for the best cheap car insurance, check out this guide.
Low Cost Auto Insurance for Bad Credit in Santa Ana
Credit history is not an issue when it comes to insurance rates in California. Santa Ana drivers’ automobile insurance premiums are determined solely by their driving records and other local factors such as theft rate and their specific address. This is good news for those who may have missed a mortgage payment or bounced a check a few years ago. They can save on their car insurance based on a good driving record while the savings can help them amend their credit woes.
This guide here can help you find the lowest cost car insurance companies near you.
What is the Difference Between Full Coverage and Liability?
What is Liability Only Insurance Coverage?
Liability insurance covers the possible cost of damage you cause to others while driving. This could mean the cost of medical care for those injured in an accident or repair costs of the damage you have caused to other vehicles.
With liability insurance, there are 3 key numbers: injury coverage per person, coverage for total injury per accident, and property damage coverage per accident. Each state has different requirements for car insurance minimums. In a policy that has coverage for 15/30/25 means $15,000 per injured person, with a maximum of $30,000 for all the people who are injured in an accident, and $25,000 in coverage for property damage.
Full Coverage Auto Insurance
While liability insurance covers other people and vehicles in an accident where you were the one considered at fault, full coverage insurance can also cover you and your vehicle as well. Full coverage includes two different types of coverage combined into one insurance plan; comprehensive insurance and collision.
Comprehensive coverage is for the damage of other vehicles that are outside of driving situations such as weather damage, fire, or theft.
Collision coverage is basically to pay for damage that you caused while driving such as an accident with another vehicle, hitting an object, or driving off the road.
The difference between collision and comprehensive is, if a tree were to fall on your car and damage it, comprehensive insurance would cover it, however, if you were driving and hit a tree causing damage to your car, then it would be covered by collision.
Top Factors and Differences Between the Types of Coverage
The main difference between liability and full coverage insurance is that full coverage will cost more than liability insurance and this is because it protects you against many more possible risks that liability doesn’t cover.
In addition, liability insurance only covers other people’s injury claims and damages to other vehicles where full coverage will cover other’s injuries and vehicle damages as well as your injuries and damage to your own vehicle.
Average Annual Car Insurance Rates in California by City
Ways to Lower Your Insurance Premiums
The following auto insurance discounts can be used to help lower your premiums in Santa Ana:
Of course, the best way to keep your auto insurance rates down is to drive safely and avoid accidents. The better your driving record, the lower your rates. However, there are also other ways to lower your rates.
Shop Around for the Best Price
Prices can vary significantly between insurance agencies so you will need to get a quote from each one. To prevent having to go to each site and put all your information in dozens of times, there are some sites where you can compare the rates of several agencies at once that you should take advantage of.
Bundle with other insurance plans
Most insurance agencies offer you a chance to bundle and get many of your insurance needs from one place; such as renters’ insurance, homeowners’ insurance, auto insurance, and more. You can also save when insuring more than one vehicle.
Reduce the Number of Miles you drive
Reducing the number of miles you drive will reduce your risk for accidents and therefore, your insurance rates. Besides that, it could do your body and your health good to walk sometimes.
Check the Insurance Costs for a Car Before Buying it
Before you buy a car, it is important that you check insurance costs first, as some car types can raise your insurance rates much more than others. Some of the things your premiums may be based on include the cars overall safety record, costs of parts and repairs, the price of the car, and theft likelihood.
Increase your Deductibles
The higher the price of the deductibles the less your rates will be. For example, if you were to increase your deductible from $200 to $500 it would reduce your comprehensive coverage and collision rates by 15-30%.
Watch your Credit Score
Did you know that many people check their credit report only to find several mistakes that can be fixed? Check your credit report often, because the higher your credit score the lower your insurance rates will be.
Not sure which discounts you may qualify for, consult this guide to learn more.
Santa Ana CA Car Insurance Premiums Cost – What Affects Your Rates?
Your car insurance rate in Santa Ana is based upon many factors. You will be charged more or less on your policy based upon your age, marital status, and your number of moving violations and accidents. You will also be charged by the carrier based upon the type of vehicle you drive, whether it is paid for or not, and whether you decide that it is cost effective and prudent to have collision insurance or not. Also, insurance agency rates are highly variable, based upon the company and what area of the country you live in. Those in rural areas often pay less, while people in large, metropolitan cities often pay more. Armed with knowledge and by shopping around, you overcome some of these factors and save substantial money each year on auto insurance.
Compare insurance company rates for drivers with a bad record here.
Check Out Car Insurance Companies in Santa Ana and Reviews
Helpful Santa Ana, California Vehicle Resources:
Live Traffic Accidents by City
http://cad.chp.ca.gov/traffic.aspx
DMV in California (Find Locations, Vehicle Registration, Titles and Insurance Info)
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/
Rideshare
https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/orange-county-ca