Find Auto Insurance in Stockton CA

Find the Best Rates and Best Insurance Companies Near You

What is the Average Cost of Car Insurance in Stockton?

Stockton, CA has a long and rich history that dates all the way back to the California Gold Rush. Where once miners would venture to Stockton for supplies (to Stock up in town), now the over 300,000 residents are largely involved in local retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. The median household income of just over $54,000 comes after a 5% increase from the previous year, making Stockton an enviable place to live. However, the average commute time for Stockton workers is 33 minutes, or 66 minutes round-trip. Which means that, for a two-car household, which is the average, this translates to 330 total minutes spent commuting each week. This means that each household places their cars at risk for at least 5.5 hours per week.

Drivers in Stockton face other risks to their automobiles in the form of theft. Stockton has the dubious honor of being among the top 10 cities for automobile theft nationwide. In 2018 alone, the city recorded a total of 4,287 car thefts, resulting in a population adjusted rate of 569.58 per 100k residents. Drivers thus should consider robust automobile insurance policies to help buffer any financial damage that might come when the car is hit or stolen. After all, insurance won’t cover damage from theft if the car only has liability coverage.

This page covers everything drivers need to know about car insurance in Stockton, CA so please keep reading and drive safely.

How Much Car Insurance Coverage Do I Need in Stockton

In order to legally own and operate an automobile in Stockton, CA, all drivers must carry a minimum level of liability insurance. This state requirement is designed to protect everyone on the road so that they can be covered in the event of a collision. California mandates that drivers carry at least liability insurance, though finance companies may have higher auto insurance standards as a condition of the auto loan.

The state-mandated liability insurance policies are the cheapest coverage available for drivers. The relative affordability often tempts drivers with their low cost, but these required policies are not recommended for the best coverage. That is because liability insurance only covers the victims in a collision. At-fault drivers must repair their vehicles with out-of-pocket funds while also seeing their rates rise as a result of the claim. Furthermore, if the victims themselves only have liability policies, they must wait for the at-fault driver’s company to settle the claim before they can repair their vehicles. When drivers have comprehensive coverage, they can immediately file a claim and begin the repairs process.

Most Expensive and Least Expensive Insurance Rates by Zip Code

Cheap Car Insurance in Stockton by Insurer

Drivers who desire affordable automobile insurance in Stockton, CA should probably first look at a company like Geico. However, other insurers, such as United and Northbook, also offer competitive rates. It’s also valuable to look at what insurers offer in addition to automobile insurance. That is, there may be special packages or services that incentivize drivers to pay a bit more.

Use this expert guide to find the best auto insurance companies with the lowest rates.

Low Cost Auto Insurance for Bad Credit in Stockton

Drivers with bad credit must often pay higher premiums in order to insure their automobiles. However, California’s insurance laws forbid companies from basing their rates on anything but a driver’s record. Thus, good drivers will be rewarded with lower insurance rates and will only see an increase if they receive a ticket or cause an accident.

Use this guide to find cheap auto insurance coverage with bad credit.

Full Coverage Vs. Liability Coverage

What is Liability Only Coverage?

Liability-only coverage is the cheapest option for automobile insurance. This coverage level only covers vehicles that are not at fault in an accident. Thus, if you carry liability-only coverage and cause an accident, the other driver will be covered by your policy. Any damage done to your car must be covered out of pocket, if at all.

What does Full Coverage Insurance Cover?

Liability-only insurance is the least amount of insurance that one can purchase. This satisfies your legal requirement to drive and register your vehicle in california. For many people, this is not sufficient coverage because it does not cover their losses if they are at fault and do damage to their own vehicle or if they sustain damages in a hit-and-run or from an uninsured driver.

Collision covers when one is at fault and their own vehicle is damaged. If you have a car that is worth more than a few thousand dollars, it is often a wise investment to buy collision insurance each year. However, collision insurance coverage is pricey and will increase your insurance cost per year quite drastically.

Comprehensive covers those oddball things that happen that you cannot control, like damaged windshields and collision with animals on the road. It also covers your loss when someone purposely damages your vehicle in an act of vandalism. In addition, comprehensive covers theft of your vehicle, fire and weather, or acts of nature. An example of the latter would be if your car was crushed under a tree that fell in a wind storm.

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

The difference between full and liability coverage is quite dramatic. With liability, insurers gamble that they will only have to pay for one car in an accident. With a comprehensive or full coverage policy, insurance companies know that they are taking on more liability exposure and so their rates reflect the increased risk. In the case of a comprehensive policy, they might even have to cover claims for damages that don’t arise from a traffic incident.

Average Annual Car Insurance Rates in California by City

Additional cities in California you can check out.

Long Beach

San Francisco

Fontana

Helpful Advice to Get Lower Car Insurance Rates

There are many car insurance discounts and ways to save on your policy in Stockton:

  • Raise your deductible

    If you are willing to pay more money for a deductible, in the event of an accident, then you can lower your insurance rates substantially. You can lower your premium to around 10% just by raising your deductible to around $1,000.

  • Drop Collision Coverage on Old Cars

    Dropping collision coverage on older cars can really help save you a lot, especially for cars that are more than ten years old and only worth four or five thousand dollars. Think about it, if you have an accident while driving an older car, are you really going to pay to repair it or just buy a new car?

  • Check Insurance Rates for Your Car’s Make and Model

    The make and model of your car can make a big difference in how much you pay for auto insurance. Therefore, before purchasing a new car, be sure and check the insurance rates for it as some can be much higher than others.

  • Shop Around to Check Rates from Numerous Insurance Companies

    The chart in this article should be enough proof to know that there can be a big difference in what various insurance companies charge for auto insurance. That is why it is a good idea to check rates from a number of insurance companies before deciding which plan to choose.

  • Drive Fewer Miles

    One of the questions asked when applying for auto insurance rates, is how many miles you drive regularly. This is because the more miles you drive, the more risk you are to the insurance company and the higher your insurance cost will be. Try to drive fewer miles, if possible, to save more money on your premiums.

  • Maintain a Good driving record

    Being a safe driver can not only save your life, but it can also save you a lot of money, too. There is a big difference in how much people with accidents on their record have to pay, and what those without any accidents pay. Therefore, always drive safely.

  • Live in a less populated area

    Your location matters when it comes to auto insurance rates. If you live in a highly populated area, your rates will be higher than if you live in a lower-population area. The Jefferson and New Orleans areas have some of the highest rates in Louisiana, but if you live just 30 minutes outside of the city, you can expect your rates to go down.

Find the best discounts on car insurance using this guide.

These are the Common Reasons for Insurance Rates in Stockton CA

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.

Compare insurance company rates for drivers with a bad record here.

Check Out Car Insurance Companies in Stockton and Reviews

Helpful Stockton, 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
Lyft – https://www.lyft.com/rider/cities/stockton-ca

Get a quote1.855.283.2631