Remarkably, a study showed that the vast majority of drivers kept their policy with the same company for a minimum of four years, and about 40% of consumers have never even compared rates from other companies. With the average car insurance premium being $1,400, Stockton drivers could pocket approximately 35% a year just by getting comparison quotes, but they don’t know the amount of savings they would get if they switched to a cheaper policy.
To save the most money, the best way to find cheaper prices for Chevy Sonic insurance in Stockton is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from insurance carriers that sell auto insurance in California. You can compare prices by following these guidelines.
- Read about auto insurance and the steps you can take to prevent high rates. Many things that drive up the price like distracted driving and a poor credit score can be controlled by being financially responsible and driving safely.
- Compare price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can only provide price estimates from a single company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while independent agencies can provide rate quotes from multiple sources. Find a Stockton insurance agent
- Compare the new rates to your current policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a better price, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.
The most important part of this process is that you’ll want to make sure you compare similar limits and deductibles on every quote and and to get quotes from as many auto insurance providers as possible. Doing this provides an accurate price comparison and the most accurate and complete price analysis.
Finding the cheapest car insurance coverage in Stockton is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you’re already insured, you will surely be able to get lower rates using these techniques. You just have to learn the most efficient way to get comparison rates on the web.
How to buy Stockton Chevy Sonic insurance online
The companies in the list below have been selected to offer price quotes in Stockton, CA. If several companies are displayed, it’s highly recommended you visit several of them to get the most competitive price.
Insurance discounts are available to lower rates
Companies offering auto insurance don’t necessarily list all available discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below details some of the best known and the harder-to-find insurance savings.
- Discount for Multiple Policies – If you can combine your home and auto policy with the same company you could save approximately 10% to 15%.
- Onboard Data Collection – Insureds who allow companies to scrutinize when and where they use their vehicle by using a small device installed in their vehicle like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot might see lower rates if they exhibit good driving behavior.
- Paperwork-free – A handful of larger companies will give you a small discount for completing your application on their website.
- Own a Home and Save – Owning a house in Stockton may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house demonstrates responsibility.
- Organization Discounts – Belonging to a qualifying organization may earn a discount on your policy.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles can earn lower insurance rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it’s just not the way it works.
The best insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts can be found below.
- The Hartford offers premium reductions for vehicle fuel type, driver training, defensive driver, air bag, and good student.
- American Family may offer discounts for multi-vehicle, air bags, accident-free, mySafetyValet, good student, and early bird.
- Progressive offers discounts for continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, good student, multi-policy, and homeowner.
- Travelers may include discounts for save driver, multi-policy, multi-car, hybrid/electric vehicle, and continuous insurance.
- Farmers Insurance discounts include multi-car, distant student, early shopping, homeowner, electronic funds transfer, bundle discounts, and teen driver.
- USAA has discounts for vehicle storage, defensive driver, annual mileage, military installation, and loyalty savings.
- Liberty Mutual offers discounts including multi-car, multi-policy, good student, hybrid vehicle, safety features, new move discount, and preferred payment discount.
Before purchasing a policy, check with all companies you are considering to apply every possible discount. Some of the discounts discussed earlier may not apply to policyholders in Stockton. If you would like to see a list of insurance companies offering insurance discounts in California, click here.
Three reasons to insure your vehicle
Even though it can be expensive, buying car insurance is most likely required but also gives you several important benefits.
First, the majority of states have minimum liability requirements which means state laws require a specific level of liability protection in order to drive the car legally. 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.
Second, if you took out a loan on your Chevy Sonic, it’s guaranteed your bank will have a requirement that you have full coverage to guarantee loan repayment. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the lender may insure your Chevy at a more expensive rate and force you to pay the higher premium.
Third, insurance protects not only your Chevy but also your assets. It also can pay for medical bills incurred in an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, will also pay to defend you if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of buying car insurance greatly outweigh the cost, especially with large liability claims. The average driver in California overpays as much as $865 each year so we recommend shopping around at every renewal to ensure rates are competitive.
What is the best auto insurance company in California?
Selecting the right auto insurance company is difficult considering how many companies sell insurance in California. The rank data in the next section can help you pick which car insurance providers to look at when comparing rate quotes.
Top 10 Stockton 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+
Do I need an insurance agent?
Some people still like to sit down with an agent and that is just fine! Professional insurance agents can help determine the best coverages and will help you if you have claims. The biggest benefit of getting online price quotes is you can get cheap auto insurance rates and still choose a local agent.
To find an agent, once you fill out this form (opens in new window), your information is transmitted to companies in Stockton who can give free rate quotes for your business. It makes it easy because there is no need to drive around as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. If for some reason you want to get a price quote from a specific insurance company, don’t hesitate to visit that company’s website and fill out the quote form the provide.
Finding the right company requires you to look at more than just a cheap price quote. These questions are important to ask:
- Are aftermarket or OEM parts used to repair vehicles?
- Which companies can they place coverage with?
- How long has the business existed?
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
Types of auto insurance agents in Stockton
If you need to find a local agent, it’s important to understand the different types of agencies and how they can write your policy. Agencies in Stockton can be classified as either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer. Both handle auto insurance, but it is a good idea to know the difference in how they write coverage because it can factor into the type of agent you choose.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Exclusive agents are contracted to one company and examples are State Farm or Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot give you multiple price quotes so they have no alternatives for high prices. Exclusive agents receive extensive training on their company’s products which aids in selling service over price. Drivers often buy insurance from these agents partially due to the brand name rather than having low rates.
Below are Stockton exclusive agencies who can help you get price quotes.
- Ramon Fernandez – State Farm Insurance Agent
3443 Deer Park Dr D – Stockton, CA 95219 – (209) 461-0170 – View Map - Allstate Insurance Agent: Confidence Plus Insurance Services
6852 Pacific Ave b – Stockton, CA 95207 – (209) 473-4403 – View Map - Don Widmer – State Farm Insurance Agent
2155 W March Ln a – Stockton, CA 95207 – (209) 951-4008 – View Map
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies
Independent agencies are appointed with more than one company so they have the ability to put coverage through many companies and get you the best rates possible. If they find a lower price, they can switch companies in-house which is easy for the insured.
If you are comparing auto insurance prices, you will want to include at least one independent agent in order to have the best price comparison. Many write coverage with companies you’ve never heard of that many times have cheaper rates.
The following is a list of independent insurance agents in Stockton that are able to give price quotes.
- Insurance Services of Stockton
1150 W Robinhood Dr # 1A – Stockton, CA 95207 – (209) 474-6174 – View Map - Lucchesi Jr Dan A
2522 Grand Canal Blvd # 9 – Stockton, CA 95207 – (209) 957-6515 – View Map - Mark Berbower Insurance Agency
2 W Swain Rd – Stockton, CA 95207 – (209) 405-1088 – View Map