How to Compare Stockton Chrysler PT Cruiser Insurance

Everyone knows that car insurance companies don’t want customers comparing rates. Insureds who shop around at least once a year will most likely switch insurance companies because they stand a good chance of finding more affordable rates. A recent survey found that consumers who regularly shopped around saved on average $72 a month as compared to drivers who didn’t regularly shop around.

If finding the cheapest rates on Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance in Stockton is your objective, then having an understanding of how to quote prices and compare coverages can help simplify the process.

Truthfully, the best way to save money on car insurance rates is to start comparing rates regularly from different companies who provide car insurance in Stockton.

1. Spend some time learning about how insurance works and the steps you can take to keep rates low. Many factors that result in higher rates like tickets, at-fault accidents, and an unfavorable credit rating can be rectified by making lifestyle changes or driving safer. Read the full article for information to help prevent costly coverage and find discounts that you may qualify for.
2. Compare prices from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can provide rates from one company like GEICO or Allstate, while agents who are independent can quote prices for a wide range of companies.
3. Compare the new quotes to the price on your current policy to see if a cheaper price is available. If you can save some money, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
4. Provide adequate notice to your current company of your intent to cancel your existing policy and submit a down payment along with a signed application to your new agent or company. As soon as you have the new policy, safely store the proof of insurance certificate with the vehicle registration.

A good tip to remember is to make sure you enter identical limits and deductibles on each quote and and to get price quotes from every insurance company. Doing this provides the most accurate price comparison and maximum price selection.

Auto insurance quotes and discounts

Auto insurance is not inexpensive, but there are discounts available to cut the cost considerably. Certain credits will be shown when you purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for before being credited.

• Data Collection Discounts – Stockton drivers who agree to allow their auto insurance company to monitor their driving habits by using a small device installed in their vehicle like Allstate’s Drivewise could save a few bucks if they show good driving skills.
• Active Service Discounts – Having a family member in the military may lower your rates slightly.
• Bundle and Save – If you can bundle your auto and home insurance and insure them both with the same insurance company you will save up to 20% off your total PT Cruiser insurance premium.
• Accident-Free Discounts – Good drivers with no accidents have much lower rates in comparison with drivers who are more careless.
• Defensive Driver – Successfully completing a class that teaches driver safety techniques could possibly earn you a 5% discount and also improve your driving technique.
• Discount for Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles on your Chrysler can qualify you for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
• Air Bag Discount – Options like air bags or automatic seat belts may get savings as much as 30%.
• Resident Student – Any of your kids who attend college more than 100 miles from Stockton and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be insured at a cheaper rate.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the whole policy. Some only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.

The illustration below compares Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The costs are based on a female driver, no claims or violations, California state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with safe-driver, multi-policy, marriage, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-car discounts applied.

Large auto insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts can be read below.

• 21st Century includes discounts for teen driver, anti-lock brakes, defensive driver, student driver, and homeowners.
• Progressive offers discounts including multi-vehicle, good student, multi-policy, online signing, and homeowner.
• State Farm offers discounts for safe vehicle, student away at school, good student, good driver, anti-theft, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and driver’s education.
• Nationwide may have discounts that include family plan, Farm Bureau membership, defensive driving, easy pay, and multi-policy.
• Esurance has discounts for online shopper, Pac-12 alumni, anti-lock brakes, claim free, homeowner, and good student.
• The Hartford may include discounts for air bag, bundle, driver training, vehicle fuel type, and good student.

Before you buy a policy, ask every prospective company which discounts you qualify for. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply to policies in every state. To view providers with discount auto insurance rates in Stockton, follow this link.

The quickest way to compare rates for Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance in Stockton is to know the trick all the major auto insurance companies allow for online access to provide you with a free rate quote. All you need to do is give them some information including daily mileage, if the car is leased, the ages of drivers, and whether you drive to work or school. Your details is submitted instantly to insurance companies and they respond with quotes with very little delay.

If you would like to compare rates now, click here and enter your coverage details.

The companies shown below have been selected to offer quotes in California. If more than one company is shown, we suggest you click on several of them to get a more complete price comparison.

Rates and statistics

The premium information shown next outlines estimates of coverage prices for Chrysler PT Cruiser models. Learning a little about how policy premiums are determined can be valuable when making informed decisions when shopping around for a new policy.

Table data represents married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-policy. Premium amounts do not factor in specific Stockton garaging location which can raise or lower premium rates noticeably.

The diagram below highlights how deductible choice and can change Chrysler PT Cruiser annual premium costs for different age categories. The data is based on a single female driver, full coverage, and no discounts are factored in.

Comparison of insurance rates by gender

The information below shows the comparison of Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance premiums for male and female drivers. The data assumes no claims or driving violations, full physical damage coverage, $100 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied.

Does full coverage make sense?

The information below shows the comparison of Chrysler PT Cruiser car insurance rates with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The data is based on no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are factored in.

When to stop buying full coverage

There is no specific rule that works best for making the decision to drop physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your Chrysler PT Cruiser settlement value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most your company would pay you is $7,000 after paying your policy deductible. If you are paying over $700 a year for full coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

There are a few situations where dropping full coverage is not advised. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should keep full coverage.

Why Informed Consumers Pay Less for Chrysler PT Cruiser Insurance

Many things are used when you get a price on insurance. Some factors are common sense like your driving record, but other criteria are not quite as obvious like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating.

• Never go without auto insurance – Letting your insurance expire is a quick way to pay more for auto insurance. And not only will insurance be more expensive, the inability to provide proof of insurance can result in fines and jail time. You may then be required to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the California motor vehicle department.
• Save money with alarm systems – Purchasing a vehicle with a theft deterrent system can save you some money. Anti-theft devices like OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms all help prevent vehicle theft.
• Don’t skimp on liability protection – Liability coverage will provide protection if ever you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. Your policy’s liability insurance provides you with a defense in court which can cost a lot. Liability insurance is pretty cheap compared to comp and collision, so do not skimp.

• Accidents can be expensive – How you drive has a big impact on rates. Having just one speeding ticket can increase the cost of insurance twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with multiple violations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to legally drive a vehicle.

  The diagram below illustrates how speeding tickets and accidents drive up Chrysler PT Cruiser annual premium costs for each age group. The rates are based on a married male driver, full coverage, $500 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.

• Companies want multiple policies – Many companies provide a discount to people who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. The discount can add up to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. If you currently are using one company, it’s in your best interest to get quotes from other companies to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. Drivers may still find lower rates by buying auto insurance from a different company.
• Save money by having responsible credit – Having a bad credit history is a large factor in determining your rates. Insureds with very good credit scores tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have lower ratings. So if your credit is not that good, you may save money insuring your Chrysler PT Cruiser by taking the time to improve your credit score.

Are insurance agents a thing of the past?

Certain consumers would prefer to buy from a licensed agent and doing that can be a smart decision Agents can help you choose the best coverages and will help you if you have claims. One of the best bonuses of comparing rates online is that you can obtain lower car insurance rates but still work with a licensed agent.

By using this simple form, your insurance coverage information is emailed to participating agents in Stockton who will give competitive quotes for your coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to leave your computer because prices are sent straight to your inbox. If you want to compare prices for a specific company, you just need to navigate to their website and give them your coverage information.

Selecting an company is decision based upon more than just a low price. You should also get answers to these questions.

• How much training do they have in personal risk management?
• Is there any savings for paying the full premium?
• Are they able to provide referrals?
• Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in California?
• Is the quote a firm price?
• How are claims handled?

If you want to use local Stockton agents, there are two different agency structures and how they can quote your rates. Insurance agencies in Stockton are categorized either exclusive or independent. Both types of agents can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn how they differ since it can impact the type of agent you choose.

Exclusive Agents

These type of agents can only provide one company’s prices like Farmers Insurance, State Farm, Allstate, and AAA. They usually cannot place coverage with different providers so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. These agents are usually well trained on their products and sales techniques which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates.

Listed below is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in Stockton that are able to give rate quotes.

More Stockton agents

Independent Agencies or Brokers

Independent insurance agents are not restricted to one company and that is an advantage because they can write policies amongst many companies and find you cheaper rates. If they find a lower price, your agent can switch companies which makes it simple for you. If you are trying to find cheaper rates, you definitely need to get some free quotes from several independent agencies to get the most accurate price comparison.

Below is a short list of independent agencies in Stockton that can give you price quotes.

More Stockton agents

Three reasons car insurance is important

Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Chrysler in Stockton, paying for car insurance is required by state law in California and it also provides benefits you may not be aware of.

First, almost all states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means you are required to buy specific minimum amounts of liability insurance coverage in order to license the vehicle. 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 your vehicle has a lienholder, it’s most likely the lender will require that you have physical damage coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If the policy lapses, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Chrysler for a much higher rate and force you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.

Third, insurance protects both your vehicle and your assets. It will also provide coverage for most medical and hospital costs for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability coverage also covers legal expenses if you cause an accident and are sued. If you have damage to your Chrysler as the result of the weather or an accident, collision and comprehensive coverages will pay to repair the damage.

The benefits of insuring your PT Cruiser more than cancel out the cost, especially for larger claims. The average driver in California overpays more than $865 each year so compare rate quotes once a year at a minimum to ensure rates are competitive.

Quote. Compare. Save.

While you’re price shopping online, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and found out when filing a claim that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest cost, not the least amount of coverage.

Budget-conscious Chrysler PT Cruiser insurance can be bought on the web and with local Stockton insurance agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies may not provide rates over the internet and many times these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through independent agents.

Additional detailed information can be found in the articles below:

• Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
• How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for a Dodge Ram in Stockton? (FAQ)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers with Bad Credit in Stockton? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes for Drivers with Good Credit in Stockton? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Rates with Multiple Speeding Tickets in Stockton? (FAQ)
• Understanding Rental Car Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)
• Choosing an Insurance Company (Insurance Information Institute)