Don't Settle for "Cheap" California Car Insurance Just to Save a Buck

Don't Settle for "Cheap" California Car Insurance Just to Save a Buck

Between the wildfires sweeping through SoCal, the rising costs of gas (which hopefully will start going down now that tourist season's coming to a close) and the always astronomical cost of housing, living in California isn't cheap. Today's tight economy isn't helping. Everyone's looking for ways to cut back on their expenses, including their California car insurance.

But what do you do when cheap California car insurance actually equals "cheap" California car insurance?

The bottom line in today's society is that you get what you pay for, and that extends to your insurance coverage as well. Most of the car insurance companies you hear advertising on the news are giving you their lowball car insurance quotes-i.e. what you're going to pay if you have a perfect driving record, a clunker of a car that's going to cost less than $1,000 to replace and minimum liability insurance (and not much else). If you want anything more than that you're going to watch your car insurance rates start to climb, and there's not much you can do about that.

The good news is, there are ways to get cheap California car insurance without having to settle for "cheap" car insurance just to keep from getting busted driving uninsured on the California highways. (They're suspending licenses on the first offense for that these days-you don't want to go there.) First and foremost, if you're really struggling to pay for your insurance have you considered looking into California low-cost car insurance? This is a great deal the powers that be cut with California car insurance companies to bring insurance to everyone, regardless of income.

If you make too much money for low cost car insurance, or you want more coverage than that, you can still shave 10-20% or more off your car insurance premiums by:

a) Keeping your driving record clean. Any type of traffic violation, from running a stop sign to causing a ten car pile-up on the interstate, is going to send your California car insurance premiums climbing. The best thing you can do for your car insurance rates (and your checking account-have you seen court costs lately?) is pay attention when you get behind the wheel.

b) Doubling up your insurance policies. Do you have renter's or homeowners insurance? Find out how big a discount they'll give you to insure your car while you're at it!

c) Shopping around. Every California car insurance provider has different policies when it comes to their car insurance discounts, which means each provider is going to cut you a different deal on your coverage. Do your homework and you should have no trouble finding a company that's going to

d) Check out the information published by the Highway Data Loss Institute before you go shopping for a new car. Choosing a new car that's on your insurer's "Good Car" list will go a long way toward saving you money on your coverage.

There are many, many more ways to save money on your California car insurance. Take some time to flip through the rest of our car insurance article archives and see what you can find. You're going to be absolutely amazed at what can save you 10% or more on your insurance-and your budget will love you for taking the time to find out.

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• Don't Settle for "Cheap" California Car Insurance Just to Save a Buck - Sep 8, 2009 - 5:36:25 PM