How to Save on Subaru Forester Insurance in San Diego

Subaru Forester insurance rates image courtesy of QuoteInspector.com

No one enjoys paying for car insurance, particularly when they could find lower prices if they just compared rates.

Sadly, almost 70% of insureds have purchased from the same company for more than four years, and approximately 40% of consumers have never shopped around. Consumers in San Diego can cut their rates by up to 35% a year just by comparing rates, but most tend to underestimate the rate savings if they changed companies. Drivers have so many insurers to pick from, and although it's nice to have multiple companies, it can be more challenging to compare rates and cut insurance costs.

Locating the best insurance company for you in San Diego is quite easy. If you are already insured, you stand a good chance to be able to get lower rates using the techniques covered below. Comparison shoppers just have to learn the most effective way to compare different rates on the web.

Finding a better price on car insurance is surprisingly easy. The only thing you need to do is take a couple of minutes getting comparison quotes provided by online insurance companies.

Doing price comparisons online is so simple that it makes it a waste of time to spend your day driving to and from local insurance agencies. The ability to get quotes online makes this process obsolete unless you prefer the professional assistance that can only be provided by a licensed insurance agent. It is possible to comparison shop online but have a local agent actually write the policy.

The companies in the list below provide price quotes in San Diego, CA. If multiple companies are shown, we suggest you visit as many as you can to get the cheapest price.

Premium data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and homeowner. Price estimates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can change auto insurance rates significantly.

Impact of violations and accidents on rates

The diagram below demonstrates how speeding tickets and fender-benders increase Subaru Forester car insurance costs for each age group. The premiums are based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.

Difference between full coverage and liability only rates

The illustration below visualizes the comparison of Subaru Forester insurance rates with full coverage and liability only. The rate quotes are based on no claims or driving citations, $250 deductibles, single female driver, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

When to stop buying physical damage coverage

There is no set guideline that works best for making the decision to drop physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than about 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it's probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.

For example, let's assume your Subaru Forester replacement cost is $9,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would receive is $8,000 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying in excess of $800 a year to have full coverage, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.

There are some circumstances where dropping full coverage is not in your best interest. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you have to carry full coverage to protect the lienholder's interest in the vehicle. Also, if you don't have enough money to buy a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should not opt for liability only.

San Diego insurance discounts for a Subaru Forester

Some providers don't list all possible discounts in an easy-to-find place, so below is a list some of the more common and the more hidden discounts that you may qualify for. If you are not receiving all the discounts available, you could be paying more than you need to.

• Federal Government Employee - Active or retired federal employment may qualify for a discount when you quote San Diego car insurance depending on your company.
• ABS Braking Discount - Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can stop better under adverse conditions and the ABS can save up to 10%.
• Early Renewal Discounts - Some companies give discounts for switching to them before your current Forester insurance policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
• Low Miles Discount - Maintaining low annual mileage may enable drivers to earn slightly better premium rates than normal.
• College Student - College-age children who live away from home at college and don't have a car could get you a discount.
• Auto/Life Discount - Car insurance companies who offer life insurance give a lower premium rate if you buy life insurance.

A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don't profit that way. But all discounts should help reduce your policy premiums.

Some of the larger companies that may have some of the discounts shown above may include but are not limited to:

• Progressive
• AAA
• Farmers Insurance
• GEICO
• Esurance
• SAFECO
• State Farm

Before you buy a policy, ask each company which discounts you may be entitled to. Savings may not be available in San Diego.

Car insurance does more than just repair your car

Despite the potentially high cost of Subaru Forester insurance, buying car insurance may be mandatory for several reasons.

First, almost all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means state laws require a specific minimum amount of liability insurance if you drive a 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 you have a loan on your Subaru Forester, it's guaranteed your bank will make it a condition of the loan that you have physical damage coverage to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank will be required to insure your Subaru for a lot more money and require you to reimburse them for the much more expensive policy.

Third, insurance protects both your car and your personal assets. It will also cover most medical and hospital costs that are the result of an accident. Liability coverage also covers legal expenses if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to repair the damage.

The benefits of buying enough insurance are definitely more than the cost, especially if you ever need it. The average driver in California is wasting up to $700 annually so you should quote rates at least once a year to save money.

Do I need special coverages?

Always remember that when buying coverage, there really isn't a single plan that fits everyone. Your financial needs are unique so your insurance should reflect that For example, these questions can help discover if your situation might need an agent's assistance.

• Will damage be repaired with OEM parts?
• Am I covered if I hit someone who is not insured?
• Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
• How does medical payments coverage work?
• What if a claim settlement is too low?
• Is rental equipment covered for theft or damage?
• I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
• Is my teenager covered with friends in the car?
• Where can I get insurance after a DUI in California?
• How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in California?

If it's difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It's fast, doesn't cost anything and can help protect your family.

Neighborhood agents and insurance

Certain consumers would rather talk to an insurance agent and that is just fine! Insurance agents can answer important questions and help submit paperwork. One of the best bonuses of getting online price quotes is that you can find lower car insurance rates and still have a local agent.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information is immediately sent to local insurance agents in San Diego who will give you quotes for your business. You don't have to contact an agency because prices are sent directly to you. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from one company in particular, don't hesitate to navigate to their website and complete a quote there.

Finding a good provider shouldn't rely on just the bottom line cost. These are some questions your agent should answer.

• Will they make sure you get an adequate claim settlement?
• Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
• Is there a Errors and Omissions policy in force?
• Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
• If they are an independent agency in San Diego, which companies do they recommend?

If you want to buy insurance from a local San Diego insurance agency, you should know the different types of agencies and how they can write your policy. Insurance agents are categorized either independent or exclusive. Either one can write insurance policies, but it's important to point out the difference in how they write coverage because it can factor into the type of agent you choose.

Exclusive Insurance Agents

These type of agents can only write with one company and examples are State Farm, Allstate, or Farmers Insurance. Exclusive agents cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. These agents are usually quite knowledgeable on the products they sell which helps them sell on service rather than price.

Below are San Diego exclusive agencies who can help you get price quote information.

More San Diego agents

Independent Agents

Agents in the independent channel do not write with just one company and that gives them the ability to insure with a variety of different insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If you want to switch companies, they can switch companies in-house and you can keep the same agent.

If you need lower rates, we recommend you compare quotes from several independent insurance agents in order to compare the most rates.

The following is a short list of independent agencies in San Diego that are able to give comparison quotes.

More San Diego agents

After getting good feedback to any questions you have and an acceptable price quote, chances are good that you have found an auto insurance agent that is reputable and can insure your vehicles.