Save Money on Honda Pilot Insurance in San Diego

Honda Pilot insurance policy image courtesy of QuoteInspector.com

I can't think of a single person who likes buying insurance, especially when they are aware that their premiums are through the roof.

Unthinkable but true, most drivers kept their policy with the same company for at least the last four years, and nearly 40% of drivers have never even compared quotes to find cheap rates. With the average premium in California being $1,400, drivers could save up to $500 every year by just comparing quotes, but they won't spend time to compare rates.

Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive all claim big savings, bombarding you with TV and radio ads and consumers find it hard to see through the deception and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

You should make it a habit to compare rates periodically because insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best deal on Honda Pilot insurance in San Diego at your last renewal there may be better deals available now. You can search a lot of Pilot insurance out there, but you can learn a bunch of ideas how to buy insurance cheaper in San Diego.

Car insurance providers offering competitive price quotes in California

The companies shown below are our best choices to provide free rate quotes in San Diego, CA. If the list has multiple companies, we recommend you get price quotes from several of them in order to find the lowest rates.

Premium data assumes single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Information does not factor in vehicle location which can change coverage rates greatly.

Policy deductibles

The chart below illustrates how your deductible choice and can raise or lower Honda Pilot insurance costs for different age groups of insureds. The rates are based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no discounts are factored in.

Rate comparison for different deductibles

When buying auto insurance, a common question is how high or low should comp and collision deductibles be. The following tables may help to conceptualize the rate difference between low and high physical damage deductibles. The first table uses a $100 deductible and the second rate chart uses a $1,000 deductible.

Price data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in specific location information which can affect premiums greatly.

Based on the figures above, using a $100 deductible costs approximately $43 more each month or $516 a year than quoting the higher $1,000 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $900 more to file a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you have at least 21 months between claim filings, you would more than likely save some money if you choose a higher deductible.

Get cheaper rates by applying discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't necessarily list every discount very well, so the next list breaks down both the well known and also the lesser-known discounts that you may qualify for.

• Passive Restraint Discount - Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts may qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
• E-sign - A handful of insurance companies will provide an incentive for buying your policy digitally online.
• Discounts for Responsible Drivers - Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% compared to accident prone drivers.
• Service Members Pay Less - Being deployed with a military unit may lower your auto insurance rates slightly.
• Switch and Save Discount - Some insurance companies give discounts for buying a new policy before your current Pilot insurance policy expires. It's a savings of about 10%.
• Pay Now and Pay Less - By paying your policy upfront rather than paying in monthly installments you can avoid the installment charge.
• Discounts for Federal Employees - Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off depending on your auto insurance provider.

One last thing about discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the whole policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think it's possible to get free car insurance, it's just not the way it works.

Larger auto insurance companies and a selection of discounts are:

• Progressive has discounts for online quote discount, homeowner, good student, multi-policy, continuous coverage, online signing, and multi-vehicle.
• AAA may include discounts for pay-in-full, multi-car, anti-theft, multi-policy, education and occupation, good student, and good driver.
• Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including early shopping, homeowner, good student, youthful driver, pay in full, multi-car, and alternative fuel.
• GEICO discounts include federal employee, multi-vehicle, military active duty, seat belt use, and good student.
• Esurance offers discounts including anti-lock brakes, emergency road assistance, multi-car, online shopper, homeowner, DriveSense, and good driver.
• SAFECO has savings for bundle discounts, teen safety rewards, multi-car, anti-theft, accident prevention training, and drive less.
• State Farm includes discounts for Steer Clear safe driver discount, accident-free, safe vehicle, good student, and defensive driving training.

Before you buy a policy, ask each insurance company which discounts they offer. Some credits might not be available to policyholders in San Diego. To see a list of insurers that offer the discounts shown above in California, click here.

Lower Insurance Rates with These Tips

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that come into play when calculating auto insurance rates. If you have a feel for what impacts premium levels, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that could help you find better auto insurance rates.

• Don't cut corners with liability insurance - A critical coverage on your policy, liability insurance kicks in if ever you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. This coverage provides legal defense which can cost a lot. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
• Deter theft and lower auto insurance rates - Buying a car that has a built-in theft deterrent system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft devices like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all help stop your vehicle from being stolen.
• High performance equals high costs - The make and model of the vehicle you need to insure makes a significant difference in your auto insurance rates. Since the Honda Pilot is considered a standard SUV, insurance will be slightly more when compared to the average rates in San Diego. Lower performance four cylinder passenger models receive the most favorable rates, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
• Gender is a factor - Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. It does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men are in at-fault accidents at a similar rate, but the males get into accidents with more damage. They also get higher numbers of serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are the most expensive to insure and thus pay the highest rates.
• Do you really need to file that claims? - Car insurance companies in California give the best rates to policyholders that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you are the type of insured that files lots of claims you can look forward to either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is intended for larger claims.
• Drive less and save - Driving a lot of miles in a year the higher your rates will be. Almost all companies calculate rates determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars that do not get driven very much get more affordable rates than cars that get driven a lot. Make sure your auto insurance coverage correctly shows the correct usage. Incorrect rating for your Pilot is just wasting money.
• Vehicles with better crash test results are cheaper to insure - Safer cars get lower rates. The safest vehicles have better occupant injury protection and reduced instances of injuries means your insurance company pays less and cheaper rates on your policy.
• Bump up coverage deductibles to lower rates - Comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if a covered claim is submitted. Physical damage protection, aka comp and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are a windshield broken by a bird, damage from fire, and damage caused by road hazards. The more damage repair cost the insured is willing to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
• Insurance loss data for a Honda Pilot - Insurance companies take into consideration historical loss data for every vehicle to calculate a price that will offset any claims. Vehicles that are shown to have higher claim amounts or frequency will have increased rates.
  
  The information below illustrates the insurance loss data used by companies for Honda Pilot vehicles. For each coverage category, the claim amount for all vehicles averaged together is represented as 100. Numbers under 100 indicate a favorable loss history, while percentage numbers above 100 point to more frequent losses or an increased likelihood of larger losses.

  Insurance Loss Ratings for Honda Pilot Vehicles

  Vehicle Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Honda Pilot 4dr 2WD	70	96	69	82	82	86
  Honda Pilot 4dr 4WD	79	105	81	88	74	82

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Data Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years

You may want advice from an insurance agency

Many drivers still prefer to sit down with an agent and that can be a smart move One of the benefits of comparing rates online is you can get the best rates and still have a local agent. Putting coverage with local agencies is still important in San Diego.

By using this short form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to participating agents in San Diego that can give you free San Diego auto insurance quotes for your coverage. You don't have to contact an agency because quoted prices will be sent immediately to your email address. You can find the lowest rates without a big time investment. If for some reason you want to get a rate quote for a specific company, feel free to go to their quote page and complete a quote there.

The difference between San Diego car insurance agents

When researching a local insurance agency, it's important to understand the types of agencies that you can select. Agencies in San Diego can be described as either exclusive or independent.

Independent Insurance Agents

These agents are not limited to a single company so they can write business with any number of different companies and get the cheapest rates. If prices rise, the agent simply finds a different carrier and the insured can keep the same agent.

If you need cheaper car insurance rates, it's a good idea to get quotes from a couple of independent agencies to get the most accurate price comparison.

Featured below is a short list of independent agents in San Diego that may be able to provide comparison quotes.

View more San Diego agents

Exclusive Insurance Agents

Agents in the exclusive channel can only quote rates from one company and examples are State Farm or Allstate. These agents are unable to place coverage with different providers so always compare other rates. Exclusive agents receive extensive training in insurance sales which aids in selling service over price.

Shown below is a short list of exclusive agents in San Diego who can help you get price quote information.

View more San Diego agents

Finding a good insurance agency needs to be determined by more than just a cheap quote. Any agent in San Diego should be willing to answer these questions.

• Which insurance company do they prefer to write with?
• Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
• Which companies do they recommend if they are an independent agency?
• Can you use your own choice of collision repair facility?
• Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?

Car insurance myths debunked

Big name companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm continually stream television and radio advertisements. They all advertise the message that people will save if you switch your policy. How does each company have lower policy pricing? It's all in how they say it.

All the different companies give the cheapest rates for a prospective insured that will be a good risk. A good example of this type of risk profile could be a female over age 40, has a low-risk occupation, and has great credit. A driver who meets those qualifications will probably get cheap prices and is almost guaranteed to save some money.

Consumers who may not quite match this stringent profile will probably have to pay higher premium rates which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. If you listen closely, the ads state "customers that switch" but not "all drivers who get quotes" will save that much if they switch. That is how insurance companies can advertise the savings.

This really illustrates why you really should compare price quotes frequently. It's not possible to predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rate quotes.

Smart shoppers get results

A few companies may not provide internet price quotes and many times these smaller providers prefer to sell through independent insurance agents. More affordable car insurance in San Diego is available both online as well as from insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from.

We just covered some good ideas how you can save on Honda Pilot insurance in San Diego. It's most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm or Progressive.

When buying insurance coverage, don't be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. Too many times, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

More tips and info about car insurance is located at these sites:

• Reducing Your Risks in a Car Crash Video (iihs.org)
• Who Has Affordable San Diego Auto Insurance for a School Permit? (FAQ)
• How Much is Auto Insurance for Lyft Drivers in San Diego? (FAQ)
• How Much are San Diego Car Insurance Quotes for Low Mileage Drivers? (FAQ)
• How Much is Auto Insurance for Single Moms in San Diego? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable San Diego Auto Insurance Rates for a Nissan Sentra? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap San Diego Auto Insurance for a Toyota RAV4? (FAQ)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Felons in San Diego? (FAQ)
• Hybrid vehicles cost insurers more (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Understanding Limits and Deductibles (Allstate)
• What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Institute)