Cheap Volkswagen Passat Insurance in San Diego

Volkswagen Passat insurance image courtesy of QuoteInspector.com

Searching for more affordable Volkswagen Passat insurance in San Diego? Are you baffled by the wide range of auto insurance choices available to you? There are such a large number of options that it can turn into a chore to find lower auto insurance rates on Volkswagen Passat insurance. San Diego is an excellent city in which to live, but high auto insurance rates can make it nearly impossible for many drivers to buy full coverage.

Unbelievably, the vast majority of auto insurance customers have remained with the same auto insurance company for at least the last four years, and 38% of customers have never even shopped around for lower-cost coverage. Consumers in California could pocket roughly $470 a year by just shopping around, but they feel it's too difficult to shop their coverage around.

Smart consumers take time to do rate comparisons at least once a year due to the fact that insurance prices are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you think you had the lowest rate on Volkswagen Passat insurance in San Diego a few years ago you can probably find a better premium rate now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because I'm going to let you in on the secrets to one of the easiest ways to get good coverage on Volkswagen Passat insurance in San Diego at a lower rate.

It's important to know that making a lot of price comparisons increases your odds of finding the best price.

The companies in the list below are ready to provide quotes in California. If more than one company is shown, we suggest you get price quotes from several of them in order to find the lowest rates.

Cost estimates assume single male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, safe-driver, and claim-free. Table data does not factor in San Diego location which can affect rates significantly.

How accidents and tickets impact rates

The example below illustrates how speeding tickets and accident claims can raise Volkswagen Passat premium costs for different age groups. The premium estimates are based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.

Save money on Volkswagen Passat insurance in San Diego with these discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don't list every discount very clearly, so here is a list some of the best known and the more hidden credits available to lower your premiums when you buy San Diego car insurance online.

• Theft Deterrent Discount - Cars, trucks, and SUVs optioned with advanced anti-theft systems help deter theft and will qualify for a discount on a San Diego car insurance quote.
• San Diego Homeowners Pay Less - Just being a homeowner may trigger a policy discount on insurance because it is proof that your finances are in order.
• Student Discount for Driver Training - Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them take driver's ed class as it can save substantially.
• Include Life Insurance and Save - If the company offers life insurance, you could get lower premium rates if you buy some life insurance too.
• No Charge for an Accident - Not a discount per se, but companies like State Farm and GEICO will allow you to have one accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
• Good Driver Discount - Insureds who avoid accidents can save as much as half off their rates compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
• College Student Discount - Children who are enrolled in higher education away from home and do not take a car to college may be able to be covered for less.
• Defensive Driver - Taking time to complete a safe driver course could possibly earn you a 5% discount and easily pay for the cost of the class.

A little disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free insurance policy, you won't be that lucky.

A list of insurance companies and their offered discounts are:

• State Farm offers discounts including safe vehicle, accident-free, defensive driving training, anti-theft, Drive Safe & Save, passive restraint, and student away at school.
• Progressive offers premium reductions for multi-policy, good student, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, and continuous coverage.
• Progressive offers discounts for online quote discount, good student, continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-policy, and online signing.
• MetLife includes discounts for accident-free, good student, defensive driver, good driver, and claim-free.
• Farm Bureau has savings for 55 and retired, multi-vehicle, driver training, renewal discount, youthful driver, multi-policy, and good student.
• GEICO discounts include daytime running lights, multi-policy, driver training, multi-vehicle, and emergency military deployment.
• SAFECO may include discounts for accident prevention training, teen safety rewards, bundle discounts, anti-theft, drive less, safe driver, and multi-car.

Check with each company how you can save money. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be available to policyholders in every state.

Car insurance quotes from local San Diego insurance agencies

Many drivers just prefer to talk to an insurance agent and that is not a bad decision A good thing about comparing rates online is you may find cheap rate quotes but also keep your business local.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), your information is emailed to local insurance agents that can provide free San Diego car insurance quotes to get your business. You won't need to contact an agency since price quotes are sent instantly to you. You can find the lowest rates and a licensed agent to work with. If for some reason you want to quote rates from a specific car insurance provider, just go to their quote page and submit a quote form there.

Finding the right company requires you to look at more than just the premium amount. These are some valid questions you should ask.

• How much training do they have in personal risk management?
• How often do they review coverages?
• Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
• Are there any hidden costs in their price quote and does it include driving and credit history?
• What companies can they write with?
• Do they have adequate Errors and Omissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
• Will they take your side in the event of a claim?

If you want to use an insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agencies that you can choose from. San Diego agents can be described as either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer.

Exclusive Insurance Agencies

These type of agents can only provide one company's prices like Farmers Insurance, State Farm, Allstate, and AAA. Exclusive agents are unable to compare other company's rates so they really need to provide good service. Exclusive agencies receive extensive training on what they offer which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Some consumers prefer to buy insurance from these agents mainly due to loyalty to the company rather than having the cheapest rates.

Shown below is a short list of exclusive agents in San Diego willing to provide price quote information.

• David Thompson - State Farm Insurance Agent
  7061 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 217 - San Diego, CA 92111 - (858) 560-5400 - View Map
• Matt Kalla - State Farm Insurance Agent
  4148 Voltaire St - San Diego, CA 92107 - (619) 223-1629 - View Map
• Duane Werner - State Farm Insurance Agent
  6663 El Cajon Blvd j - San Diego, CA 92115 - (619) 668-5414 - View Map

More San Diego agents

Independent Car Insurance Agencies

Independent agents do not work for one specific company so they can write business through lots of different companies depending on which coverage is best. If your premiums go up, your agent can switch companies and you stay with the same agent. When comparison shopping, it's recommended you get some free quotes from independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices. Most can insure with lesser-known insurance companies which can be an advantage.

Below is a list of independent agencies in San Diego that can give you price quotes.

• Nickie Heath Insurance Agency
  16855 W Bernardo Dr # 230 - San Diego, CA 92127 - (858) 487-3737 - View Map
• Alcott Insurance
  3945 Idaho St - San Diego, CA 92104 - (619) 293-3800 - View Map
• Barney and Barney Insurance Services LLC
  9171 Towne Centre Dr Suite 500 - San Diego, CA 92122 - (800) 321-4696 - View Map

More San Diego agents

Don't assume everyone needs the same auto insurance coverage

Always keep in mind that when comparing the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn't really a single plan that fits everyone. You are unique so your insurance needs to address that. For instance, these questions might point out if you might need an agent's assistance.

• How much can I save by bundling my policies?
• When should my teen driver be added to my policy?
• Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
• Should I pay a claim out-of-pocket?
• Who is covered when they drive my Volkswagen Passat?
• Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
• Are rental cars covered under my policy?
• Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
• What if I owe more than I can insure my car for?
• Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?

If it's difficult to answer those questions, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don't have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.

Find Cheap Auto Insurance with These Tips

It's important that you understand some of the things that help determine the price you pay for auto insurance. If you have some idea of what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this enables you to make decisions that may result in much lower annual insurance costs. Lots of things are considered when premium rates are determined. Some are obvious like an MVR report, although others are not as apparent such as whether you are married and annual miles driven.

The itemized list below are most of the major factors used by insurance companies to determine rates.

• Premiums are affected by your credit history - Having a bad credit history can be an important factor in determining your rates. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better risks to insure than drivers who have worse credit. If your credit score is not that good, you could save money insuring your Volkswagen Passat by repairing your credit.
• Put fewer miles on your vehicle - The more you drive your Volkswagen in a year's time the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies calculate prices partially by how you use the vehicle. Autos used primarily for pleasure use receive better premium rates than those that get driven frequently. Having an incorrect usage rating on your Passat is throwing money out the window. Double check that your auto insurance coverage correctly shows the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
• You may save more by consolidating policies - Most auto insurance companies will award a discount to clients who consolidate policies with them. It's known as a multi-policy discount. The discount can add up to 10 percent or more. Even with this discount, it's still a good idea to shop around to ensure the best deal.
• Optional features that lower premiums - Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack can thwart car theft and help bring rates down.
• Volkswagen Passat insurance loss probability - Insurers use past insurance losses as a tool for profitable underwriting. Models that tend to have increased losses will be charged more to insure. The table shown below demonstrates the collected loss data for Volkswagen Passat vehicles.
  
  For each coverage type, the loss probability for all vehicles, as an average, is set at 100. Numbers under 100 suggest a positive loss record, while values over 100 indicate a higher chance of having a claim or tendency to have higher losses.

  Volkswagen Passat Insurance Loss Statistics

  Vehicle Make and Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Volkswagen Passat	101	99	99	111	113	102

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Statistics from IIHS.org for 2013-2015 Model Years

Insurance in California serves several purposes

Despite the potentially high cost of Volkswagen Passat insurance, paying for insurance serves a purpose in several ways.

First, most states have minimum liability requirements which means state laws require specific limits of liability insurance if you don't want to risk a ticket. 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 Volkswagen Passat, it's guaranteed your bank will make it a condition of the loan that you have comprehensive coverage to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totalled. If you default on your policy, the lender will be forced to insure your Volkswagen at a much higher rate and force you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.

Third, insurance protects both your Volkswagen and your personal assets. It will also provide coverage for most medical and hospital costs for you, any passengers, and anyone injured in an accident. Liability insurance will also pay for a defense attorney if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, your policy will pay to repair the damage.

The benefits of buying insurance more than offset the price you pay, particularly for liability claims. Unknowingly, the average driver is currently overpaying as much as $869 every year so shop around every year to make sure the price is not too high.

Lower rates by being persistent

As you shop your coverage around, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time they didn't have enough coverage. The aim is to buy enough coverage at the best price, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

We've covered some good ideas how you can get a better price on Volkswagen Passat insurance in San Diego. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your chances of lowering your prices. Consumers may even find the lowest premium rates are with an unexpected company. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give better rates than the large multi-state companies such as Progressive and GEICO.

Much more information about auto insurance in California can be found below:

• Protect Yourself Against Auto Theft (Insurance Information Institute)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers Over Age 70 in San Diego? (FAQ)
• What Insurance is Cheapest for Uninsured Drivers in San Diego? (FAQ)
• How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for a Honda Civic in San Diego? (FAQ)
• How Much is Auto Insurance for State Employees in San Diego? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for High Mileage Drivers in San Diego? (FAQ)
• Booster Seat Ratings (iihs.org)
• Steps to Take After an Auto Accident (Insurance Information Institute)