A Guide to Car Insurance in Southern California

Although it used to take quite a bit of energy and effort to find affordable automobile insurance in Southern California, these days it is significantly easier to find the insurance quotes you want without a lot of work. There are many services these days which exist to negotiate rate quotes and options with many different insurance companies, in order to deliver the information to you all at once. A single service can deliver several rate quotes from several different insurance companies, and all you have to do is fill out a single form with a limited amount of information about you, your driving record and your vehicle. California is known for having some of the highest available auto insurance rates in the entire country, so it can be difficult to find car insurance quotes in southern California that you are happy with, or that you feel are affordable. The following is a primer on finding inexpensive car insurance in southern California.

Minimum Coverage: Liability insurance is the only form of insurance which is required in order to license your vehicle. This insurance is what pays for the damage that is done to another vehicle or to property when you are at fault in a collision. This form of insurance also covers medical expenses incurred by other passengers in addition to compensating them for pain and suffering.

Liability Coverage: The minimum amount of liability insurance coverage that you can acquire in California is known as 15/30/5 which means that you need to have $15,000 worth of coverage for injuries to the other car and any one person, in addition to $30,000 worth of coverage for injuries sustained by all people in the other car, and $5,000 worth of coverage for any damage dealt to the other car or property. Increasing the amount of liability coverage that you have will help protect you in case a lawsuit is filed against you.

Collision Coverage: This is a form of optional coverage which pays for repairs for your vehicle. This coverage is good to have because it covers the damage done to your car regardless of who was at fault in the collision. This coverage is more useful if you drive a newer vehicle which is worth repairing rather than simply replacing.

Comprehensive Coverage: This is an optional form of overage which pays out for any form of damage that does not involve a collision, such as vandalism, theft, fire, and so on. This coverage is only useful if your car is new and worth repairing, otherwise you may simply want to replace your car and skip this type of coverage.

Personal Injury Coverage: This is another optional form of coverage, which pays for the medical bills incurred by you and/or your passengers when you are involved in an accident. If you already have medical insurance, it may be worth it to skip this coverage.

Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: This coverage pays for the medical expenses incurred by you and your passengers and the damage that is done to your vehicle if you are in an accident which is caused by a driver who is uninsured, underinsured, or who flees the scene of the crime. Because twenty five percent of drivers in California are driving without having a driver's license, this is a very good form of insurance coverage to have.

Finding cheap California automobile insurance online can be significantly easier than completing the process in person, because rates can vary wildly between different companies in California. The internet makes the process simply by allowing you to go to a single insurance comparison website which represents several different insurance companies. Filling out a single request for a quote with your personal information will connect you with quotes from several different insurance companies. Many of these websites also offer information sections, which contain tips on saving money and finding the right kind of car insurance for your situation.

Shop Around: The same policy options can have as much as a 300-percent price difference when offered by several different insurance providers throughout southern California. The best way to determine which rate is the best based on the provisions of the insurance policy is to shop around and to compare quotes from many different automobile insurance companies. You may also look to your current automobile insurance provider to see if you can negotiate a lower rate quote, because most insurance companies are willing to give discounts when it means keeping a customer who may otherwise go looking for cheaper insurance.

Lower Your Mileage: Did you know that if you cut your daily mileage down to less than forty miles per day, you can significantly cut down the amount that you are paying for your automobile insurance in southern California? You can save more than $100 per year simply by cutting down the amount of driving that you do every day.

Higher Deductibles Mean Lower Premiums: If you take on higher deductibles through your southern California automobile insurance, you can actually find that you will be paying lower monthly insurance premiums. You should make sure that you are putting away money in case an accident happens, so that you are not left unable to pay the deductible.

All in all, you should be looking for a well rounded policy which covers all of the things that you need for your individual situation, while still offering a monthly premium which is affordable enough for you to handle. Automobile insurance is a necessary part of driving, so make the extra effort to find the most affordable policy that you can, to protect yourself from paying too much out of pocket if an accident ever occurs.