Find Affordable Toyota Prius Insurance in Stockton

Toyota Prius insurance image courtesy of QuoteInspector.com

The best way we recommend to get low-cost Toyota Prius insurance in Stockton is to regularly compare quotes from insurers in California. Rate comparisons can be done by following these steps.

• Step 1: Try to learn about the coverage provided by your policy and the steps you can take to lower rates. Many factors that result in higher prices like traffic citations and an unacceptable credit history can be eliminated by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
• Step 2: Obtain price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while independent agents can provide rate quotes from multiple companies.
• Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to your current policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate quote and decide to switch, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.

One tip to remember is to use identical deductibles and limits on every quote and and to get rate quotes from as many companies as possible. This guarantees a fair rate comparison and a complete rate analysis.

It's an obvious statement that auto insurance companies want to prevent you from shopping around. Insureds who shop around for cheaper prices will probably switch to a new company because there is a great chance of finding good coverage at a lower price. A recent survey discovered that drivers who made a habit of comparing rates saved on average $3,400 over four years compared to policyholders who never shopped around for lower prices.

If saving the most money on Toyota Prius insurance in Stockton is the reason for your visit, then having some insight into how to get price quotes and compare insurance rates can save money and time.

If you have insurance now, you will be able to buy cheaper auto insurance using these tips. Finding the cheapest auto insurance coverage in Stockton is actually not that difficult if you follow our advice. But California vehicle owners need to have an understanding of how big insurance companies price online insurance and apply this information to your search.

There are several ways to obtain and compare prices from all the different companies. The recommended way to find the lowest Toyota Prius rates involves getting comparison quotes online.

Getting price quotes online is very simple and it makes it obsolete to actually drive to insurance agents' offices. The fact that you can get quotes online eliminates this option unless you're the type of person who wants the professional abilities only provided by licensed Stockton agents. Although you can compare the best prices online and still use a local agent.

When comparing auto insurance rates, know that comparing a wide range of rates will improve the odds of getting a better price.

The auto insurance companies shown below have been selected to offer price quotes in California. If the list has multiple companies, it's a good idea that you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.

Car insurance data for a Toyota Prius

The rate table shown below covers a range of insurance costs for Toyota Prius models. Having a better understanding of how car insurance premiums are calculated is important for you to make smart choices when comparing insurance rates.

Data variables include married male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Rates do not factor in garaging location in Stockton which can increase or decrease coverage prices greatly.

Physical damage deductibles

One of the most common car insurance questions is which comprehensive and collision deductibles to buy. The rates shown below may help to illustrate the rate difference between low and high deductibles. The first set of rates uses a $100 deductible for comp and collision and the second price chart uses a $1,000 deductible.

Data based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, homeowner, safe-driver, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Rate quotes do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can impact insurance rates substantially.

Using the premium rates above, we can conclude that using a $100 deductible will cost in the ballpark of $45 more each month or $540 every year than choosing the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would have to pay $900 more if you turn in a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you usually have at a minimum 20 months between claims, you would save money if you decide on a higher deductible.

One important caveat is that increasing deductibles to save money means you will have to cover more of the damage yourself when you have to file a claim. It will be required that you have some extra funds in the event you need to pay the deductible to have repairs made.

Cautious Stockton drivers save money

The example below illustrates how traffic citations and accident claims drive up Toyota Prius insurance costs for each different age category. The information is based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.

Car insurance rates based on gender

The diagram below visualizes the comparison of Toyota Prius premium costs for male and female drivers. The costs are based on a clean driving record, no claims, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are factored in.

Difference between liability only and full coverage rates

The chart below shows the comparison of Toyota Prius insurance prices with and without full coverage. The premiums assume a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no other discounts are factored in.

When to buy liability coverage only

There is no exact rule for phasing out full coverage on your policy, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of having full coverage is more than about 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

For example, let's assume your Toyota Prius replacement cost is $8,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most your company would pay you is $7,000 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying more than $700 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

There are some circumstances where only buying liability is not a good plan. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you have to carry full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not consider dropping full coverage.

Protect more than your Toyota Prius

Even though it's not necessarily cheap to insure a Toyota in Stockton, insuring your vehicle may not be optional for several reasons.

• The majority of states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to carry specific minimum amounts of liability insurance coverage 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.
• If your Toyota has a loan, most lenders will have a requirement that you carry insurance to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If the policy lapses, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Toyota at a much higher premium rate and make you pay the higher premium.
• Insurance protects both your vehicle and your personal assets. It will also provide coverage for most medical and hospital costs incurred in an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance also pays expenses related to your legal defense if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If you have damage to your Toyota as the result of the weather or an accident, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to repair the damage.

The benefits of carrying enough insurance more than offset the price you pay, especially for larger claims. On average, a vehicle owner in Stockton is overpaying more than $810 a year so compare rates each time the policy renews to make sure the price is not too high.

Coverages available on your auto insurance policy

Knowing the specifics of your policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Auto insurance terms can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are the normal coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.

Collision coverage - Collision insurance will pay to fix damage to your Prius caused by collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers claims like hitting a mailbox, crashing into a ditch, colliding with a tree and driving through your garage door. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to increase the deductible on your Prius to bring the cost down.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage - Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle's occupants when the "other guys" either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle's damage.

Since many California drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (15/30/5 in California), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. That's why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is very important.

Medical expense coverage - Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage reimburse you for immediate expenses for things like dental work, EMT expenses, funeral costs and surgery. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Comprehensive protection - Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as vandalism, falling objects and hitting a deer. The maximum amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if it's not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Liability auto insurance - This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property in an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see limits of 15/30/5 which means $15,000 bodily injury coverage, $30,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $5,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability can pay for things like loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and medical services. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. California state minimum liability requirements are 15/30/5 but you should think about purchasing more coverage.

The illustration below shows why minimum state limits may not be enough.