- Liability coverage for bodily injury and property damage for which you are legally responsible
- Medical Payments for bodily injury caused by an accident, to you or family members that reside with you
- Uninsured Motorist Coverage will cover you in the event that you or family members that reside with you are injured or your property is damaged due to a driver that does not have auto liability insurance
- Underinsured Motorist Coverage will cover you in the event that you or family members that reside with you are injured or your property is damaged due to a driver that has automobile liability limits less that what you currently carry.
*Coverage for damage to your automobile includes:
- Collision: Covers accidental loss to your insured vehicle due to a collision with another object (i.e. another vehicle, tree, etc.)
- Comprehensive: Covers accidental loss to your insured vehicle that is not caused by a collision (i.e. fire, theft, hail etc.)
- Towing and Labor: Covers costs for labor performed and towing your vehicle when your vehicle becomes disabled
- Rental Reimbursement: Covers costs to rent a vehicle if your insured vehicle is involved in an accident, or is stolen. Comprehensive or Collision coverage must be provided by your policy
*Coverage for damage to your automobile is optional
Coverage for several different vehicle types:
- Personal Passenger Autos (including vans/trucks not over 10,000 lbs)
- Classic Autos
- Customized Autos
- Antique Autos
- Motor Homes
- Recreational Trailers/Campers
- Utility Trailers
- Horse Trailers
Discounts and Credits:
We offer a number of ways to save money on your insurance. Below are some of the discounts and credits that we offer:
- Multi-Car discount: Applied when more than one vehicle is insured on your policy
- Company Car Discount: An insured owner of one personal automobile is eligible for this discount if a non-owned company car is provided on a full-time basis
- Deductible Credits: Higher Collision and Comprehensive deductibles will lower your premium. There are many deductible options available, up to a maximum of $2,500
- Home and Auto Discount: A discount is applied to your policy when both your auto and home policies are written with Union Mutual Companies
- Customer Loyalty Discount: A discount is given at each policy renewal (renewal credit)
- Responsible Youthful Driver Discount: Available for eligible youthful operators between the ages of 16-21
- Good Student Credit: Available for full time students under the age of 25 that meet certain academic criteria
- Driver Education Credit: Available for eligible youthful operators who have completed a Driver Education program
- Student Away at School Credit: Eligible students must be at least 100 miles away from home without a vehicle
Credits for vehicle safety features:
- Anti-theft
- Anti-lock braking
- Passive Restraint (Seatbelts & Airbags)
A Guide for getting
cheap car insurance in California
These days, most insurance companies'
commercials talk about saving over other
companies' rates. For example,
State Farm Insurance advertises up to
35% discount compare to other rates.
This might be true in only for a
fraction of people. They target a
specific zip code, and concentrate on
one type of client to reach that target
(Female, 50-55 years, married,
housewife, pleasure usage, with multiple
policies with State Farm, driving less
than 3000 miles). What if you do
not match that description? Well,
tough luck. As a former State Farm
agent, I did not buy those claims and
voided my contract with them. Now
I can write with dozens and dozens of
insurance companies at rates that no
State Farm client has ever seen.
Why other uninsured drivers could
cost you big time – even if you have
auto insurance.
Did you know that getting in a car
accident with an uninsured driver could
cost you a lot of money – even if you
have your own auto insurance? In a
recent report by ABC News, as the
economy continues to worsen, more
drivers are driving without car
insurance, even though it’s against the
law.
Most people think this won’t affect them
if they have their own insurance, but
this isn’t the case. In order to be
protected from uninsured drivers you
need to elect for “uninsured motorist
coverage” in order to be protected. Be
sure to check with your auto insurance
company and verify that you have this
coverage. If you don’t it may be worth
getting it. This could save you
thousands of dollars if you’re ever hit
by an uninsured driver.
California Auto Insurance Coverage
Limits
In order to be a legal driver in
California, you must show financial
responsibility by buying California auto
insurance. This doesn’t mean you have to
have the most expensive policy you can
afford. In fact, if you understand
what’s required of you, you’ll learn
that even cheap California auto
insurance can supply all the coverage
you need.
Your financial responsibility when
buying auto insurance is simple. You can
satisfy all the legal requirements by
purchasing automobile liability
insurance. Even cheap California auto
insurance plans cover the basics
outlined by the California Department of
Motor Vehicles.
These are the minimum limits of coverage
you must buy according to Section 16451
of the Vehicle Code:
- Bodily injury liability minimum of
$15,000 per person and $30,000 total for
all persons per accident.
- Property damage liability minimum of
$5,000 per accident
If you are caught driving without the
minimum liability insurance in
California you can be charged up to
hundreds of dollars in fines for a first
time offense. If you are involved in an
accident – even if it’s not your fault –
and you don’t have liability insurance,
your license may be suspended. If you
own a car you don’t use you don’t have
to insure it, but you must surrender its
current license plates and registration
cards to the DMV.
As you can see, the California auto
insurance requirements aren’t that
strict. A good insurance company can
provide you all the protection you need
while staying within your budget. If you
need more information on the state’s
requirements you can contact your local
DMV office or speak to a licensed
insurance agent or broker.
Cheap California auto insurance doesn’t
mean bad auto insurance coverage. Be
informed – you can save money and still
follow the law.
California Offers “Good Drivers
Discount” On Auto Insurance
In the current economy, it seems that
the cost of everything is rising.
Grocery prices, mortgage rates, and
energy costs are all skyrocketing.
You’ve probably seen your automobile
insurance costs continue to go up while
your income stays the same. But you
can’t just decide to go without coverage
on your car, even if you think you can
no longer afford California auto
insurance.
California recognizes that car insurance
rates can be expensive for the average
driver. That’s why the state has
implemented the “Good Drivers Discount”,
which is offered to all California
drivers who meet some simple
requirements.
How do you know if you meet these
requirements? It’s easy: California
offers you the Good Drivers Discount if
you have had a driver’s license for
three or more years, have not been
determined to be at fault in any fatal
accident, and have no more than a one
point charge on your driving record.
You probably already deserve lower
priced car insurance. It all comes down
to the fact that if you are a good
driver, you can qualify for cheap
California auto insurance. And that’s a
good thing, no matter how bad the
economy may be.
How California Insurance Companies
Calculate Premiums
Auto insurance premiums are partially
based on three major factors: how long
the driver has been licensed, the number
of accidents or traffic tickets the
driver has received and an estimate of
how many miles driven.
There are secondary factors that affect
the premium, the most important
secondary being the frequency and
severity of claims in the driver’s area
of the state. The amount of claims
received by companies can cause the
premium charged to vary widely. When
shopping for cheap California auto
insurance drivers must do their homework
and compare companies.
In fact, comparison shopping is the
single best way to qualify for cheap
California auto insurance. Maintaining a
clean driving record decreases the
premium drivers pay. Drivers can also
save money by requesting larger
deductibles and lowering the limits
insurance will pay if there is an
accident.
Insurance companies can raise premiums
if the driver has been given traffic
tickets or been involved in accidents.
Since the premiums are based on driving
experience, extra surcharges will apply
based on type of ticket or accident. To
sum it all up, the final cost of cheap
California auto insurance premiums is in
the driver’s hands.
Know Your Auto Insurance Coverages
If you want to take advantage of the
best cheap auto insurance in California,
you need to be an informed buyer. If you
don’t know the most common types of
automobile insurance coverage, you may
end up paying way too much for your car
insurance or not buying enough to fully
cover your vehicle. Become familiar with
the following coverages before you
purchase your policy.
Comprehensive coverage: This type of
California insurance policy provides
coverage for any direct and accidental
loss of or damage to your covered
automobile and its normal equipment,
including but not limited to fire, theft
or malicious mischief. It’s also the
most expensive type of auto insurance,
but will cover more of the costs to
repair your car in cast of an accident.
Liability: This is the satisfactory
coverage you will find under most cheap
California auto insurance plans. It will
pay for bodily injury and/or property
damage to the other person’s vehicle
that you become legally responsible for
if you have an automobile accident. It
won’t pay for damage to your own car.
Uninsured motorist bodily injury: This
car insurance coverage assures that you
and your passengers will be paid for
bodily injury caused by an uninsured
motorist who is found negligent, by a
hit-and-run driver, or by a driver whose
insurance company goes out of business
or otherwise can’t pay out.
There are a lot of cheap California auto
insurance policies out there, but they
are not all equal. Make sure you
purchase the right policy for your
needs.
What To Do After An Automobile
Accident
Everyone knows that driving on
California’s highways can be risky even
with the best car insurance. There’s
always a chance you could be involved in
a costly traffic accident, so knowing
what to do if an accident happens is
crucial. Follow this advice to be sure
that you’ll always qualify for cheap
California auto insurance rates.
If There Is an Accident:
Immediately stop at the scene. (This
sounds like common sense, but sometimes
even good drivers get so upset after an
accident that they feel they should run
away. You don’t have to – that’s why you
have car insurance!)
Check for injuries. If anyone is
hurt, call 911.
Notify the police even if emergency
service isn’t necessary. The police may
not need to come to the scene, but most
California car insurance policies
require that you inform the police about
an accident within a certain amount of
time, especially if the accident is a
hit and run.
Get the names, addresses, telephone
numbers, and license numbers from all
drivers. Write down all the license
plate numbers and vehicle identification
numbers from all automobiles involved.
Ask to see driver’s licenses and vehicle
registrations to be sure that the
information is accurate. Get all the
names, addresses, and telephone numbers
of passengers and witnesses.
If you can, take photographs of the
positions of the cars, the damage to
them and the entire accident scene.
If you can’t find the owner of a damaged
car or property, write a note with your
name and address and those of the
drivers and owners of any other cars
involved.
Notify your agent and/or your California
auto insurance company immediately.
And don’t forget – if anyone is hurt or
you think the vehicle damage exceeds
$750, you must report the accident to
the Department of Motor Vehicles within
10 days. If you don’t do this your
driver’s license may be suspended.
We all want cheap California auto
insurance to be available to us and to
other drivers. Follow these simple rules
and you’ll help keep insurance costs
affordable for everyone.
Pay As You Go Insurance Plan Proposed
In California
Drivers could be offered a new and cheap
California auto insurance in 2009 if
they choose to take part in a voluntary
“pay-as-you-drive” plan. Insurance
Commissioner Steve Poizner has proposed
regulation that would base the annual
insurance rates on both on the exact
number of miles driven and a “pay less
if you drive less” model.
Insurance companies have been mostly
supportive of the plan, but said they
needed more details of the state’s
proposal. The companies agreed that the
plan would provide a “more accurate way
to calculate insurance premiums based on
customers’ having fewer accidents and
claims for property damage and medical
bills.”
It is estimated that two out of three
households could see a reduction of
approximately $276 per vehicle, putting
cheap California auto insurance rates
within reach. The plan would also help
lower-income residents, since on
average, they use their cars less than
higher-income residents.
On the other hand, drivers who log more
mileage than average could find
themselves paying more under the plan.
Assemblyman Jared Huffman sponsors the
proposed regulation, saying that if one
third of California drivers took
advantage of the plan it would be the
environmental equivalent of removing 10
million cars off California roads.
GMAC Insurance Group, which offers car
insurance in California as well as other
states, reported that the out-of-state
drivers who track their mileage using
General Motors’ OnStar system have cut
the cost of their premiums by 13% to
54%.
Currently, even cheap California auto
insurance rates are usually based on the
drivers’ own estimates of how much they
drive (often estimated in error), as
well as their safe driving records and
years they have been driving.
Pay-as-you-drive insurance policies are
now available in 34 U.S. states and in
Canada, Japan and Europe.
The California Guide to Automobile
Insurance
Did you know that if you buy an auto
insurance policy from a California
insurance broker that the broker is
required by California law to give you a
free pamphlet called the Consumer Guide
to Automobile Insurance?
What’s in the pamphlet? The pamphlet
contains five tips to help you buy auto
insurance in California.
If your working with a California auto
insurance broker, be sure to ask for the
pamphlet. You can see the California
Guide to Automobile Insurance here.
Some important highlights:
What is difference between an insurance
company and an insurance broker?
The California Guide to Automobile
Insurance outlines the difference
between an insurance broker and an
insurance company. An insurance company
is an entity that provides an actual car
insurance policy. If you make a claim,
the insurance company will handle it.
An insurance broker is a third party
that works with you and insurance
companies. Many times insurance brokers
in California try and help you find a
better deal on your auto insurance by
helping you get multiple quotes.
Most automobile insurance brokers charge
a fee for their service. By law,
California insurance brokers are
required to disclose their fees to you.
If your working with a broker and you
have not seen the fees associated with
the service, you should ask to see them
ASAP.
Another important law on broker fees: To
charge a broker fee, a broker must have
you sign a broker fee agreement, and
must give you a special broker fee
disclosure. You should request copies of
both of these documents.
AIG Private
Client Group Insurance
Align
General Insurance
Allied (Nationwide) Insurance
Arrowhead
Insurance
Bristol West
Insurance
Carnegie
Insurance
CenCal
Insurance
Chubb Insurance
CIBA
Insurance
Civil
Service Employers Insurance (CSE)
Commerce
West Insurance
Deans &
Homer Insurance
Explorer Insurance
Financial Indemnity Insurance
Fireman's
Fund Insurance
Foremost
Insurance
GMAC
Insurance
Guardian Insurance
Hartford
Insurance
Infinity
Insurance
Kemper Auto &
Home Insurance
Leader
National Insurance
MetLife
Insurance
Mid
State Mutual Insurance
One Beacon
Insurance
Oregon Mutual
Insurance
Progressive Indemnity Insurance
Reliant
Insurance
Robert Moreno
Insurance
Safeco
Insurance
St.
Paul/Travelers Insurance
S.C.J.
Insurance
Unitrin
Insurance
Victoria Insurance
Viking
Insurance
Western
United Insurance
How to compare car insurance quotes
in California
Unfortunately, there is no standard cost
for car insurance in California. While
some insurance companies are being
forced lower rates, there is still a
wide range of costs for the same plan
among different insurers.
According to the L.A. Times:
“Even when you eliminate the real dogs,
however, you’ll still find a huge range
of prices for what is essentially the
same insurance. That’s because some
companies prefer not to write certain
types of insurance in certain areas, and
price accordingly. Insurers also know
that there’s a huge inertia factor–not
as many consumers shop around as they
should.
That’s why a married couple in Burbank
with a good driving record might pay
$2,144 a year for standard coverage from
the Auto Club of Southern California,
while the same policy from State Farm
might cost $2,958 (these figures are
from last year’s California Department
of Insurance premium survey). Geico,
meanwhile, was charging $4,372. All
three companies have good reputations
for customer service and for paying
claims, but the couple who go with the
Auto Club could save more than $2,000 a
year.”
With ranges like that, comparing
insurance costs between California
companies is a must. So how should you
go about comparing?
Compare apples to apples
This seems quite obvious, but many
people compare different plans without
realizing. Make sure that your insurance
coverage matches from plan to plan.
Get at least three auto insurance
quotes
The more quotes you get, the better
chance you have of finding cheap auto
insurance. Get at least three quotes. If
you can get five, that’s even better.
Don’t just look at free car insurance
quotes online
There are many sites that give instant
free quotes online. But don’t base your
decision off that alone. Call each of
the companies to get a feel for their
process, their customer service, and
their call hold times. Sometimes
low-cost car insurance can cost you in
the long run (click to read why).
Ask around
Many people don’t do enough research
before purchasing car insurance. One
easy way to get info is to ask family,
friends, and co-workers about the car
insurance they use and their experience
with their auto insurance companies.
Google it!
Before you are ready to buy, make sure
to Google the company name of the
insurer and see if there are a lot of
complaints. Also check with the Better
Business Bureau.
Check the list
Lastly, make sure the insurance company
isn’t on the list of the worst auto
insurance companies in California.
Is there a downside to low-cost auto
insurers?
Getting cheap auto insurance is always a
good thing, right? It’s not an easy
question to answer. The easy answer is
of course it’s a good thing. What
California driver wouldn’t want to save
on car insurance?
But is there downside?
Think about it. If two California car
insurance companies are offering you the
same exact coverage, but one company’s
premium is $500 more, what causes that
company to raise their prices?
It could be a number of things. Perhaps
the cheaper company doesn’t have any
insurance agents in California. Maybe
it’s all done over the phone. That keeps
their costs down and keeps your premium
lower. But it also means that you can’t
meet face to face with an insurance
agent and it may mean long hold times on
the phone.
Perhaps the cheaper car insurance
company is willing to make less of each
policy in hopes of getting more people
to use them for their cheaper rates. But
maybe a company like this has to worry
more about their bottom line since they
are making less off your insurance
policy. Maybe they will be more likely
to fight you tooth and nail on minor
claims.
As you can see, getting low cost car
insurance in California could come with
some tradeoffs. Keep that in mind when
getting insurance quotes. Always make
sure to shop around and compare rates
from different companies in California.
And don’t forget to ask friends any
family about their experiences with
their insurance companies.
Car theft affects your auto insurance
rates in California
You may think you can get cheap
California auto insurance because you
have an older automobile. But that’s not
always true.
People tend to think that an older car
means cheaper auto insurance rates for
them because older cars are less
valuable and are stolen less often.
This is not true. People with more
expensive cars tend to live in nicer
neighborhoods. And nicer neighborhoods
tend to have a lower crime rate. So
theft on newer and nicer cars tens to be
lower in California than theft on older
cars.
Here is a list of the 10 most stolen
cars in Golden State in 2005:
1. 1991 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1994 Nissan Sentra
5. 1990 Acura Integra
6. 1986 Toyota Pickup
7. 1993 Saturn SL
8. 1987 Toyota Corolla
9. 1990 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500
Pickup
10. 1997 Ford F150 Series
Notice that the newest model car is a
1997 ford.
So when trying to get the cheapest auto
insurance rates in California, having an
older car may not always be to your
advantage.
Keep in mind that there are other
factors that count for your auto
insurance rate. Some cars tend to have
more accidents than others. That could
cause auto insurance rates to go up as
well.
