Being the family hero by scoring with cheap California auto insurance is not as hard as you think.

If your first play was visiting the state web site – it’s likely you called foul at the long list of insurers they suggest you contact individually for rates.

Who’s got the time to sit on the phone or enter information for 97 different auto insurance companies?

No worries – you’re on the right track opting for an online quote, but you need to play it smart – not just any online quote will do.

Getting a Reliable Cheap California Auto Insurance Quote: Play by Play

Play On The Right Turf

You need at least three quotes from a large, unbiased, trusted insurance quote site that will pitch your information to all the big companies known for quality, service, and savings in California. Insurancerates.com is a great place to get a reliable quote from all the insurance companies you’ve known and trusted for years.

Size Up the Competition

You can’t just compare auto insurance quotes by price alone – you need to look at coverage.

Defense

The first thing you need to do is figure out what kind of coverage you need to equip yourself with. Just going by the California auto insurance required minimums could wind you up out of bounds in the event of an accident.

California Requires:

• $15,000 in bodily injury liability per person and $30,000 per accident.
• $5,000.00 of property damage liability.

Going by these minimum requirements would wind you up with a pretty sorry auto insurance policy – you know $5,000.00 is next to nothing when it comes to repairing a car!
The Insurance Information Institute recommends that you have $100,000 of bodily injury protection per person and $300,000 per accident. If your net worth is more than $300,000, they recommend you purchase additional liability insurance.

So get your defense taken care of with higher limits on liability – you’ll thank me later when your family savings account remains unscathed in the face of a lawsuit.

Protecting Your Gear

If you’re leasing or paying off a loan on the car, your auto insurance policy will likely need collision and comprehensive coverage as well.

These may run more expensive than liability – but you can still save. Consider high deductibles. According to National Association of Insurance Commission (NAIC), going from a $250 to a $1000 deductible can save you up to 40% on your policy.

Offense

Don’t just sit on the sidelines accepting standard insurance rates! Go on the offense and auto insurance advice about possible discounts.

Here are some common ways of attacking a high rate and getting yourself cheap California auto insurance.

Multi-policy Discount: this is when you have more than one type of policy with a single company (like homeowners and auto for example)

Safety discount: Anti-lock Brake Systems (ABS), anti-theft devices, and other popular safety features on your car may not only save your life, they may also save you on car insurance.

Low mileage discount: Some insurance companies will give a cheap California auto insurance discount to drivers who drive less than the typical yearly average. So whether you have a short commute to work or maybe participate in a car pool, if you’re not racking up high miles, you may qualify.

Good student discount: If you have a young driver on your policy and they are scoring a “B” average or above, be sure to mention it when getting a quote.
Now get out there and score!

To get a cheap California auto insurance quote get over to a trusted online California auto insurance quote site and save. Remember, at least three quotes from a trusted site (link to insurancerates.com) is key.