Find Cheaper Dodge Ram 3500 Insurance in Long Beach

Did budget coverage turn out to be an overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me when I say there are lots of Long Beach residents who feel the same.

Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that almost 70% of drivers in California kept buying from the same company for more than four years, and virtually 40% of consumers have never shopped around. Many drivers in the U.S. could save nearly 47% every year just by getting comparison quotes, but they feel it’s too difficult to save money by comparing rate quotes.

How to find cheaper Dodge Ram 3500 insurance in Long Beach

If your goal is the lowest price, then the best way to find low-cost prices for auto insurance rates is to do an annual price comparison from providers that insure vehicles in Long Beach.

1. Try to understand what is in your policy and the things you can change to drop your rates. Many risk factors that cause rate increases such as tickets, at-fault accidents, and a not-so-good credit history can be eliminated by making lifestyle changes or driving safer. This article gives additional tips to find cheap prices and find discounts that you may qualify for.
2. Compare prices from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive and direct companies can only give prices from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can quote prices for many different companies.
3. Compare the new quotes to your existing rates to see if cheaper Ram 3500 coverage is available. If you find a better price and change companies, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
4. Notify your current company to cancel your current auto insurance policy. Submit payment and a completed application to the new insurer. As soon as you receive it, keep your new certificate verifying proof of insurance in your vehicle.

An important bit of advice to remember is to make sure you enter similar limits and deductibles on every quote request and and to get rates from as many different insurance providers as possible. This enables an accurate price comparison and a thorough price selection.

Companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive all promote huge savings with ad campaigns and it can be hard to ignore the promise of big savings and find the best price available.

If you have coverage now or need a new policy, use these money-saving tips to save money without reducing protection. Locating the best rates in Long Beach seems hard but is not really that difficult. Vehicle owners just need to know the most time-saving way to compare insurance rates online.

The auto insurance companies shown below have been selected to offer price quotes in Long Beach, CA. If you want to find cheaper car insurance in Long Beach, it’s highly recommended you visit several of them in order to find the most affordable rates.

Rates and detailed analysis

The coverage table shown below covers a range of coverage costs for Dodge Ram 3500 models. Being more informed about how insurance premiums are established is important to be able to make smart choices when purchasing an insurance policy.

Data variables include married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, and multi-policy. Premium amounts do not factor in Long Beach location which can raise or lower insurance rates considerably.

Higher deductibles save money

One common question asked by Long Beach drivers is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The rates shown below can help you understand how much more you’ll pay when you buy lower versus higher physical damage coverage deductibles. The first table uses a $100 physical damage coverage deductible and the second rate chart uses a $500 deductible.

Table data assumes married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, and multi-policy. Rate information does not factor in zip code location which can impact prices significantly.

Using the premium rates above, we can conclude that using a $100 deductible costs roughly $39 more each month or $468 every year than choosing the higher $500 deductible. Because you would pay $400 more to settle a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you tend to go at a minimum 10 months between claims, you would probably come out ahead if you elect the higher deductible.

The diagram below demonstrates how choosing different deductibles and can change Dodge Ram 3500 premium costs for different ages of insureds. The premium estimates are based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.

Full coverage rates compared to liability-only

The chart below visualizes the comparison of Dodge Ram 3500 premium costs with and without physical damage coverage. The data assumes no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are applied.

Should you be buying full coverage?

There is no definitive rule to stop buying physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can use. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is more than about 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it might be time to buy liability only.

For example, let’s pretend your Dodge Ram 3500 book value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, you would only receive $5,000 after paying your policy deductible. If premiums are more than $500 annually for full coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

There are some cases where removing full coverage is not in your best interest. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not eliminate full coverage.

Best reasons to buy auto insurance in California

Despite the fact that auto insurance is not cheap in Long Beach, buying auto insurance may be required for several reasons.

• The majority of states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires specific minimum amounts of liability 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 Dodge Ram 3500 has a lienholder, more than likely the lender will stipulate that you buy full coverage to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank will be required to insure your Dodge at a more expensive rate and make you pay the higher premium.
• Insurance protects not only your Dodge but also your financial assets. It will also pay for medical bills for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, will also pay to defend you if you are sued as the result of your driving. If you have damage to your Dodge as the result of the weather or an accident, your policy will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.

The benefits of carrying enough insurance more than offset the price you pay, especially with large liability claims. Despite what companies tell you, the average driver is currently overpaying as much as $850 per year so you should quote rates every year to be sure current rates are still competitive.

Auto insurance 101

Understanding the coverages of your policy aids in choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are typical coverage types found on the average insurance policy.

Coverage for liability – This coverage protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people. It protects YOU against claims from other people. It does not cover your injuries or vehicle damage.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see liability limits of 15/30/5 that means you have $15,000 bodily injury coverage, a limit of $30,000 in injury protection per accident, and $5,000 of coverage for damaged property. Another option is a combined single limit or CSL that pays claims from the same limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability coverage protects against things such as medical services, loss of income, court costs, pain and suffering and bail bonds. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase as much as you can afford. California state minimum liability requirements are 15/30/5 but you should consider buying more coverage.

The illustration below shows why buying low liability limits may not be enough.

Medical costs insurance – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for bills for chiropractic care, ambulance fees, EMT expenses and pain medications. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible

UM/UIM Coverage – This coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Dodge Ram 3500.

Because many people only carry the minimum required liability limits (California limits are 15/30/5), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked. Normally your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liability limits.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – This coverage will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as vandalism, falling objects, damage from flooding and hail damage. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Collision coverage – Collision coverage covers damage to your Ram 3500 resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision insurance covers claims such as backing into a parked car, colliding with a tree, damaging your car on a curb and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible on your Ram 3500 to save money on collision insurance.