If saving money is your primary concern, then the best way to find discount car insurance rates in San Francisco is to start doing an annual price comparison from providers in California.
- Read and learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the measures you can take to keep rates low. Many factors that drive up the price such as multiple speeding tickets and a bad credit score can be amended by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes. Keep reading for more ideas to find cheap rates and get discounts that may be overlooked.
- Compare rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct and exclusive agents can only provide price estimates from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agencies can quote prices for a wide range of insurance providers.
- Compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy to determine if you can save on 4Runner insurance in San Francisco. If you can save money, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
- Tell your current company of your decision to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit any necessary down payment along with the completed application for your new coverage. Don’t forget to place your new certificate verifying proof of insurance in your vehicle’s glove compartment or console.
A good tip to remember is to make sure you’re comparing identical deductibles and limits on each quote and and to compare every company you can. This ensures a level playing field and a complete selection of prices.
It’s a known fact that car insurance companies don’t want their policyholders to compare prices. Insureds who shop around for cheaper rates are likely to switch to a new company because of the high probability of finding a cheaper policy. Remarkably, a study showed that consumers who regularly compared rates saved over $860 a year compared to people who never compared prices.
If finding the lowest price on Toyota 4Runner insurance is your intention, understanding how to get rate quotes and compare insurance premiums can make it easier to shop your coverage around.
Detailed insurance information
The rate information below covers detailed analysis of rate quotes for Toyota 4Runner models. Knowing how insurance quotes are formulated can benefit drivers when making smart policy decisions.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4Runner Sport 2WD | $358 | $382 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,410 | $118 |
| 4Runner SR/5 2WD | $358 | $464 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,492 | $124 |
| 4Runner Sport 4WD | $358 | $464 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,492 | $124 |
| 4Runner SR/5 4WD | $358 | $464 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,492 | $124 |
| 4Runner Trail Edition 4WD | $398 | $546 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,614 | $135 |
| 4Runner Limited 2WD | $398 | $546 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,614 | $135 |
| 4Runner Limited 4WD | $398 | $546 | $492 | $30 | $148 | $1,614 | $135 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Premium data assumes single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Information does not factor in your specific San Francisco location which can lower or raise price quotes substantially.
Safe drivers pay less for insurance
The information below illustrates how speeding tickets and accidents can drive up Toyota 4Runner insurance prices for different categories of driver ages. The information is based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
Insurance premiums for males and females
The illustration below compares Toyota 4Runner auto insurance rates for male and female drivers. The rates are based on no violations or claims, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Do you need full coverage?
The illustration below illustrates the difference between Toyota 4Runner insurance rates with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The premiums are based on a clean driving record, no claims, $100 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are applied.
Are you wasting money paying for full coverage?
There is no written rule for eliminating full coverage, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
For example, let’s assume your Toyota 4Runner book value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most your company would pay you is $6,000 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying over $600 annually to have full coverage, then it might be time to buy liability only.
There are some scenarios where only buying liability is not a good idea. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you are required to maintain full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest in the vehicle. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should not consider dropping full coverage.
Insurance coverage breakdown
Knowing the specifics of a insurance policy aids in choosing the best coverages for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and coverage can change by endorsement.
Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Toyota 4Runner.
Due to the fact that many California drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (California limits are 15/30/5), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Coverage for collisions
Collision coverage pays for damage to your 4Runner resulting from a collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for claims like damaging your car on a curb, hitting a parking meter, sustaining damage from a pot hole, rolling your car and colliding with another moving vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also bump up the deductible on your 4Runner in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Coverage for medical expenses
Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for expenses such as prosthetic devices, chiropractic care and X-ray expenses. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Comprehensive insurance
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like a broken windshield, hitting a deer, theft, falling objects and damage from a tornado or hurricane. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider dropping full coverage.
Auto liability
This will cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property by causing an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see values of 15/30/5 that translate to a limit of $15,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $30,000, and property damage coverage for $5,000.
Liability can pay for things like repair bills for other people’s vehicles, funeral expenses, bail bonds, medical expenses and loss of income. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. California state law requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but drivers should carry better liability coverage.
The next chart shows why the minimum limit may not be enough coverage.
Find affordable rates by being thorough
Cheap Toyota 4Runner insurance in San Francisco is possible both online as well as from independent agents in San Francisco, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. A few companies may not offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional carriers prefer to sell through independent insurance agencies.
As you quote San Francisco car insurance, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. Too many times, someone sacrificed liability coverage limits and discovered at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your objective should be to find the BEST coverage at the best cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
We covered a lot of ways to compare Toyota 4Runner insurance car insurance rates in San Francisco. The most important thing to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding low cost San Francisco car insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest priced auto insurance comes from the least-expected company.
More information is available below:
- Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Rates for a Ford Explorer in San Francisco? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for a GMC Sierra in San Francisco? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for Active Military in San Francisco? (FAQ)
- What are my Rights when Filing a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
- How Does Hitting a Deer Impact Insurance Rates? (Allstate)
- Information for Teen Drivers (GEICO)
- Rearview cameras reduce backing crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)