Best Insurance for a Nissan Maxima in San Francisco

It’s a fact that auto insurance companies don’t want you to look at other companies. People who shop around for a cheaper policy will, in all likelihood, buy a different policy because there is a good probability of finding lower rate quotes. A recent survey discovered that drivers who shopped around annually saved approximately $3,500 over four years compared to policyholders who didn’t regularly shop around.

If finding the cheapest price on Nissan Maxima insurance in San Francisco is your objective, then having an understanding of how to choose a company and compare insurance coverage can help make the process easier.

Really, the only way to get cheaper car insurance rates is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from different companies in San Francisco. You can compare rates by following these steps.

• First, read about how insurance works and the things you can change to prevent high rates. Many factors that are responsible for high rates like speeding and an unacceptable credit history can be remedied by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
• Second, compare rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can provide rates from a single company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agencies can give you price quotes from multiple companies.
• Third, compare the new rates to your current policy premium to see if a cheaper price is available. If you can save some money and switch companies, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
• Fourth, tell your current agent or company of your intention to cancel your current auto insurance policy and submit a completed policy application and payment to your new company or agent. As soon as you receive it, safely store the certificate of insurance in your glove compartment.

A good tip to remember is to compare the same liability limits and deductibles on every quote request and and to get price quotes from as many companies as you can. This ensures an accurate price comparison and a thorough price selection.

Companies offering Nissan Maxima insurance in California

The companies shown below have been selected to offer free rate quotes in California. If multiple companies are listed, we suggest you compare several of them to get the best price comparison.

Rate information and statistics

The data table displayed below outlines estimates of prices for Nissan Maxima models. Being more informed about how insurance policy premiums are established can be useful when making smart buying decisions.

Cost estimates assume married 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, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Rates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can change price quotes significantly.

Choosing deductibles

The hardest decision when buying coverage is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The comparisons below show how much more you’ll pay when you choose different physical damage coverage deductibles. The first data set uses a $250 physical damage coverage deductible and the second data table 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 safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, and homeowner. Price information does not factor in your specific San Francisco location which can decrease or increase coverage prices significantly.

Based on this data, using a $250 deductible costs roughly $38 more each month or $456 each year than opting for the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would pay $750 more to settle a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you average at least 20 months between claims, you would come out ahead if you decide on a higher deductible.

Cost of full coverage in San Francisco

The chart below shows the difference between Nissan Maxima auto insurance rates when comparing full coverage to state minimum liability only. The premium estimates are based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are factored in.

Guidelines for dropping full coverage

There is no definitive guideline for excluding comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of coverage is about 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.

For example, let’s say your Nissan Maxima claim settlement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would receive is $2,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If premiums are more than $200 a year for full coverage, then it might be time to buy liability only.

There are some circumstances where dropping physical damage coverage is not a good plan. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you have to maintain full coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should keep full coverage on your policy.

Do you qualify for discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always publicize every discount available in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details a few of the more common and also the more inconspicuous discounts that may be available.

• Discount for New Cars – Putting auto insurance coverage on a new Maxima can get you a discount because new model year vehicles keep occupants safer.
• Discounts for Government Workers – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% with some auto insurance companies.
• Paper-free Discount – Some of the larger companies will give you a small discount just for signing your application on the web.
• Smart Student Discounts – Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
• Organization Discounts – Joining a qualifying organization is a simple method to lower premiums on auto insurance.
• Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices help deter theft and will save you 10% or more on Maxima insurance in San Francisco.
• Defensive Driver Discount – Taking part in a defensive driving course could cut 5% off your bill and also improve your driving technique.
• Accident Waiver – Not really a discount, but companies like Progressive, Allstate, and Liberty Mutual permit an accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear for a certain period of time.
• Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Requiring all passengers to buckle up could save 15% on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
• College Student – Youth drivers who are attending college and do not have a car can receive lower rates.

You should keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Even though it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it’s just not the way it works.

The information below illustrates the difference between Nissan Maxima insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the rates. The data is based on a female driver, no claims, a clean driving record, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with marriage, safe-driver, multi-car, claim-free, multi-policy, and homeowner discounts applied.

Companies and a partial list of their discounts are outlined below.

• American Family has discounts for Steer into Savings, mySafetyValet, bundled insurance, accident-free, good student, and defensive driver.
• Nationwide offers discounts for good student, anti-theft, defensive driving, business or organization, and family plan.
• MetLife may have discounts that include good student, good driver, accident-free, multi-policy, defensive driver, and claim-free.
• 21st Century discounts include homeowners, defensive driver, good student, driver training, and anti-lock brakes.
• Farmers Insurance has savings for alternative fuel, switch companies, pay in full, electronic funds transfer, mature driver, bundle discounts, and teen driver.
• Allstate offers discounts including FullPay discount, good student, passive restraint, utility vehicle, senior citizen, defensive driver, and anti-theft.

When getting free San Francisco car insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to every prospective company which discounts you may be entitled to. Discounts may not be offered everywhere. If you would like to choose from a list of auto insurance companies with the best Nissan Maxima insurance discounts in California, click here to view.

Car insurance agents are professional risk managers

Many drivers would rather sit down with an agent and doing that can be a smart decision The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is you can get cheap insurance rates and also buy local. Buying insurance from local insurance agencies is especially important in San Francisco.

After filling out this form (opens in new window), your information is transmitted to local insurance agents in San Francisco that can provide free San Francisco car insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to contact an agency because quoted prices will be sent to you. You’ll get the best rates without requiring a lot of work. If you need to get a comparison quote from a specific company, just visit that company’s website and submit a quote form there.

When looking for a good insurance agency, there are two different types of agencies and how they work. San Francisco agents can either be exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Agents that choose to be independent are not restricted to one company so they can write business with lots of companies and find the cheapest insurance rates. If they find a cheaper price, they can switch companies in-house which is easy for the insured.

If you are trying to find cheaper rates, you definitely need to include a couple of independent agencies for the best price selection.

The following is a partial list of independent agents in San Francisco who can help you get price quotes.

More insurance agents

Exclusive Insurance Agents

Agents that choose to be exclusive are contracted to one company such as AAA, Allstate, and State Farm. Exclusive agents cannot shop your coverage around so keep that in mind. Exclusive agencies are trained well on what they offer which helps them sell on service rather than price.

Shown below is a short list of exclusive agents in San Francisco that are able to give price quote information.

More insurance agents

Deciding on an auto insurance agent requires you to look at more than just a cheap quote. Get answers to these questions too.

• Which insurance company do they prefer to write with?
• Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
• Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
• Do they assist clients in filing claims?
• Does the agent have a valid license to sell insurance in California?
• Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
• If your car is totaled, how to they determine the replacement cost?

If you receive satisfactory answers to all your questions as well as a price you’re happy with, you have narrowed it down to a car insurance agent that can insure your vehicles.

Smart consumers save more

When buying insurance coverage, it’s very important that you do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where an insured cut physical damage coverage and learned later they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price but still have enough coverage for asset protection.

We covered a lot of techniques to save on Nissan Maxima insurance in San Francisco. The key thing to remember is the more you quote San Francisco car insurance, the higher your chance of finding cheaper San Francisco car insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest priced insurance comes from an unexpected company. They can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.

Even more information is available at these sites:

• Child Safety Seats (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for High Risk Drivers in San Francisco? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap San Francisco Auto Insurance for Low Credit Scores? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for a Honda Accord in San Francisco? (FAQ)
• What Insurance is Cheapest for a Jeep Grand Cherokee in San Francisco? (FAQ)
• Auto Theft Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Rental Reimbursement Coverage (Allstate)