How to Get the Best Price from Riverside California Car Insurance Companies

When shopping for car insurance, finding the best California insurance agent is harder than just picking up the phone. Consumers need a good agent that listens to you, and also want to find the best price on car insurance.

Because you have many options, it can be impossible to find the best car insurance company.

Situations that might require an agent

When buying the right insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there is no perfect coverage plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

For example, these questions can help discover whether your personal situation could use an agent’s help.

  • Am I covered when using my vehicle for business?
  • Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
  • Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
  • Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
  • Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
  • Do I have coverage if my license is suspended?
  • When would I need additional glass coverage?

If you can’t answer these questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to an agent.

Online price comparisons from Riverside agents

Professional agents can point out coverage gaps and give you peace of mind. The biggest benefit of comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain lower rates and still have an agent to talk to.

For easy comparison, once you complete this short form, your coverage information is transmitted to companies in Riverside who will return price quotes for your coverage. You don’t have to leave your house because quoted prices will be sent directly to your email. Now that’s easy!

Choosing an insurance agent should depend on more than just the price. These are valid questions to ask:

  • Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in California?
  • Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
  • What insurance company do they write the most business with?
  • Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
  • How are claims handled?
  • Who are their largest clients?
  • Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
  • Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?

Pick the best insurance agent in Riverside for you

When looking for local Riverside agents, you need to know there are two types of agencies to choose from. Insurance agencies in Riverside can either be independent (non-captive) or captive. Both types can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s good to learn how they differ because it can influence the type of agent you choose

Captive Insurance Agents

These agents write business for a single company and some examples include Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. These agents are not able to provide prices from multiple companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agents are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales which can be an advantage. Some people will only purchase coverage from captives primarily because of loyalty to the company and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.

The following is a short list of captive agencies in Riverside who may provide you with price quotes.

  • Farmers Insurance Group – 9315 Magnolia Ave – Riverside, CA 92503 – (951) 352-7992
  • State Farm Insurance – 6956 Indiana Ave # 5 – Riverside, CA 92506 – (951) 682-7382
  • Liberty Mutual Insurance – 7000 Indiana Ave # 111 – Riverside, CA 92506 – (951) 275-5011
  • Allstate Insurance – 3909 Tyler St – Riverside, CA 92503 – (951) 785-7171
Independent Insurance Agents

Independent insurance agents are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. If your agent finds better pricing, the agent simply finds a different carrier and that require little work on your part. When shopping rates, we recommend you contact multiple independent agents for the best price selection.Many can place coverage with smaller companies who may have lower rates.

Listed below is a list of independent insurance agents in Riverside that are able to give price quotes.

  • Farmers Agency – 6670 Alessandro Blvd # C – Riverside, CA 92506 – (951) 789-1270
  • Jack Burge Agency – 5325 Via San Jacinto – Riverside, CA 92506 – (951) 682-5131
  • Real Diamond Insurance – 6281 Brockton Ave # 1 – Riverside, CA 92506 – (951) 682-0376
  • Sadeghi Insurance Svc Inc – 18791 Van Buren Blvd # C – Riverside, CA 92508 – (951) 342-0309
  • Espinosa Agency – 5055 Pearblossom Dr – Riverside, CA 92507 – (951) 784-1737

For a complete listing of licensed insurance agents in Riverside, visit this site.

Upon getting satisfactory answers to these questions and an affordable coverage quote, most likely you have located an auto insurance agent that can properly insure your vehicles.

Keep your options open

Licensed agents are perfect for certain consumers, but you also have the option of buying California car insurance from companies direct over the internet. Even companies that are more known for using agents, also let you buy a policy online, so this should also be taken into consideration.

If you’re worried about not having an agent to talk to when buying car insurance direct, that should not be a issue. Online car insurance companies all have toll-free customer service to answer any questions you may have.

For price-conscious consumers, the only way of knowing if local insurance agents or online providers are cheaper is to get rates from both and compare them. You can actually get different rates returned by the same company when using both online and agent quotes. It’s difficult to tell which way will be cheaper unless you compare quotes for identical coverages for both.

Can you find lower rates online? That question is hard to answer because of the fact that insurance companies use many factors that impact your rate calculation. It’s a logical assumption that a customer who purchases direcly from an online company prevents the agent from taking a cut. For the majority of companies, however, online and traditional media advertising are expensive and that impacts the rates consumers pay.

Additional detailed information can be found at the California Department of Insurance website. Consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, read state legal mandates and laws, find disaster information, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

More related Riverside car insurance information:

Smart consumers save more

While you’re price shopping online, make sure you don’t skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many cases where someone dropped full coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

Auto insurance in Riverside

Drivers leave their current company for any number of reasons including high prices, extreme rates for teen drivers, an unsatisfactory settlement offer or lack of trust in their agent. Regardless of your reason, finding a great new company is less work than it seems.