California Auto Insurance Discounts

Auto insurance premium is a major household expense. Insurance Dodo is committed to sharing information that helps you lower auto insurance costs. You may also want to read our blog post on lowering car insurance premium.

This article is on California auto insurance discounts. We will take a look at all the auto insurance discounts and which auto insurers offer the maximum discounts and credits.

List of California Auto Discounts

Auto insurance quote will vary from one insurer to another. There are about 50 auto insurance companies in California. The quotes offered to the same person can vary a lot. Lets see how much the auto insurance premium can vary with help of an example.

Lets say our hypothetical buyer is male with safe driving record of 3 plus years. He lives in West Los Angeles and drives a Honda Accord. He holds a driving license since 7 years. Let us see what standard coverage auto insurance quotes look for him. He expects to drive between 12,600 to 15,000 miles in a year.

Fireman’s Fund insurance is the most expensive and will cost him $6155 for one year. Liberty Mutual is the second most expensive at $5506 per year. Wawanesa is the cheapest at $1702 per year. One way of saving on auto insurance is to choose the right carrier.

The second way is to get all applicable auto insurance discounts and credits. Here is a list of all California auto insurance discounts and credits.

Airbag Discount

As the name suggests you get this discount for having an airbag in your car. Not all auto insurance companies offer this discount in 2013. California Capital offers the maximum 20-30 percent discount in this category. Nationwide – a major auto insurance company – offers 20-24% discount for cars with airbags.

Anti-Theft Devices

You get this discount for having anti theft devices in your car. These devices may be factory installed or custom installed. If you live in an area which has higher chances of car theft then you will benefit substantially from this coverage. Most California auto insurance companies offer anti-theft devices discount.

Kemper, USAA and Liberty Mutual offer up to 25% discount. Nationwide offers between 5 to 15% discount for anti theft devices.

Anti Lock Brakes

Most cars today have anti lock brakes. So you should not miss out on this discount. Anti lock brakes prevent the car from skidding and going out of control when the brake pedal is pressed hard in case of an emergency. Liberty Mutual offers up to a maximum of 10% discount. Access gives a 15% discount. Out of the 52 auto insurance companies we analyzed only seven offer this discount.

Low Annual Mileage Driven Discount

The lesser you drive lower are the chances of accidents. GEICO gives up to 43% and Permanent General up to 36.5% discount for low annual mileage.

Mature Drivers Course Discount

Mature drivers course is a drivers safety program. This is a great way for seniors to reduce their auto insurance cost. If you are over 50 you should consider joining AARP driver safety program. California auto insurance companies offer discounts to drivers who complete the course. In California this discount is mandatory. If you have completed this course then the carrier must offer the discount.

Most auto insurance carriers offer a 5% mature drivers course discount.

Multi Car Discount

If you insurance more than one car at the same location you may be eligible for a multi car discount. You need to get the insurance done with the same carrier. You can expect up to 20% discount in this category.

Passive Restraint

Passive restraints are automatic safety devices like an airbag that protects a person during an auto crash. Factory installed passive restraint can help you save 10%.

Automatic Daytime Running Lights

Automatic daytime running lights switch on automatically and improve safety. Most new models (especially high end cars) come factory fitted with them. You can also get LED daytime lights custom fitted in your car. CSE is the only company which offers 2% discount. This is not a very popular auto insurance discount.

California Auto Insurance Discounts for Students and Young Drivers

Probably the only bad thing about being young is higher auto insurance premium. Young drivers and students can use the following discounts.

Drivers Training

This discount is for drivers below 21 years of age who complete a state approved driver training course. Cost of auto insurance for young drivers is very high in a number of states. This is a good way for students to reduce premium. Most insurers apply this discount on bodily injury, property damage, medical payments, PIP, and collision coverages.

In California Liberty Mutual offers 5%, Metropolitan Direct between 3% to 10%, Traveler 10%, USAA 5%, AMICA 5% and Farmers up to 35% discount for eligible drivers.

Good Student Discount

If you are a student and have a high GPA you may be eligible for a good student discount. This is another great way for students to lower their auto insurance quotes. 21st Century offers 15%, Allstate between 10% to 15%, Commerce West between 5% to 30%, Farmers up to 33%, and Liberty Mutual up to 25% discounts for being a good student. You should visit carriers site for their definition of a good student.

California Auto Insurance Credits

Carpool Credit

Though insurance companies in some states offer carpool credit, California is not one of them. Not one insurance company in our list is offering carpool credit in 2013.

Group Program Credit

Group program credit is another neat way of lowering car insurance premium. GEICO offers up to 25%, Liberty mutual 15%, Nationwide between 7.5% to 12.5% group program credit.

Multi Policy Credit

You get a multi policy credit for taking another type of policy from the same insurer. For example if you buy an auto insurance and a homeowners insurance from the same carrier you get insurance credits. Farmers, Liberty Mutual and Hartford offer up to 20%, and Nationwide up to 12.5% multi policy credit.

Persistency Credit

Persistency credit is another name for loyalty discount. You get this discount for continuing with one auto insurance company for a long time. You should be able to save 10% by renewing your auto insurance from the same carrier.

To conclude auto insurance companies in California offer 13 auto insurance discounts and credits. There are two discounts for students, one discount for mature drivers, 3 auto insurance credits, and seven auto insurance discounts.

Please feel free to interact with us via the comments below.