Buying cheaper coverage for a Kia Optima in California is pretty easy for most people to do, but it relies on an enormous amount of rating factors such as how far you drive to work, whether or not you have filed claims in the past, and if you have a history of accidents. Drivers will pay on average $863 each year to insure their Optima, but that figure is an estimate using a 50-year-old married female driver with full physical damage coverage and $1,000 deductibles.
But there is a good chance that you may not be 50 years old (or even female), maybe you are single instead of married, or maybe you live in a different area as the quoted rates. Even a slight change in the factors used in pricing a policy can make a large difference in the policy cost.
Every driver’s needs are different, and that is why the only way to find cheap auto insurance rates for your Kia is to put in the effort to do a thorough rate comparison.
Compare Kia Optima Insurance Rates
Your vehicle’s trim level tends to have a direct impact on the cost of coverage, so the price you will be charged to insure a Optima LX will be $76 less than the insurance cost for the more expensive Optima SX model, as demonstrated by the prices below.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optima LX | $162 | $300 | $470 | $28 | $140 | $1,100 | $92 |
| Optima EX | $184 | $354 | $470 | $28 | $140 | $1,176 | $98 |
| Optima SX | $184 | $354 | $470 | $28 | $140 | $1,176 | $98 |
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Premium data assumes married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-policy. Rate information does not factor in vehicle location which can raise or lower rates noticeably.
Buying coverage from the right auto insurance company can be rather challenging considering how many choices you have in California. The company information in the lists below could help you decide which car insurance companies to look at when trying to find cheaper insurance for a Kia Optima. These ratings are only comprised of major nationwide insurance companies, so companies that may only write in California will not be included in this list.
Top 10 Major Car Insurance Companies in Stockton Ranked by Claims Service
- AAA of Southern California
- State Farm
- Esurance
- AAA Insurance
- Progressive
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- Allstate
- Titan Insurance
- The Hartford
Top 10 Major Car Insurance Companies in Stockton Ranked by A.M. Best Rating
- USAA – A++
- Travelers – A++
- State Farm – A++
- GEICO – A++
- Esurance – A+
- Nationwide – A+
- Allstate – A+
- Mercury Insurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- Titan Insurance – A+
Discounts on Stockton auto insurance
Car insurance companies that offer coverage for a Kia Optima may also provide discounts that could potentially reduce rates by as much as 35% if you are eligible for them. The best auto insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts can be read below.
- GEICO offers discounts for federal employee, air bags, good student, daytime running lights, anti-lock brakes, seat belt use, and five-year accident-free.
- Mercury Insurance may offer discounts for location of vehicle, anti-theft, age of vehicle, ease of repair, low natural disaster claims, professional/association, and type of vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for business and professional, switch companies, bundle discounts, good student, pay in full, alternative fuel, and youthful driver.
- Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts including student away at school, air bags, good student, paid in full, mature driver, company car, and multi-policy.
- Liberty Mutual has discounts for multi-car, multi-policy, new vehicle discount, newly retired, and good student.
- SAFECO may have discounts that include bundle discounts, teen safety rewards, anti-theft, drive less, and multi-car.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including continuous coverage, online signing, good student, multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle.
- USAA includes discounts for vehicle storage, loyalty savings, family discount, multi-policy, safe driver, and defensive driver.
The diagram below visualizes the comparison of insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The rates are based on a female driver, no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, California state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with anti-theft, multiple policy, homeowner, vehicle safety, accident-free, and multiple vehicle discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, theaverage yearly reduction on auto insurance for a Kia Optima is 28% or $747.
How accidents and violations affect rates
The best way to find low auto insurance premiums in California for an Optima is to be a careful driver and not receive tickets or have accidents. The chart below highlights how traffic violations and accidents influence insurance costs for different age categories. The premiums are based on a single female driver, full coverage, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
In the previous example, the average cost of auto insurance per year with no accidents or violations is $3,262. Factor in one speeding ticket and the average cost surges to $3,697, an increase of $436 each year. Now add one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of auto insurance for a Kia Optima increases to an average of $4,936. That’s an increase of $1,675, or $140 per month, just for a couple of infractions!
Full coverage rates vs. liability-only
Reducing premiums for auto insurance is probably important to most people, and an effective way to pay less for insurance for a Kia Optima is to buy liability only. The information below shows the difference between insurance costs with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The premium estimates are based on no accidents or driving violations, $250 deductibles, marital status is single, and no other discounts are factored in.
As an average, physical damage coverage costs an additional $2,903 per year over having just liability coverage. That touches on the question when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no specific rule for excluding comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of coverage is 10% or more of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s claim settlement value is $12,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $11,000 after the deductible is paid. If premiums are more than $1,100 annually for your policy with full coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some circumstances where dropping full coverage is not recommended. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you have to maintain full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should keep full coverage on your policy.