Find Affordable Volkswagen Passat Insurance in Stockton

The best way we recommend to get affordable auto insurance rates in Stockton is to do a yearly price comparison from different companies who provide auto insurance in California.

• First, spend some time learning about how your policy works and the factors you can control to drop your rates. Many rating factors that cause high rates like traffic tickets, fender benders, and a poor credit score can be amended by making lifestyle changes or driving safer.
• Second, request price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide price quotes from many different companies. View a list of agents
• Third, compare the new rate quotes to the price on your current policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find a lower rate and decide to switch, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
• Fourth, give notification to your current company of your decision to cancel your current policy. Submit a down payment along with a completed application for the new policy. Once received, keep your new proof of insurance paperwork along with your vehicle registration.

One bit of advice is to make sure you’re comparing identical limits and deductibles on every quote and and to get price estimates from as many car insurance companies as possible. This enables an apples-to-apples comparison and and a good selection of different prices.

A recent study showed that nearly 70% of consumers have remained with the same auto insurance company for at least four years, and 38% of customers have never taken the time to shop around. Stockton insurance shoppers could cut their rates by 35% a year just by getting comparison quotes, but they don’t know the big savings they would realize if they switched to a cheaper policy.

Choosing the best rates in Stockton is quite easy. Practically anyone who compares rates for auto insurance should be able to save money. But California car owners do need to learn the methods companies use to determine premium rates because rates are impacted by many factors.

Rate information and statistics

The premium information displayed below outlines a range of coverage costs for Volkswagen Passat models. Being able to understand how auto insurance policy rates are figured helps drivers make decisions when choosing a new policy provider.

Data based on married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, multi-policy, and claim-free. Estimates do not factor in your specific Stockton location which can affect coverage rates greatly.

Where to set your deductibles

One common question asked by Stockton drivers is which deductible level should you buy. The comparisons below may help to conceptualize the premium difference when you choose different physical damage deductibles. The first set of prices uses a $100 deductible and the second set of rates uses a $500 deductible.

Data based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and California minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, homeowner, and safe-driver. Price information does not factor in your specific Stockton location which can increase or decrease prices significantly.

Based on the data above, we can derive that using a $100 deductible costs an average of $34 more each month or $408 each year across all Volkswagen Passat models than quoting the higher $500 deductible. Since the policyholder would be required to pay $400 more if you file a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you normally average at a minimum 12 months between claims, you would probably be better off if you elect the higher deductible.

The illustration below highlights how deductible choice and can increase or decrease Volkswagen Passat insurance rates for different categories of driver ages. The prices are based on a single male driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Comparison of auto insurance rates by gender

The information below illustrates the difference between Volkswagen Passat insurance prices for male and female drivers. The premiums are based on no accidents or driving violations, full coverage, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Cost difference between full coverage and liability

The example below illustrates the comparison of Volkswagen Passat car insurance costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. The prices are based on no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are applied.

When to drop comp and collision

There is no exact formula to exclude physical damage insurance, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than around 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.

For example, let’s assume your Volkswagen Passat replacement value is $8,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would receive is $7,000 after paying your policy deductible. If you are paying in excess of $700 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.

There are some situations where buying only liability insurance is not advised. 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 cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should not drop full coverage.

Auto insurance 101

Learning about specific coverages of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Medical expense insurance – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses for things like hospital visits, EMT expenses and pain medications. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible

Comprehensive (Other than Collision) – Comprehensive insurance pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims such as fire damage, rock chips in glass, damage from a tornado or hurricane and vandalism. The highest amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.

Liability coverages – Liability coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. As an example, you may have liability limits of 15/30/5 that translate to a limit of $15,000 per injured person, $30,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $5,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability coverage protects against claims such as pain and suffering, funeral expenses, loss of income and medical expenses. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. California requires minimum liability limits of 15/30/5 but it’s recommended drivers buy higher limits.

The illustration below demonstrates why the minimum limit may not be high enough to adequately cover claims.

Collision coverage – Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision coverage pays for things such as colliding with another moving vehicle, backing into a parked car, rolling your car and sideswiping another vehicle. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from lower value vehicles. Drivers also have the option to bump up the deductible on your Passat to save money on collision insurance.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers – This gives you protection from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Volkswagen Passat.

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. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked.

You can find affordable coverage

Consumers change insurance companies for a variety of reasons including an unsatisfactory settlement offer, lack of trust in their agent, extreme rates for teen drivers or questionable increases in premium. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a new company is not as difficult as it may seem.

In this article, we covered some good ideas how to find cheaper Volkswagen Passat insurance in Stockton. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with the smaller companies.

While you’re price shopping online, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at the lowest possible cost while still protecting your assets.

Other articles

• Insurance Losses by Make and Model (iihs.org)
• Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Quotes for Low Mileage Drivers in Stockton? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for Immigrants in Stockton? (FAQ)
• How Much are Stockton Car Insurance Rates for Low Income Drivers? (FAQ)
• Determining Your Vehicle’s Value and Repair Cost (Insurance Information Institute)
• Reducing Your Risks in a Car Crash Video (iihs.org)
• Auto Insurance for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
• Learn About Car Insurance (GEICO)