A study showed that nearly 70% of drivers kept their coverage with the same insurance company for well over three years, and 38% of customers have never quoted insurance rates at all. Drivers in Tampa could save roughly $1,100 a year by just comparing quotes, but they underestimate the amount of savings they would get if they changed companies.
The preferred way to find low-cost car insurance rates is to compare prices at least once a year from companies in Tampa. Price quotes can be compared by completing these steps.
First, take a little time to learn about the different coverages in a policy and the factors you can control to prevent high rates. Many rating factors that drive up the price such as traffic violations, accidents, and a substandard credit score can be controlled by making lifestyle changes or driving safer. Read the full article for instructions to help find cheaper rates and find more discounts that you may not know about.
Second, compare rates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only provide price estimates from one company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agents can give you price quotes from multiple insurance companies. Find a Tampa insurance agent
Third, compare the new quotes to the premium of your current policy to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you find a lower rate, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
Fourth, provide adequate notice to your current company of your intent to cancel your current coverage and submit payment and a signed application for the new policy. As soon as you have the new policy, store the certificate of insurance along with your vehicle registration.
One key aspect of rate comparisons is to make sure you’re comparing the same liability limits and deductibles on every quote and and to look at as many auto insurance providers as possible. This ensures a level playing field and maximum price selection.
Tampa Insurance Rates are Influenced by These Factors
Many factors are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving record, but some are more obscure like your continuous coverage or how safe your car is. Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning a few of the rating criteria that are used to determine your premiums. If you have some idea of what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to lower premium levels.
The factors shown below are some of the most common factors companies use to determine your rate level.
- Lower performance equals lower insurance rates – The type of car or truck you own makes a significant difference in determining your rates. The cheapest insurance rates are usually for lower performance four cylinder passenger vehicles, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
- Five star NHTSA crash test rating saves money – Safer cars tend to be cheaper to insure. Safer cars help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and lower rates of occupant injuries means lower claim amounts which can result in lower premiums. If your Chevy Sonic scored at minimum four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org it is probably cheaper to insure.
- Do thieves like your car? – Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can help prevent auto theft and help lower rates.
- Eliminate extra policy coverages – Policies have extra bells and whistles that can add up on your auto insurance policy. Things like roadside assistance, high-cost glass coverage, and additional equipment coverage are probably not needed. These coverages may sound good initially, but if you have no use for them eliminate them to save money.
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Claims statistics for a Chevy Sonic – Insurance companies use data from past claims when they set coverage costs for each model. Models that the data determines to have increased claim numbers or amounts will have a higher cost to insure.
The table below demonstrates the compiled insurance loss statistics for Chevy Sonic vehicles. For each policy coverage, the claim probability for all vehicles as a whole equals 100. Numbers that are below 100 indicate better than average losses, while values that are 100 or greater indicate higher probability of having a loss or tendency to have larger claims.
Chevrolet Sonic Insurance Claim Statistics Specific Chevrolet Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Chevrolet Sonic 104 132 91 167 189 159 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEStatistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
The following companies can provide price quotes in Tampa, FL. If multiple companies are listed, we recommend you visit several of them to get the most affordable price.
Choosing the best Chevy vehicle insurance in Florida is an important decision
Despite the high cost, buying insurance is mandatory in Florida but it also protects more than you think.
- Just about all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means state laws require a minimum amount of liability coverage in order to drive the car. In Florida these limits are 10/20/10 which means you must have $10,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $20,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If your vehicle has a loan, it’s guaranteed your bank will have a requirement that you buy insurance to guarantee payment of the loan. If the policy lapses, the bank will be required to insure your Chevy at a much higher rate and require you to pay a much higher amount than you were paying before.
- Insurance safeguards not only your car but also your financial assets. It will also reimburse you for medical transport and hospital expenses for you, your passengers, and anyone else injured in an accident. Liability insurance, one of your policy coverages, will also pay attorney fees in the event you are sued. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, collision and comprehensive coverages will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of having insurance more than offset the price you pay, particularly for liability claims. The average driver in Florida is currently overpaying as much as $855 a year so we recommend shopping around every year to ensure rates are competitive.
Car insurance policy discounts for Chevy Sonic insurance in Tampa
Car insurance is expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that can drop the cost substantially. Some trigger automatically when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be requested specifically before being credited. If you do not check that you are getting every discount you deserve, you could be saving more on your car insurance.
- Government Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your car insurance provider.
- Claim Free – Claim-free drivers are rewarded with significantly better rates on Tampa auto insurance quote as compared to bad drivers.
- Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices are stolen with less frequency and earn discounts up to 10% off your Tampa auto insurance quote.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles and insure them with the same company you may earn over 10 percent off each policy depending on the company.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Not all companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
- Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a course in driver safety is a good idea and can lower rates and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Driver Education Discount – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to participate in a local driver’s education class if offered at their school.
- Passenger Safety Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems could see savings as much as 30%.
Discounts save money, but please remember that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though the math looks like you can get free auto insurance, companies don’t profit that way.
A few of the larger companies and a partial list of their discounts are:
- AAA offers discounts including good student, anti-theft, multi-policy, good driver, education and occupation, multi-car, and pay-in-full.
- Progressive has discounts for multi-policy, good student, continuous coverage, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and online quote discount.
- State Farm may have discounts that include passive restraint, student away at school, accident-free, good student, and driver’s education.
- Esurance offers premium reductions for paid-in-full, Pac-12 alumni, anti-theft, defensive driver, Switch & Save, and claim free.
- Nationwide has savings for anti-theft, business or organization, multi-policy, Farm Bureau membership, and good student.
When quoting, ask each insurance company which discounts can lower your rates. All car insurance discounts may not apply to policies in every state. To find insurance companies that offer some of these discounts in Tampa, click here to view.
Do I need an insurance agent?
Certain consumers would rather buy from a licensed agent and doing so can bring peace of mind Most agents are highly skilled in risk management and will help you if you have claims. A good thing about comparing rate quotes online is that you can find the best rates but also keep your business local.
After filling out this short form, the coverage information is transmitted to companies in Tampa that can provide free Tampa auto insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t even need to contact any agents as quotes are delivered to your email. If you want to compare prices from a specific insurance provider, you can always find their quoting web page and fill out their quote form.
Choosing an provider requires you to look at more than just a low price. Below are some questions you should ask.
- Is the agency covered by Errors and Omissions coverage?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Florida?
- In the event of vehicle damage, can you pick the collision repair facility?
- Is there any savings for paying the full premium?
- How long has the business existed?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
If you are wanting to find a reliable agent, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies from which to choose. Agents can be categorized as either independent agents or exclusive agents depending on their employer. Either type can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know the difference between them because it can influence the kind of agent you use.
Exclusive Agents
Agents that elect to be exclusive generally can only insure with one company such as State Farm, Allstate, and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agencies are unable to shop your coverage around so always compare other rates. Exclusive agencies are trained well on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents.
The following is a list of exclusive agencies in Tampa who may provide you with price quote information.
Pam Williams – State Farm Insurance Agent
10005 Gallant Ln – Tampa, FL 33625 – (813) 963-3216 – View Map
Herma White – State Farm Insurance Agent
14940 N Florida Ave – Tampa, FL 33613 – (813) 961-6661 – View Map
Lang Adams – State Farm Insurance Agent
5051 Memorial Hwy – Tampa, FL 33634 – (813) 243-1300 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents do not have single company limitations and that gives them the ability to insure with multiple insurance companies and find the cheapest insurance rates. If they find a lower price, they simply switch companies in-house and you stay with the same agent. If you are trying to find cheaper rates, it’s a good idea to get insurance quotes from at least one independent agent to ensure the widest selection of prices.
Listed below is a short list of independent insurance agents in Tampa that can give you rate quotes.
Varney Agency | Tampa FL
5401 W Kennedy Blvd #230 – Tampa, FL 33609 – (813) 200-7261 – View Map
Central Florida Insurance Agency of Town ‘N’ Country
7753 W Waters Ave – Tampa, FL 33615 – (813) 885-2900 – View Map
Duarte Insurance Agency, Inc.
5512 N Armenia Ave # A – Tampa, FL 33603 – (813) 874-3222 – View Map
How to know if you need help
When quoting and comparing the right insurance coverage, there isn’t really a single plan that fits everyone. You are unique so your insurance needs to address that.
For instance, these questions could help you determine if your situation will benefit from professional help.
- What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
- How much liability do I need to cover my assets?
- Does coverage extend to my business vehicle?
- Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
- Am I covered when driving a rental car?
- Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
- What policy terms are available?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.
A conclusion for your auto insurance search
Throughout this article, we presented many ways to shop for Chevy Sonic insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest rates are with some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers often have lower car insurance rates on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.
Some insurance companies do not provide price quotes online and most of the time these small, regional companies provide coverage only through independent agents. Cheaper Chevy Sonic insurance in Tampa can be purchased both online and from local agencies, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates.
Much more information about auto insurance in Florida can be found at the links below
- Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for Low Mileage Drivers in Tampa? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes for Drivers Under 25 in Tampa? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Tampa Car Insurance Quotes for a Hyundai Elantra? (FAQ)
- Hybrid vehicles cost insurers more (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Understanding Limits and Deductibles (Allstate)
- Reducing Your Risks in a Car Crash Video (iihs.org)
- Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Institute)