Best insurance for a 2008 Prius in California?

I live in San Diego. I have Geico and recommend them very highly. Best customer service around, they have live US customer service 27 x 7 x 365, I like this, you might save money going to another place but if customer service is important to you Geico is the best IMHO. Always responsive and pleasant. And I dont work for them.

I just replaced a 2002 Sonata with a Package 6 Base Prius and the insruance went up like $10 or $20. I would have thought I was going to pay double because of the replacement cost etc.

Anyone have any idea wh it would cost the same to insure a brand new 2007 Prius coast the same as a 2002 Sonata? The only thing I can think of is the Sonata is a V-6.

Thanks

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolabelle @ Aug 26 2007, 09:03 AM) [snapback]502360[/snapback]</div>

21st Century Insurance Company

 

I've been with Wawanesa for 15 years or so, and neither Geico nor 21st Century have been able to beat their rates. They don't insure everyone, though, so if you don't fit into their demographic, they won't quote you:

http://www.wawanesageneral.com/

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolabelle @ Aug 26 2007, 11:03 AM) [snapback]502360[/snapback]</div>

We bought our '07 five months ago. Added it to our existing CSAA policy. With CSAA we also have our house, a couple of life policies and a rider. It replaced a POJ '06 Honda Odyssey (Don't get me started...). Our premium went up over $200.

We shopped 'em all (or so it seemed), Progressive (as Conservatives a highly unlikely choice), State Farm, 21st...

Then stopped in at GEICO.com....and...wait for it....

I saved hundreds of dollars (~$500 actually) switching to GEICO. We insure two cars now for the same cost that CSAA was charging for one.

The website was easy to use, payment plans are available, and if you sign up for the GEICO CC, the fees associated with the payment plan are waived.

 

Avoid Progressive. They are among the worst in customer service. Good luck getting response. If you qualify, go for USAA. You need to have a relative who was in the armed forces. They are consistently top rated and give you a refund if they spent less then the budget estimate. They're not for profit. Big difference in service.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ Aug 27 2007, 10:48 PM) [snapback]503051[/snapback]</div>

i am also with wawanesa which i learned via here. they wanted 1200-1500 to insure
my 2007 prius for 12 whole months. i used my policy to get that $20 reward from unitrin, heh

that might seem high but i asked for $250 c+c with 2 accidents (was charged as 1)

 

USAA indeed best - if you qualify - premum low, good service and dividend if premiums exceed expenses

 

Progressive has a bad reputation. I have dealt with them before, very unresponsive. Use Google, and ask body shops.

 

That is very high. Find out if Pemco Insurance (based out of Seattle) covers Southern California. I bet they do. They are very selective only going with low risk drivers. With a clean record and driving a Prius, you may qualify. Pemco is another top rated company. I had them before I married my wife who had USAA (one of the best deals from getting married).

Check your deductibles. No sense carrying less than $500 deductible for auto claims and $200 for comprehensive (if items are stolen). Also, check your dollar limits and other items which may be redundant with other coverages you have available. For example, no sense carrying towing insurance if you have AAA or have roadside assistance.

 

Look around. If you are buying renters' (which you should--your landlord's insurance does NOT cover your belongings) or homeowners' insurance, you may be best off with a company that does both. The "multiline" discount can be quite a bit. I save 20% on both homeowners' and car insurance with State Farm because both are insured there. None of the other companies can beat my rates once combined with the perks of multiline discount.

Also, if you are already with an insurance company for another vehicle, check with them. Many offer "1st accident forgiveness" if you've been with them for a while. This is nice when you need it. None of us are immune to a moment of distraction or stupidity when driving. Both my car and the other guy's were fixed when I somehow assumed that I had a green arrow and that light a few years ago... I have saved BIG on no increase in my premium despite that accident. That was only done because I had been with SF for quite a while. BTW, that crash DOES count "against" me when shopping for other insurance.

Carry a big deductible if you can afford to cover that in the unlikely case there is a crash. If it's the other guy's fault, the other insurance has to reimburse you for it in most states (don't know about CA).

They make it as hard as possible to compare apples to apples when shopping for insurance. I still want to know how it is that Progressive claims to be able to give you quotes for other companies. Seems like a scam. Go with your gut and recommendations of good service. SF has given me excellent service through a few claims, I call my agent's # 24/7 and if it's after hours, I automatically get through to a national or regional rep.

I actually was the "other guy" recently with Allstate, and got excellent customer service working though them, too, even thought the fault claim was initially questioned by the other driver. Prompt email (my choice) communication and quick payments to State Farm (who paid the shop so I could get the guarantee as a customer of SF) and to me for rental and deductible.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolabelle @ Aug 28 2007, 01:30 PM) [snapback]503392[/snapback]</div>

That is stratospheric, even for a young driver. Is that based on a particular zip code?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolabelle @ Aug 28 2007, 03:30 PM) [snapback]503392[/snapback]</div>

WOW! Is that $340 per MONTH?? Or, perhaps, $340 per quarter or bi-annually?

 

We've got AAA. I can't find a cheaper policy for us here in Orange County. I've never heard of Wawanesa, though ,and would love to try them. I shop our policy every year, hoping for cheaper rates, but so far AAA has always been the cheapest. When we bought our Prius in July we went up about $850 for the whole year, but adding the Pri also meant 3 cars and 3 drivers, so our youngest son is now 100% driver on the oldest of our cars. Their policy about that ticked me off, but I'm not going to switch until the end of the year when our policy renews.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lolabelle @ Aug 28 2007, 05:23 PM) [snapback]503513[/snapback]</div>

Well, insurance rates in Hollywood are higher than in the outlying area. When the second digit in my zip code changed from a 0 to a 1, my rates came down 20%.

I have friends who have two teenage drivers and four cars in the family that do not pay much more for all the cars in the family than what you were quoted just for yourself.

Get quotes with deductibles of $500 and $1,000, at least for the collision coverage. For the comprehensive coverage it may be economical to go as low as $250 or even $100.