Smart shoppers know that auto insurance companies don’t want you comparing rates. Drivers who do rate comparisons will, in all likelihood, switch companies because there is a great chance of finding a lower-cost company. Remarkably, a study showed that consumers who regularly shopped around saved approximately $860 a year compared to policyholders who never shopped around for better prices.
If finding the lowest price for insurance is the reason you’re here, then learning a little about the best ways to find and compare car insurance can help make the process easier.
Truthfully, the best way to find low-cost prices for Subaru BRZ insurance in Honolulu is to compare prices annually from different companies who provide auto insurance in Hawaii.
Step 1: Read about what coverages are included in your policy and the modifications you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many things that increase rates like distracted driving and a negative credit score can be amended by making minor changes to your lifestyle.
Step 2: Request rate estimates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can give quotes from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote rates from multiple sources.
Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to your current policy to determine if you can save on BRZ insurance. If you find a lower rate and buy the policy, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
One bit of advice is to compare identical coverage information on every price quote and and to get rate quotes from all possible companies. This helps ensure an accurate price comparison and a complete rate analysis.
If you have a current auto insurance policy, you should be able to reduce the price you pay using the ideas covered in this article. The purpose of this article is to help you learn how insurance works and some tricks to saving. Although Hawaii vehicle owners must comprehend how the larger insurance companies charge you for coverage and use it to your advantage.
Most companies such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO provide price estimates online. Obtaining pricing for Subaru BRZ insurance in Honolulu can be done by anyone as you just type in your coverage preferences into a form. When complete, their rating system collects your driving record and credit report and quotes a price based on many factors.
Getting online price quotes for Subaru BRZ insurance in Honolulu makes comparing rates easy, and it’s also necessary to have as many quotes as possible in order to find the cheapest insurance rates.
To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now, consider comparing rates from the companies shown below. If you currently have coverage, we recommend that you enter the insurance coverages exactly as they are listed on your policy. This ensures you are getting rate quotes for the exact same coverage.
The following companies have been selected to offer quotes in Hawaii. If multiple providers are shown, we suggest you compare several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Here’s why car insurance is not optional
Despite the potentially high cost of Subaru BRZ insurance, buying car insurance is most likely required but also gives you several important benefits.
- The majority of states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires specific minimum amounts of liability in order to license the vehicle. In Hawaii these limits are 20/40/10 which means you must have $20,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $40,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
- If you have a lien on your Subaru, almost every bank will have a requirement that you have comprehensive coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the bank may insure your Subaru for a much higher rate and force you to pay for the much more expensive policy.
- Car insurance protects not only your car but also your assets. It will also provide coverage for many types of medical costs for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance also covers legal expenses if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, your car insurance policy will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of buying enough insurance are definitely more than the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. As of last year, the average driver in Hawaii overpays as much as $865 each year so you should quote your policy with other companies at every policy renewal to save money.
Eight factors that affect insurance rates
Lots of things are taken into consideration when quoting car insurance. Some factors are common sense like your driving record, but others are not quite as obvious like where you live or your vehicle rating.
The items below are some of the most rate-impacting factors companies use to determine prices.
- Raising deductibles lowers rates – Physical damage protection, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your vehicle. Some instances where coverage would apply would be a broken windshield, hail damage, and having your car stolen. Comp and collision deductibles define how much you are required to spend if the claim is covered. The more damage repair cost you’re willing to pay, the better rate you will receive.
- Male prices may be higher – Over the last 30 years, statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. The data does not necessarily mean that females are better at driving than males. Men and women are responsible for fender benders in similar percentages, but guys tend to have higher claims. Not only that, but men also have more aggressive citations such as driving while intoxicated (DWI) or driving recklessly.
- You might get higher prices if you are single – Getting married may cut your premiums on your policy. Having a significant other demonstrates that you tend to be more stable financially and it’s proven that drivers who are married file infrequent claims.
- Frequent policy claims increase prices – Auto insurance companies in Hawaii award discounts to insureds that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to much higher rates or policy non-renewal. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
- Multi-policy discounts can save money – Most companies give discounts to insureds that buy multiple policies such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can be ten percent or more. Even if you’re getting this discount it’s still a good idea to compare Subaru BRZ rates in Honolulu to guarantee you are still saving the most. You may still save even more than the discount by insuring with multiple companies.
- Fewer miles means better rates – The more you drive your Subaru in a year’s time the higher the price you pay to insure it. A lot of insurance companies calculate rates based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles not used for work or commuting receive lower rates than those that get driven frequently. An incorrectly rated BRZ can result in significantly higher rates. Ask your agent if your policy is rated on the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
- High credit rating translates to low premiums – Having a good credit rating can be an important factor in calculating your premium rate. Therefore, if your credit rating is low, you may save money insuring your Subaru BRZ by repairing your credit. Insureds that have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with poor credit.
- Vehicles with better crash test results are cheaper to insure – Vehicles that have high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and better occupant protection means less money paid by your insurance company which can result in lower premiums.
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Insurance loss data for a Subaru BRZ – Companies use claims history as a way to help calculate a profitable premium price. Models that tend to have a higher amount or frequency of claims will be charged more to insure.
The next table shows the historical insurance loss data for Subaru BRZ vehicles. For each policy coverage, the statistical loss for all vehicles, regardless of make, model or trim level, equals 100. Values that are under 100 imply a favorable loss record, while percentages above 100 point to more claims or statistically larger losses.
Insurance Loss Ratings for Subaru BRZ Vehicles Make and Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Subaru BRZ 156 78 150 87 88 76 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEData Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Insurance policy discounts you can’t miss
Insurance is expensive, but there are discounts available that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you quote, but less common discounts must be asked for before being credited. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you may be paying too high a price.
- Life Insurance Discount – Some insurance companies give a small discount if you purchase a life insurance policy as well.
- Early Payment Discounts – If you can afford to pay the entire bill instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
- Student in College – Kids living away from Honolulu attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle could get you a discount.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Options like air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of 25 to 30%.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down on your Subaru may allow you to get lower premium rates due to less chance of an accident.
- Responsible Drivers – Drivers without accidents can save as much as half off their rates than drivers with accidents.
- 55 and Retired – Mature drivers are able to get a small decrease in premiums.
- Good Grades Discount – A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
- Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to use a seat belt can save a little off the medical payments premium.
- Sign Online – A few larger online companies give back up to $50 simply for signing on the internet.
One last thing about discounts, many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount should definitely cut your policy premiums.
Larger insurance companies and a selection of discounts are included below.
- GEICO has savings for military active duty, anti-theft, seat belt use, multi-vehicle, and emergency military deployment.
- Travelers policyholders can earn discounts including continuous insurance, IntelliDrive, student away at school, payment discounts, good student, home ownership, and new car.
- Nationwide offers premium reductions for anti-theft, multi-policy, accident-free, defensive driving, easy pay, family plan, and good student.
- Farmers Insurance offers discounts for switch companies, good student, mature driver, distant student, and bundle discounts.
- Esurance may have discounts that include paid-in-full, online quote, online shopper, DriveSense, and defensive driver.
- State Farm offers discounts including Drive Safe & Save, accident-free, multiple policy, multiple autos, anti-theft, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- Progressive discounts include online quote discount, homeowner, multi-policy, good student, and online signing.
- Mercury Insurance includes discounts for multi-policy, type of vehicle, accident-free, anti-theft, low natural disaster claims, and ease of repair.
Before purchasing a policy, check with all the companies which discounts you qualify for. Some discounts listed above might not be offered on policies in your state.
Auto insurance quotes from local neighborhood Honolulu car insurance agents
Many people just prefer to go talk to an agent and often times that is recommended A good thing about comparing rates online is you can get cheaper prices but also keep your business local. Supporting local insurance agencies is still important in Honolulu.
For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, your insurance coverage information is immediately sent to insurance agents in Honolulu that can give you free Honolulu car insurance quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You never need to search for any insurance agencies since price quotes are sent to the email address you provide. You can find better rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from a specific insurance company, you would need to search and find their rate quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.
When searching for a reliable insurance agency, it’s important to understand the different types of agents and how they function. Honolulu agents are classified as either exclusive or independent.
Independent Agents
Agents that elect to be independent can sell policies from many different companies so they can quote policies through many different auto insurance companies and get the cheapest rates. If your agent finds better pricing, they simply move the coverage in-house and the insured can keep the same agent. When searching for an agent, it’s a good idea to include rate quotes from several independent agencies for the best price selection. Most also have access to small mutual carriers that may provide cheaper auto insurance rates.
Shown below is a short list of independent agencies in Honolulu that can possibly get you comparison quotes.
- First Insurance Co of Hawaii Limited
1100 Ward Ave # Main, Honolulu, HI 96814, Honolulu, 96818 – Honolulu, HI 96818 – (808) 527-7777 – View Map - Anita Butay Diniega
1088 Bishop St #2210 – Honolulu, HI 96813 – (808) 841-5915 – View Map - John H Connors Insurance
500 Ala Moana Blvd # 2303 – Honolulu, HI 96813 – (808) 534-7300 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Exclusive agencies write business for a single company such as Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. They usually cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They are highly trained in insurance sales which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Consumers sometimes choose to use an exclusive agent mainly due to the prominence of the brand rather than having the cheapest rates.
The following is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in Honolulu that are able to give comparison quotes.
- Allstate Insurance: Dan Y.W. Au Hoy
931 University Ave Ste 108 – Honolulu, HI 96826 – (808) 944-1854 – View Map - Allstate Insurance: Bradley Maruyama
800 S Beretania St Ste 260 – Honolulu, HI 96813 – (808) 591-8016 – View Map - Herb Fujikawa – State Farm Insurance Agent
3538 Waialae Ave #205 – Honolulu, HI 96816 – (808) 732-1076 – View Map
Selecting an auto insurance agent is decision based upon more than just the quoted price. Any agent in Honolulu should have no problem answering these questions:
- How long has the business existed?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- How are claims handled?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- What are the financial ratings for the companies they represent?
- Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
Hawaii car insurance company ratings
Picking the top car insurance provider can be a challenge considering how many companies are available to choose from in Honolulu. The ranking data displayed below may help you select which insurers to look at to insure your vehicles.
Top 10 Honolulu Car Insurance Companies Overall
- USAA
- American Family
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- AAA Insurance
- GEICO
- Progressive
- Allstate
- Nationwide
- Liberty Mutual
Top 10 Honolulu Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Value
- USAA
- American Family
- The Hartford
- State Farm
- AAA Insurance
- Nationwide
- Safeco
- Esurance
- Allstate
- Liberty Mutual
Don’t give up on affordable rates
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s a bad idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are too many instances where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
We just presented a lot of ways to find cheap Subaru BRZ insurance in Honolulu. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the best auto insurance rates are with some of the smallest insurance companies.
Insureds change insurance companies for many reasons like policy non-renewal, policy cancellation, being labeled a high risk driver or even high rates after DUI convictions. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new company can be easier than you think.
More resources
- Air Bags: Potential Dangers to Your Children (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has the Cheapest Honolulu Auto Insurance for 17 Year Olds? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance for Hybrid Vehicles in Honolulu? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Honolulu Car Insurance Quotes for a 20 Year Old Male? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance After a Speeding Ticket in Honolulu? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Honolulu Auto Insurance for Used Cars? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes for 16 Year Olds in Honolulu? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for Government Employees in Honolulu? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance for Good Students in Honolulu? (FAQ)
- Crash Avoidance Technologies FAQ (iihs.org)
- New head restraint design cuts injuries (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Distracted Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)