It is obligatory by law to have insurance for every car you own. In fact, without insurance, you will not even be able to license your car. If you do not have insurance and are caught by the authorities, you are liable to lose not only your license, but your car as well and be fined for all the trouble. Therefore, possessing California auto insurance is very important in San Francisco.

The minimum liability insurance coverage as stipulated by the law says the amount has to be $5K for property damage, $30K for total personal injury and $15K for a single personal injury. This is, however, to cover the damage caused to the injured party, by your car and you.

For covering the damage to your own car and self in the case of an accident, comprehensive, collision, uninsured motorists insurance and similar other coverage could be added on. However, this is not a requirement by the law.

If you really want to find cheap auto insurance, then nothing beats the method of looking around. If you get rate quotes from different insurance companies, you will find that they differ from each other. The variation could be as significantly high as several hundred dollars. Therefore, it is truly necessary to shop around and find an California car insurance provider who is able to provide an insurance that will meet the requirements as well as the budget.

Your driving record has a very big influence on the insurance rates. A bad driving record can raise the cost of the auto insurance and nullify the effects of a cheap quotation.

If you possess multiple cars or vehicles, then, insuring all of them with the same provider, will get you multiple car discounts, and bring down the insurance premiums.

If your teenagers are going to drive your car, a good student discount is possible, provided, they have secured a 3.0 grade point on an average.

Another way to bring down the premium for car insurance is if you have undergone a defensive driving training course. For insurance companies, your enrollment in such a course, defines your effort to improve your driving record, and qualifies you as a low-risk driver.

Safety equipment used on your car also has the capacity to drive down the insurance premiums. Passive disabling systems, car alarms and several other items can help significantly.

However, cheap may not always be the best. When looking for cheap auto insurance, it is preferable not to lose sight of the type of coverage that you really need. Read up on the terminology used by the insurance companies and get to know what you will need in entirety before you start searching.

Several insurers provide discounts for various reasons. Some may provide a discount only because you are buying their insurance over the net.

Covering all such possibilities for obtaining reductions and discounts on premiums can significantly reduce the total expense per year for your car insurance. Additionally, some insurers provide for monthly payment of premiums, whereby, you can spread out your payments instead of having to pay in a lump sum.