Most of us welcome any opportunity to save a bit of money. Auto insurance is one of those necessary but important expenses that can be made more affordable if you take some simple steps. Here are some tips on how to get cheap California insurance.

Protect your car from theft. Reducing the risk of auto theft usually leads to lowering the cost of your auto insurance, especially in California, which has the highest rate of vehicle theft in the US. There were 163,651 motor vehicle thefts in California in 2009, according to California’s Department of Justice. Californian cities Fresno, Modesto and Bakersfield are the three cities with the highest vehicle theft rate in the US, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Installing anti-theft devices is definitely recommended.

Purchase a low-risk car. This means a car that has a low-risk of crashing, a low-risk of being stolen and parts that are not expensive to repair. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has plenty of information about the risk-factors of different types of cars. Cars that have better safety ratings are often cheaper to insure than vehicles consider less safe.

Don’t double-up on insurance. You may only need minimal personal injury protection coverage if you are covered by health or disability insurance. Likewise, if you hire a rental car, you won’t need to purchase rental car insurance if your normal auto policy covers it.

Be a safe driver. Drivers with clean driving records usually qualify for safe driver discounts. In fact, having a good driving record is the most effective way to obtain cheap California insurance.

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