Recently, there was a car insurance report published by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) listing the top ten cities with the highest car theft rate per capita. Of the top ten metro areas reported, four are located in California. In fact, those four are actually in the top five. The only city in the top five not in California is Las Vegas and, let’s face it, plenty of Californians drive to Vegas often. Why not? It’s a great weekend getaway. In case you’re curious, by the way, the number one city for auto theft is Modesto, California.

This report is not going to make it any easier to get a reasonable car insurance quote. California is already a tough state for that, especially if you need high risk auto insurance. Come to think of it, if you are someone who qualifies for California high risk car insurance and you live in Modesto or the other three areas, maybe you should consider a move. (Just kidding!) I will say this, however. In times like these, it is even more important to shop wisely for your car insurance. There are a few different ways to procure California auto insurance; through an agent, direct from the carrier, or through a broker. My advice is go with a broker for a couple of reasons. First, an insurance broker is not tied to one insurance carrier, unlike the agent and direct carrier. As a result, he/she can offer a greater variety of choices as far as insurance programs. Second, the insurance broker is employed by you, not by the carrier like the agent is. Therefore, when it comes down to it, you, the employer, are first priority. An agent is employed by the carrier and obviously if you are buying direct, the carrier is going to look out for itself rather than you. Something to note – the more carriers a broker carries, the better. One reason is pretty blatant – the more the carriers, the more choices for you. But also, if a broker has agreements to carry quite a few different insurance carriers, it means they have a solid reputation in the insurance community, which is important as well.

When looking for an affordable auto insurance quote, California can seem like an impossible state. Don’t lose hope. Affordable insurance is possible!