Are you tired of paying out the nose to pay your car insurance bill each month? You’re in the same situation as the majority of other car owners in Virginia. Online insurance companies like Allstate, Liberty Mutual and State Farm all claim big savings, bombarding you with ads and consumers find it hard to see past the geckos and flying pigs and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
It is always a good idea to check car insurance prices periodically because insurance rates fluctuate regularly. If you had the best rates on your last policy there may be better deals available now. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the fastest way to find better coverage at a better price.
Blacksburg Car Insurance Quote Comparison
Getting better car insurance pricing is not a difficult process. All you need to do is spend a little time getting comparison quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be accomplished in several different ways.
- The most efficient way to find low rates would be an industry-wide quote request form click here to open form in new window. This type of form saves time by eliminating separate quotation requests to each individual car insurance company. Completing one form gets rate comparisons direct from many companies.
- A harder way to get comparison quotes is to manually visit the website of each company and fill out their own quote form. For sake of this example, let’s assume you want to compare Allstate, 21st Century and American Family. To find out each rate you need to go to every website to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.
For a handy list of car insurance company links in Blacksburg, click here.
- The least recommended way to get comparison rates is to spend time driving to insurance agents’ offices. Shopping for car insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you have a need for the personal advice of a licensed agent. You can, however, get the lowest quotes online but still have the advice of a local agent and you’ll learn how to do that later.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just double check that you are using exactly the same coverage limits and deductibles with every price quote. If you compare different liability limits you will not be able to determine the best price in Blacksburg.
Save money by taking advantage of these six discounts
Car insurance companies don’t always list all available discounts very clearly, so we break down some of the more common and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using. If you’re not getting every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.
- Accident Waiver – A few companies permit an accident before your rates go up so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
- Paperless Signup – Certain companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up on their website.
- Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give lower rates if you buy life insurance.
- Early Switch Discount – Select companies give a discount for switching to them before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Government Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
- Defensive Driver – Successfully completing a course in driver safety could save 5% or more depending on where you live.
Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.
To choose insurers with discount car insurance rates in Blacksburg, follow this link.
Compare online but buy from a local Blacksburg agent
Some people would rather buy from a licensed agent. Good agents can answer important questions and give you someone to call. One of the best bonuses of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to.
To find an agent, once you fill out this short form, your insurance coverage information is emailed to participating agents in Blacksburg who will battle for your coverage. There is no reason to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. Now that’s easy!
Selecting a company shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Which company do they place the most coverage with?
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- Are they full-time agents?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
Multiple types of insurance agencies in Blacksburg
When searching for a reputable insurance agent or broker, there are a couple of different agency structures that you can select. Agencies in Blacksburg are categorized either captive or independent. Either one can write coverage properly, but it’s worth mentioning the differences because it can influence your selection of an agent.
Captive Agents
This type of agents are contracted to one company like Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. They generally cannot give you multiple price quotes so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. Captive agencies are well schooled on the products they sell and that can be a competitive advantage.
Listed below are Blacksburg captive insurance agencies that are able to give rate quotes.
Allstate Insurance – 2001 S Main St # 104 – Blacksburg, VA 24060 – (540) 953-2722
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
These agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the business is moved internally and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When shopping rates, we recommend you include at least one independent agent for the best price selection.
Shown below is a short list of independent agencies in Blacksburg who can help you get rate quotes.
L L Brown Agency Inc – 100 Hubbard St # A – Blacksburg, VA 24060 – (540) 552-5331
Aaron Insurance Inc – 807 N Main St – Blacksburg, VA 24060 – (540) 951-1322
Nationwide Insurance – 104 Southpark Dr # B – Blacksburg, VA 24060 – (540) 953-0066
For a complete listing of licensed insurance agents in Blacksburg, please go to this site.
Once you have positive feedback to any questions you have in addition to an acceptable price estimate, it’s possible that you found an insurance agency that will service your policy.
Car insurance is unique, just like you
When choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no “best” method to buy coverage. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. For example, these questions might help in determining if you might need professional guidance.
- Am I covered by my spouse’s policy after a separation?
- Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in Blacksburg?
- Should I buy more coverage than the required Virginia minimum liability coverage?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Virginia?
- Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
- Does my vehicle need full coverage?
- Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
- How high should my medical payments coverage be?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or you can also visit this page to select a carrier It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.
Car insurance coverage information
Understanding the coverages of car insurance aids in choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Listed below are the normal coverages found on the average car insurance policy.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
This protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your vehicle.
Due to the fact that many Virginia drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (25/50/20 in Virginia), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Medical expense insurance
Med pay and PIP coverage kick in for immediate expenses such as rehabilitation expenses, doctor visits, X-ray expenses and hospital visits. They are often utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants as well as if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Collision coverage
Collision coverage covers damage to your vehicle caused by collision with an object or car. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision can pay for claims such as rolling your car, sideswiping another vehicle and damaging your car on a curb. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible to bring the cost down.
Liability insurance
Liability insurance can cover damage or injury you incur to a person or their property in an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people, and doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see limits of 25/50/25 that means you have $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $50,000, and property damage coverage for $25,000.
Liability insurance covers claims like emergency aid, bail bonds, medical expenses and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Virginia requires minimum liability limits of 25,000/50,000/20,000 but you should consider buying more liability than the minimum.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
This covers damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things like damage from flooding, damage from getting keyed, falling objects and a broken windshield. The highest amount a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Quote more, save more
We just presented a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the lowest rates come from an unexpected company. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates compared to the large companies like Allstate, Geico and Progressive.
Budget-conscious car insurance is possible online as well as from independent agents in Blacksburg, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who don’t offer online quoting and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.
To learn even more about car insurance
Additional detailed information is available at the Virginia Bureau of Insurance website. Visitors are able to view agent and company licensing information, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find disaster information, and download brochures.