9 Must-Know Methods When Comparing Welch West Virginia Car Insurance

If you’re shopping for lower-cost insurance online, do you get confused by the number of car insurance sources that you can choose from? You’re not alone. You have so many options that it can really be a real difficult job to find the best rates. Lots of people think Welch is a good city to live in, but inflated car insurance rates can make it nearly impossible to keep a tight budget.

You should make it a habit to do rate comparisons occasionally since prices go up and down regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest quotes at your last renewal a different company probably has better rates today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to find out the best methods to find great coverage at a great price.

Finding the cheapest car insurance in Welch is easy if you know what you’re doing. Basically, every vehicle owner who is required by state law to have car insurance will most likely be able to reduce their rates. Although West Virginia vehicle owners must know the methods companies use to sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

Discount Welch car insurance quotes

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you might already qualify for some discounts to cut the cost considerably. Certain discounts will be applied when you quote, but once in a while a discount must be specifically requested in order for you to get them.

  • Braking Control Discount – Vehicles with ABS braking systems or traction control can reduce accidents so companies give up to a 10% discount.
  • Federal Employees – Active or former government employment could provide a small rate reduction with select insurance companies.
  • Accident Waiver – Not really a discount, but certain companies will let one accident slide without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
  • Senior Discount – Mature drivers could receive a small decrease in premiums.
  • Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Buying insurance for primary and secondary vehicles on one policy can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
  • Distant Student Discount – Youth drivers who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
  • Driver Safety – Completing a defensive driving course is a good idea and can lower rates and also improve your driving technique.

Don’t be shocked that most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Even though the math looks like you could get a free car insurance policy, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will lower your car insurance premiums.

Popular car insurance companies and their possible discounts are shown below.

  • Progressive may offer discounts for multi-policy, good student, online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and continuous coverage.
  • AAA discounts include anti-theft, pay-in-full, good driver, education and occupation, and good student.
  • Farmers Insurance may include discounts for electronic funds transfer, homeowner, alternative fuel, mature driver, switch companies, and youthful driver.
  • Geico has savings for military active duty, multi-policy, seat belt use, federal employee, and driver training.
  • Esurance has discounts for online quote, good driver, Switch & Save, claim free, and anti-lock brakes.
  • SAFECO policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, drive less, bundle discounts, anti-lock brakes, teen safe driver, homeowner, and teen safety rewards.
  • State Farm offers premium reductions for safe vehicle, student away at school, Drive Safe & Save, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple policy, good driver, and driver’s education.

Check with every prospective company which discounts you may be entitled to. Some discounts may not apply to policies in Welch.

Compare rate quotes but buy from a local Welch insurance agent

Certain consumers just prefer to buy from a local agent. The best thing about price shopping on the web is you may find lower auto insurance rates and still have a local agent. And supporting local insurance agents is important especially in Welch.car insurance image

Once you complete this simple form, the coverage information is transmitted to participating agents in Welch who will return price quotes to get your business. There is no need to leave your house since price quotes are sent directly to you. Get lower rates and work with a local agent. If you wish to compare prices from a specific car insurance provider, you can always go to their quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.

Different types of Welch auto insurance agents

When narrowing the list to find an insurance agent, you should know the types of agencies and how they are distinctly different. Agencies in Welch are categorized either captive or independent (non-captive).

Independent Insurance Agents

These agents are normally appointed by many insurers and that gives them the ability to insure with an assortment of companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If they quote lower rates, your policy is moved internally which requires no work on your part.

If you are comparing rate quotes, we highly recommend that you get quotes from at a minimum one independent agency in order to have the best price comparison. Most can insure with companies you’ve never heard of which may provide better rates.

The following are Welch independent agents who may be able to give you price quote information.

  • Sam Baker Agency – 800 Virginia Ave – Welch, WV 24801 – (304) 436-7283
  • R and R Insurance – 62 Howard St – Welch, WV 24801 – (304) 436-6777
  • Southern Insurance Inc – 39 Mcdowell St – Welch, WV 24801 – (304) 436-2438

Captive Agencies

Agents that choose to be captive are contracted to one company and some examples include Allstate and State Farm. Captive agents cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so keep that in mind. They are trained well on what they offer which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Many people use the same agent partially due to the brand legacy rather than having low rates.

Choosing a insurance agency should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. Some important questions to ask are:

  • Do they have 24-hour customer assistance?
  • Can they give you a list of client referrals?
  • Do they make recommendations based only on price?
  • Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
  • Which companies do they recommend if they are an independent agency?
  • How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
  • Does the agent help file claims?
  • How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?

Additional resources for West Virginia consumers

Additional information can be found on the website for the West Virginia Insurance Commission located here. Visitors are able to find disaster information, file complaints about a company, and find a variety of consumer forms.

Other useful links include this page for car insurance in West Virginia and this page of insurance agents in Welch.

Summing up your car insurance search

When shopping online for car insurance, it’s very important that you do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced collision coverage and learned later they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The aim is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.

We just presented some good ideas how to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding . Consumers could even find that the lowest prices are with a lesser-known regional company.

Some insurance providers do not offer online rate quotes and these smaller companies provide coverage only through independent insurance agents. Budget-friendly car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and with local Welch insurance agents, and you should compare rates from both to have the best selection.