Are you tired of being strong-armed to insure your vehicles every month? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers.
Many insurers vie for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates and get the definite lowest cost out there.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Finding affordable coverage in Martinsville is easy if you know what you’re doing. Nevertheless, Virginia vehicle owners must learn the methods companies use to market insurance on the web because it can help you find the best coverage.
Low Cost Martinsville Auto Insurance
All the larger auto insurance companies allow you to get prices online. This process is pretty easy as you simply type in the coverage amounts you desire into the quote form. Behind the scenes, their system will obtain credit information and your driving record and returns a price quote. Online quotes makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time required to go to several different sites and type in the same information can get tiresome after awhile. But it is imperative to get many rate quotes if you want to find a lower rate.
Compare rates the easy way
The quickest way to find lower prices utilizes a single form to obtain quotes from many companies. This type of form saves time, requires much less work on your part, and makes comparison shopping a little more enjoyable. After sending your information, your coverage is rated with multiple companies and you can pick your choice of the pricing results.
If you find a better price you can click and sign and purchase coverage. The entire process just takes a couple of minutes and may save quite a bit of money.
If you want to find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend that you enter the coverages exactly as shown on your declarations page. This ensures you will get a fair comparison for similar insurance coverage.
Discounts are available to cut your rates
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but there could be available discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some trigger automatically when you complete an application, but some may not be applied and must be asked for before they will apply.
- Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for reduced rates.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver take driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Student in College – Any of your kids who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car may qualify for this discount.
- Accident Waiver – Certain companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
- Theft Prevention System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Defensive Driver – Completing a defensive driving course could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
- Memberships – Affiliation with a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
- Sign Early and Save – Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.
Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. Any amount of discount will cut your premiums.
To see a list of providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Martinsville, click here to view.
Everyone needs different coverages
When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Every insured’s situation is different so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine whether or not you could use an agent’s help.
- Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
- Is Virginia a no-fault state?
- Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Martinsville?
- Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
- Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
- What are the best liability limits?
- Should I buy additional glass protection?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
What determines how much you pay?
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.
- Do men or women drive better? – Statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. They both tend to get into accidents in similar percentages, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
- Safer cars cost less to insure – Safer cars get lower rates. These vehicles result in less severe injuries and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts and more competitive rates for policyholders.
- Liability coverage is cheap – Liability coverage is the protection if ever a court rules you are at fault for damages from an accident. It provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not cut corners here.
- Multiple policies with one company can save – Most insurance companies will award you with lower prices to people who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. This can amount to 10 percent or more. Even if you’re getting this discount you may still want to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find a better deal by insuring with multiple companies.
Switch companies and save? Really?
Companies like State Farm, Allstate and Geico consistently run television and radio advertisements. All the ads have a common claim about savings if you change to their company. How can each company claim to save you money?
Insurance companies can use profiling for the type of customer they prefer to insure. For instance, a preferred risk might be a mature driver, owns a home, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured who fits that profile receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.
Potential insureds who fall outside this ideal profile will be quoted a more expensive rate and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s why insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.
This emphasizes why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Smart shoppers get results
As you restructure your insurance plan, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice uninsured motorist or liability limits and discovered at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at an affordable rate.
In this article, we covered many tips how you can shop for auto insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small local company. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like State Farm or Progressive.
Find out more about auto insurance
Much more information about auto insurance in Virginia is available on the website for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance found here. Consumers can get help finding coverage, view a list of available companies, and find disaster information.
Other useful links include III.org’s auto insurance page and CarInsuranceDIY.com.