Sick and tired of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? You’re in the same situation as the majority of other drivers in West Virginia. Many car insurance companies vie for your hard-earned dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies and get the definite lowest rate possible.
Consumers need to get comparison quotes before your policy renews since insurance prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Just because you had the lowest price six months ago there may be better deals available now. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to how to use the internet to buy cheaper car insurance.
If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. Finding affordable coverage in Spencer is easy if you know what you’re doing. Although West Virginia vehicle owners do need to know the way companies sell insurance online and use this information to your advantage.
To find low cost prices, there are a couple of ways to get quotes from different companies. The best way to do a complete rate comparison is to use the internet to compare rates. This is very easy and can be done using a couple different methods.
One of the fastest ways to get the best comparison quotes is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This method saves time by eliminating separate quote forms for every car insurance company. One form will get you price quotes from many national carriers.
A different way to analyze rates requires visiting the website of each company to complete their respective quote request forms. For example, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from Allstate, 21st Century and Farmers. You would need to go to every website to input your insurance information, which can take a lot of time.
To view a list of companies in Spencer, click here.
Compare rates however you want, just compare the same coverage information on every price quote you get. If you enter unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be next to impossible to determine which company has the best rates in Spencer. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits may result in a large different in cost. Just keep in mind that having more price comparisons will increase your chances of finding a lower rate. Some companies don’t provide quotes online, so it’s important to compare prices on coverage from those companies, too.
Pay discount rates with these discounts
Car insurance companies don’t list every discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of a few of the more common as well as the least known credits available to you.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-27.jpg" alt="Spencer West Virginia insurance quotes“/>
- Student Discounts – Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
- Theft Deterent System – Cars and trucks equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems help deter theft and will qualify for a discount on a .
- Safety Restraint Discount – Forcing all vehicle occupants to buckle up could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
- Low Mileage – Driving less can earn lower prices due to less chance of an accident.
- College Student Discount – Children who attend college more than 100 miles from home without a vehicle on campus can be insured at a reduced rate.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of more than 20%.
- Federal Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government can save as much as 8% depending on your car insurance provider.
Don’t be shocked that most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So even though you would think all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will cut the cost of coverage.
If you would like to choose from a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in West Virginia, click here.
Seven ways to find car insurance for less in Spencer
Many factors are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. Some are obvious such as your driving record, but other criteria are not quite as obvious such as whether you are married or how financially stable you are.
The following are some of the major factors utilized by car insurance companies to help set your rates.
- Raising coverage deductibles lowers costs – The deductibles you choose define how much the insured will be required to pay before your car insurance pays a claim. Insurance for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. Some instances where coverage would apply would be rearending another vehicle, vandalism, and having a roll-over accident. The more you’re willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
- Men are more aggressive – The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean females are better drivers. Men and women tend to get into auto accidents at a similar rate, but the men get into accidents with more damage. Men also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving.
- Use credit responsibly and save – Your credit rating will be a significant factor in determining what you pay for car insurance. If your credit can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your vehicle by improving your credit score. Consumers who have high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than drivers with worse credit.
- File insurance claims and pay more – Companies in West Virginia generally give lower rates to insureds that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can look forward to higher rates. Insurance coverage is designed for the large, substantial claims.
- Cheaper rates after marriage – Your spouse can get you a discount on car insurance. Having a significant other usually means you are less irresponsible it has been statistically shown that married couples file fewer claims.
- Eliminate unneeded extra coverages – There are many add-on coverages you can purchase on your policy. Things like roadside assistance, better glass coverage, and term life insurance are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment when buying your policy, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
- Drive a fast vehicle and pay more – The type of car or truck you are buying insurance for makes a big difference in the rate you pay. The lowest base rates will generally be found on small economy passenger models, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
More tips and info about car insurance can be read at the West Virginia Insurance Commission website. Consumers can report car insurance fraud, learn about specific coverages, and discover disciplinary actions.
The following information may also be useful.
Don’t believe everything you hear
Well-known car insurance companies like State Farm, Geico and Progressive consistently run ads on TV and radio. All the ads say the same thing that you can save if you just switch your car insurance policy to them. But how can every company cost less than your current company? It’s all in the wording.
Car insurance companies can use profiling for the type of insured that will not have excessive claims. For instance, a profitable customer might be described as a female over age 40, has no driving citations, and chooses high deductibles. A customer that meets those criteria will qualify for the lowest premium rates in Spencer as well as save quite a bit of money when switching.
Drivers who may not quite match this stringent profile will probably have to pay higher premium rates which usually ends up with business not being written. If you listen closely, the ads state “drivers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can make those claims. This really drives home the point why it’s extremely important to compare quotes as often as possible. It is impossible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.
Don’t give up on cheaper rates
As you shop your coverage around, never reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed physical damage coverage and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford, but don’t skip important coverages to save money.
In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to shop for car insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the best premium rates are with the least-expected company. They may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like Progressive and Geico.