There isn’t a single person who is fond of buying auto insurance, especially when they are aware that they could lower their rates if they shopped around. Lots of insurers contend to insure your vehicles, so it’s not easy to compare every company and uncover the absolute lowest price
If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using these tips. Buying car insurance in Williamstown is not rocket science. But West Virginia consumers do need to know the way companies sell insurance online and apply this information to your search.
Six tips to get lower Williamstown auto insurance premiums
Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning some of the factors that play a part in calculating your policy premiums. When consumers understand what controls the rates you pay, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower premium levels. Multiple criteria are considered when premium rates are determined. Some of the criteria are obvious like an MVR report, but some are more obscure like your continuous coverage or how financially stable you are.
- Getting married can lower premiums – Having a spouse may earn you lower rates compared to being single. Having a significant other generally demonstrates drivers are more mature than a single person and statistics prove married drivers tend to file fewer claims.
- Lower rates for safer vehicles – Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries means less claims paid and lower rates for you.
- Lower rates with a multi-policy discount – Most major insurance companies afford better rates to customers who consolidate policies with them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount you may still want to check prices from other companies to ensure the best deal.
- Bad credit hurts insurance prices – Your credit rating can be a huge factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. If your credit history is not that good, you could pay less to insure your vehicle by repairing your credit. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims than drivers with lower credit scores.
- Guys pay more for auto insurance – The statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. That doesn’t necessarily mean that females are better at driving than males. Women and men are responsible for accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species have accidents that have higher claims. Not only that, but men also receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving.
- Traffic violations drive up premiums – Whether or not you get tickets has a huge affect on how much you pay. Only having one moving violation could increase your next policy renewal by twenty percent. Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Drivers unfortunate enough to have multiple tickets like DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding are required to prove financial responsibility with their state in order to keep their license.
There are a variety of methods to compare auto insurance quotes, and some are less time-consuming than others. You could waste a few hours talking about coverages with insurance agencies in Williamstown, or you can utilize the web to get rates in a matter of minutes.
The majority of car insurance companies participate in a marketplace where insurance shoppers submit one quote, and each company provides a quote determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating quote requests to each individual auto insurance company.
To find out how much you’re overpaying now click here to start a free quote.
The only drawback to using this type of form is buyers cannot specifically choose which providers you will receive quotes from. If you would rather choose individual companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of the cheapest auto insurance companies in West Virginia. Click to view list.
You can use whichever method you prefer to find lower rates, just make absolute certain that you use equivalent coverage data for every company. If you have differing limits it’s impossible to make an equal comparison in Williamstown. Quoting even small variations in coverages could skew the results. Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes gives you a better chance of getting lower pricing.
Lower rates by qualifying for discounts
Car insurance companies don’t always publicize every discount they offer in an easy-to-find place, so the list below details some of the more common in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits available to bring down your rates. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Williamstown Homeowners Pay Less – Just owning your own home can get you a discount because owning a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Life Insurance Discount – Not all insurance companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a discounted auto insurance rate on car insurance if you buy auto and life insurance together.
- Federal Government Employee – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% with some auto insurance companies.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student may save as much as 25% on a . Many companies even apply the discount to college students up to age 25.
- Waiver for an Accident – This isn’t a discount exactly, but companies like State Farm and Allstate will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if your claims history is clear for a specific time period.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Payment Discounts – By making one initial payment as opposed to paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
- Senior Discount – Older drivers may qualify for better auto insurance rates.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking part in a course teaching driver safety skills could earn you a small percentage discount if your company offers it.
Please keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won’t be that lucky.
Some of the larger companies that may offer policyholders some of the discounts shown above possibly include:
Before purchasing a policy, check with every prospective company to give you their best rates. Some discounts may not be offered in Williamstown. To find insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in West Virginia, click here to view.
When to talk to an insurance agent
Some consumers would prefer to sit down with an agent and that is OK! One of the best bonuses of comparing rate quotes online is that you can obtain cheaper car insurance rates but also keep your business local.
After completing this short form, your information is instantly submitted to agents in your area that provide for your auto insurance coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to even leave your home because quoted prices will be sent immediately to your email address. You can most likely find cheaper rates AND an agent nearby. If you want to compare prices from a specific company, you would need to jump over to their website to submit a rate quote request.
Deciding on an insurer shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Here are some questions to ask:
- Is the agency active in community causes in Williamstown?
- How long has the business existed?
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- Will they give you a referral list?
- What insurance companies do they work with in Williamstown?
Not all car insurance agents are the same
When researching a local insurance agency, you need to know there are two different types of agencies and how they are slightly different. Agents in Williamstown may be either independent (non-captive) or captive.
Captive Auto Insurance Agents
Agents that elect to be captive can only provide pricing for a single company like Farmers Insurance, Allstate, or State Farm. They generally cannot provide other company’s prices so keep that in mind. Captive insurance agents are highly trained on what they offer which helps them sell on service rather than price.
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Agents that choose to be independent are not employed by one company and that allows them to write policies with multiple insurance companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If you want to switch companies, the business is moved internally and you can keep the same agent. If you need cheaper auto insurance rates, you should always get some free quotes from a few independent agents to maximize your price options.
The following is a list of independent agencies in Williamstown who can help you get rate quotes.
Vigneron Insurance – Route 14 and Northwood Ter – Williamstown, WV 26187 – (304) 375-2288
Bill Bailey Insurance – 703 Highland Ave – Williamstown, WV 26187 – (304) 375-4900
To choose from more licensed insurance agents in Williamstown, you can visit this full listing of Williamstown auto insurance providers.
More tips and info about auto insurance is available at the West Virginia Insurance Commission website. Visitors are able to read state legal mandates and laws, learn about insurance regulations, read industry bulletins, and find a variety of consumer forms.
Don’t give up on cheaper premiums
A few companies do not provide price quotes online and many times these smaller providers only sell through independent insurance agents. The cheapest auto insurance is available on the web in addition to local insurance agencies, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis.
We just showed you a lot of tips how to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers may even find the best prices are with the least-expected company. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.
When buying insurance coverage, do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There are a lot of situations where an insured cut uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your objective should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.