Having to pay for overpriced car insurance can take a big chunk out of your personal savings and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Comparison shopping is free and is an excellent way to tighten up your finances.
Online insurance companies like Allstate and Progressive all promote huge savings with TV and radio ads and it is challenging if not impossible to ignore the promise of big savings and find the best price available.
It’s smart to do rate comparisons periodically due to the fact that insurance rates tend to go up over time. Just because you found the lowest rates six months ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. There is a lot of wrong information about car insurance on the web, but with this article, you’re going to get a bunch of ideas how to quit paying high car insurance rates.
Morgantown Car Insurance Quote Comparison
Most companies allow you to get insurance quotes on their websites. This process doesn’t take a lot of time as you simply enter the coverages you want as detailed in the form. Once entered, their system automatically orders your driving record and credit report and generates pricing information based on these factors. Online price quotes simplifies rate comparisons, but the work required to visit a lot of sites and type in the same information is repetitive and time-consuming. But it’s very important to perform this step in order to get better car insurance pricing.
The quickest way to get multiple rate quotes requires only one form to return rates from more than one company. This type of form saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes online shopping a little more enjoyable. As soon as the form is sent, it gets priced and you can choose your choice of the pricing results.
If the quotes result in lower rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. This process only takes a few minutes and may result in a nice savings.
If you want to use this form to compare rates, simply click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended that you enter coverages and limits identical to your current policy. This helps ensure you will receive a fair comparison based on similar coverages.
Are car insurance companies telling the truth?
Allstate, Geico and Progressive continually stream ads on television and other media. All the companies say the same thing that you’ll save big after switching to their company. How does each company claim to save you money?
Insurance companies can use profiling for the driver that makes them money. An example of a preferred risk could be between 30 and 50, owns a home, and has excellent credit. A customer getting a price quote that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save quite a bit of money when switching.
Consumers who don’t meet these standards must pay a higher premium which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that kind of money. That is how insurance companies can advertise the way they do.
This illustrates why you need to compare many company’s rates. Because you never know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Save big with these discounts
Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but companies offer discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be applied when you complete an application, but a few need to be inquired about before being credited.
- Seat Belt Usage – Requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more off your medical payments premium.
- Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
- Clubs and Organizations – Being a member of certain professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates when buying car insurance.
- Driver Safety – Taking a course teaching defensive driving skills could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
- 55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Insuring multiple cars or trucks with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most only cut specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the amount you have to pay.
To choose providers with the best car insurance discounts in Morgantown, click this link.
Quote online but work with a neighborhood agent
Some consumers just want to visit with an insurance agent. One of the great benefits of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find the lowest rates but still work with a licensed agent. And supporting local businesses is important particularly in Morgantown.
To find an agent, once you fill out this short form, the quote information is immediately sent to insurance agents in Morgantown who will compete for your coverage. There is no need to visit any agencies as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. Now that’s easy! You can find better rates without the usual hassles of price shopping.
Types of insurance agents
When finding a reputable insurance agent or broker, you need to know there are two types of agencies from which to choose. Agents are classified as either captive or independent.
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents are not required to write business for one company but rather can write business with lots of companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, an independent agent can move your coverage and that require little work on your part.
When shopping rates, it’s a good idea to include multiple independent agents for maximum quote selection.
Below is a list of independent agents in Morgantown that are able to give comparison quotes.
Goff Insurance Svc – 2919 University Ave – Morgantown, WV 26505 – (304) 599-9500
Metropolitan Insurance – 150 Clay St # 450 – Morgantown, WV 26501 – (304) 284-9874
White Agency – 1756 Mileground Rd # C – Morgantown, WV 26505 – (304) 291-5110
Captive Insurance Agents
This type of agents write business for a single company such as State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They usually cannot shop your coverage around so they have to upsell other benefits. Captive agents receive extensive training in insurance sales which can be an advantage.
Below are captive insurance agents in Morgantown that can give you comparison quotes.
Allstate Insurance – 1836 Listravia Ave – Morgantown, WV 26505 – (304) 292-0396
State Farm Insurance – 1189 Pineview Dr # G1 – Morgantown, WV 26505 – (304) 598-0707
To view a full list of captive insurance agencies in Morgantown, go to this page.
Picking an auto insurance agent requires more thought than just a low price. Here are some questions to ask:
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Do they make recommendations based only on price?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- Can they provide you with a list of referrals?
- How long has their agency been open in Morgantown?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
- If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
Once you have positive feedback for all questions you ask and locked in a price quote, most likely you have located an insurance agent that meets your needs to provide car insurance coverage.
Different people need different coverages
When it comes to choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply. For example, these questions can help discover if your situation would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
- Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
- Can my teen driver be rated on a liability-only vehicle?
- Do I qualify for additional discounts?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
- Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
- How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in West Virginia?
If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Much more information about car insurance in West Virginia is located on the website for the West Virginia Insurance Commission. Click here for link. West Virginia drivers can download brochures, read industry bulletins, learn about insurance regulations, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
Best coverage at the best price
As you prepare to switch companies, it’s a bad idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced liability coverage limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.
In this article, we presented a lot of information how to get a better price on car insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with a small local company. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.