How to Know You're Wasting Money for Auto Insurance in Craigsville

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced auto insurance? Trust us, many Craigsville consumers feel financially strained by their auto insurance policy.

Numerous battle for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a to find the lowest price

It's important to compare prices at least once a year since insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the best rates last year you may be paying too much now. There is a lot of bad information regarding auto insurance on the internet, so I'm going to show you some great ways to slash your auto insurance rates.

How to Compare Craigsville Auto Insurance Costs

There are multiple methods to compare auto insurance prices but one way is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You could spend your day talking about coverages with insurance companies in Craigsville, or you can stay home and use the web to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

All the larger companies belong to a marketplace that enables customers to submit one quote, and each participating company then returns a price quote for coverage. This prevents consumers from doing quote requests to each individual auto insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here (opens in new window).

The one disadvantage to comparing rates this way is you cannot specify which companies you want to price. So if you want to select specific providers to compare rates, we have assembled a list of the cheapest auto insurance companies in West Virginia. Click to view list.

However you get your quotes, compare the exact same information on every quote you get. If you use higher or lower deductibles it will be very difficult to determine which rate is truly the best in Craigsville. Slightly different limits can result in a big premium difference. Just keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies will enable you to find the best price.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

It's important that you understand the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.

The following are some of the items used by your company to calculate rates.

Lower miles equals lower premium - Driving more miles in a year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Almost all companies price each vehicle's coverage based on their usage. Cars left parked in the garage get more affordable rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Make sure your auto insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage.
Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are a ton of extra coverages that you can buy if you aren't careful. Coverages like personal injury protection, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage are some examples. These coverages may sound good when talking to your agent, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
Do you have enough liability coverage? - Liability coverage provides coverage if ever a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
Safer cars cost less to insure - Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and lower rates for you.
A clean driving record saves money - Your driving citation history impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Just one ticket can bump up the cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who have flagrant citations such as DUI or reckless driving may need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
Do men or women drive better? - Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men cause accidents at a similar rate, but the males have costlier accidents. They also get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
Do you have a high stress job? - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Jobs such as real estate brokers, social workers and accountants have higher rates than average in part from high stress and lengthy work days. On the flip side, jobs such as actors, athletes and performers get better rates.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don't always advertise all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of some of the best known and the harder-to-find discounts you could be receiving.

Life Insurance Discount - Some companies give lower rates if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
Driver Safety - Completing a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
Club Memberships - Affiliation with certain professional organizations may earn a discount on auto insurance.
Lower Rates for Military - Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
Early Switch Discount - Select companies give a discount for signing up before your current policy expires. It's a savings of about 10%.

Keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn't work that way.

For a list of companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Craigsville, click here.

Additional detailed information can be read at the West Virginia Insurance Commission website. West Virginia drivers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, discover disciplinary actions, find out which companies have the most complaints, and find disaster information.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

As you prepare to switch companies, never reduce needed coverages to save money. In many instances, an insured dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price.

Affordable auto insurance can be purchased on the web as well as from independent agents in Craigsville, so you should compare both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who don't offer online quoting and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.