Amherst Auto Insurance For Less Than You're Paying Now

Finding better rates for Amherst auto insurance is nearly impossible for people who are new to buying insurance online. Drivers have so many options available that it can turn into a ton of work to find the best price in Amherst.

It's important to compare prices before your policy renews because insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best rates last year you may be paying too much now. There is a lot of bad information regarding auto insurance on the web, but we're going to give you some great ways to slash your auto insurance rates.

How to Compare Amherst Auto Insurance Rates

Most major insurance companies such as State Farm and Allstate allow you to get price estimates on their websites. Getting online rates is quite simple as you simply enter into the quote form. Behind the scenes, the company's rating system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and returns a price quote.

Quoting online streamlines rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit each company's website and repetitively complete many quote forms can be a bit repetitive. Unfortunately, it is important to compare as many rates as possible in order to find a lower rate.

There is a better way!

A less time-consuming method to lower your auto insurance bill uses one simple form that analyzes rates from several companies at one time. It's a real time-saver, requires much less work on your part, and makes online quotes much more enjoyable. Immediately after submitting the form, it is rated with multiple companies and you can pick any of the returned quotes. If the quotes result in lower rates, you can click and sign and purchase the new policy. The entire process can be completed in less than 10 minutes and may save quite a bit of money.

To save time and find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and complete the simple form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you input coverages and limits as shown on your current policy. This way, you will have comparison quotes based on similar coverages.

Virginia auto insurance

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

It's important that you understand some of the elements that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

  • Do you know you're credit rating? - Your credit score is a large factor in your rate calculation. People with high credit scores tend to be more responsible than drivers with lower credit ratings. Therefore, if your credit history is low, you could be paying less to insure your by repairing your credit.
  • Do you work long hours in a high stress job? - Occupations like real estate brokers, architects and accountants have higher rates than average attributed to high stress and long work days. On the flip side, jobs such as farmers, athletes and retirees get better rates.
  • Do you have enough liability coverage? - Your policy's liability coverage will protect you in the event that a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.
  • Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance - Vehicles with high crash test scores are cheaper to insure. Safer cars protect occupants better and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
  • Marriage pays dividends - Getting married helps lower the price when buying auto insurance. Marriage translates into being more mature and it's statistically proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Where you live - Being located in small towns and rural areas has it's advantages when insuring your vehicles. Fewer drivers means a lower chance of having an accident and a lower car theft rate. Drivers who live in large Virginia cities regularly have congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Higher commute times translates into higher accident risk.
  • Traffic violations increase rates - Your driving record impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Even a single ticket can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who don't get tickets receive lower rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who get dangerous violations such as DUI or reckless driving may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • Policy add-ons can waste money - There are quite a few extra bells and whistles you can purchase on your auto insurance policy. Coverages like personal injury protection, better glass coverage and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. These coverages may sound good at first, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.

More discounts equal less premium

Car insurance companies don't list every available discount in an easy-to-find place, so the following is a list of both well-publicized and the more hidden auto insurance savings.

  • Air Bag Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags can get savings up to 30%.
  • Claim Free - Claim-free drivers pay less compared to frequent claim filers.
  • Club Memberships - Participating in certain professional organizations could qualify you for a break on your policy.
  • Low Mileage - Low mileage vehicles could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
  • One Accident Forgiven - A few companies permit an accident without raising rates if you are claim-free for a set time period.

Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn't work that way.

For a list of providers with discount auto insurance rates in Amherst, follow this link.

Additional detailed information can be read at the Virginia Bureau of Insurance website. Virginia consumers can find out industry alerts, read industry bulletins, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

Final considerations

In this article, we presented many ways to lower your auto insurance rates. It's most important to understand that the more you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the best price on auto insurance is with a company that doesn't do a lot of advertising.

Consumers leave their current company for many reasons like poor customer service, high rates after DUI convictions, questionable increases in premium and delays in responding to claim requests. It doesn't matter why you want to switch finding the right auto insurance provider is not as hard as you think.

Affordable auto insurance can be sourced online as well as from independent agents in Amherst, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. A few companies don't offer online quoting and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.