Tightwads Tips for Saving on Casanova Auto Insurance

I can't think of anyone who likes having to buy auto insurance, especially knowing the cost is way too high.

Drivers have so many to pick from, and even though it's nice to have multiple companies, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with how to effectively get price quotes and some tricks to saving. If you currently have car insurance, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using these techniques. Although Virginia vehicle owners do need to know the way companies price online insurance and apply this information to your search.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available that many people don't even know exist. Certain discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but a few need to be specifically requested before you will receive the discount.

Homeowners Savings - Owning a home in Casanova may trigger a auto insurance policy discount because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Early Signing - Select companies give a discount for signing up prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
New Vehicle Savings - Buying coverage on a new vehicle is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Payment Discounts - If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save up to 5%.
Multi-car Discount - Having more than one vehicle on one policy qualifies for this discount.
Paperless Signup - Some insurance companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down your premiums.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that go into determining auto insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate premiums.

What are your deductibles? - Your deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay if you file a covered claim. Coverage for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and rolling your vehicle. The higher the amount you have to pay, the lower your rates will be.
Traffic citations inflate rates - Only having one moving violation can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who don't get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Drivers with serious tickets like DUI or reckless driving are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to continue driving.
Do you know you're credit rating? - A driver's credit score is a huge factor in determining your rates. Therefore, if your credit is lower than you'd like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit. People with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible than drivers who have poor credit.
Lower miles equals lower premium - The more miles you rack up on your car each year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles that are left in the garage qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Verify your auto insurance policy shows how each vehicle is driven.

Your personal situation dictates your coverage

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a one size fits all plan. Everyone's situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. Here are some questions about coverages that may help highlight whether or not you might need an agent's assistance.

When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
Who is covered when they drive my vehicle?
Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?

If you don't know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

The auto insurance bait and switch

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the companies say the same thing about savings if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

Different companies have a certain "appetite" for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For example, a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. A propective insured who fits that profile is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when switching.

Drivers who don't measure up to these standards must pay higher premiums which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That is how companies can truthfully make those claims.

This illustrates why drivers should compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict which company will have the lowest rates.

Additional information can be found on the website for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance. Click here for link. Virginia drivers can report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, find out industry alerts, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Also read more on this page for Virginia auto insurance and this page for help finding agents in Casanova, VA.

Final considerations

The cheapest auto insurance can be found on the web as well as from independent agents in Casanova, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some companies don't offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

In this article, we covered many ways to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as .

While you're price shopping online, make sure you don't skimp on coverage in order to save money. In too many instances, someone dropped physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.