Comparing Cheap Hardy Car Insurance

Have you had enough of robbing Peter to pay Paul each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Virginia drivers.

Drivers have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to have multiple companies, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

It's important to compare prices once or twice a year because rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best price last year a different company probably has better rates today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate the proper way to eliminate unnecessary coverages and save money.

More discounts equal less premium

Car insurance is not cheap, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even be aware of. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be asked for prior to getting the savings.

Anti-theft System - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Lower Rates for Military - Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
Good Students Pay Less - Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
One Accident Forgiven - Certain companies allow you one accident before your rates go up if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
Multi-car Discount - Having more than one vehicle on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
Clubs and Organizations - Belonging to a qualifying organization could trigger savings on your policy.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Most cut specific coverage prices like comprehensive or collision. So when the math indicates you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down your premiums.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get better car insurance rates.

Multiple policies with one company can save - Most car insurance companies give discounts to policyholders who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount it's still a good idea to compare other company rates to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.
High crash test scores lower rates - Safer cars tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
How's your driving record? - Your driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Drivers who don't get tickets get better rates than bad drivers. Only having one moving violation can bump up the cost by twenty percent. Drivers who get serious violations like DUI or reckless driving may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
Are you male or female? - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women cause accidents in similar percentages, but men cause more damage. Men also have more aggressive citations such as reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
Liability coverage protects you - Liability insurance will protect you in the event that you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
You might want pay the small claims yourself - If you tend to file frequent claims, you can definitely plan on either higher rates or even cancellation. Insurance companies in Virginia give lower rates to insureds who do not file claims often. Car insurance is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Where do you drive? - The more miles you rack up on your car every year the higher your rates will be. Almost all companies rate vehicles based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos that are left in the garage qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Verify your car insurance policy shows how each vehicle is driven.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Companies like Allstate and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the ads make the same claim about savings if you switch your coverage to them. How does each company make the same claim? It's all in the numbers.

Different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For example, a preferred risk could be a mature driver, has no tickets, and drives newer vehicles. A customer who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who do not match these standards will be charged a more expensive rate which leads to business going elsewhere. The ads say "customers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That's why companies can truthfully claim big savings.

That is why drivers should quote coverage with many companies. Because you never know the company that will give you the biggest savings.

Additional information can be found on the website for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance found here. Consumers can read consumer alerts, find disaster information, file complaints about a company, and learn about insurance regulations.

Final considerations

When trying to cut insurance costs, never skimp on coverage in order to save money. Too many times, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that it was a big mistake. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

We just showed you some good ideas how to reduce car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the best price on car insurance is with some of the smallest insurance companies. Regional companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as .