Quote Virginia Auto Insurance Prices With These Tricks

Finding lower premiums on Virginia auto insurance is hard for consumers not familiar with comparison shopping online. You have so many companies to choose from that it can quickly become more work than you anticipated to find lower rates in Virginia.

It's important to check auto insurance prices before your policy renews because prices are constantly changing. Just because you found the best deal a few years ago you can probably find a better price now. So just forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because you're going to get a crash course in the proper way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.

What determines how much you pay?

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that help determine the rates you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that may reward you with big savings.

Women pay lower rates - The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean women are better drivers. They both tend to get into accidents at about the same rate, but the males have costlier accidents. They also have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving. Young males are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
Occupation reflects on rates - Did you know your occupation can influence how much you pay for auto insurance? Jobs such as doctors, executives and stock brokers tend to pay the highest rates because of high stress and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, professions such as farmers, students and performers have the lowest average rates.
Consolidate policies to earn discounts - Many auto insurance companies will give a discount to insureds who carry more than one policy, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, you still need to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal. You may still find better rates by splitting coverages up.
The type of vehicle makes a difference - The make and model of the vehicle you own makes a huge difference in the rate you pay. The lowest rates are usually for small economy passenger models, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
Cautious drivers pay less - Your driving citation history has a big impact on rates. Good drivers have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Only having one speeding ticket can increase rates by twenty percent. Drivers who have flagrant citations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may need to file a SR-22 to the state department of motor vehicles in order to keep their license.
Little extras can really add up - There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can buy when buying auto insurance. Things like roadside assistance, towing coverage and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when you first buy your policy, but if you don't need them remove them from your policy.
Choose a safe vehicle and save - Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles result in less severe injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
With age comes lower rates - Youthful drivers in Illinois are known to be more careless in a vehicle so auto insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.

Take advantage of discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't always list all their discounts very well, so here is a list both the well known as well as the least known ways to save on auto insurance. If you don't get every credit available, you are paying more than you should be.

Senior Citizens - If you're over the age of 55, you may be able to get reduced rates.
Accident Free - Claim-free drivers can earn big discounts as compared to accident-prone drivers.
One Accident Forgiven - Some insurance companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don't have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
Theft Prevention System - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen less frequently and will save you 10% or more.
Early Switch Discount - Some insurance companies reward drivers for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. It's a savings of about 10%.

It's important to note that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you're out of luck.

To choose companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Illinois, click this link.

Are auto insurance companies telling the truth?

Consumers in Illinois can't ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to make the same claim that you can save after switching to them.

But how can every company claim to save you money?

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of driver that makes them money. An example of a desirable insured might be a mature driver, is a homeowner, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Drivers who don't qualify for this ideal profile will have to pay a higher premium which leads to the customer not buying. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save money. That's why insurance companies can advertise the way they do. Because of the profiling, you should get quotes from several different companies. It's impossible to know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Learn more today

Additional detailed information is available at the Illinois Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to learn about insurance regulations, read industry bulletins, and read consumer alerts.

Other informative sites include this Car Insurance FAQ and this page of insurance agents in Virginia.

In the end, you save

When shopping online for auto insurance, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There are many occasions where an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford.

Insureds change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as denial of a claim, high rates after DUI convictions, policy cancellation or even high prices. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new insurance company is easier than you think.

Lower-priced auto insurance can be sourced both online and with local Virginia insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection. Some auto insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.