Tightwads Guide for Saving on Virginia Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy overpriced auto insurance? Believe me when I say many Virginia consumers feel financially strained by their auto insurance policy. Big companies like State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive all promote huge savings with catchy ads and it can be hard to sift through the bull and find the best price available.

It's important to do rate comparisons at least once a year since insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the lowest price last year you may be paying too much now. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you're about to find out the tricks you need to know to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

If you have a current auto insurance policy or are looking for a new policy, you can use these techniques to get lower rates while maximizing coverage. Choosing the best insurance company for you in Virginia is not that difficult. Minnesota consumers only need to know the best way to shop their coverage around over the internet.

Compare the Market for Auto Insurance in Virginia

Most major insurance companies provide pricing directly from their websites. Getting online quotes is pretty easy as you simply enter the coverage amounts you desire into the quote form. Behind the scenes, their system will obtain your credit score and driving record and gives you a price quote. Online quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit several different sites and complete many quote forms can get tiresome after awhile. Unfortunately, it is important to compare as many rates as possible if you want to find a lower rate.

Quote rates the easy way

A less time-consuming method to find better auto insurance pricing requires only one form that analyzes rates from multiple companies. It's a real time-saver, reduces the work, and makes price shopping online much easier to do. Immediately after submitting the form, it gets priced and you can select your choice of the returned quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and buy the new coverage. The whole process just takes a couple of minutes and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

To quickly find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and submit your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it's recommended that you enter the coverage information as close as possible to your current policy. This way, you will get comparison quotes based on similar coverages.

Why some people pay less for insurance in Virginia

It's important that you understand the rating factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get better auto insurance rates.

A clean driving record saves money - Your driving record has a huge affect on how much you pay. Even a single citation can increase rates forty percent or more. Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers who get flagrant violations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may be required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are a ton of extra coverages you can purchase if you aren't careful. Insurance for personal injury protection, better glass coverage and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment when talking to your agent, but if you don't need them eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.
Lower miles equals lower premium - Driving more miles in a year the higher your rates will be. Most companies price each vehicle's coverage based upon how you use the vehicle. Autos that are left in the garage receive lower rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Verify your auto insurance coverage is rated on the proper vehicle usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
Small claims can cost you - Insurance companies in Minnesota give cheaper rates to insureds who file claims infrequently. If you frequently file small claims, you can pretty much guarantee either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Car insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.
Your credit rating is important - Your credit history is a huge factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Therefore, if your credit is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your credit score. Drivers with high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers who have lower credit scores.
Your car's features help determine rates - Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features like GM's OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.
Don't skimp on liability - Liability coverage provides coverage in the event that a jury decides you are liable for damages from an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so drivers should carry high limits.

More discounts equal less premium

Car insurance companies don't always list every available discount in a way that's easy to find, so we researched some of the best known and the harder-to-find ways to save on auto insurance. If you aren't receiving every discount possible, you're just leaving money on the table.

Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles with factory air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
Driver Safety - Taking a course teaching defensive driving skills could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
New Vehicle Savings - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% compared to insuring an older model.
Drivers Ed for Students - Require your teen driver to take driver's ed class if it's offered in school.
Federal Government Employee - Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
Braking Control Discount - Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems can reduce accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Payment Method - If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you can actually save on your bill.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like you could get a free auto insurance policy, you won't be that lucky.

For a list of providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Virginia, click this link.

Even more information is located at the Minnesota Department of Commerce website. Minnesota drivers can file complaints about a company, discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and download brochures.

In the end, you save

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to lower your auto insurance rates. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the better chance you'll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a smaller regional carrier. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as .

The cheapest auto insurance can be purchased on the web and with local Virginia insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies do not offer online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

When trying to cut insurance costs, it's not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped liability coverage limits only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.