Cheap Auto Insurance for Safe Drivers in West Virginia

Determining which insurers offer the best car insurance rates for safe drivers will require a bit more effort than just comparing rates from one or two companies. Every insurance provider has a different formula for setting rates, so let’s rank the car insurance companies with the most affordable rates in West Virginia.

Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Safe Drivers

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Erie has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in West Virginia at around $913 a year. The Hartford, State Auto, Westfield, and USAA would also make the list of some of the most economical West Virginia auto insurance companies.

In the above example, if you have coverage with Westfield and switched to The Hartford, you might see savings of about $246. Policyholders with USAA could save as much as $258 a year, and Progressive insureds might reduce prices by as much as $450 a year.

These policy prices are averages across all types of insureds and vehicles and are not factoring in a price discount for safe drivers. So the car insurance company that can offer you the best rate may not even be included in the rate chart shown above. That emphasizes why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.

For good drivers, one of the largest considerations that help determine the price you pay for insurance is where you call home in West Virginia. Larger areas like Elkins, Huntington, and St. Albans tend to pay more, whereas more rural areas generally benefit from lower insurance rates.

The table below ranks the most expensive places in West Virginia for safe drivers in which to purchase auto insurance.

Information shown are comparative as the specific West Virginia residence address can change price quotes considerably.

Performance level and cost of the vehicle that needs insurance is one of the primary factors when shopping for the most affordable car insurance for safe drivers. Vehicles with limited top-end speed, a great safety record, or a positive history of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models. The tables below presents car insurance prices for some of the most budget-friendly automobiles to buy insurance for.

Data rating is based on married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and West Virginia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, and multi-policy. Estimates do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can influence rates greatly.

Above prices assume married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and West Virginia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, safe-driver, claim-free, and homeowner. Rate information does not factor in vehicle location which can influence premiums greatly.

Data variables include married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and West Virginia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Rate quotes do not factor in zip code location which can lower or raise insurance rates greatly.

Discounts on West Virginia car insurance rates

Insurance companies that provide cheap auto insurance for safe drivers in West Virginia could also offer premium discounts that can reduce rates by as much as 35% or more if you are eligible to receive them. Companies and the discounts they provide are outlined below.

• Travelers has discounts for student away at school, multi-car, continuous insurance, IntelliDrive, multi-policy, and driver training.
• 21st Century has savings for defensive driver, 55 and older, early bird, teen driver, automatic seat belts, and anti-lock brakes.
• State Farm offers discounts for good student, anti-theft, good driver, multiple autos, accident-free, and student away at school.
• GEICO may offer discounts for driver training, multi-policy, military active duty, air bags, daytime running lights, and federal employee.
• SAFECO offers premium reductions for teen safe driver, safe driver, anti-lock brakes, teen safety rewards, homeowner, anti-theft, and bundle discounts.
• AAA policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, good student, AAA membership discount, multi-car, good driver, multi-policy, and education and occupation.

The example below illustrates the difference between insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. Data assumes a male driver, no claims, a clean driving record, West Virginia state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $1,000 deductibles.

The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with multiple vehicle, homeowner, accident-free, passive restraint, marriage, and safe-driver discounts applied. With discounts applied, the the average yearly reduction on car insurance for safe drivers is 28% or $429.

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Careless drivers pay higher rates

In a perfect world, the ideal way to earn cheap auto insurance for safe drivers in West Virginia is to be a careful driver and avoid accidents and traffic citations. The illustration below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault fender-benders raise premium costs for different ages of insureds. The data assumes a single female driver, full coverage, $100 deductibles, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

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In the example above, the average cost of an auto insurance policy in West Virginia per year with no accidents or violations is $2,216. Get written up for two speeding tickets and the average cost increases to $2,990, an increase of $774 each year. Then throw in one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the yearly cost of car insurance for safe drivers increases to an average of $3,766. That’s an increase of $1,549, or $129 per month, just for not paying attention while driving!

How to find cheap auto insurance for safe drivers in West Virginia

The list below details some money-saving solutions that can help West Virginia drivers get low-cost coverage.

• Buying home and auto insurance together can earn discounts
• Avoid having at-fault accidents
• Drop full coverage on older vehicles
• Higher credit scores may earn you cheaper rates
• Drive vehicles with five-star safety ratings
• Look for cheaper rates once a year by shopping around

The last item on the list is extraordinarily significant, as we noted in the prior information. Insurance rates in West Virginia go up and down frequently, so drivers shouldn’t be reluctant to switch to a new company if you can find a cheaper rate. Many drivers tend to have loyalty to a certain company, but we do not recommend it if that loyalty ends up costing money that could be spent on other things. If you have a few minutes, shop around and find cheaper auto insurance for safe drivers.

Cheap insurance quotes for good drivers

Thanks to technology, drivers have a lot of ways to quote and buy car insurance in West Virginia, but the three most common are from a captive (or exclusive) agency like Liberty Mutual or State Farm, an independent or non-exclusive agent, or from a direct company like Geico or Progressive. You can use whichever method you prefer, but each is slightly different in how they work.

Independent insurance agents have contracts with many companies and can compare coverage rates with every one. They are not required to write business for one company and can get prices from more than one company, which may give you the best chance of saving money. If they quote lower rates, the agent simply finds a different carrier and you stay with the same agent.

Exclusive agents are limited to a single insurance company, two examples being a Farmers or Allstate agent. Exclusive agents normally do not have the ability to provide other companys’ prices, so you will not be able to compare multiple prices.

Buying direct means you bypass an exlusive or independent agent and buy direct online or over the phone from a company like Esurance or Geico. Shopping for car insurance direct can be a good choice for consumers who have little risk and know more than average about what coverages, limits, and deductibles they need.

So which of those three methods works best for finding cheap auto insurance for safe drivers in West Virginia? We’d like to tell you buying from a direct car insurance company yields the cheapest rates because there is no agent involved, but that is not always the case. An argument could also be made that going through an independent agent can save the most money due to more options, but that assumption is also not accurate. And sometimes, exclusive agencies have coverage prices that other companies cannot beat.

Because there are so many factors that make up car insurance rates, the only true way to find out which one is cheapest is to get quotes and compare. It takes a little work, but we recommend you get price quotes all three ways to give yourself plenty of rates to compare. For a list of car insurance companies with low rates, click here to view.