7 Ways to Pay Less on Car Insurance in Princeton

I can’t think of a single person who cherishes buying car insurance, especially knowing their premiums are too high. You have so many car insurance companies to choose from, and although it’s nice to have a choice, having more insurers makes it harder to compare rates and cut insurance costs.

Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Princeton, WV

Most companies give coverage price quotes online. Getting quotes is pretty easy as you just enter the coverage amounts you desire into a form. Behind the scenes, their rating system automatically retrieves your driving record and credit report and generates a price based on these and other factors. Online price quotes makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit many different websites and enter the same data into a form is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it is imperative to perform this step in order to get the lowest car insurance rates.

The easy way to compare rates

The preferred way to lower your car insurance bill requires only one form to obtain quotes from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes price shopping online much easier. Immediately after submitting the form, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any or none of the quotes returned. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase coverage. The entire process takes just a few minutes to complete and can result in significant savings.

In order to find out if lower rates are available, click here and submit your coverage information. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you input the insurance coverages just like they are on your policy. This way, you will be getting a rate comparison using the same coverage and limits.

Discounts can save BIG

Car insurance companies do not advertise every available discount very clearly, so the following is a list of some of the more common and the harder-to-find ways to save on car insurance. If you’re not getting every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.

• Use Seat Belts – Drivers who require all occupants to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
• Driver Safety – Successfully completing a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
• Claim Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts when compared to bad drivers.
• Homeowners Savings – Owning a house in Princeton may earn you a small savings because owning a home requires personal responsibility.
• Save over 55 – If you’re over the age of 55, you can possibly qualify for a discount up to 10%.
• One Accident Forgiven – A handful of insurance companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a certain period of time.
• Air Bag Discount – Vehicles with factory air bags or motorized seat belts can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky.

To choose insurers who offer car insurance discounts in West Virginia, click this link.

Coverages available on your policy

Having a good grasp of your policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are typical coverage types found on most car insurance policies.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like falling objects, hitting a bird, fire damage and hail damage. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

Coverage for collisions

Collision coverage pays for damage to your vehicle from colliding with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage pays for claims like hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.

Medical costs insurance

Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP pay for short-term medical expenses such as doctor visits, funeral costs and dental work. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

UM/UIM Coverage

This protects you and your vehicle from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.

Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (20/40/10 in West Virginia), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family.

Liability auto insurance

Liability coverage provides protection from damage or injury you incur to other people or property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability can pay for claims like court costs, bail bonds, structural damage and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but consider buying higher limits if possible. West Virginia state law requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/40,000/10,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy higher limits.

Do the work, save more money

Low-cost car insurance is attainable both online in addition to many Princeton insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

In this article, we presented many ideas to get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or GEICO.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, never sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many cases, an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Even more information can be found at the West Virginia Insurance Commission website. West Virginia consumers can read industry bulletins, read consumer alerts, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.