6 Shopping Tips Guaranteed to Lower Auto Insurance Costs in Dunbar, WV

Finding lower rates for Dunbar auto insurance can be challenging for consumers not familiar with shopping for insurance online. People have so many options that it can quickly become a lot of work to find lower rates in Dunbar.

These six discounts can lower your rates

Companies offering auto insurance don’t list every discount very clearly, so we break down some of the more common and the more hidden auto insurance savings. If you’re not getting every credit you qualify for, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Good Student Discount – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
• Student Driver Training – Cut your cost by having your teen driver successfully complete driver’s ed class in high school.
• Drive Less and Save – Driving fewer miles could be rewarded with lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
• Auto/Life Discount – Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
• Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
• Seat Belts Save – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could save 15% off the personal injury premium cost.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. So when the math indicates all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way.

To choose providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Dunbar, click here.

Auto insurance policy specifics

Having a good grasp of a auto insurance policy aids in choosing the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Comprehensive auto insurance – This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for claims like hitting a deer, damage from flooding, theft, hail damage and vandalism. The most your auto insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your vehicle.

Due to the fact that many West Virginia drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (which is 20/40/10), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.

Coverage for medical expenses – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for immediate expenses for surgery, pain medications and hospital visits. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you do not have health coverage. Coverage applies to you and your occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Collision coverages – Collision coverage covers damage to your vehicle from colliding with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision can pay for things like backing into a parked car, damaging your car on a curb, colliding with another moving vehicle, crashing into a building and scraping a guard rail. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Coverage for liability – Liability coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to other’s property or people in an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a limit of $300,000 in injury protection per accident, and a limit of $100,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability coverage pays for things like medical expenses, emergency aid, pain and suffering, bail bonds and medical services. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but buy as large an amount as possible. West Virginia requires minimum liability limits of 20,000/40,000/10,000 but you should consider buying better liability coverage.

Even more information can be read at the West Virginia Insurance Commission website. West Virginia consumers can find a variety of consumer forms, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, learn about insurance regulations, and read state legal mandates and laws.

Smart shoppers get results

You just learned a lot of tips how to shop for auto insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from an unexpected company.

As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don’t reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced full coverage to discover at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

Low-cost auto insurance is possible from both online companies and with local Dunbar insurance agents, and you should be comparing both to have the best selection. Some companies do not offer online quoting and many times these small, regional companies only sell through independent insurance agents.