Fairfax Virginia Auto Insurance Savings the Insurance Agents Don’t Want You to Know About

Buying the lowest cost Fairfax auto insurance online can seem to be impossible for people who are new to online price comaprisons. With so many choices of insurers to choose from, how can Fairfax drivers possibly compare them all to find the lowest rates?

It’s smart to compare rates occasionally because prices change frequently. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates six months ago you may be paying too much now. Starting right now, forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the fastest way to lower your annual insurance bill.

Make smart decisions and save

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.

• Your spouse saves you money – Getting married can actually save you money when buying auto insurance. Marriage translates into being more mature and responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
• Where you reside plays a part – Living in a rural area has it’s advantages when talking about auto insurance. Drivers in populated areas have to deal with congested traffic and longer commutes to work. Lower population means reduced accidents and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
• Too many auto insurance claims drive up costs – Auto insurance companies in Virginia award cheaper rates to insureds who are claim-free. If you frequently file small claims, you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance coverage is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.
• Safe vehicles cost less to insure – Vehicles with high crash test scores are cheaper to insure. These vehicles protect occupants better and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
• Men fork out a little more – The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that men are worse drivers. They both cause accidents at about the same rate, but the male of the species cause more damage. Men also tend to receive more costly citations like reckless driving and DUI. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are the most expensive to insure and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
• Rate your vehicle for proper use – The more miles you rack up on your car every year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Verify your auto insurance policy shows how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money.
• Traffic violations increase rates – Your driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Good drivers receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Even one ticket can increase rates by twenty percent. Drivers who get flagrant violations such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may be required to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.

Comprehensive Fairfax Auto Insurance Comparison Quotes

Finding a lower price on insurance isn’t really that difficult. Just invest a few minutes comparing rate quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be done using a couple different methods.

1. The fastest way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This type of form eliminates the need for multiple quote forms to each individual auto insurance company. One form submission will get you rate comparisons from several companies. Just one form and you’re done.
2. A harder way to compare rate quotes is going to the website for every company you want to comare to request a price quote. For sake of this example, let’s assume you want rates from USAA, Liberty Mutual and GEICO. To find out each rate you need to visit each site and enter your information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.

   For a list of links to insurance companies in Fairfax, click here.

It’s up to you which method you use, but compare apples-to-apples coverage information for each price quote. If you have different liability limits it’s impossible to decipher which rate is best in Fairfax.

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

Virginia consumers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. They all have a common claim that you’ll save big after switching to them.

How can each company make almost identical claims?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of driver that makes them money. A good example of a driver they prefer might be profiled as a mature driver, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. A customer who fits that profile will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who fall outside the requirements will be charged a higher premium which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s why companies can truthfully advertise the savings. That is why you absolutely need to get as many quotes as possible. It is impossible to predict which company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies do not list all available discounts very well, so the following is a list of some of the more common and the more hidden ways to save on auto insurance. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

• Sign Online – Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying your policy over the internet.
• Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with the same company you may save approximately 10% to 15%.
• Early Signing – Select companies give a discount for switching policies prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
• Anti-theft Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and earn discounts up to 10%.
• Lower Rates for Military – Having a deployed family member can result in better rates.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
• College Student – Youth drivers who live away from home without a vehicle on campus may be able to be covered for less.

It’s important to understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way.

To see a list of insurers with the best auto insurance discounts in Fairfax, click this link.

More tips and info about auto insurance can be found at the Virginia Bureau of Insurance website. Virginia consumers can find out industry alerts, report car insurance fraud, discover disciplinary actions, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Affordable insurance is out there

Insureds who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as policy cancellation, high rates after DUI convictions, extreme rates for teen drivers or an unsatisfactory settlement offer. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a great new company is pretty simple and you could end up saving a buck or two.

As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed liability limits or collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.

The cheapest auto insurance can be found both online and with local Fairfax insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.