Follow These Insider Tips for Lower Colonial Heights, VA Car Insurance

Overwhelmed by the number of car insurance companies in Colonial Heights? Lot’s of other consumers are too. You have so many choices that it can easily become a real challenge to locate the lowest price.

Buying car insurance in Colonial Heights is easy if you know what you’re doing. Just about every driver who has to buy car insurance will more than likely be able to cut their insurance bill. But Virginia consumers can benefit from knowing the way insurance companies market insurance on the web and apply this information to your search.

How to Get Cheap Car Insurance in Colonial Heights, Virginia

Performing a rate comparison can be exhausting if you don’t utilize the easiest way. You can spend countless hours talking to insurance companies in Colonial Heights, or you can stay home and use online quoting for quick rates.

The majority of car insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace that enables customers to only type in their quote data once, and at least one company returns a competitive quote for coverage. This eliminates the need for quote requests to each individual car insurance company.

To enter your information into the quoting system, click here to open in new window.

The only downside to doing it this way is buyers cannot specifically choose the providers to get quotes from. So if you want to select specific insurance companies for rate comparison, we have a listing of low cost car insurance companies in Virginia. Click here for list of insurance companies in Virginia.

It’s up to you which method you use, but make sure you use identical coverages on every quote. If your comparisons have differing limits it’s impossible to make a fair comparison in Colonial Heights. Slightly different coverages may result in large price differences. And when quoting car insurance, remember that having more price comparisons will increase your chances of finding lower pricing.

Slick advertising tricks that work

Companies like Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with ads on TV and radio. All the ads have a common claim that you’ll save big if you switch your coverage to them. How can each company make the same claim?<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px;" src="https://www.findnewcarinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-99.jpg" alt="Virginia car insurance quote”/>

All companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that makes them money. A good example of a profitable customer could be a mature driver, has no driving citations, and has excellent credit. Any driver who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Consumers who don’t meet these standards must pay higher premiums which leads to the customer not buying. The ad wording is “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. That is how companies can truthfully advertise the way they do. This illustrates why drivers must quote coverage with many companies. It is impossible to predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.

Why you might pay higher rates in Colonial Heights

It’s important that you understand the rating factors that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Do you need the policy add-ons? – There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that can waste your money when buying car insurance. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, accident forgiveness and motor club memberships may be wasting your money. These may sound like a good investment initially, but if you don’t need them eliminate them to save money.
Protect yourself with liability coverage – The liability section of your policy provides coverage if ever a court rules you are at fault for damages from an accident. Liability provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Occupation reflects on rates – Careers like real estate brokers, executives and accountants tend to have higher rates than average because of stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. On the flip side, occupations such as pilots, athletes and retirees receive lower rates.
Your car’s features help determine rates – Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.
With age comes lower rates – Teen drivers in Virginia are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted in a vehicle so car insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers are more cautious drivers, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
How many coverages with the same company – Some companies provide better rates to insureds who carry more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, it’s still a good idea to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money.
Are you male or female? – Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. Now that doesn’t mean women are BETTER drivers than men. They both are in accidents at a similar rate, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. They also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving.

These discounts can slash car insurance rates

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list every discount very clearly, so we break down some of the best known as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance.

Early Signing – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching to them before your current policy expires. This can save 10% or more.
Good Student – Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts until age 25.
No Accidents – Good drivers with no accidents can save substantially when compared to drivers who are more careless.
Clubs and Organizations – Belonging to certain professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates when shopping for car insurance.
Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents can pay as much as 50% less than drivers with accident claims.
Theft Prevention System – Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Safety Course Discount – Successfully completing a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill and easily recoup the cost of the course.
Resident Student – Any of your kids living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
E-sign – A handful of insurance companies will give a small break for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.

Consumers should know that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates you can get free auto insurance, companies don’t profit that way.

When might I need the advice of an agent?

When choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is a little different.

These are some specific questions can help discover whether you could use an agent’s help.

Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
Which companies will insure high-risk drivers?
Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
Am I covered when driving a rental car?
Will my vehicle be repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form.

More effort can pay off

Drivers leave their current company for many reasons like not issuing a premium refund, poor customer service, questionable increases in premium and even high prices. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, choosing a new insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.

As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, you should never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many cases, an accident victim reduced comprehensive coverage or liability limits and learned later that they should have had better coverage. The aim is to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price while still protecting your assets.

The cheapest car insurance can be purchased online in addition to many Colonial Heights insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies do not provide online quoting and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

Additional detailed information can be found at the Virginia Bureau of Insurance website. Virginia consumers can read industry bulletins, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and read consumer alerts.