Free Guide to Paying Less for Alexandria Car Insurance Online

Sick and tired of trying to scrape together enough money to buy car insurance? You’re in the same situation as millions of other consumers. Since consumers have many insurance companies to choose from, it can be challenging to locate the right insurer.

Finding the best rates in Alexandria is quite easy. If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to cut costs considerably using these techniques. Virginia consumers only need to know the most efficient way to shop their coverage around online.

Compare Alexandria Car Insurance Costs

Getting a lower price on insurance doesn’t have to be difficult. The only requirement is to take time to compare rate quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.

The recommended way to get the best comparison quotes is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This easy form saves time by eliminating boring form submissions for each company you want a rate for. One simple form gets you coverage quotes from car insurance companies with the best prices.

A slightly less efficient method to get comparison quotes consists of going to the website for every company you want to comare and complete a new quote form. For sake of this example, we’ll pretend you want to compare rates from Liberty Mutual, Progressive and GEICO. To get rate quotes you would need to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular.

For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Alexandria, click here.

The least recommended method of getting rate comparisons is to spend time driving to different Alexandria agent offices. The ability to buy insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you want the trained guidance of a licensed agent. It is possible to get the lowest quotes online but still have the advice of a local agent. We’ll cover that shortly.

Whichever method you choose, make sure you use the exact same coverage limits for every quote you compare. If you are comparing different limits and deductibles on each one it will be next to impossible to find the best deal in Alexandria.

Beware of misleading car insurance ads

Consumers in Virginia constantly see and hear ads for cheaper car insurance by Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to make the same claim about savings if you switch to their company.

But how can every company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver they prefer to insure. For instance, a driver they prefer could be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any driver who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who don’t meet the requirements will be quoted higher rates which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads state “customers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. That’s why companies can truthfully advertise the savings. This emphasizes why it is so important to compare as many rates as you can. Because you never know which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that play a part in calculating car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that will entitle you to lower car insurance prices.

Shown below are some of the items car insurance companies consider when setting prices.

• Traffic citations inflate rates – Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Only having one citation may increase your cost by twenty percent. Drivers with clean records have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. Drivers with flagrant tickets like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions are required to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
• More performance means more cost – The type of car you are insuring makes a substantial difference in the rate you pay. The lowest base rates are usually for economy passenger cars, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
• Lower deductibles cost more – Your deductibles define the amount you are required to spend before a claim is paid by your company. Physical damage coverage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Examples of covered claims are running into the backend of another car, damage caused by hail, and windstorm damage. The more money you’re willing to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
• Your credit rating is important – Having a bad credit score is a big factor in your rate calculation. Therefore, if your credit rating is lower than you’d like, you could be paying less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers who have good credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with poor credit.
• Your car’s features help determine rates – Owning a car that has an advanced theft prevention system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems can help prevent your vehicle from being stolen.
• More miles equals more premium – The more miles you rack up on your car every year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. The majority of insurers price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Cars and trucks that are left in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Verify your car insurance policy is rated on how each vehicle is driven.

Discounts are great for lower rates

Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise all available discounts very well, so we researched some of the more common as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.

• Discounts for Safe Drivers – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
• Save over 55 – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get reduced rates.
• Distant Student – Children who attend school more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car can receive lower rates.
• One Accident Forgiven – A few companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a certain period of time.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.

It’s important to understand that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Some only apply to specific coverage prices like comp or med pay. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way.

For a list of providers who offer car insurance discounts in Alexandria, click here.

Neighborhood insurance agents

Some consumers prefer to visit with an insurance agent and that is OK! Professional agents can help determine the best coverages and help file insurance claims. The best thing about price shopping on the web is you may find the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this short form, your insurance coverage information is transmitted to local insurance agents who will return price quotes to get your business. There is no reason to leave your house due to the fact that quote results will go to your email. How cool is that?!

Picking an insurer needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

• Do they make recommendations based only on price?
• Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
• Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
• How often do they review policy coverages?
• If you have an accident, will your rates go up?
• Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
• What insurance companies do they work with?
• If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?

Below is a list of insurance companies in Alexandria willing to provide price quotes.

Farmers Insurance Group – 2121 Eisenhower Ave # 200, Alexandria, VA 22314 – (703) 299-1744
Allstate Insurance – 8143 Richmond Hwy # 201, Alexandria, VA 22309 – (703) 780-1172
State Farm Insurance – 6281 Franconia Rd, Alexandria, VA 22310 – (703) 971-8400
Insurance Services Corp – 6808 Radcliffe Dr, Alexandria, VA 22307 – (703) 765-2213
Powell Insurance Of Va – 4707 King St, Alexandria, VA 22302 – (703) 241-7907

After receiving acceptable answers to these questions and a good coverage price, most likely you have located an insurer that meets your needs to provide car insurance coverage.

In Summary

We just showed you quite a bit of information on how to compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the best prices are with a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.

When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find for the lowest price.

The cheapest car insurance is definitely available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Alexandria, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies don’t offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

More detailed Virginia car insurance information can be found at the Virginia Bureau of Insurance website. Virginia drivers can download brochures, view a list of available companies, and read industry bulletins.