Free Guide to Spending Less for Wheeling, WV Auto Insurance Online

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced auto insurance policy? Believe me, there are many people just like you.

With so many choices, it can be hard to pick the best provider.

Locating affordable protection in Wheeling is easy if you know what you’re doing. Just about everyone who shops for auto insurance stands a good chance to be able to reduce their rates. Although West Virginia consumers need to have an understanding of how big insurance companies market insurance on the web and apply this information to your search.

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, but companies offer discounts that you may not even be aware of. Some trigger automatically at the time you complete a quote, but less common discounts must be manually applied prior to receiving the credit.

Memberships – Belonging to certain professional organizations may earn a discount on your policy.
Distant Student – Children living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus may be able to be covered for less.
New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.
Early Switch Discount – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
Good Student Discount – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last up until you turn 25.
Military Rewards – Being deployed with a military unit could mean lower rates.

It’s important to note that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.

Compare Wheeling Auto Insurance Costs

Effectively comparing auto insurance prices is a ton of work if you don’t utilize the fastest way to get free quotes. You can waste a few hours (or days) discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in Wheeling, or you could save time and use online quotes to accomplish the same thing much quicker.

Most major companies take part in a program where insurance shoppers submit one quote, and each company provides a quote for coverage. This eliminates the need for quote forms to each company. To submit your quote information now, click here to start a free quote. car insurance image

The only drawback to using this type of system is you are unable to specify the providers you want pricing from. So if you want to select from a list of companies to compare rates, we have assembled a list of companies who write auto insurance in West Virginia. Click to view list.

Whichever method you choose, compare the exact same coverages for every company. If the quotes have mixed coverages it will be next to impossible to determine the best price in Wheeling. Quoting even small variations in coverages can result in a big premium difference. And when quoting auto insurance, remember that quoting more helps you find a better price.

Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Don’t sacrifice liability coverage – The liability section of your policy provides coverage in the event that a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It will provide for a legal defense which can be incredibly expensive. Liability is cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Where do you drive? – The more you drive in a year’s time the higher your rates will be. Most companies charge to insure your cars based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate than those used for commuting. Double check that your auto insurance policy is showing the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
More performance means more cost – The type of vehicle you are insuring makes a big difference in how high your rates are. Economy passenger cars generally receive the lowest base rates, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
High numbers of claims are not good – Auto insurance companies in West Virginia give cheaper rates to drivers who file claims infrequently. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can pretty much guarantee either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Having a spouse can save you money – Having a spouse can get you a discount on your auto insurance policy. It is viewed as being more responsible and statistics show married drivers get in fewer accidents.
Battle of the sexes – Statistics have proven that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean women are better drivers. Both sexes are in accidents at about the same rate, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. They also get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving.
Better credit scores mean better rates – A driver’s credit rating is a important factor in your rate calculation. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have lower credit ratings. Therefore, if your credit can use some improvement, you could save money insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit.

Is there truth in advertising?

Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive regularly use ads in print and on television. They all seem to say the same thing that you’ll save big if you move to them. How do they all make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a driver they prefer might be profiled as between 25 and 40, owns a home, and has a short commute. Any driver who matches those parameters receives the best rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Drivers who do not match this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “customers that switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s the way companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

This illustrates why you absolutely need to compare many company’s rates. You cannot predict which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Do the work, save more money

The cheapest auto insurance is attainable on the web in addition to many Wheeling insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not provide online price quotes and these smaller companies work with independent agents.

As you prepare to switch companies, it’s very important that you do not reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, someone dropped liability limits or collision coverage and discovered at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while still protecting your assets.

Online resources for education

Additional auto insurance information can be found on the website for the West Virginia Insurance Commission through this link. West Virginia consumers can report car insurance fraud, learn about specific coverages, and discover disciplinary actions.