Never Buy Winchester, VA Auto Insurance Without Knowing These Money Saving Techniques

I can’t think of anyone who enjoys paying for auto insurance, in particular when the cost is too high.

Many auto insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every provider to discover the definitive lowest cost out there.

If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. Buying car insurance in Winchester is not that difficult. But Virginia consumers need to learn the methods companies use to determine prices and use this information to your advantage.

How to Compare Winchester Auto Insurance Costs

There are several ways to compare quotes and find the best price. The best way to find the lowest rates consists of shopping online. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

Probably the best way to find low rates is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This method eliminates the need for separate quote forms for each company. One form submission will return quotes from several companies.
A different way to find lower rates is to take the time to go to each individual company website and complete a new quote form. For instance, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from Progressive, Liberty Mutual and GMAC. To get each rate you have to take the time to go to each site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to insurance companies in Winchester, click here.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits for each price quote. If you enter unequal deductibles or liability limits it’s not possible to decipher which rate is best in Winchester. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits may result in a large different in cost. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that quoting more will improve the odds of getting a better price.

Do you qualify for discounts?

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but there are discounts available that many people don’t even know exist. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but some must be asked for before you will receive the discount.

Military Discounts – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
No Claims – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can save substantially compared to bad drivers.
Drive Safe and Save – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more than their less cautious counterparts.
Save over 55 – If you’re over the age of 55, you may receive a small decrease in premiums.
Discount for Good Grades – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you well after school through age 25.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down can earn discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Sign Early and Save – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.
Discount for Life Insurance – Larger companies have a break if you buy life insurance.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. But any discount will help reduce your premiums.

To see a list of providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Virginia, click this link.

Factors that affect insurance rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates.

Listed below are some of the factors that factor into prices.

Rates may be higher depending on your occupation – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Careers like real estate brokers, social workers and accountants tend to have higher rates than average because of high stress and long work hours. On the flip side, jobs such as scientists, athletes and performers receive lower rates.
What are your deductibles? – Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before your auto insurance pays a claim. Coverage for physical damage, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply are colliding with a building, damage from fire, and windstorm damage. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the bigger discount you will receive.
Men fork out a little more – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men tend to get into accidents in similar percentages, but the men have costlier accidents. Men also statistically have more aggressive citations such as reckless driving. Young males tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
Where do you drive? – Driving more miles each year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies price each vehicle’s coverage based on their usage. Cars used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Double check that your auto insurance coverage is showing the proper vehicle usage, because it can save money.
Performance makes a difference – The performance level of the car you are insuring makes a big difference in your rates. The lowest base rates are generally reserved for low performance passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.

Additional information is located on the website for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance through this link. Virginia drivers can read state legal mandates and laws, read consumer alerts, and learn about insurance regulations.

Other informative sites include Wikipedia and this list of insurance agents in Winchester.

Ads can be misleading

Companies like State Farm, Allstate and GEICO regularly use television and radio advertisements. All the ads have a common claim that you can save if you move to their company. How do they all claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies are able to cherry pick for the right customer they prefer to insure. For example, a profitable customer could be over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has great credit. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.

Potential insureds who don’t measure up to the “perfect” profile will be quoted higher premiums and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads say “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. That’s why insurance companies can advertise the way they do.

This emphasizes why drivers must get as many quotes as possible. It is impossible to predict the company that will fit your personal profile best.

Quote more, save more

We just showed you many ways to lower your auto insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the most savings is with an unexpected company. Smaller companies may cover specific market segments cheaper as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.

Lower-priced auto insurance can be purchased from both online companies and with local Winchester insurance agents, so you should compare both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies do not offer online quoting and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.