Tested Techniques for Cheaper Grafton West Virginia Car Insurance

Are you sick and tired of not being able to afford to insure your vehicles every month? You are no different than millions of other consumers.

Because you have many choices of insurance companies, it can be hard to pick the most cost effective car insurance company.

Lower the Price of Insurance with These Tips

Smart consumers have a good feel for some of the elements that come into play when calculating the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

  • Are you male or female? – Statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are better drivers. Both sexes tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but men cause more damage. Men also have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
  • High crash test scores lower rates – Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. These vehicles result in less severe injuries and better occupant protection translates into savings for insurance companies and more competitive rates for policyholders.
  • Where you reside plays a part – Being located in small towns and rural areas is a positive aspect when talking about car insurance. Drivers in populated areas have to deal with more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
  • Never let your coverage lapse – Letting your insurance expire will be a fast way to trigger a rate increase. And not only will insurance be more expensive, failure to provide proof of insurance can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.You may then be required to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the West Virginia motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Car insurance companies don’t always publicize all available discounts in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list some of the best known and the more hidden savings tricks you should be using.

  • Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
  • Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job could cut as much as 10% off with a few car insurance companies.
  • Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home can help you save on car insurance because of the fact that having a home requires personal responsibility.
  • Drivers Ed for Students – Cut your cost by having your teen driver take driver’s ed class if it’s offered in school.
  • Drive Safe and Save – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can pay as much as 50% less than their less cautious counterparts.
  • Multiple Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you may save at least 10% off all policies.
  • Sign Early and Save – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies before your current expiration date. It can save you around 10%.

Drivers should understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like you can get free auto insurance, car insurance companies aren’t that generous.

But don’t I need an insurance agent?

Some people would prefer to visit with an insurance agent. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is you may find lower rates and still choose a local agent.

After completing this short form, your coverage information is transmitted to insurance agents in Grafton who will compete for your coverage. There is no reason to visit any agencies since price quotes are sent to your email. How cool is that?! You can find better rates without the usual hassles of price shopping.

Picking an insurance company should depend on more than just a low price. These are valid questions to ask:

  • Can glass repairs be made at your home?
  • How are claims handled?
  • Is assistance available after office hours?
  • Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
  • Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
  • Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.

Captive and independent Grafton insurance agents

When looking for a reliable agent, you need to know there are two different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are either captive or independent (non-captive).

Captive Agents

Captive insurance agents can only place business with one company and some examples include American Family, Liberty Mutual and AAA. They usually cannot compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents.insurance quote Grafton

Shown below are Grafton captive insurance agencies that are able to give comparison quotes.

State Farm Insurance – Route 50 W – Grafton, WV 26354 – (304) 265-1937

Independent Insurance Agents

Independent agents are not locked into one company but instead can place your coverage with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the agent simply finds a different carrier without you having to go to a different agency. When searching for an agent, you should always get quotes from several independent insurance agents to get the best comparison.

The following are Grafton independent agents that are able to give rate quotes.

Insurance Designs – Us Route 50 E – Grafton, WV 26354 – (304) 265-0598

For a full directory of Grafton insurance agents, click here to link.

After getting positive feedback for all questions you ask in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you’ve probably found an insurance agency that can adequately provide car insurance.

Save $477 a year. For real?

Car insurance companies such as Allstate and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. They all seem to say the same thing of big savings if you switch to them. How do they all claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the right customer that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and as a result will probably pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Potential insureds who don’t meet this ideal profile will be quoted a more expensive rate which usually ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s why companies can truthfully claim big savings. This emphasizes why it’s extremely important to get as many comparisons as possible. It’s impossible to know which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

West Virginia insurance cheap

When might I need help?

When buying the best car insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is not a single plan that fits everyone. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so your insurance needs to address that. For example, these questions might point out if your situation may require specific advice.

  • Do I need rental car coverage?
  • Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
  • Should I buy more coverage than the required West Virginia minimum liability coverage?
  • What discounts do I qualify for?
  • How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in West Virginia?
  • How high should my uninsured/underinsured coverage be in West Virginia?
  • Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
  • Does having multiple vehicles earn me a discount?
  • Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?

If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area.

Informative consumer insurance sites

More tips and info about car insurance can be found at the West Virginia Insurance Commission website. West Virginia drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, find disaster information, find out industry alerts, and report car insurance fraud.

The following information may also be useful.

Better coverage you can count on

We just covered a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more times you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with the smaller companies. Some small companies often have lower prices on specific markets compared to the large companies like Progressive and GEICO.

While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There are too many instances where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at an affordable rate.

The cheapest car insurance is available on the web and also from your neighborhood Grafton agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.