Things You Must Know Before Purchasing Weirton West Virginia Car Insurance Online

Are you overwhelmed by the crazy number of car insurance companies in Weirton? You have a lot of company. There are so many choices that it can easily become a ton of work to compare prices.

The purpose of this post is to familiarize you with the best way to quote coverages. If you currently have car insurance, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using these methods. West Virginia drivers only need to know how to compare rates online.

Buy Cheaper Car Insurance with These Tips

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that help determine car insurance rates. Understanding what influences your rates helps enable you to make changes that could result in better car insurance rates.

The following are a few of the “ingredients” that factor into premiums.

Pay less after the wedding – Being married can get you a discount on your car insurance policy. Having a significant other means you’re more mature and responsible and statistics show married couples file fewer claims.
How your age affects price – More mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets. Teen drivers have a tendency to be more careless when driving and because of this, their car insurance rates are much higher.
Frequent car insurance claims increase rates – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to higher rates. Insurance companies in West Virginia provide better rates to policyholders who do not file claims often. Insurance coverage is intended for larger claims.
Men fork out a little more – The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes cause accidents in similar percentages, but the males tend to have more serious accidents. They also receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving.
Liability coverage is cheap – Your policy’s liability coverage is the protection if ever you are found to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. It provides you with a defense in court starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Occupation reflects on rates – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Jobs such as judges, executives and accountants have higher rates than average in part from high stress levels and long work days. On the flip side, occupations like farmers, athletes and performers get better rates.

Compare the Market for Car Insurance in Weirton, WV

Getting a lower price on insurance is actually quite simple. All that’s required is to take a couple of minutes to get quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be done in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

The recommended way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This type of form keeps you from doing separate forms for each company you want a rate for. A single, simple form compares rates from many national carriers. This is by far the quickest method.
A harder way to shop for car insurance online consists of visiting each individual company website and request a quote. For examples sake, let’s assume you want rates from Allstate, GEICO and Liberty Mutual. You would have to take the time to go to each site and enter your policy data, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Weirton, click here.
The least efficient way of comparing rate quotes is to spend your day driving to and from local Weirton insurance agencies. Shopping for car insurance online can eliminate the need for a local agent unless you want the trained guidance of a local Weirton agent. Drivers can obtain prices from the web but buy from a local insurance agent and we’ll touch on that later.

Whichever way you use, make darn sure you compare the exact same coverage information for every quote you compare. If you enter different liability limits then you won’t be able to make a fair comparison in Weirton.

Is there truth in advertising?

Consumers can’t ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the companies say the same thing that you’ll save big if you change your coverage to them.

How can each company make the same claim?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For example, a preferred risk could possibly be over the age of 50, owns a home, and chooses high deductibles. Any new insured who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and therefore will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who don’t meet the “perfect” profile must pay higher premiums which usually ends up with business not being written. Company advertisements say “drivers who switch” not “people who quote” save that kind of money. This is how insurance companies can state the savings.

This illustrates why you should get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Cut your car insurance rates with discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be requested specifically before being credited. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away. insurance quote Weirton

E-sign – Some insurance companies will give a small break simply for signing on their website.
Theft Prevention Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Save with a New Car – Adding a new car to your policy is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Multi-car Discount – Insuring more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
No Claims – Claim-free drivers pay less when compared with frequent claim filers.
Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment can save as much as 8% with certain companies.
College Student – Children living away from home attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Air Bag Discount – Factory air bags can get savings of 20% or more.
Anti-lock Brake Discount – Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.

It’s important to note that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. So when it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To choose providers who offer car insurance discounts in West Virginia, follow this link.

Neighborhood insurance agents

Certain consumers prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is just fine! Professional agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you someone to call. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is you can get better rates but still work with a licensed agent. Supporting local insurance agencies is definitely important in Weirton.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this quick form, the coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents who will return price quotes for your business. You never need to leave your house because quoted prices will be sent to your email. How’s that for easy!

Two different types of auto insurance agents

If you’re trying to find a local agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive). Both types can properly insure your vehicles, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them since it may influence the type of agent you choose

Independent Insurance Agents

Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company so they can insure your vehicles with any number of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. If your agent finds better pricing, the business is moved internally and you won’t have to switch agencies. When shopping rates, you should always contact multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from. They also have the ability to place coverage with smaller companies which may provide better rates.

Below are independent agents in Weirton that are able to give comparison quotes.

Kowalski Insurance and Financial – 3350 Pennsylvania Ave – Weirton, WV 26062 – (304) 723-7283
Larry Pratt Agency – 3045 Pennsylvania Ave # 6 – Weirton, WV 26062 – (304) 723-4412
B C Yanni Agency Inc – 249 Beacon Dr – Weirton, WV 26062 – (304) 723-2330
Spadafora Insurance – 3612 Pennsylvania Ave – Weirton, WV 26062 – (304) 723-3612

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive agencies work for only one company such as State Farm, Allstate and AAA. These agents are not able to place coverage with different providers so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captives receive extensive training on the products they sell which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Consumers often buy from captive agents mainly due to high brand loyalty and strong financial ratings.

Below are captive insurance agents in Weirton who can help you get price quotes.

State Farm Insurance – 3318 West St – Weirton, WV 26062 – (304) 748-3535

For a complete listing of Weirton captive agencies, visit this site.

Selecting an insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just the price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?

Upon receiving acceptable answers to your questions in addition to an acceptable price estimate, you’ve probably found an insurance agent that can service your policy.

When might I need the advice of an agent?

When it comes to buying the right insurance coverage, there isn’t really a “perfect” insurance plan. Each situation is unique.

For instance, these questions can aid in determining if your situation might need an agent’s assistance.

What are the financial responsibility laws in West Virginia?
Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
Does my vehicle qualify for pleasure use?

If you’re not sure about those questions, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form. It only takes a few minutes and may give you better protection.

Much more information about car insurance in West Virginia can be read on the West Virginia Insurance Commission website through this link. Consumers can file complaints about a company, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about insurance regulations, and find disaster information.

Compare but don’t skimp

When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s very important that you do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many cases where an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

Consumers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as denial of a claim, poor customer service, high prices and even extreme rates for teen drivers. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching companies can be pretty painless.

You just learned some good ideas how you can compare car insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the lowest rates come from some of the lesser-known companies.