Is Your Newport News Auto Insurance Too High? Learn How to Lower Your Rates

Buying low-cost Newport News auto insurance on the web may be challenging for beginners to comparison shopping online. With a ridiculous number of online companies, how can you effectively compare every company to locate the lowest price?

Compare Auto Insurance Today

All the larger auto insurance companies give price estimates online. Obtaining pricing is quite simple as you simply enter your coverage preferences into the quote form. Behind the scenes, their rating system collects your credit score and driving record and gives you a price quote.

Being able to quote online makes comparing rates easy, but having to visit each company’s website and repetitively type in the same information is monotonous and tiresome. But it is imperative to perform this step if you want to find better prices.

A quicker way to find cheaper rates makes use of a single form that analyzes rates from a lot of companies. This type of form saves time, helps eliminate reptitive entry, and makes comparison shopping much simpler. As soon as you send your information, it is quoted and you are able to buy any of the price quotes you receive.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and buy the new coverage. It takes just a few minutes to complete and may save quite a bit of money.

To use this form to compare rates, click here and submit the form. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you type in identical to your current policy. This guarantees you will have rate comparison quotes for similar insurance coverage.

Buyer beware of auto insurance advertising tricks

Auto insurance providers like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO regularly use television and radio advertisements. They all have a common claim of big savings if you move to them. How does each company say the same thing?

Insurance companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. For instance, a preferred risk could be a mature driver, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. Any new insured who fits that profile will get very good rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.Newport News auto insurance

Consumers who fall outside the “perfect” profile must pay a higher premium which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That is how companies can truthfully state the savings.

This illustrates why it is so important to compare as many rates as you can. You cannot predict which company will have the lowest rates.

Newport News Rates are Influenced by These Factors

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that come into play when calculating your auto insurance rates. Understanding what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

The list below includes a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine premiums.

  • Do you know you’re credit rating? – Having a bad credit history is a large factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Therefore, if your credit history is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by repairing your credit. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with lower credit scores.
  • How your age affects price – Older insureds tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel. Young drivers tend to be more careless when behind the wheel therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.
  • Don’t let your coverage lapse – Allowing your coverage to lapse will be a fast way to increase your auto insurance rates. Not only will rates go up, getting caught without coverage can result in a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
  • Add-on coverages can add up – There are many extra coverages you can purchase on your policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. They may seem like a good idea initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
  • The more you drive the more you pay – The more miles you rack up on your car every year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Most companies rate vehicles determined by how the vehicle is used. Autos left parked in the garage receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your auto insurance policy is rated on how each vehicle is driven, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Your stress level may be raising your rates – Occupations such as doctors, social workers and stock brokers are shown to have the highest rates in part from stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. On the other hand, occupations like scientists, students and the unemployed pay the least.
  • Bad driving skills means higher rates – A bad driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Careful drivers get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Only having one ticket can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. If you have dangerous violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may find they need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • An active claims history can cost you – Car insurance companies in Virginia give discounts to insureds who are claim-free. If you tend to file frequent claims, you can expect higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.

Take discounts and save

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but discounts can save money and there are some available to reduce the price significantly. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at quote time, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied in order for you to get them.

  • Anti-lock Brake System – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles are safer to drive and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
  • Accident Forgiveness – Certain companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
  • College Student – Children who live away from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
  • Passive Restraints – Factory air bags can qualify for discounts of 20% or more.
  • Pay Now and Pay Less – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
  • Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for signing up before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
  • Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for multiple vehicles on one policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
  • Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
  • Discount for New Cars – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
  • Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.

Keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will help reduce the amount you have to pay.

To see a list of insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Virginia, click here.

Newport News auto insurance

Summing up your auto insurance search

As you restructure your insurance plan, do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice collision coverage to discover at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.

Low-cost auto insurance is possible both online in addition to many Newport News insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

Insureds who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including policy non-renewal, lack of trust in their agent, denial of a claim or an unsatisfactory settlement offer. Whatever your reason, switching auto insurance companies can be easy and end up saving you some money.

More consumer information in Virginia

Additional information is located on the Virginia Bureau of Insurance website through this link. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, download brochures, learn about specific coverages, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.