Best 8 Ways You Can Buy Car Insurance for Less in Colonial Heights

Purchasing low-cost Colonial Heights car insurance online can seem to be problematic for people who are new to comparing rates online. With such a large number of companies competing online, how can Colonial Heights drivers have a chance to compare every one to find the best available rates?

It’s a great practice to compare prices quite often since rates fluctuate regularly. Just because you found the lowest price six months ago you will most likely find a better rate today. So forget all the misinformation about car insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in the proper way to lower your annual insurance bill.

How to Compare Car Insurance Costs in Colonial Heights

Most major insurance companies like 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm allow you to get prices for coverage on their websites. This process is pretty easy as you just type in your coverage information as requested by the quote form. When the form is submitted, the system will order your driving and credit reports and quotes a price based on these factors.

This streamlines rate comparisons, but the time required to go to many different websites and fill out multiple forms can be a bit tiresome and repetitive. But it’s very important to compare as many rates as possible in order to find a better rate.

An easier way to compare rates uses one simple form to get prices from a lot of companies. It saves time, requires less work, and makes comparison shopping a little more enjoyable. After your information is entered, it is quoted and you can select your choice of the price quotes you receive.

If a lower price is quoted, you can simply submit the application and purchase coverage. The whole process takes less than 15 minutes and you will find out if you’re overpaying now.

To find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in a new tab and submit your coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you complete the form with as shown on your current policy. This guarantees you will receive rate comparison quotes for exact coverage.

Cut your car insurance rates with these eight discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, but there could be available discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some trigger automatically when you complete an application, but some must be manually applied in order for you to get them. If you don’t get every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Early Signing – Select companies give a discount for switching policies prior to your current policy expiring. This can save 10% or more.
Drivers Education – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to complete a driver education course if offered at their school.
Multiple Cars – Having all your vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
Discount for Good Grades – This discount can save 20 to 25%. Earning this discount can benefit you up until you turn 25.
Homeowners Discount – Being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
Seat Belt Usage – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.

It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. Some only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky. Any amount of discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To see a list of providers with discount car insurance rates in Virginia, click this link.

Additional information can be read on the Virginia Bureau of Insurance website. Click here for link. Virginia drivers can report car insurance fraud, find out which companies have the most complaints, file complaints about a company, and learn about specific coverages.

Coverage specifics

Knowing the specifics of your policy aids in choosing which coverages you need for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy.

Liability insurance

Liability insurance protects you from damage that occurs to other’s property or people that is your fault. It protects YOU against claims from other people, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see limits of 100/300/100 which means a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and property damage coverage for $100,000. Some companies may use one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.

Liability insurance covers things like repair costs for stationary objects, loss of income and emergency aid. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but consider buying higher limits if possible. Virginia requires drivers to carry at least 25,000/50,000/20,000 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.

Collision coverage

This coverage pays for damage to your vehicle resulting from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision can pay for things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, sideswiping another vehicle and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Comprehensive auto coverage

This coverage pays for damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things like theft, hitting a deer, hail damage and falling objects. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

UM/UIM (Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist) coverage

Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family and damage to your vehicle.

Due to the fact that many Virginia drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (25/50/20), their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage should not be overlooked. Most of the time these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.

Medical payments and PIP coverage

Med pay and PIP coverage pay for immediate expenses such as doctor visits, surgery and hospital visits. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Summing up your car insurance search

Discount car insurance can be bought from both online companies and with local Colonial Heights insurance agents, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who do not offer online quoting and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Insureds switch companies for any number of reasons including poor customer service, denial of a claim, delays in responding to claim requests and not issuing a premium refund. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching companies can be less work than you think.

When you buy insurance online, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.