Find the Secrets to Saving Money on Bridgeport West Virginia Car Insurance

Comparison shopping for Bridgeport car insurance is a challenge for consumers not familiar with comparison shopping online. There are so many companies to choose from that it can quickly become a real hassle to locate the lowest price in Bridgeport.

If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. This information will help you learn how to get online quotes and some tips to save money. But West Virginia consumers must learn the way insurance companies price online insurance because it can help you find the best coverage.

Buy Cheaper Car Insurance with These Tips

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to big savings.

Shown below are a few of the “ingredients” companies use to determine prices.

Too many car insurance claims drive up costs – If you file claims often, you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Companies in West Virginia give lower rates to policyholders who file claims infrequently. Auto insurance is meant to be used in the event of the bigger claims that can’t be paid out-of-pocket.
Extra coverages can waste money – There are quite a few add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Things like personal injury protection, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so remove them from your policy.
More than one policy can earn a discount – Most car insurance companies give discounts to policyholders who buy several policies from them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can amount to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. Even if you’re getting this discount it’s still a good idea to compare rates to ensure the best deal.
Protect your assets with liability insurance – Liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if you are found liable for damages caused by your negligence. It will provide for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
Your credit rating is important – Your credit score is a huge factor in determining your rates. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure than those with lower credit ratings. If your credit score is low, you could save money insuring your by improving your credit score.

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Car insurance companies don’t always publicize all available discounts very well, so we researched some of the more common as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance.

Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles with the same company can get a discount on all vehicles.
Discounts for Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.
One Accident Forgiven – A few companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates as long as you don’t have any claims prior to the accident.
Claim Free – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less when compared with drivers who are more careless.
Anti-theft System – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for switching policies before your current policy expires. It can save you around 10%.

It’s important to understand that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So even though it sounds like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.

Car Insurance through a local agent

A small number of people just want to visit with an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find lower rates but also keep your business local.

After completing this form (opens in new window), the quote information gets sent to companies in Bridgeport who will return price quotes to get your business. There is no reason to drive around due to the fact that quote results will go immediately to your email address. Now that’s easy! You’ll get the best rates and a licensed agent to work with.

Selecting a company should depend on more than just the price. These questions are important to ask:

Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
Are they full-time agents?
How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
Can they give you a list of client referrals?

Two different types of insurance agencies

If you’re trying to find a good insurance agency, you need to know there are two different types of agents that you can select. Agents can either be independent or captive. price insurance in West Virginia

Agency Captives

Captive insurance agents write business for a single company and examples are Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. Captives cannot shop your coverage around so they have no alternatives for high prices. They are well schooled in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents. Consumers sometimes choose to use a captive agent partially due to loyalty to the company and solid financial strength.

Shown below is a list of captive agencies in Bridgeport that can give you price quote information.

State Farm Insurance – 401 W Main St – Bridgeport, WV 26330 – (304) 842-6974
Allstate Insurance – 5 Chenoweth Dr – Bridgeport, WV 26330 – (304) 842-8883

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

Independent agencies are not locked into one company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent.

When comparison shopping, it’s recommended you get quotes from at a minimum one independent agency for maximum quote selection. They also have the ability to place coverage with lesser-known insurance companies which can be an advantage.

Listed below are independent insurance agencies in Bridgeport who can help you get price quote information.

Nationwide Insurance – 120 E Main St – Bridgeport, WV 26330 – (304) 842-7230
Oliverio Agency – 518 E Main St – Bridgeport, WV 26330 – (304) 842-1040
United Security Agency – 139 W Main St – Bridgeport, WV 26330 – (304) 842-3314
J L Gage Insurance Svc – RR 2 Box 472 # B – Bridgeport, WV 26330 – (304) 623-9225

For a complete listing of licensed insurance agents in Bridgeport, please view this page.

After receiving positive responses and locked in a price quote, it’s possible that you found an auto insurance agent that will properly insure your vehicles.

Save $403 a year. For real?

Car insurance providers like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all make an identical promise about savings after switching your policy. How does each company make the same claim? This is how they do it.

All the different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a preferred risk might be profiled as between 25 and 40, owns a home, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Drivers who don’t meet this ideal profile will be quoted higher premiums and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads state “people who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save money. That’s the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings. This emphasizes why it is so important to get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict which company will fit your personal profile best.

More information about car insurance

More detailed West Virginia car insurance information can be read at the West Virginia Insurance Commission website. West Virginia consumers can download brochures, view agent and company licensing information, read industry bulletins, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

The following information may also be useful.

Final considerations

When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are too many instances where an accident victim reduced collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that it was a big mistake. The aim is to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford.

In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the best prices are with a lesser-known regional company.

Lower-priced car insurance is definitely available on the web as well as from independent agents in Bridgeport, and you should be comparing both to have the best rate selection. A few companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.