How to Know You’re Paying Too Much for Auto Insurance in Weirton

Finding the best price on Weirton auto insurance can seem complicated if you are a beginner to online quotes. Don’t let that stop you because we’re going to show you how.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

Finding lower Weirton auto insurance rates is a fairly straight forward process. The only thing you need to do is take time to compare rate quotes online with multiple companies. This can be done in several different ways.

1. The most efficient way to get quotes for comparison would be an industry-wide quote request form like this one (opens in new window). This form prevents you from having to do separate quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company. One form submission gets you price quotes from multiple low-cost companies. It’s definitely the quickest method.
2. A harder way to get quotes online is to manually visit each company’s website and request a quote. For instance, let’s say you want rates from GEICO, Allstate and Liberty Mutual. To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company’s site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to insurance companies in Weirton, click here.

Whichever way you use, be sure to compare the exact same coverage information for every company. If you have different deductibles it will be very difficult to determine the lowest rate in Weirton.

Beware of misleading auto insurance ads

Consumers in West Virginia can’t ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to make the same claim that you’ll save big if you move to them.

How can each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer they prefer to insure. A good example of a preferred risk could be over the age of 50, owns a home, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will get very good rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Drivers who do not match these standards will have to pay higher rates and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s the way insurance companies can make those claims.

Because of the profiling, it’s extremely important to get quotes from several different companies. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will give you the biggest savings.

Get Cheaper Rates by Understanding Pricing

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that play a part in calculating your auto insurance rates. Knowing what influences your rates enables informed choices that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

• Lower rates with optional equipment – Driving a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder auto theft.
• Never go without insurance – Having an insurance coverage lapse is a quick way to bump up your auto insurance costs. Not only will rates go up, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time.You may need to file a SR-22 with the West Virginia DMV.
• Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Safer cars can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles reduce injuries and lower injury rates means less money paid by your insurance company and thus lower rates.
• Sex matters – Statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. Now that doesn’t mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Both sexes are in accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species tend to have more serious accidents. Men also tend to have more aggressive citations like reckless driving and DUI.
• Liability coverage is cheap – Liability coverage is the protection when a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability insurance is quite affordable when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.

Save money by taking advantage of these discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, but you can get discounts to help bring down the price. Certain discounts will be applied when you complete an application, but lesser-known reductions have to be requested specifically in order for you to get them. If you’re not getting every credit possible, you are throwing money away.

• Auto/Home Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you may save up to 20% off your total premium.
• College Student – Children who are attending college and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
• Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
• Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of up to 25% or more.
• Use Seat Belts – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more off the personal injury premium cost.
• Life Insurance Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
• Club Memberships – Belonging to a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break on your policy.

Consumers should know that most of the big mark downs will not be given the the whole policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will reduce the cost of coverage.

To choose insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Weirton, click here to view.

Smart shoppers get results

People switch companies for any number of reasons including unfair underwriting practices, being labeled a high risk driver, policy non-renewal or even delays in paying claims. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new company is actually quite simple.

We’ve covered many tips how you can save on auto insurance. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from a small local company.

Affordable auto insurance is attainable on the web and with local Weirton insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection. Some companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

Additional consumer information websites

Additional information can be read on the West Virginia Insurance Commission website found here. Visitors are able to file complaints about a company, download brochures, find a variety of consumer forms, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.