Proven Ways to Save on Big Otter Car Insurance

Tired of paying out the nose each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other drivers in West Virginia.

You have multiple to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to be able to choose, having more makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to do rate comparisons once or twice a year since rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best price last year you can probably find a better price now. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because we're going to demonstrate the proper way to reduce your cost while improving coverage.

Why some people pay less for insurance in Big Otter

Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that go into determining your car insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels allows you to make educated decisions that can help you get lower car insurance prices.

  • Your credit rating is important - Your credit score is a important factor in your rate calculation. If your credit rating is lower than you'd like, you could save money insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Drivers with high credit scores tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers who have poor credit.
  • High crash test scores lower rates - Cars with high safety ratings are cheaper to insure. Safer cars result in less severe injuries and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
  • Tickets mean higher rates - Your driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Good drivers have lower premiums than bad drivers. Just one moving violation can increase rates by twenty percent. Drivers who get serious violations like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions may be required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
  • Are you male or female? - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that women are better drivers. Women and men have accidents in similar percentages, but men cause more damage. Men also get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high car insurance rates.
  • Bundling policies can get discounts - Most companies give discounts to policyholders who have multiple policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even if you're getting this discount you still need to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal. You may still be able to find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.
  • Your spouse saves you money - Having a spouse can actually save you money when buying car insurance. Marriage is viewed as being more responsible and it's proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
  • Extra coverages can waste money - There are many extra bells and whistles you can purchase on your policy. Coverages for vanishing deductibles, better glass coverage and motor club memberships are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but if you don't need them eliminate them to save money.

West Virginia car insurance

Be sure to get all your discounts

Car insurance can cost a lot, but you may find discounts that you may not even be aware of. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you purchase, but less common discounts must be asked for before being credited.

  • Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags may earn rate discounts of 20% or more.
  • Military Rewards - Having a deployed family member could mean lower rates.
  • Good Students Pay Less - This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
  • One Accident Forgiven - Certain companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
  • Anti-lock Brake Discount - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and will save you 10% or more.
  • Anti-theft Discount - Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.

A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.

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

Is there truth in advertising?

Companies like State Farm and Allstate constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. All the ads say the same thing about savings if you switch to them. How does each company make the same claim?

All companies can use profiling for the type of driver that makes them money. For example, a preferred risk could be a mature driver, has no tickets, and has great credit. Any new insured who fits that profile gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Consumers who don't measure up to these standards will be charged higher prices which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save money. That's why companies can truthfully advertise the savings.

That is why you should get as many comparisons as possible. It's just too difficult to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.

More West Virginia car insurance information

Additional information can be found on the website for the West Virginia Insurance Commission located here. Consumers can find out industry alerts, find disaster information, file complaints about a company, and learn about insurance regulations.

compare Big Otter car insurance rates

Final considerations

You just learned a lot of tips how to save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even find the best price on car insurance is with some of the lesser-known companies. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper compared to the large companies like .

Cheaper car insurance is available from both online companies and with local Big Otter insurance agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. There are still a few companies who do not offer online price quotes and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.