How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Car Insurance in Gretna

Are you sick and tired of paying out the nose each month for car insurance? You're in the same situation as most other car owners in Virginia.

With consumers having so many choices of insurance companies, it is hard for the average consumer to find the right insurer.

It's important to take a look at other company's rates once or twice a year because rates are constantly changing. Just because you had the best rates two years ago you can probably find a better price now. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding car insurance online but we're going to give you some great ways to quit paying high car insurance rates.

Locating the lowest cost coverage in Gretna can be fairly easy. Just about every vehicle owner who has to buy car insurance will most likely be able to cut their insurance bill. Nevertheless, Virginia car owners do need to know how the larger insurance companies sell insurance online.

Gretna Rates are Influenced by These Factors

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that go into determining your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

Credit scores impact car insurance rates - Your credit score is a big factor in your rate calculation. If your credit rating is lower than you'd like, you could save money insuring your by improving your rating. Drivers who have good credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with poor credit.
Drive a safer car and pay less - Vehicles with high crash test scores can get you lower premiums. Safer cars reduce injuries and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
How's your driving record? - Your driving record has a big impact on rates. Careful drivers get better rates than bad drivers. Even one citation can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Drivers who get serious violations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence may be required to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to continue driving.
With age comes lower rates - Young drivers in Virginia are statistically proven to be less responsible in a vehicle so car insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers tend to be more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
Save money with special equipment - Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder car theft.
Don't get talked into coverage you don't need - There are many extra bells and whistles you can purchase on your policy. Things like rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and term life insurance may be costing you every month. They may seem good initially, but if they're wasting money remove them from your policy.
Protect yourself with liability coverage - Liability insurance will protect you in the event that you are found to be at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability provides you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. Liability is cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so do not cut corners here.

These discounts can lower your rates

Car insurance can cost a lot, but you can get discounts that you may not even be aware of. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at the time of quoting, but some may not be applied and must be specially asked for before you will receive the discount.

Passive Restraints - Vehicles with factory air bags can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
Service Members Pay Less - Being on active duty in the military could mean lower rates.
Early Signing - Some companies give discounts for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
Anti-lock Brake System - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Good Students Pay Less - This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. The good student discount can last until age 25.
55 and Retired - If you're over the age of 55, you may qualify for better car insurance rates.
Organization Discounts - Belonging to a professional or civic organization is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.

It's important to understand that most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like medical payments or collision. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce the cost of coverage.

To choose providers offering car insurance discounts in Virginia, click here to view.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Companies like State Farm and Allstate constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. All the ads make an identical promise of big savings if you switch to their company. But how can every company make the same claim? It's all in the numbers.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the driver that makes them money. A good example of a preferred risk could be between the ages of 40 and 55, has no tickets, and chooses high deductibles. A customer who meets those qualifications will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Potential insureds who are not a match for this ideal profile will be charged more money and ends up with business going elsewhere. The ads state "customers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. That's why insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

That is why you should get as many quotes as possible. Because you never know the company that will give you the biggest savings.

More Virginia car insurance information

Additional car insurance information can be read on the website for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance found here. Consumers can find out industry alerts, find disaster information, file complaints about a company, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Other informative sites include NAIC.org's Understanding your Policy and this directory of Gretna insurance agents.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

We just showed you many tips how you can save on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the higher the chance of saving money. You may be surprised to find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from some of the smallest insurance companies. Some small companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as .

When buying insurance coverage, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.