Car Insurance in Radford - 7 Discounts You Might be Unaware of

Having to pay for overpriced car insurance can drain your savings account and make it hard to pay other bills. Comparison shopping is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to tighten up your finances. With so many choices, it can be impossible to find the best insurance company.

It's important to compare rates yearly since rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the lowest rates last year there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Starting now, ignore everything you know about car insurance because we're going to show you the tricks you need to know to properly buy coverages and cut your premium.

This article will teach you how to get online quotes and some tips to save money. If you have car insurance now, you will most likely be able to lower your premiums substantially using these methods. Virginia consumers only need to know the most effective way to get comparison rates online.

Compare Car Insurance Today

Reducing your insurance rates can be relatively painless. You just have to take time to get quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

The fastest way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form (click to open form in new window). This easy form eliminates the need for separate forms for every car insurance company. A single, simple form compares rates from several companies.
A different way to get quotes online is going to each individual company website and fill out their own quote form. For instance, let's assume you want comparison quotes from , and . To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website and enter your information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Radford, click here.
The least recommended way to compare rates is driving to different agent offices. Buying insurance online eliminates the need for an insurance agent unless you require the trained guidance of a local agent. However, consumers can find lower rates online and still use a local agent and we'll cover that in a bit.

It's up to you which method you use, but make sure you use apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for every quote you compare. If you are comparing different liability limits it's impossible to determine the best price in Radford.

Save big with these seven discounts

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts that many people don't even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for prior to receiving the credit. If you don't get every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

Accident Waiver - Some insurance companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don't have any claims prior to the accident.
Bundle and Save - If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
Anti-lock Brake System - Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
Early Signing - Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching to them prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
Organization Discounts - Belonging to a professional or civic organization is a good way to get lower rates on car insurance.
Multi-car Discount - Insuring more than one vehicle with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like it's possible to get free car insurance, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will help reduce your overall premium however.

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

Car insurance ads bend the truth

Consumers can't ignore all the ads for car insurance savings by State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. They all seem to make an identical promise about savings if you switch to their company.

But how can every company make the same claim?

All companies have a preferred profile for the driver that makes them money. For example, a desirable insured could be a mature driver, has no prior claims, and has great credit. Any new insured who meets those qualifications gets the lowest rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who fall outside this ideal profile will have to pay higher prices and ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much. This is how companies can truthfully advertise the savings.

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

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When buying adequate coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no "perfect" insurance plan. Everyone's situation is a little different so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions can help discover if your situation would benefit from professional advice.

I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
Does my insurance cover a custom paint job?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
Am I covered by my employer's commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?

If you're not sure about those questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.

Additional information can be found on the website for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance located here. Consumers can get help finding coverage, view agent and company licensing information, find out industry alerts, and file complaints about a company.

Other informative sites include this site for Virginia car insurance information and see this list of insurance agents in Radford.

A tidy conclusion

The cheapest car insurance can be found from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Radford agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.

As you prepare to switch companies, don't be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, consumers will sacrifice uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford.

You just learned some good ideas how you can compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like .