Tightwads Instructions on Saving on Roanoke Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us, there are many people just like you.

Lots of contend for your business, so it can be very hard to choose a to get the lowest price

Tips to Get Lower Roanoke Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in better auto insurance rates.

  • Safer cars cost less to insure - Safer cars tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles protect occupants better and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts and lower rates for you.
  • Do you know your deductibles? - Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims could be colliding with a building, collision with an animal, and burglary. The more expense you have to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
  • Careful drivers pay lower rates - Whether or not you get tickets impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Only having one ticket can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums than bad drivers. Drivers with serious tickets such as DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
  • Do you have enough liability coverage? - Liability insurance provides coverage if a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. It provides you with a defense in court up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Do you need those extra coverages? - There are many extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your auto insurance policy. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, accidental death and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
  • With age comes lower rates - Older insureds are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers. Teen drivers are statistically proven to be less responsible when behind the wheel therefore auto insurance rates are much higher.

auto insurance in Roanoke

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not even be aware of. A few discounts will automatically apply when you complete an application, but some may not be applied and must be asked for before they will apply.

  • Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Driving fewer miles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
  • Homeowners Discount - Owning a home in Roanoke may earn you a small savings because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
  • Discount for Good Grades - This discount can save 20 to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.
  • Organization Discounts - Participating in certain professional organizations could trigger savings when buying auto insurance.
  • Paperless Signup - Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application on their website.

Keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like you could get a free auto insurance policy, it just doesn't work that way. But any discount will cut the amount you have to pay.

To choose insurers offering auto insurance discounts in Roanoke, click this link.

Save $429 a year? Really?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. All the companies make the same claim that you can save if you switch your coverage to them. How do they all make almost identical claims?

Different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Consumers who don't qualify for the "perfect" profile must pay higher rates which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way insurance companies can advertise the savings.

This illustrates why you should compare as many rates as you can. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

More information can be read on the website for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance located here. Virginia consumers can find disaster information, report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

Final considerations

Affordable auto insurance is available online as well as from independent agents in Roanoke, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. There are still a few companies who don't offer online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just read many ideas to save on auto insurance. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the better your comparison will be. Drivers may discover the best prices are with the least-expected company. Some small companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like .

As you prepare to switch companies, never buy poor coverage just to save money. There are a lot of situations where someone sacrificed collision coverage and discovered at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.