Getting Cheap Sandston Car Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Believe me when I say there are many people just like you.

Consumers have many to buy insurance from, and although it's a good thing to be able to choose, it can be more difficult to compare rates.

You have some control over your rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what influences your rates enables informed choices that could result in big savings.

Shown below are a few of the "ingredients" car insurance companies consider when setting premiums.

  • Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance - Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
  • Don't buy coverages you don't need - There are quite a few extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying when buying car insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, accidental death and term life insurance may be wasting your money. These coverages may sound good when you first buy your policy, but if they're wasting money eliminate them to save money.
  • Teen drivers pay high rates - Youthful drivers in Virginia have a tendency to get distracted easily when behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older insureds are more responsible, file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel.
  • Rate your vehicle for proper use - The higher the mileage driven in a year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Most insurance companies charge to insure your cars based on their usage. Autos not used for work or commuting qualify for better rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Ask your agent if your car insurance declarations sheet shows the correct usage for each vehicle.
  • Your stress level may be raising your rates - Occupations such as lawyers, executives and financial analysts tend to have higher average rates because of high stress and lots of time spent at work. Conversely, jobs such as actors, engineers and retirees receive lower rates.
  • Do you have enough liability coverage? - Your policy's liability coverage provides coverage if you are found liable for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability insurance provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
  • Adjust deductibles and save - Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. Some instances where coverage would apply would be colliding with a building, damage from fire, or theft. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your car insurance will be.

car insurance in Sandston

Quick Sandston Car Insurance Quotes

There are multiple methods to compare car insurance prices but there is one way that is easier and takes less work. You can spend your afternoon talking to insurance companies in Sandston, or you could save time and use online quoting to quickly compare rates.

Most of the larger companies belong to an insurance system that enables customers to submit one quote, and each company provides a quote for coverage. This system prevents you from having to do quote forms to each individual car insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here to open in new window.

One minor caviat to pricing coverage this way is you cannot specify which providers to get pricing from. So if you want to select specific insurance companies to compare rates, we have assembled a list of car insurance companies in Virginia. Click here to view list.

It's up to you how you get prices quotes, just compare identical coverage limits with every price quote. If you use differing limits it's not possible to find the best deal in Sandston. Having just a slight variation in limits may result in a large different in cost. Just keep in mind that getting more free quotes helps locate better pricing.

Don't pay full price with these discounts

Companies don't always publicize all available discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find both the well known as well as the least known ways to save on car insurance.

  • Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Low mileage vehicles can earn better rates on cars that stay parked.
  • Safety Course Discount - Taking part in a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if your company offers it.
  • Student in College - Any of your kids who attend school more than 100 miles from home and don't have a car may be able to be covered for less.
  • Save with a New Car - Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less due to better safety requirements for new cars.
  • No Accidents - Drivers with accident-free driving histories can save substantially when compared with accident-prone drivers.

Keep in mind that most discount credits are not given the the whole policy. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though they make it sound like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it just doesn't work that way.

To choose insurers with discount car insurance rates in Virginia, click this link.

The car insurance bait and switch

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm consistently run ads in print and on television. All the companies make the same claim that you can save if you change to their company. How does each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that makes them money. For example, a profitable customer might be between 25 and 40, has no tickets, and has a short commute. Any driver who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and therefore will save when switching.

Potential customers who don't measure up to these standards must pay a more expensive rate which leads to the customer not buying. The ads state "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much. That's the way insurance companies can make the claims of big savings. This illustrates why you need to compare many company's rates. You cannot predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Additional detailed information can be found at the Virginia Bureau of Insurance website. Visitors are able to find disaster information, discover disciplinary actions, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

car insurance in Sandston

Shop smart and save

Affordable car insurance is attainable both online and also from your neighborhood Sandston agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers may not provide online price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you shop your coverage around, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.