Consumer Tested Strategies to Save on Sutherlin Auto Insurance

Nobody I know enjoys paying for auto insurance, especially knowing the price is too high.

Because you have many choices, it can be challenging to pick the most cost effective insurer.

This information will familiarize you with how car insurance quotes work and some tips to save money. If you currently have a car insurance policy, you should be able to save some money using these methods. Nevertheless, Virginia vehicle owners do need to know how companies sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

Save big with these discounts

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically at the time you complete a quote, but some must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings.

  • Homeowners Savings - Owning a home in Sutherlin may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house requires personal responsibility.
  • Good Student - A discount for being a good student can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
  • Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts of up to 25% or more.
  • Paperless Signup - A few companies give back up to $50 simply for signing online.
  • Senior Discount - Mature drivers may receive better auto insurance rates.
  • Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Low mileage vehicles can qualify you for better rates on cars that stay parked.
  • Safety Course Discount - Successfully completing a course teaching defensive driving skills can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
  • Discount for Swiching Early - Some insurance companies reward drivers for signing up before your current expiration date. The savings is around 10%.

Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Some only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will help reduce your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Virginia, click this link.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

There are several ways to compare rate quotes from different Sutherlin insurance companies. The best method to find the lowest rates is to use the internet to compare rates. This can be done in a couple of different ways.

  • The best way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form like this one (opens in new window). This form eliminates the need for multiple quote forms for each company you want a rate for. Just one form gets you price quotes from multiple low-cost companies.
  • A harder way to get quotes online requires a trip to each individual company website and request a quote. For sake of this example, let's assume you want to compare , and . To get each rate you have to spend time on each company's site to input your insurance information, which is why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Sutherlin, click here.
  • The hardest method of getting rate comparisons is driving around to and from local Sutherlin insurance agencies. Buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you require the professional guidance that only a license agent can provide. Drivers can obtain prices from the web and still use a local agent and we'll touch on that later.

It's up to you how you get prices quotes, just be sure to compare apples-to-apples quote information with every price quote. If each company quotes mixed coverages it's not possible to find the best deal in Sutherlin. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits may cause a big price difference. Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes gives you a better chance of getting a better price.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates enables informed choices that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.

Shown below are some of the factors auto insurance companies consider when setting premiums.

  • What are your deductibles? - Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket in the event of a claim. Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply are colliding with a building, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The more money you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.
  • A clean driving record saves money - Only having one speeding ticket can boost insurance rates forty percent or more. Careful drivers have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with dangerous tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to file a SR-22 with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
  • Poor credit can mean higher rates - A driver's credit score is a important factor in determining your rates. Drivers who have excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with poor credit. So if your credit is low, you could pay less to insure your by improving your rating.
  • Discounts for married couples - Being married helps lower the price on your auto insurance policy. Having a spouse means you're more mature and responsible and it's proven that married couples file fewer claims.

But I don't know anything about car insurance

When choosing proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no single plan that fits everyone. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so this has to be addressed. These are some specific questions may help highlight if your situation would benefit from an agent's advice.

  • When do I need to add a new car to my policy?
  • Why am I required to buy high-risk coverage?
  • Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?
  • Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
  • Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
  • Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?

If it's difficult to answer those questions then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, simply complete this short form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Auto insurance ads bend the truth

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive consistently run ads on TV and radio. All the companies make the same claim of big savings if you change to their company. But how can every company say the same thing?

Insurance companies have a certain "appetite" for the driver that is profitable for them. An example of a profitable customer might be profiled as between 25 and 40, a clean driving record, and chooses high deductibles. A propective insured who matches those parameters will qualify for the lowest rates and most likely will save a lot of money.

Potential customers who fall outside this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate which leads to business not being written. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "people who quote" save that much. That is how insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

This illustrates why drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's not possible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.

Final considerations

Cost effective auto insurance can be sourced on the web and also from your neighborhood Sutherlin agents, so you should compare both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how to compare auto insurance prices online. It's most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Consumers could even find that the most savings is with the least-expected company. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates than their larger competitors like .

Virginia auto insurance

Additional Virginia consumer information

Additional auto insurance information is available on the website for the Virginia Bureau of Insurance located here. Virginia drivers can report car insurance fraud, file complaints about a company, find out industry alerts, and get help finding coverage.

Additional helpful sites include this page for Virginia auto insurance and this page for help finding agents in Sutherlin, VA.