Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for College Students in Virginia

You’ve seen the captivating commercials from insurers like Farmers and Nationwide that claim the cheapest price, so drivers just need to pick the one with the best commercial, right?

It’s just not that easy, however, as there are many unknowns such as if you are married, the annual mileage you drive, and whether you have prior claims, that all influence how much you pay for auto insurance. We are going to cover the types of things that cause high car insurance rates and will give you some help in finding cheaper rates.

When buying car insurance for students in college, one of the key considerations that establish the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where your residence is. Regions with more people or even just more weather-related claims like Centreville, Burke, and Richmond tend to pay higher rates, whereas less populated areas have the enjoyment of a little cheaper coverage.

The illustration below lists the most expensive places in Virginia for college students in which to buy car insurance.

Rate quotes are estimated as the specific zip code location can increase or decrease rates considerably.

Finding dependable, cheap car insurance is not the easiest thing to accomplish, and deciding which company offers the lowest-priced auto insurance rates for college students will take a bit more work. Coverage prices will probably be somewhat higher than the average policy in Virginia because of the potential for more claims that comes with selling coverage for students in college, but reasonable insurance may be achievable if you thoroughly shop around. Every insurance company uses a slightly different approach for filing rates in each state, so first we will examine the overall cheapest auto insurance companies in Virginia.

Keep in mind that Virginia auto insurance rates are based on many factors that will increase or decrease the policy premium. Things like having a birthday, getting divorced, or getting into an accident may generate price changes that can make some companies cheaper than before.

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Travelers generally has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Virginia at around $679 annually. USAA, Penn National, Auto-Owners, and Cincinnati Insurance would also make the list of some of the lowest-priced Virginia car insurance companies.

In the above rates, if you currently have coverage with Penn National and switched to Travelers, you might see a yearly price reduction of in the vicinity of $69. Policyholders with Auto-Owners might save as much as $79 a year, and Cincinnati Insurance insureds might lower prices by $84 a year.

If you want to see how much you could save, click here to start your free quote or quote prices from the following companies.

Remember that these rates are averaged for all types of insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration a rate increase for college students. So the company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be featured in the above rate chart. That’s why you need to get quotes using your own individual information.

How much more does full coverage cost?

Finding cheap car insurance for college students in Virginia is the goal of the majority of people, and one of the quickest ways to pay less for insurance is to not insure for full coverage. The example below shows the difference between auto insurance rates with full phyical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The premiums are based on no claims or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no other discounts are factored in.

As an overall average, physical damage coverage on your policy costs an extra $1,466 per year over and above liability coverage. That is a large expense and it proposes the question if paying for full coverage is worth it. There is no written rule of when to phase out comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

There are some situations where eliminating full coverage is not a good idea. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not drop full coverage.

Best cheap insurance quotes for students in college

Thanks to the internet, there are a lot of ways to find cheaper auto insurance in Virginia, but the most preferred methods are using an independent agent, an exclusive insurance agency such as Allstate or Auto-Owners, or direct either online or via phone.

All three ways can provide auto insurance quotes, but they are slightly different in how they function.

Independent agencies write business for many companies and can compare coverage rates with all of them. They do not write with just one company and can get prices from more than one company, which can help you get better odds of saving money. If cheaper coverage is found, your policy can be easily switched to a new company which makes it easier to save money.

An exclusive ageny is contracted to one company like a Farmers or Allstate agent. These agents normally cannot quote prices from more than a single company, so they are skilled at selling on more than just price.

Auto insurance from a direct company means you bypass a local insurance agent and instead shop from a direct company like Esurance. Shopping direct can be good for families who do not have complex finances and know how auto insurance works and possible exclusions.

Which way is best to buy cheap car insurance for college students in Virginia? We’d like to tell you buying from a direct company yields the cheapest rates since there isn’t an agent involved, but in reality, that is not the case. We could also say that an independent agent is the best way to save since they can quote with many companies, but that assumption is also not accurate. In some circumstances, exclusive agencies may have prices that are well below what direct and independents offer.

Since auto insurance companies use so many rating factors, really the only way to buy the cheapest policy is to obtain price quotes and compare them. We recommend you get prices from all three to get an idea of which is cheapest. A great place to start is our list of online companies offering discounts: click here to view.