From the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Full Story here.

Shopping for cheap car insurance may not be the most exciting thing you can do, but if you know how to do it right; it can have a tremendous payoff.  With the abundance of online car insurance sites, finding a great deal on car insurance can be accomplished with relative ease.  The easiest way to shop around is by going online, visiting car insurance sites, and getting multiple quotes.
 
However, before you go online, you should know what it is you’re looking for.  The first step is to determine what car insurance coverage you need.  Each state has its own requirements for the types and levels of coverage it requires each person to have.  Two essential car insurance coverage types for your vehicle include “comprehensive” coverage and “collision” coverage.  Collision coverage pays for damages to an insured car when it hits or is hit by another car or object.   Comprehensive coverage pays for damages to your vehicle from vandalism, theft, flood, fire or other covered perils.  Coverages are subject to the terms, limits and conditions of your policy contract, so it is important to understand the terms set forth by each insurer.

 Once you know the minimum requirements, you can decide if you want additional coverage beyond those minimums.  If you are okay with taking on a little more risk, you could choose lower coverages.  If you want to plan for worse case scenarios, choose a higher level of coverage.

The next step is to visit multiple car insurance websites to get a variety of quotes.  Rates on car insurance can vary by hundreds or even thousands of dollars among different insurers.  There are many factors that can contribute to how insurers rate the risk on your policy.  Everything from driving history, credit history, occupation, and number of vehicles covered can contribute to the cost of auto insurance.

Most insurance websites will allow you to adjust your coverage level and get multiple quotes for free.  By adjusting the various coverages, you can look to get cheap car insurance relatively easily.

Some of the key factors that can help lower your rates and get cheap car insurance include:

Safe Driving

Not surprisingly, being a safe driver is one of the best ways to lower your car insurance rate.  In general, fewer accidents or moving violations will lead to cheaper car insurance.

Higher deductible

By choosing a policy term that requires you to pay a higher amount out of pocket should you have a claim, you can save money on your annual car insurance cost.

Knowing your discounts

By knowing what companies offer discounts that are applicable to you, you can lower your rates significantly and get cheap car insurance.  Additionally, some auto insurance companies offer lower rates for online statements or for different payment plans.

In all, with a little bit of effort, consumers can find cheap car insurance and save hundreds of dollars on the premiums they are currently paying.  Consumers are encouraged to do their research and compare multiple providers to make sure they are getting the best deal they can on their car insurance rates.

One of the best ways consumers can save money in today’s economy is to make sure that they are shopping around for savings on their auto insurance policy.  Consumers should be certain that they aren’t overpaying for car insurance coverages or getting insurance coverages that they don’t need.  Additionally, consumers need to make sure that they are using a provider that offers multiple car insurance discounts that they could easily qualify for. The majority of consumers are not aware of the large number of discounts that companies offer. These auto insurance discounts range from group affiliation discounts, to paperless discounts, and to clean driving record discounts.
 
Discounts Based on Occupation are Available

Many consumers may not be aware that they could be eligible for additional discounts based simply on their occupation.  Auto insurance companies are continually looking to predict how risky consumers are so that they can accurately and competitively price car insurance policies.  There are many other factors that can affect the price of a consumer’s insurance policy outside of his or her driving history.  These factors include credit score, vehicle garaging address, current car insurance status and occupation. Some auto insurance providers have identified certain occupations to be lower risk groups when it comes to driving, and as result have lower rates available to people in these jobs. These car insurance discounts are available for multiple occupations, and can be as high as 9-10% for Full Time Graduate Students, Police Officers, Accountants, and Small Business Owners.  Additionally, other occupations such as Bankers, Nurses, and Engineers can receive discounts up to 6% of their insurance premium.  Consumers are encouraged to ask their insurance provider if they are receiving any additional auto insurance discounts because of their occupation. If a consumer isn’t receiving these or other discounts, he or she may be spending too much on auto insurance.

Shop Online to Get the Best Rates
 
The easiest way to make sure you are getting the best rate on your auto insurance is to shop online.  Getting quotes from multiple companies lets consumers compare auto insurance rates and find out what discounts are available to them. An online auto insurance quote takes less than 15 minutes and asks for standard information such as name, address, cars, and driving history.  In less than an hour you can receive up to five car insurance quotes online and easily compare the prices. Many customers can save hundreds of dollars for the same car insurance coverage just by switching to a company that has lower costs or offers more auto insurance discounts.  Most auto insurance companies have easy, free online quote services that can help you start saving money on your car insurance today.

Get a free one auto insurance quote today

Shop online for car insurance quotes and you could save over $500 a year on your auto insurance policy!