Anyone’s car insurance is affected by two sets of factors; ones that you can influence and ones that you cannot control. This is about the ones that you cannot control.

Car insurance in Virginia or in any other state is influenced by many factors. How high or low your car insurance premiums will be is something that you can control only to a certain point. There are some unchangeable auto insurance factors that will affect your premiums regardless of your actions. Here is a list of the unchangeable factors that affect your car insurance coverage:

Your age

Teenagers pay the highest car insurance premiums and there is nothing to do about it. The insurance companies justify that with the statistics that say that people under the age of 25 are more likely to be involved into accident than people older than 25. Also, there is a statistic that says people between ages of fifty and sixty five have the smallest chance to get into some sort of traffic accident. It’s more than obvious that you can’t do anything about that, apart from to live long enough to get low rates.

Your gender

Almost unbelievable but according to the statistics women are safer drivers than men. As a result of that they get lower rates. Therefore if you are a man you will have to live with that, unless you want to change your gender because of the lower car insurance premiums.

Your marital status

There is a small ultimatum here: Get married or pay high car insurance premiums! It might look like a changeable factors but the truth is that hardly who gets married or divorced because of his/her car insurance premium. Car insurance companies see marriage as a sign of stability and as a result of that point of view they give lower premiums to married people.  Therefore if you are still not married you got one more reason to start looking for the love of your life.

Car theft in your area

This is only changeable only if you are the mayor of the city or a superhero that can fight crime, otherwise it falls into the unchangeable factors. Car insurance companies always take the crime rates in your area as a risk factor. Probably you can move into a neighborhood with less crime but then whoever did that because of the car insurance premiums. The only thing that you can change is your next address if you ever move and hope that the crime rate won’t rise over there as well.

Your bad luck

Let’s assume that you are one of those people that are always on the wrong place in the wrong time and as a result your car is often hit or damaged. And because of that you make frequent claims, which is pretty logical. Insurance companies don’t like that even so that every single time is someone else’s fault. The consequence of your bad luck will be increased premiums and there is not much you can do about that, it’s not like you can change your luck overnight. You can try to pay from your own pocket for the smaller damages, but for how long? And what’s the point of that if you are already insured.

Regardless of all that there is one simple thing that you can do and that can make a great difference for your car insurance premiums. Simply enter your zip code in on this page and you can get a great number of free quotes from plenty of companies that offer Car insurance in Virginia.

Most people do not know much about Virginia car insurance or about the laws that relate to that. Not to mention what are their rights in relation to those laws and what the insurance companies have the right to do and what not to do. As a result of that insurance companies sometimes take advantage of that ignorance and do as it suits them. If you don’t want to be a victim of your own ignorance here are some of the most important things that every driver in Virginia should be aware of. Knowing a thing or two not only will help you to deal with insurance companies but at the same time will help you to find cheap insurance coverage.

First of all you have the right to cancel and buy a new coverage at any time it suits you and at the same time to ask for foundation. The insurer is obligated by the car insurance laws to comply with that. The insurance companies often forgot to mention that because they don’t like such deals. This can come handy if you find a better and cheaper coverage and you want to get rid of your old insurer. If that is the case you have every right to do so and no insurer has the right to legally do something about it.

Ask your agent about his fees. Some insurers allow their agents to charge their clients with additional fees for services like faxing, mailing, photocopying. The agent must give you a schedule of fees in his office. If you think that he is overcharging you than you probably need to look for another insurance agent. However, before you do that it is for the best if you check other agents’ fees as well. That way you can be 100% sure that your agent is overcharging you or not. In addition to that you can also check if the insurance company has some additional fees that are not included in the annual premium for which you are not aware of that can increase the sum that you need to pay.

Many drivers are often turned down by many insurers just because they had some car accident or traffic violation.  However, that does not mean that you won’t find one that will accept you as a client. The reason for that is because many companies with low premiums have underwriting standards. If you keep on trying you will eventually find one. It’s highly likely that some of the companies that have higher premiums will have you as their client. In case you still can’t find any company to make you a car insurance policy you can ask for a policy from the Virginia Automobile Insurance Plan. Any licensed insurance agent that works on the territory of the state of Virginia can ask in your name for such policy. This policy should be your last resort because it costs much more than the ones made from the private companies.

When you go to an insurance agent you are not obligated to tell him if you have some traffic violation or car accident that is really old. According to an act in 1974 you have the right not to mention that, that is if a long period of time has passed since then. There is no reason why not to take advantage of that act, especially if you have some traffic violation that you did as a teenager. There is no reason why to pay now for your teenage mistakes. That can help you keep your premiums to a more reasonable level. On the other hand if the insurance agent knows about it you better be prepared for high premiums.

Limited right to a lawsuit does not mean no right to a lawsuit. Most of the people understand the word limited as no right even so it means that there are cases when you can sue the party that caused the accident. Limited right to a lawsuit means that you can sue someone only in some of the following cases: loss of body part, loss of fetus, significant scarring, significant disfigurement, permanent injury or death.

Every insurer is obligated to award you a discount if you have passed the defensive driving course. All you need to do is to provide a written proof that you have passed the course and you can have lower premiums. Also, the Virginia law says that every person of 55 years of age or older that passes the motor vehicle accident prevention course automatically should be given a reduction in premiums. How much the reduction will be is determined by each insurer. Once you pass the course you can have reduced premiums in the next three years. Therefore, knowing that you need to ask around if you want to know which insurance company in the state of Virginia gives the biggest reductions.

Frequent claims can skyrocket your premiums as well even if it’s not your fault for the accident. They won’t speak about that openly but that’s exactly what they will do. They will look to you as an increased risk and you can say good bye to your low premiums. The fact that you have clean driving record, that it’s not your fault for the accident, that your car is equipped with the latest safety features, that you passed the defensive driving course won’t do you much good. Your premiums will be still pretty high compared prior to your claims. The best way to deal with that is not to make claims for every little thing. If you want to keep your premiums low you need to pay for some smaller damages from your own pocket.

One more thing that most insurance companies rarely tell their clients is that they can get free quotes from a great number of companies and that it can be easily done. If you are truly interesting in finding the cheapest car insurance in Virginia just enter your zip above on this page and wait a while. For only short period you will be able to choose from great deal of offers from some of the best insurers in the state.

How much you pay for your car insurance in Virginia is affected by all sorts of factors. However, each factors caries different weight and affects your premium differently. While some insurance companies rely on one set of factors, others rely on another set of factors. That is something that largely depends on the company policy and what the strategy that the particular insurer has. Here are some of the most common factors that almost any insurer considers when your premiums are made.

10. Age

Age can strongly affect your premium. For an example teenage and older people in average pay the highest rates regardless their individual driving skills. Just because you will fall in that category you will pay high premiums. On the other hand middle aged drivers with clean driver’s record pay the lowest premiums.

9. Marital status.

Married people are considered to be more responsible drivers and as a result of that they are given lower premiums. Single people on the other hand are so to speak penalized by the insurance companies for not being married and are given higher rates. The solution is more than obvious: get married.

8.  Safety features

The existence of alarm system, automatic seatbelts, airbag, ABS and/or other safety equipment automatically qualifies you for discount. On the other hand if you have no safety feature in your vehicle you will pay higher premiums. This is pretty important to every car insurer and strongly affects the premiums.

7. You do badly at school

You are full time student but you have a low average. Too bad because if you had an average B or higher your premium would be much lower. Your driving abilities won’t help you as your performance at school. Once again the solution is pretty obvious; hit the books if you want to pay lower premiums. Most of the insurers see the high average as a sign of responsibility and that is why they take that step.

6. Mileage

According the logic of the insurance companies the more time you spend on the road the better your chances to be involved in some sort of traffic accident. As a result of that they award you with higher premiums regardless if you were or were not involved in any traffic accident. On the other hand if you drive less than 7.500 miles per year you need to notify your insurance agent about it. That qualifies you for discount. How much the discount will be it depends of the company policy and how they calculate risk? Therefore if you need to decrease your mileage consider public transportation, biking and walking as alternative means of transport.

5. Defensive driving course

Many people don’t bother to take the defensive driving course even so that it’s pretty easy one and doesn’t take too much time. Every insurer in Virginia will grant you a discount if you provide a proof that you have passed the course. The car insurance companies are obligated by law to give you a discount if you show them your certificate that you have passed the course.

4. Expensive vehicle

Things are pretty simple in this department, the more expensive or newer your vehicle is the higher your premium. The reason why is so is because if you are involved in an accident the vehicle will cost much more to repair than some used or less expensive vehicle. If you intend to buy an expensive vehicle you better be prepared for high premiums because they will be waiting for you and there isn’t much to do about it. This is pretty much the same with any insurance company in the world, not only in Virginia.

3. Credit rating

The credit rating is considered as one of the most unfair and at the same time the most controversial factors that are taken in consideration when the insurer is making your premiums. According to the insurers the lower your credits score the higher risk you are and with it your chances to be involved in some sort of traffic incident are much higher. However, there are some insurance companies that don’t take this in consideration. So, if you have a bad credit score you need to look for insurers that don’t take that in consideration. There might be not many left but if you look harder you will surely find one. On the other hand if your credit score is good you can relax and worry less about your premiums.

2. Traffic violations and accidents

Past car accidents and other traffic violations can make your premiums reach to the sky. Nothing speaks more to an insurance agent than your past sins on the road. There is nothing that you can do about it if they are written in your driver’s record. On the other hand if long time has passed from the time you can opt not to tell your insurance agent. There is an act from 1974 that gives you the right to do so. If your insurance agent knew about that your new one does not have to and you have the law on your side not to tell him that.

1. Driver’s record

This is the most important factor. This is where all of your past as a driver is gathered. Every insurance agent bases large percentage of his assessment on what is written in that record and your premiums with that are largely affected. The cleaner it is the lower your premium will be and vice versa.

In addition to all that was already said about car insurance in Virginia

and how it works, there is one more thing to have in mind if you want to find the best deal. That is to ask for quotes from as much as possible car insurers. If you want to do that right away just enter your zip above on this page and you can have your free quotes. No factor can influence more your premium than using this online tool to get free car insurance quotes in the state of Virginia.

When it comes to car insurance in Virginia, there are a plenty of factors that can raise or lower your premiums over which you have zero control. Vast majority of the drivers out there think that they are number one drivers, but the thing is that most of us still feel the pain of being teenage drivers and having to pay more for the same car than our crazy friend who lives in our neighborhood. That’s the bad news; the good news is that there are still plenty of factors that influence your premium over which you have considerable control.

Here follow five factors that you have considerable control over which the insurance companies use to determine your premiums.

5. Take a defense driving course

Any insurance company operating on the territory of the state of Virginia is obligated to give you a discount if you provide a proof that you haves passed the defense driving course.

4. Stick with one insurance company

Loyalty is always rewarded when it comes to holding to one car insurance company for more years. The thing is they spend top dollars in advertisement and they know that. They also know that it costs much less to keep their customers than continuously investing in advertising. That is why they give great discounts to their loyal clients. If you stick with one company for a longer period you will be surprised how low your premium can be and it will be really hard for you to find a cheaper policy in case you decide to leave them because of some reason.

3. Pay upfront

Most of the insurers offer great discounts if you pay ahead upfront in full versus monthly payment plan. If you have the money this can save you a good amount of money. Even if you want to switch companies they are obligated to refund you the money for the days that you won’t be under their coverage.

2. Drive less

Almost any insurance company in Virginia will give you a discount if you lower your yearly mileage. For an example if you start using public transport more frequently you can reduce your yearly mileage and qualify for a discount. According to the insurers logic the less time you spend on the road there is a much smaller chance for some sort of traffic accident. It makes sense and if possible in your case you can take advantage of that.

1. Take care of your credit score

This is something that plenty of insurers use as a way to assess your risk when they make your premiums. However, most does not mean all. If you have a bad credit score check out if your insurer takes that in consideration. That cans serve you as a hint whether you need a new insurance company or you want to stick with the old one.

These are all good tips for lowering your premiums but if you truly want to pay the lowest possible premiums you need to get as many free quotes as possible. You can do that this very moment, all you need to do is to enter your zip above on this page and you will have free quotes from great companies of car insurance in Virginia.