Everyone knows that auto insurance companies want to keep you from shopping around. Drivers who shop around will, in all likelihood, buy a new policy because there is a great chance of finding a more affordable policy premium. A study showed that people who compared prices regularly saved an average of $72 a month compared to people who never shopped around for better prices.
If saving the most money on insurance is your ultimate objective, learning how to quote prices and compare car insurance can make it easier to shop your coverage around.
If your goal is the lowest price, then the best way to get cheaper car insurance rates is to begin comparing prices regularly from different companies who provide auto insurance in Virginia Beach. Rates can be compared by following these guidelines.
- First, take a little time to learn about how companies price auto insurance and the modifications you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that drive up the price like multiple speeding tickets and a poor credit rating can be remedied by being financially responsible and driving safely.
- Second, compare price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive and direct companies can provide rates from a single company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can quote prices from multiple insurance companies.
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to the premium of your current policy and determine if cheaper Journey coverage is available in Virginia Beach. If you find a better price and switch companies, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Fourth, tell your current agent or company of your intention to cancel your current policy and submit a completed policy application and payment to the new company. Once the paperwork is finalized, keep the new proof of insurance paperwork somewhere easily accessible.
One important bit of advice is to try to compare similar deductibles and liability limits on each quote and and to get price estimates from as many companies as possible. This provides a level playing field and the best rate selection.
If you have coverage now or are just looking to switch companies, you can follow these tips to save money without having to cut coverage. Buying affordable insurance in Virginia Beach can initially seem challenging. You only need an understanding of the most efficient way to compare rate quotes instantly.
Insurance Price Influencing Factors
Part of the insurance buying process is learning some of the elements that go into determining the rates you pay for insurance. If you know what influences your rates, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower insurance prices.
- Credit history impacts premiums – Having a good credit score can be an important factor in determining premium rates. Insureds with high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers who have lower credit ratings. So if your credit score is low, you may save money insuring your Dodge Journey by improving your credit score.
- Avoid coverage lapses – Letting your insurance expire is a sure-fire way to drive up your policy premiums. Not only will you pay more, failure to provide proof of insurance could earn you a steep fine or even jail time. You may then have to file a SR-22 with the Virginia motor vehicle department to get your license reinstated.
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Men are more aggressive – Statistics show that females take fewer risks when driving. This data doesn’t prove that females are better drivers. Both sexes cause auto accidents at about the same rate, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Not only are claims higher, but men receive more costly citations such as DWI and reckless driving. Male teenagers are the most expensive to insure so they pay the highest premiums.
The information below shows the difference between Dodge Journey insurance costs for male and female drivers. The price estimates are based on no violations or accidents, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, single status, and no additional discounts are factored in.
- Adjust deductibles and save – Physical damage protection, also called ‘full coverage’, covers damage that occurs to your Dodge. Examples of covered claims are a broken windshield, damage caused by hail, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. The more money the insured is willing to pay, the lower your rates will be.
- Alarm systems systems cut insurance rates – Buying a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can save you some money. Anti-theft features such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can thwart auto theft and help lower rates.
- Where you live – Being located in less populated areas of the country has definite advantages when shopping for auto insurance. Less people living in that area corresponds to lower accident rates and also fewer theft and vandalism claims. City drivers regularly have more road rage incidents and more severe claims. More time commuting means more chance of being in an accident.
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Affects performance affects auto insurance costs – The type of car or truck you need to insure makes a huge difference in determining your rates. Lower performance four cylinder passenger cars normally have pretty low rates, but that’s not the only thing that factors into the final price.
The next chart is based on a single female driver age 50, full coverage with $250 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. It illustrates Dodge Journey rates compared to other vehicles that have different performance rating factors.
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Dodge Journey insurance claim data – Companies use past loss statistics for each vehicle as a tool for profitable underwriting. Models that the data shows to have higher number or severity of losses will have higher rates. The next table shows the historical insurance loss data for Dodge Journey vehicles.
For each coverage category, the statistical loss for all vehicles averaged together is a value of 100. Numbers shown that are under 100 suggest a better than average loss history, while values over 100 indicate higher probability of having a loss or larger claims.
Dodge Journey Insurance Claim Statistics Vehicle Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Dodge Journey 4dr 2WD 80 92 80 148 163 131 Dodge Journey 4dr 4WD 96 116 71 96 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEEmpty fields indicate not enough data collected
Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Rates and other information
The data table displayed next covers estimates of insurance premium costs for Dodge Journey models. Learning as much as possible about how policy rates are formulated can aid in making smart choices when selecting a coverage provider.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journey SE 2WD | $118 | $196 | $334 | $20 | $100 | $768 | $64 |
| Journey SXT 2WD | $118 | $238 | $334 | $20 | $100 | $810 | $68 |
| Journey R/T 2WD | $134 | $238 | $334 | $20 | $100 | $826 | $69 |
| Journey SXT Crew 2WD | $134 | $238 | $334 | $20 | $100 | $826 | $69 |
| Journey SXT AWD | $134 | $238 | $334 | $20 | $100 | $826 | $69 |
| Journey R/T AWD | $134 | $280 | $334 | $20 | $100 | $868 | $72 |
| Journey SXT Crew AWD | $134 | $280 | $334 | $20 | $100 | $868 | $72 |
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Data based on single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Virginia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, claim-free, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Information does not factor in zip code location which can raise or lower price quotes significantly.
The information below shows how choosing a deductible and can increase or decrease Dodge Journey yearly insurance costs for different insured age categories. The premiums are based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are factored in.
How violations and accidents impact rates
The chart below illustrates how violations and at-fault claims can affect Dodge Journey annual premium costs for different ages of insureds. The data assumes a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
Do you need full coverage?
The illustration below illustrates the difference between Dodge Journey annual premium costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying liability only. The prices are based on no accidents or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no other discounts are factored in.
When to stop buying comprehensive and collision coverage
There is no clear-cut formula for excluding full coverage, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of coverage is more than 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your Dodge Journey replacement value is $9,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would receive is $8,000 after the deductible is paid. If it’s costing you more than $800 a year for physical damage coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
There are some circumstances where eliminating full coverage is not recommended. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you have to maintain full coverage in order to keep the loan. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not consider dropping full coverage.
Score discounts on Virginia Beach car insurance
Not too many consumers would say car insurance is affordable, but discounts can save money and there are some available that can help lower your rates. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of quoting, but some must be manually applied before being credited.
- Payment Discounts – If you can afford to pay the entire bill as opposed to paying monthly you can avoid the installment charge.
- Drive Less and Save – Fewer annual miles on your Dodge may enable drivers to earn cheaper premium rates.
- Membership in Organizations – Having an affiliation with qualifying employment or professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates on your bill.
- Paper-free Discount – Some larger companies will give you a small discount for signing up on the web.
- Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. Most companies allow this discount well after school through age 25.
- Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Buying a policy with several vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way.
The example below visualizes the comparison of Dodge Journey annual premium costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. Data assumes a female driver, no claims or driving citations, Virginia state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, homeowner, marriage, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-policy discounts applied.
Some of the larger companies who may offer most of the discounts above include:
When quoting, ask each insurance company which credits you are entitled to. Some credits might not be offered on policies in every state. To see providers that offer the discounts shown above in Virginia Beach, click here to view.
One last thing to lower rates
Drivers who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including extreme rates for teen drivers, being labeled a high risk driver, policy cancellation or an unsatisfactory settlement offer. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching car insurance companies is not as hard as you think.
Lower-priced Dodge Journey insurance in Virginia Beach is attainable both online and with local Virginia Beach insurance agents, so you should compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies prefer to sell through independent insurance agencies.
In this article, we presented some good ideas how to find affordable Dodge Journey insurance in Virginia Beach. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding low cost Virginia Beach auto insurance quotes. You may even find the lowest rates come from the least-expected company.
Helpful resources
- Information for Teen Drivers (GEICO)
- How Much are Car Insurance Rates for Drivers Requiring a SR22 in Virginia Beach? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for a Nissan Altima in Virginia Beach? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Quotes for Young Drivers in Virginia Beach? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Virginia Beach Auto Insurance for Single Moms? (FAQ)
- Cellphones, Texting and Driving (iihs.org)
- Honda warning system reduces insurance claims (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)