Cheap Nissan Sentra Insurance in Virginia Beach

The best way we recommend to find more affordable car insurance rates is to start comparing prices yearly from providers that insure vehicles in Virginia Beach.

Step 1: It will benefit you to learn about the different coverages in a policy and the steps you can take to prevent expensive coverage. Many policy risk factors that drive up the price like at-fault accidents and a bad credit rating can be rectified by being financially responsible and driving safely. Later in this article we will cover additional ideas to lower rates and find additional discounts you may qualify for.

Step 2: Request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give prices from a single company like GEICO or Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide rate quotes from many different companies.

Step 3: Compare the new quotes to your existing coverage and determine if cheaper Sentra coverage is available in Virginia Beach. If you can save money, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.

Step 4: Notify your agent or company to cancel your current coverage and submit a down payment and signed policy application to the new company. As soon as you receive it, store the certificate verifying coverage with your vehicle’s registration.

The most important part of shopping around is to make sure you’re comparing the same deductibles and limits on each quote request and and to get prices from as many carriers as you can. This enables an accurate price comparison and maximum price selection.

It’s an obvious assumption that auto insurance companies don’t want their customers to go rate shopping. Consumers who shop around for better prices will, in all likelihood, switch insurance companies because they have good chances of finding good coverage at a lower price. A recent survey found that consumers who routinely shopped around saved about $3,500 over four years as compared to drivers who don’t regularly compare prices.

If finding the cheapest price on Nissan Sentra insurance is your target objective, then having a grasp of how to find and compare insurance can save time and make the process easier.

The purpose of this article is to familiarize you with the best way to buy inexpensive insurance and how you can save the most money. If you are already insured, you should be able to get lower rates using the concepts covered in this article. Smart shoppers just need to learn how to compare company rates online from multiple companies.

Smart Consumers Save More

When buying car insurance it’s important to understand some of the elements that go into determining car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay, this allows you to make good choices that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

The following are a partial list of the pieces used by companies to determine your rates.

• Raising deductibles lowers rates – Comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay if the claim is covered. Physical damage protection, aka comp and collision, covers damage that occurs to your car. Some coverage claims are collision with another vehicle, hail damage, and damage caused by road hazards. The more money the insured has to pay upfront, the less your car insurance will be.
• Long commutes cost more – The higher the miles on your Nissan in a year’s time the more it will cost to insure it. The majority of insurers rate vehicles based on how the vehicle is used. Vehicles left parked in the garage receive better premium rates than vehicles that have high annual mileage. It’s always a good idea to double check that your vehicle rating shows the correct usage. A policy that improperly rates your Sentra can cost quite a bit.
• Additional coverages that may be costing you – There are many additional extra coverages that you can get tricked into buying but may not be useful. Things like rental car coverage, towing coverage, and term life insurance are some examples. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but if they’re wasting money remove them and pocket the money.
• Where you reside is a factor – Being located in a small town has it’s advantages when it comes to car insurance. Drivers who live in large cities tend to have more traffic problems and much longer commute distances. Less people means a lower chance of having an accident and lower theft and vandalism rates.
• GPS tracking and theft deterrents reduce prices – Choosing to buy a car with a theft deterrent system can earn a premium discount. Theft prevention features such as vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack help track and prevent auto theft and help lower rates.
• Use one insurance company and save – Many car insurance companies provide a discount to policyholders that purchase more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. If you currently are using one company, it’s always a smart idea to compare Nissan Sentra rates in Virginia Beach to guarantee you are still saving the most. You may still save money by buying car insurance from a different company.
• Drivers with responsible credit save – A driver’s credit history can be a huge factor in determining your rates. If your credit history is not that good, you could save money insuring your Nissan Sentra by improving your credit score. Drivers with high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with lower credit ratings.

• Nissan Sentra claim probability – Insurers analyze claim trends for every vehicle in order to profitably underwrite each model. Models that the data determines to have increased claim numbers or amounts will have higher premium rates. The table shown below demonstrates the actual insurance loss data for Nissan Sentra vehicles.

  For each coverage category, the statistical loss for all vehicles compiled together is equal to 100. Numbers shown that are under 100 suggest a better than average loss history, while numbers shown that are more than 100 indicate frequent claims or an increased chance of larger losses than average.

  
  

  Nissan Sentra Insurance Claim Statistics

  Vehicle Make and Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Nissan Sentra	120	107	81	158	179	141

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years

Analysis of coverages

The rate table below showcases detailed analysis of coverage prices for Nissan Sentra models. Learning how premiums are determined is important for making decisions on the best policy coverages.

Data rating is based on married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Virginia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and homeowner. Estimates do not factor in specific location which can influence premium rates considerably.

Physical damage deductible comparison

When comparing auto insurance rates, the most common question is how high or low should comp and collision deductibles be. The premium rates below may help to illustrate how much more you’ll pay of buying low and high coverage deductibles. The first table uses a $100 physical damage coverage deductible and the second set of rates uses a $500 deductible.

Data rating is based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Virginia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Premium costs do not factor in specific zip code location which can alter rates substantially.

Based on the figures above, using a $100 deductible could cost the average driver approximately $19 more each month or $228 annually averaged for all Sentra models than choosing the higher $500 deductible. Since you would pay $400 more out-of-pocket with a $500 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you have more than 21 months between claims, you would save more money if you opt for a higher deductible. The illustration below shows an example of how this determination is made.

One thing to note is that increasing deductibles to lower your rates means you will have to pay more out-of-pocket when you have a comprehensive or collision claim. That will require some funds available in order to pay the higher deductible.

The information below shows how choosing a deductible and can affect Nissan Sentra annual premium costs for different age groups. The prices are based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.

Impact of careless driving on auto insurance rates

The information below demonstrates how citations and accident claims influence Nissan Sentra insurance costs for each age group. The data assumes a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.

Full coverage or liability only

The diagram below shows the difference between Nissan Sentra auto insurance costs when comparing full coverage to state minimum liability only. Data assumes no accidents or driving violations, $500 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no other discounts are factored in.

Are you wasting money paying for full coverage?

There is no definitive rule to exclude comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than about 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.

For example, let’s pretend your Nissan Sentra replacement value is $5,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $4,000 after paying your policy deductible. If you are currently paying more than $400 a year for full coverage, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.

There are some conditions where only buying liability is not a good plan. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not opt for liability only.

Lower-cost Virginia Beach auto insurance rates with discounts

Some providers don’t necessarily list the entire discount list very clearly, so we took the time to find some of the best known and the harder-to-find credits that you can use to lower your rates.

• Pay Upfront and Save – By paying your entire bill at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may reduce your total bill.
• Low Mileage – Fewer annual miles on your Nissan could earn lower premium rates on the low mileage vehicles.
• Claim Free – Virginia Beach drivers who stay claim-free are rewarded with significantly better rates on Virginia Beach auto insurance quote when compared to policyholders that have many claims.
• Employee of Federal Government – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% depending on your company.
• Discount for Good Grades – This discount can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts until age 25.
• Active Military Service – Having a family member in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
• Discount for Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with a discounted rate on car insurance if you buy life insurance.

Please keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it’s just not the way it works.

The information below visualizes the comparison of Nissan Sentra car insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The premium estimates are based on a female driver, no claims or driving violations, Virginia state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with marriage, homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, and multi-car discounts applied.

Popular auto insurance companies and the discounts they provide are included below.

• GEICO has savings for federal employee, emergency military deployment, driver training, multi-vehicle, and seat belt use.
• MetLife may offer discounts for defensive driver, claim-free, accident-free, good driver, and good student.
• State Farm offers discounts for safe vehicle, defensive driving training, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good driver, and accident-free.
• Progressive may include discounts for online quote discount, homeowner, online signing, good student, continuous coverage, and multi-vehicle.
• Mercury Insurance discounts include good driver, location of vehicle, multi-car, age of vehicle, multi-policy, good student, and type of vehicle.
• 21st Century has discounts for good student, defensive driver, student driver, theft prevention, and early bird.
• Allstate offers discounts including 55 and retired, anti-lock brakes, early signing, multi-policy, and premier discount.

If you need inexpensive Virginia Beach auto insurance quotes, ask each insurance company which discounts you may be entitled to. Discounts may not apply to policyholders everywhere. To see providers that offer many of these discounts in Virginia Beach, click here to view.

How much can you save?

When searching for cheaper Virginia Beach auto insurance quotes, do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed collision coverage and discovered at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

In this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to shop for Nissan Sentra insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding low cost Virginia Beach auto insurance quotes. Drivers may even discover the biggest savings come from some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers often have lower car insurance rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like Allstate and Progressive.

More information can be read on the following sites:

• Rearview cameras reduce backing crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
• How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for Drivers with Accidents in Virginia Beach? (FAQ)
• Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
• Credit Impacts Car Insurance Rates (State Farm)
• Senior Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)