Car insurance in West Virginia

Posted on September 26, 2014

West Virginia is listed among the worst states to buy car insurance, outdone by only Mississippi, Louisiana and Oklahoma. However, no matter where you live, there are always ways to lower your car insurance premiums to manageable levels. The summary shown below contains all you need to know about lowering the overall cost of insurance for passenger vehicles in the state of West Virginia. Find out how to build your own optimally affordable premium package.

West Virginia Minimum Liability Coverage

The minimum required auto accident liability coverage in the state of West Virginia is 25/50/25. In other words, $25,000 to cover injuries to the driver, $50,000 per accident for injuries to other people, and $25,000 insurance against property damage, for a maximum payout of $100,000 per accident.

Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in West Virginia

Drivers of uninsured vehicles in West Virginia face fines of anywhere from $200 all the way up to $5,000, plus a suspended driver’s license for 30 days and revocation of vehicle registration until proof of insurance is provided. Subsequent offenses can result in similar fines and/or jail terms of anywhere from 15 days to one year. Despite the stiff penalties, roughly one in nine vehicles in West Virginia is uninsured.

Auto Insurance Rates in West Virginia

The state of West Virginia has a high premium on car insurance, in comparison to other states. In 2016, the average yearly premium for a car owner in West Virginia was around $1,456, a bit higher than the national average, which was $1,347 at the time. West Virginia has fewer DUI fatalities than most states, but it ranks rather highly in speeding deaths.

Low Cost Car Insurance Programs in West Virginia

Drivers in West Virginia can use any of a number of strategies to lower their car insurance costs. Some drivers receive a discount by paying annual premiums in full. Others go for increased deductibles. Some auto owners buy vehicles with permanently installed safety features. Most drivers reduce their annual rates by qualifying for discount programs offered by most car insurance carriers. These include the Good Driver discount, the Good Student discount, the Defensive Driving Course discount, the Vehicle Safety discount and more. Most carriers also offer multiple policy discounts and multiple auto discounts, as this benefits them as much as it does you.

Obtaining Auto Insurance Quotes in West Virginia

According to recent consumer reports, the most favored carriers of auto insurance in the state of West Virginia are The Hanover Group, Zurich North America, Nationwide, Farmers Group and Allstate. Also popular are smaller, locally owned carriers like Erie Car Insurance. West Virginia features dozens of insurance carriers to choose from. So call around, compare quotes, and grab those discounts!

West Virginia Car Insurance

Here’s how drivers in West Virginia can save money on West Virginia car insurance. This page provides pertinent, detailed info about auto insurance premium rates, applicable state laws, and demographic data for the state of West Virginia.

Get all the details on landing every available car insurance discount. Learn about the types of car insurance West Virginia drivers need, and what coverage amounts are recommended. Scan a list of the 10 largest car insurance companies in the state of West Virginia, and compare it with a list of the 10 largest car insurance companies in America.

Read about West Virginia poverty rates, West Virginia unemployment, West Virginia population stats, West Virginia median incomes, and other demographic elements that affect car insurance rates in the state of West Virginia.

Check your annual car insurance premium rates against the statewide average annual premium rate for West Virginia auto insurance. Find out how West Virginia compares to other states in terms of the average cost of car insurance. Scroll down to take your research one step further, by comparing average premium rates from the four least expensive zip codes and the four most expensive zip codes in the state of West Virginia.

A small amount of homework is all it takes to reduce your annual premium rates on West Virginia car insurance.

West Virginia Car Insurance Statistics

West Virginia is known as the Mountain State. It is located in the heart of the Appalachians.

West Virginia is among the poorer states, having the 2^nd lowest annual household income of all U.S. States. However, the unemployment rate in West Virginia is 4.8 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is not too far above the national average unemployment rate of 4.4 percent. However, the poverty rate in West Virginia is roughly 18 percent, quite a bit above the national average poverty rate of 13.5 percent.

The state of West Virginia is home to about 1.8 million people, according to a recent census bureau estimate. The median age of the resident population of West Virginia is a relatively old 42.2 years.

A group of researchers recently calculated that the statewide average annual premium rate for a car insurance policy purchased in West Virginia was about $1,375, just a touch higher than the national average car insurance rate, which was around $1,355 at the time. In fact, West Virginia is the 18^th cheapest state, on average, to buy car insurance.

Another team from the Insurance Research Council recently studied drivers in West Virginia, and learned that only about 8.4 percent of drivers in West Virginia are operating uninsured vehicles. Of all 50 states and Washington DC, West Virginia has the 10^th lowest rate of uninsured drivers. Only about one in twelve vehicles on West Virginia roads is uninsured.

The Largest West Virginia Car Insurance Companies

In choosing a West Virginia car insurance carrier, some drivers will pick the most popular (i.e. the largest) company. Other drivers may take the advice of friends, coworkers, or other associates. This may save you some time, but the best way to save you some money is by doing your own personal research pertaining to car insurance rates near you.

There are many options among West Virginia car insurance companies. Shown below is a list that ranks the largest car insurance companies in America. Also shown is a more detailed list ranking the largest car insurance companies in the state of West Virginia.

According to a recent report, the ten biggest auto insurance companies in America are 1) Allstate Insurance, 2) State Farm Insurance, 3) Geico, 4) Progressive Insurance, 5) Nationwide Group, 6) AAA, 7) Liberty Mutual Insurance, 8) 21^st Century Insurance, 9) GMAC, and 10) AIG, in that order. Car insurance companies were ranked by the annual dollar amount of premiums written.

Below is another list of the ten largest car insurance companies in West Virginia. These carriers are also ordered by their total amount of direct annual premiums. This dollar amount is what determines each company’s total market share in the state of West Virginia.

Rank	Company	Premiums ($)	Market Share (%)
1	State Farm Insurance Group	$303,227	26.23
2	Nationwide Group	$184,008	15.92
3	Erie Insurance Group	$142,976	12.37
4	Allstate Insurance Group	$88,202	7.63
5	Berkshire Hathaway Insurance	$84,754	7.33
6	Progressive Insurance Group	$54,873	4.75
7	Liberty Mutual Insurance	$51,373	4.44
8	The Hartford Insurance	$42,947	3.72
9	USAA Group	$37,346	3.23
10	Westfield Group	$31,620	2.74

A quick look at the above list reveals that State Farm Insurance is the most popular car insurance company in West Virginia, claiming more than a quarter of all auto insurance policies sold in the state. However, the largest car insurance company is not always your best choice. Nor is a smaller carrier, necessarily. There is really no such thing as The One Best West Virginia Car Insurance Company For Everyone.

Cutting Costs on West Virginia Car Insurance

One good method for cutting costs on West Virginia car insurance rates is to read many consumer reviews, compare many online quotes, and discover many car insurance discounts.

Scanning consumer reviews will help you narrow the field and a select few candidates to choose from. Then make a list of the auto insurance companies you would consider doing business with for your West Virginia car insurance policy.

Visit each company’s website to get a series of online quotes. Compare quotes between different zip codes within the state of West Virginia for each car insurance company website you visit. Also be sure to check each company’s discount page.

Some discounts are automatically factored in to your online quote, such as the discount for buying your policy online. But other discounts may be trickier to get, such as occupational discounts. If necessary, call an agent to ask about specific discounts. It’s important to be proactive when it comes to scoring discounts on car insurance.

Auto insurance discounts for drivers in West Virginia may include full payment discounts, method of payment discounts, professional discounts, fuel efficiency discounts, safety feature discounts, multiple policy discounts, and anti theft device discounts. Most car insurance companies also have discounts for safe drivers, low-mileage drivers, senior drivers, and students drivers, among others.

What Types Of Car Insurance Do West Virginia Drivers Need?

West Virginia state law requires that all drivers with vehicles registered in the state must obtain coverage amounts of at least $25,000 for bodily injury to others, $50,000 in per-accident coverage, and $25,000 to cover the cost of property damage.

West Virginia drivers are also required to buy the same liability limits ($25,000 for bodily injury to others, $50,000 in per-accident coverage, and $25,000 against property damage) of uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance (UMI). Even vehicles that are insured tend to be underinsured, because many drivers only purchase the minimum required coverage. State minimum coverage requirements are usually not enough to cover the cost of auto repairs and/or medical bills related to auto accidents.

That’s why insurance experts in every state recommend coverage amounts of $100,000 for personal injury protection, $300,000 against bodily injury to others, and no less than $50,000 to pay the cost of property damage.

For better protection, West Virginia drivers can also add comprehensive and collision coverage. This insurance will cover the cost of many types of vehicular disasters, such as collisions, animal strikes, wildfires, floods, falling trees, flying objects, vandalism, and car theft, for instance.

Strange Laws In West Virginia

In West Virginia, it is (or perhaps used to be) illegal to leave home without knowing where you are going. (There must just not be too many places to go in West Virginia.)
In Alderson, West Virginia, it is illegal to walk a lion, a tiger, or a leopard, even if they are on a leash. (That makes sense. Leashes are for dogs, not cats.)
It is illegal in the state of West Virginia to spit on any sidewalk on which a lady might set foot. (Remember the good old days when chivalry ruled? Me neither.)
It is perfectly legal in West Virginia to take home roadkill and eat it for supper. (However, it is a lazy way to hunt.)

Best And Worst Zip Codes For West Virginia Car Insurance

Car insurance rates in West Virginia will vary between zip codes due to changes in population density, unemployment rates, poverty stats, resident median ages, median income levels, crime rates, and the percentage of uninsured drivers on the roads.

Here is a list of the four priciest neighborhoods in the state of West Virginia to buy car insurance. Annual premium rates in these neighborhoods can range from about $1,365 to around $2,410.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
25671 (Dingess)	39	10.50%	18.30%

This Mingo County zip code near the border of Kentucky is home to roughly 1,240 people. The unemployment rate here is more than twice the state average of 4.8 percent. The poverty rate is only slightly higher than the 18 percent state average.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
25690 (Ragland)	169	0%	4.70%

Also in Mingo County, this neighborhood is home to only about 300 people. The unemployment rate is unknown, but the poverty rate is listed as well below the state average. It remains unclear why this neighborhood is one of the more expensive zip codes for West Virginia car insurance.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
25685 (Naugatuck)	38	0%	30.50%

Almost nobody lives in this Mingo County zip code. The unemployment rate is unknown, but the poverty level is definitely high around here.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
24851 (Justice)	570	13.30%	14.30%

This neighborhood is home to fewer than 500 people. It is situated along the northern shore of the Guyandotte River. The unemployment rate is nearly three times the state average, although the poverty rate is below the state average.

Now compare the West Virginia zip codes listed above and the neighborhoods shown below. This is a list of the four cheapest zip codes (on average) in the state of West Virginia to buy car insurance. Annual premium rates in these areas can range from around $940 to about $1,645.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
25401 (Martinsburg)	2,504	12.80%	29.60%

This Berkeley County neighborhood is home to roughly 15,000 people. With the unemployment and poverty rates so much higher than the state averages, it is hard to imagine why this zip code has some of the cheapest rates on West Virginia car insurance.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
26726 (Keyser)	90	11.30%	19.40%

Just over 13,000 people live in this Mineral County zip code. Again, the unemployment and poverty rates are both kind of high, although the population density is breezy.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
25419 (Falling Waters)	569	9.80%	13.10%

This Berkeley County neighborhood is home to roughly 10,000 people. The unemployment rate is above the state average here, but the poverty rate falls well below the state average.

Zip Code	Pop Density	Unemployed %	Poverty %
26719 (Fort Ashby)	88	1.30%	12.00%

This Mineral County neighborhood is home to less than 2,400 people. It appears that most of them are gainfully employed. What’s more, the population density is light, and he poverty rate around here is well below the state average.

All in all, the state of West Virginia is home to 851 zip codes covering 55 counties that enclose 745 cities, from Ansted to Williamstown and everywhere in between. There is a difference of as much as $550 in annual premium rates between the least expensive zip codes and the most expensive zip codes to buy car insurance in the state of West Virginia.

How much money can you can save on West Virginia car insurance? Compare some online quotes today and see for yourself.

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