Cheap Auto Insurance

In this day and age of internet comparison shopping, shopping for cheap auto insurance quotes has become a somewhat different endeavor than it was previously. The internet is tailor made for comparison and it can be used for this kind of shopping very effectively.

Start comparing auto insurance quotes immediately by entering your zip code above!

Insurance company websites can either be contacted one by one or you can use dedicated comparison websites that are geared toward helping people make quick and effective assessments of the relative benefits of a particular company or policy. The following are some tips for comparing auto insurance rates online.

1. Get Your Information Ready

It is important to get a lot of basic information ready before you begin to comparison shop for cheap auto insurance quotes. Many auto insurance sites have forms in which you can enter your information so that quotes can be generated. Having your information on hand also just helps you stay focused on what your policy needs are.

The information that should be in front of you as you shop for auto insurance includes:

• Your driver’s license,

• The vehicle title or just the make and model written in a piece of paper,

• The personal information (names, driver’s license and social security numbers) of any drivers that will be included on a policy,

• The declarations page of your current auto insurance policy if you already have coverage. The declarations page is the first page of your policy and tells the specifics of the coverage you have.

2. Compare Quotes

Once you are sure that you are on a genuine comparison website like this one, it’s time to turn your attention to choosing the best policy for your needs. The following are some basic things to compare about auto insurance policies:

• Total Premium

The total amount you will owe an auto insurance company for a given period of coverage is a good number to look at first. This gives you a sense of the overall monetary structure of the coverage. This may be six months to a year or more. You can look at this rate to get a quick comparison between several policies. Bear in mind that this will change depending on various other factors that will yield a final quote, so it may need to be re-compared later.

• Down Payment

The down payment is what you owe an auto insurance company up front. So this is another monetary value to compare. A nice low down payment allows you to initiate coverage without too jarring a financial outlay to begin with. Two companies may have very similar total premiums but one may offer a much better down payment. Of course this will mean that monthly premiums are higher as well, so factor that in too and make the best decision as regards your financial situation.

• How Payments are Broken Up

Some companies will let you pay at longer or shorter time intervals. You can compare how companies break up their payments. Most companies offer monthly payments but some may offer longer time intervals, so if this suits your situation better it is something to look into.

• Rates for Different Policy Types

There are different types of insurance policy and items covered by them. For instance collision insurance covers damage to you and the other driver in the case of a collision. This may be either comprehensive or third party insurance. In the former case both the insured and the other driver involved in the accident are insured, and in the latter case (a third party policy) only the other driver’s damages are covered. There are different rates for these insurance types. This is only one example – there are many varieties of coverage that will yield different quotes and the comparison shopper should investigate and compare a few different scenarios.

3. Compare Discounts Offered

After getting the basic comparisons you can move on to things like discounts. Companies offer car insurance discounts based on a lot of factors – age of the driver, how far they drive to and from work, good grades in school, periods when you have a spotless driving record, safety features such as steering wheel locks installed in a car, and so on. It is important to inquire about these discounts (by phone rather than on the internet if you have to) and compare them between several different auto insurance companies.

4. Compare Customer Service

Another thing you can compare is the customer service a company offers. In general, the more accessible an insurance company is the better. They should have a toll free number that can be called. You might even try contacting them to make sure the number is legitimate and that the customer service people are friendly and honest. The customer service person should try to help you save on your policy, not oversell you and try to make the rates go higher.

5. Comparison is Bargaining

It is important to realize that thoroughly checking out a number of auto insurance companies can serve as an actual bargaining tool. You can literally say to an agent: “I looked at this company’s rates for such and such a policy, and it’s cheaper than yours.” Offer to show them the rate quote (that was perhaps generated online) to back up your statements. The company may actually come down in price in order to get your business. The better informed you are about the particulars of the policies of one company versus another, the easier you will find it to bargain intelligently and effectively with these companies.

6. Investigate Company Reputation

You should also compare company reputations. You can check with review websites, blogs and forums that talk about people’s experiences with particular providers, and even consumer organizations like the Better Business Bureau. If you are considering an insurance company you should make sure that they are reputable and how their reputation and record of customer satisfaction compares with other companies.

Choosing the Right Policy

To sum things up, the right approach to finding cheap auto insurance is basically to get very specific about what each company offers and then compare companies on various different levels. As noted above you can compare things like the total premium, the monthly premium, the variety of payment scheduling a company offers, down payments, and price variations for different policies that companies offer.

Using comparison sites on the internet is a good way to make these comparisons and find the auto insurance that is right for you. These quotes can often even be generated in a general way online and then fine tuned as you speak with representatives of the company itself. As you compare more and more companies, it becomes easier to discern where the best rates can be found and to adjust your policy so it is exactly what you want.

Start comparing car insurance rates today by entering your zip code below!