Nobody enjoys paying for car insurance, especially knowing their premiums are through the roof. Insurance companies such as GEICO, Progressive and Allstate increase brand awareness with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and take the time to shop coverage around.
If you are insured now or need new coverage, you will benefit by learning to find better prices and possibly find even better coverage. Finding the best rates is not rocket science. Drivers only need to know the best way to get comparison quotes over the internet.
There are multiple methods to shop for car insurance, but there is one way that is less time-consuming than others. You could spend your day discussing policy coverages with agents in your area, or you can stay home and use online quotes to accomplish the same thing much quicker.
Many of the larger companies belong to a marketplace where prospective buyers enter their coverage request one time, and each company returns a rated price based on that information. This saves time by eliminating quote forms for each company.
To fill out one form to compare multiple rates now click here (opens in new window).
The one downside to doing it this way is that you can’t choose the companies to get quotes from. So if you prefer to pick specific insurance companies for rate comparison, we have a page of the cheapest car insurance companies in your area. Click to view list.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you are comparing apples-to-apples deductibles and coverage limits on every quote. If you use different liability limits you can’t possibly make a fair comparison for your Nissan Frontier.
When buying coverage, there really is not a perfect coverage plan. Each situation is unique and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions could help you determine whether or not you may require specific advice.
If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It’s fast, free and can provide invaluable advice.
A small number of people would prefer to buy from a local agent and that is OK! Good agents can help determine the best coverages and help in the event of a claim. The best thing about price shopping on the web is you can get the best rates and still have an agent to talk to. And providing support for local businesses is especially important in small towns and cities.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this quick form, your insurance coverage information is immediately sent to insurance agents who will battle for your business. You won’t need to drive around as quotes are delivered directly to your email. How cool is that?!
When searching for a local agent, there are two types of insurance agents from which to choose. Insurance agencies are either captive or independent (non-captive). Either one can write coverage properly, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them because it can impact your agent selection.
Independent agencies do not work for one specific company but rather can write business with multiple insurance companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move the coverage in-house without you having to go to a different agency. When comparison shopping, you should always include at least one independent agent for maximum quote selection.
Captive agencies write business for a single company like Allstate, AAA, Liberty Mutual and State Farm. They are unable to place coverage with different providers so they have to upsell other benefits. Captives are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales which helps them compete with independent agents.
To view a full list of insurance agencies, click here.
Choosing an insurance agency shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. Some important questions to ask are:
Upon getting positive responses to these questions and a good coverage price, most likely you have located an insurance agency that can properly insure your vehicles.