It may not always be easy to read, understand and compare car insurance prices or proposals, but here are some tips
It makes a lot of sense to compare car insurance prices from time to time, even if you are happy with your current insurance company. Many drivers on the roadway are leaving money on the table by not checking out what other companies may have to offer, but you don't have to count yourself among their ranks. It is fast, simple and easy to compare auto insurance prices today, since you can easily do quite a bit of comparing online in the comfort of your home or office.
Annual audits are good
Many industry experts recommend that you check your car insurance rates at least once yearly. A good time to do so is in the month or so before your annual renewal. Of course, you can always check your rates at any time of the year. If you cancel your policy because you switch to a new insurer, some insurance companies will reward you as a new customer with a discount on your premium. Your old insurer, on the other hand, should refund the residual amount of your premium on a prorated basis. This is not always true, so be sure to ask or consult with your policy terms before making the switch while your current policy is still in force.
Use online resources as a guide
Most insurance companies make it easy to compare car insurance prices, since most now do business online. Visiting the website of the insurer that you are interested in dealing with is a fast way to get a potential rate quote for your policy.
Get free quotes and compare car insurance prices here
All insurance companies offer free quotes, and you're not obligated to purchase insurance just because you request a quote. Be sure to check out as many insurers as possible, making a note of each insurer's rates to make a final comparison and possibly switch to a new company.
Insurance comparison websites that allow you to compare your rates with multiple companies at once also exist. This can be a valuable tool, since you would just need to enter your information one time in order to get multiple rate quotes. One thing to be aware of with some online "quoting" services is that may are owned by leading insurance companies and they can skew the results in their favor by only showing you a handful of competitors and selecting ones that make them look good.
Use this guide to learn more about car insurance quotes
Take the direct approach
You can also compare car insurance prices by calling a company, usually on a toll-free number that you can find by visiting the company's website or using a directory service (they still have those...and phone books, believe it or not!). This is a good option to compare care insurance rates if you are wary of putting your contact information in an online form.
Quotes are only as good as the raw data going in
The accuracy of the quotes that you receive when you compare auto insurance prices can only be as accurate as the information that you provide to any prospective insurer. Be prepared to give any potential insurers your name, address, birthday, driver's license number and vehicle identification number (VIN) when you request a quote. You should also be ready to provide information about any accidents you've been involved in as well as any tickets or moving violations that you have incurred in the past few years. All of this information will help the insurance company provide you with the best possible and most accurate quote.
Talk to a real person
In-person quotes, while not typical, are not a thing of the past—at least not yet. Many car insurance companies have coverage plans and discount options known only to the agents representing them. The beauty of arranging an in-person quote is that you can take all your research with you and give an agent the opportunity to vie for your business directly. You can also get speificity about terms and conditions of any possible policy you may want to put in place. Perhaps most importantly, you can also get a sense of how well you will be able to work with this agent in the future. Remember, insurance coverage is only as good as how well it delivers and the frontlilne resource for that delivery is going to be an actual person working on your behalf.
While it may seem an annoyance at first, you may be surprised at how rewarding sitting down with an actual car insurance professional could be when you're trying to compare car insurance prices and proposals. If you don't currently have an agent or don't know where to look for one, we can help you out. Let Reply! put you in touch with car insurance agents near you who will be more than happy to answer your questions and do their best to win your business.