Getting car insurance quotes is not nearly as daunting a task as you might think it is when you know a little more about the process. The following information is compiled to help you make the right decision when shopping for your car insurance, saving you some stress, money, and time.
1. Why Do You Need a Quote?
Since laws in most states require some form of car insurance in order to make sure that people can pay for any accidents or damage that may occur while driving, it is important to get quotes before you buy the required insurance. A quote will give you an estimate of what your insurance rate would be with a particular insurance company. They collect as much information about you, your driving, and your car as possible in order to provide an accurate quote for you.
2. Where Should You Get Quotes?
There are a multitude of car insurance companies to choose from when requesting quotes. All you have to do is contact an insurance agent through one of these companies, and they will ask you all the questions necessary for their company to provide you with a quote. They usually cannot provide one right away over the phone. So, you can expect them to call you back anywhere from an hour later to possibly the next day, depending on how busy they are or how many vehicles for which you are requesting quotes. There are also places you can go online to get insurance quotes. These can be a big time saver, especially since many of them advertise a 15-minute turn around for you to receive your quote.
3. Recommended Insurance Companies
There are some great competitors in the car insurance business. Big and small companies each have their advantages. Murphy Insurance Agency is a smaller insurance company that will give you a quote via phone or online, whichever you prefer. They pride themselves on getting you the best deal possible while still making sure that you are covered and safe. USAA is also a great place to start if you are in the military or someone in your family is a military member. They usually have the best ratings for customer satisfaction, not only because of their great prices and high coverage but also because their representatives are famous for their kindness and helpfulness. Amica auto insurance is also highly rated due to being owned by its customers. This assures that the interests of the company are focused on the customer and not making money off of you. Their policies are also meant to be customized and combined with other policies to drop your rates further. Also, the top-rated one is NJM, where they hold the company stock in trust for all of their customers. They also end up returning dividends to their customers, which is a huge bonus for many policyholders.
4. Car Insurance Requirements
Different states require different types of car insurance and coverage. The minimum requirements for each state often are not enough to cover you completely. So, if your insurance agent says that you need more than the minimum, they may be right. Unfortunately, the requirements are not necessarily kept up-to-date because of the difficulty of changing laws. Make sure you discuss this with your agent or potential car insurance companies in order to guarantee that if something happens, you will not be left holding a hefty bill.
5. How Many Quotes Should You Get?
Many people assume that one car insurance quote is enough or even that it is the same as what you would get at other agencies. This is definitely not true. The best thing to do when shopping for car insurance is to get quotes from three to six insurance companies (or more if you are extra motivated). Different agents weigh the importance of certain information more than others, and your specific circumstances could end up being much more affordable at one carrier than another. You can get steep discounts for unexpected things, so it is important to try as many places as possible and give them as much information as you can. Some discounts are based on good grades, drivers who take refresher courses, or even being in a certain profession. There are a lot of different discounts that are based on merit or your displaying responsibility in some way. One way to do this is through an independent agent. These independent agents will often work for more than one insurance company and, therefore, be able to compare costs and benefits between the plans much quicker than if you had gone to each of those companies separately.
6. How Often Should You Get a Quote?
Getting car insurance quotes does not have to be a one-time occurrence; in fact, it shouldn’t be something you do once and never change. Rates change, and different agencies will offer really great discounts to try to tempt you to change providers. It is recommended that you get new quotes every year if possible because policies, rates, and promotions do change at a pretty rapid pace. It could very well be worth the money to change over, or it could only be a few dollars cheaper, which still might be worth your time. This is also a way to test drive a few different insurance companies to see how well they fit your needs. However, if you love and trust your insurance agent/agency, then it may not be necessary to get quotes so often. You may still want to check every few years or check with your agent to see if you qualify for any new discounts, offers, or specials available.