Tips For Choosing The Best Car Insurance

Know What You Want 

Understand what overages and amenities you’re looking for in a car insurance company. Are you solely looking for cheap auto insurance? How might choosing the cheapest option affect your actual coverage? What about customer service—that’s important, too, right? 

Know your priorities before you begin looking to buy car insurance. Ideally, you’ll want a company that offers great coverage at an affordable price from customer service-oriented agents. 

Check for Reputation and Financial Standing 

Once you’ve found a few seemingly compatible car insurance companies, do some investigative work and check out the companies’ reputation and financial standing. 

First, check with your state’s Department of Insurance website and make sure the company is licensed to sell auto insurance in your state. 

Also, take a look at complaint ratios, if available. Then, look at the companies’ financial standing on reputable websites such as J.D. Power and A.M. Best. 

Auto insurance is a two-way street: you pay for the coverage and your company provides the coverage. You need to make sure your company can pay your damages when required. 

Finally, find out how the companies stand with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). 

The BBB ranks companies from A+ to F, and gives you a multitude of information about those companies, such as the length of time they have been in operation and information about customer complaints (including resolutions). 

Compare Car Insurance Quotes 

Consider these tips when comparing auto insurance quotes: 

• First and foremost, never look at just one or two car insurance companies; always get and compare at least three quotes. 
• Talk with family members and friends about their car insurance providers.
• How long have they been with the company?
• Are they satisfied with their rates?
• What about customer service? How has the provider handled their premiums in the events of traffic violations, at-fault accidents, and other common premium-increasing situations? 

Look for auto insurance companies that offer discounts and good-driver rewards programs. 

Some companies provide breaks for drivers of certain ages or for drivers with anti-theft devices. 

Others offer rewards (e.g. lower premiums) for drivers with consistently good driving records. 

Ask about bundling insurance policies. 

Also known as “multi-line coverage,” some companies provide discounts for purchasing two or more lines of coverage (such as car insurance and homeowner insurance). 

Check out the companies’ social media accounts. Reach out to your potential insurance companies on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and evaluate how they respond to your questions about issues such as coverage and discounts. 

• Do an annual rate check 
• Pick a top-rated insurer 
• Maintain good credit 
• Set the right deductible 
• Review your coverage 
• Report reduced mileage 
• Watch crash repairs 
• Choose the right car