Shopping for Auto Insurance
If you want inexpensive car insurance or are looking to save money on your premium, you should know that there is no one insurance provider you should go to, despite the many car insurance ads making us want to think otherwise.
There is a good chance that you have heard from the Gecko or Flo. Maybe you have also had that Safe Auto jingle stuck in your mind. The car insurance company, that is advertising, wants you to shop only with them, which is the opposite of what you should be doing.
Auto insurance quotes can vary by hundreds (sometimes over a thousand) of dollars. The price you get depends on who you ask. The more you ask, the better.
A lot of state insurance websites (which you can access from the NAIC site), have surveys, which provide rates from your local car insurance providers. These surveys are made not to find out which insurer provides the best rates, but to make you realize that the best way to save money on car insurance is by shopping around.
Although you can compare car insurance quotes online, they do not save you as much on auto insurance as you think they do. Some of the lowest premiums you may not see while using these sites because the lowest priced provider does not pay commission to these sites. Also, the real price from some insurers is lower if you speak to them directly.
Although looking for quotes online can save you time, nothing beats speaking to an insurance expert face to face. If you speak to a local independent agent, the agent will assess you and connect you with the best insurance car insurance company. Your local independent agencies can be really valuable if you have a unique situation, such as insuring a young adult.
You can find an independent agent by looking through a local business directory or the Yellowpages. Generally, if the name of the insurance agency is one, which you do not recognize, it is independent. If the name is something like State Farm-Dorothy Whitmore you are dealing with someone who can only give you insurance from that one provider.
