Insurance Quotes for Drivers

If you have recently moved, purchased a new vehicle, or are unhappy with your premiums, getting comparison quotes for insurance policies is imperative. Annual car insurance premiums vary from an estimated $1,000 in Nebraska to over $2,000 in Florida.

Premiums vary depending upon location, population, driver characteristics, and the automobile driven so you should obtain your own personal quotations. Car insurance is a large portion of the budget set aside for owning a vehicle, so comparison-shopping is vital.

Enter your ZIP code into the FREE comparison tool located at the top of this page to get started!

The entire process of purchasing and getting comparison quotes for insurance begins with an agent. It is possible to get inexpensive automobile insurance by getting quotations from the Internet.

Searching on the Internet works, but knowledge of insurance does not come from the process. Following a process of educating yourself is necessary, beginning with finding a competent insurance agent or group of agents to facilitate your search.

Finding an Agent

Insurance agents sell insurance. They have experience and education with the ins and outs of insurance that are designed to help customers. Agents in all states must be duly licensed by the state in order to sell insurance.

To find an agent that fits your needs, talk to the people you know about where they purchase insurance. Friends, family, and business associates will give you the names of individuals and companies that they trust.

These agents have usually done an excellent job for their customers or your acquaintances would not recommend them. You can verify licensing and experience by checking with the insurance department in your state.

Finding that insurance department is sometimes confusing. An easy way to access this information is by checking with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) website.

Agents and agencies specialize in types of insurance – personal lines agents specialize in the insurance needs of individuals and families such as automobile insurance and homeowners insurance.

Health agents specialize in health insurance and life insurance. Business agents specialize in the needs of business-owners. Larger agencies may have different agents that specialize within the agency.

Relationships between the insurance agents and their companies vary. There are two types of agents:

• Independent insurance agents – they represent several different companies and are able to quote premiums with the various companies.
• Proprietary agents – they represent one company and are familiar with the products of that one company.

Choosing an Insurance Company

An independent agent will provide quotations from several different companies for your examination. If you choose a proprietary agent, you may want to get quotations from several different companies.

In either case, examining the insurance company for solvency and reliability is necessary. This can be done by checking with the office of the insurance commissioner in your state.

To find your state's insurance commissioner, go to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners site. There, select your state and the site will refer you to your state's officials. Often your state will have information about complaints and financial information with regard to insurance companies and agents.

Another place to check for the solvency of an insurance company is A.M. Best, a site that will give you financial information on insurance companies.

A look into the financial rating of an insurance company can give you a clue about that insurance company's ability to respond to disastrous occurrences such as community-wide hail, tornadoes, or other natural disasters.

Saving Money on Car Insurance

A number of factors can affect your insurance premiums:

• The driving record of the individuals driving your vehicles is important. A clean driving record can reduce your premiums.
• A good credit rating will help keep premiums reasonable because companies have discovered that a poor credit rating may lead to additional claims.
• The type of vehicle you drive can increase or decrease your premiums. High performance vehicles and expensive vehicles cost more to repair, increasing premiums.
• Your age – individuals less than 21 years old and older drivers of more than 70 years old ordinarily have higher rates because they tend to have more accidents.
• How you use your car – commuting long distances can raise your insurance premiums.

Teen Drivers

Teen drivers not only raise the insurance premiums but also endanger themselves. Several things can help you with insurance premiums and protect your teen drivers:

• Check your state's laws with regard to teen drivers. Many states are requiring graduated level drivers license programs to help give teens experience with driving
• Set strict standards for your child's driving – an agreement in the family can help with this
• Good grades - most insurance companies allow a discount for students who maintain a good GPA.

Information Needed to Obtain a Quotation

Determine what coverage you want to carry on your vehicles. Check with your state's insurance department to determine the amount of coverage legally required by your particular state.

Almost every state in the United States has legislation that gives minimum limits of liability to obtain a drivers license within the state. New Hampshire and Iowa at this point are the only states that do not have a definite limit of coverage.

You may use your previous insurance policy as a template for coverage in order to acquire comparison quotes. The following limits and coverages are suggested to adequately provide for your automobile insurance needs:

Liability coverage:

• $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident bodily injury liability – This pays for your legal liability for bodily injury and death to others in an accident.
• $50,000 per accident property damage liability – This pays for damage to the property of others for which you are legally liable in the event of an accident.
• $5,000 per accident medical payments coverage – This coverage pays for emergency medical services for you and your family due to an accident. It is useful if a helicopter or airplane is needed for emergency service.
• $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident uninsured motorists coverage. It is estimated that 14% of individuals on the road do not have liability insurance. This coverage provides protection for you and your family in the event of an accident with one of these individuals.

Physical damage:

Physical damage coverage for your own vehicle is necessary to satisfy the demands of banks, credit unions, and other lenders. They require insurance coverage to repair your automobile and their collateral in the case it is damaged or stolen.

Two types of coverage should be carried for this:

• Comprehensive coverage – usually with a $500 deductible applying to each claim – provides protection against theft, vandalism, fire, natural disaster, falling objects, animal damage, or civil disturbance.
• Collision coverage – again, usually with a $500 deductible applying to each claim – provides protection against collision with other cars or objects

Personal Data Needed for Car Insurance Quote

When requesting automobile insurance quotes, you will need the following:

• Names, dates of birth, and drivers license numbers for all drivers in your household
• Make, model, and VIN number for all vehicles intended to be covered under the policy
• How each vehicle is used: commuting to school or work and how far; pleasure only; farm and ranch; etc.
• Social security number is necessary to get a completely accurate quotation. It is suggested that this number should not be entered until you have decided upon a particular company.

Compare Quotations Carefully

Examine the quotations that you receive carefully to ensure that each covers the same thing. It is possible that differences in premium can result from differences of coverage.

Weigh the information you receive carefully to determine your best choice. Remember to examine the details of the company, agent, and policy to get a valid comparison.

Use the FREE comparison tool below to start your search! Simply enter your ZIP code!