CAR INSURANCE

CAR INSURANCE

Is it really worth it buy the less Costlyest car insurance you can find In this article you will learn what you need to know to get the best possible coverage from even the most basic car insurance policy

The less Costlyest auto insurance may be great for your bank book but not so good when it comes to filing a claim The money that you save on premiums and monthly fees can go out the window when you find out that you have to fork over thousands of dollars for uncovered repairs

When it comes to finding a deal on car insurance you need to read the fine print Even the less Costlyest insurance should cover the following

Personal Injury Protection Coverage This will cover medical costs for yourself and injured passengers in the event of an accident

Uninsured Motorists Coverage This will provide coverage if you suffer an accident at the hands of an uninsured driver

Physical Damage Coverage If you car is damaged by fire flood or theft this coverage will address any associated costs

Collision Coverage This covers damages resulting from a collision caused by you or another driver

Your car insurance policy should also cover property damage liability if your car damages someone elses personal property and rental reimbursement in the event you need to secure a vehicle while your own is being repaired

There is an exception to this advice If you drive an older car it may cost you more to obtain uninsured motorist coverage and physical damage coverage than your vehicle is worth For example if your car is more than ten years old and valued at below $1 000 and your deductible is $1 000 you may be paying for nothing The insurance company will write your car off as a total loss and reimburse you for the value of your car less the deductible $1 000 minus $1 000 leaves you with nothing but empty dreams to show for your timely premium payments

Do your homework Know the value of your vehicle before you seek coverage The best value is the policy that covers your needs but does not include options you do not need If you are searching for a new policy it best to go with a wellknown and reputable carrier Many insurance companies offer competitive rates and less Costly car insurance Geico AllState and State Farm provide reasonable deductibles and affordable policies This is not to say that you have to contract your policy with a big name company but signing on with a familiar carrier can definitely put your mind at rest Be sure to research and compare various quotes before making a final decision Less Costly car insurance can disguise a number of hidden pitfalls You need to be educated about the going market rate of an insurance policy to make an informed decision When you finally do contract with a carrier be sure to request proof of payment and a written copy of your policy Less Costly car insurance is not necessarily a scam but do keep in mind that there are many unethical individuals out there just waiting to take advantage of an unsuspecting consumer Knowing the basics can keep you out of trouble

You dont have to contract an entirely new policy to reduce the expense of your car insurance policy Here a few things you can do to get the less Costlyest car insurance

Evaluate the make and model of your car preferably before purchasing Cars that are more prone to theft will increase out of pocket expenses

Drive safely and avoid accidents Although this may seem like obvious advice having a clean driving record is a key factor in getting the less Costlyest car insurance Many companies offer discounted rates for a no claim period of five years or more If your driving record is not quite so pristine you may be able to take a defensive driving course to reduce costs as much as 15% or more

If possible consolidate all of your insurance life insurance home insurance medical insurance etc under one carrier If you are willing to contract multiple policies with one company you can probably get the less Costlyest car insurance rate

Installing safety or antitheft devices can contribute to reducing costs As a general rule of thumb the more difficult your car is to steal the better your insurance rate will be. Whether you go online or to your local insurance agency for a car insurance quote you will be ask some of the same basic information. Before you call an insurance company looking for a car insurance quote it is a good idea to have all the information you will need for the company to process your request at hand This is especially true if you will be getting a quote on a policy that will cover more than one driver

The first set of details the insurance representative is likely to ask for is your personal information Be prepared to provide the following for each driver to be covered by the car insurance policy

Full name

Home address

Birth date

Social Security number

Drivers license number

Sex

Marital status

Education including highest grade completed and drivers education training

G P A if a fulltime student

Occupation

Credit history such as have you filed bankruptcy do you have charge offs or repossessions and how good is your current overall credit rating usually a excellent good fair or poor answer will suffice

How long have you been a resident of the USA or Canada

You may find it strange that your credit history would make up part of the equation that determine car insurance rates but the ability to pay your bills goes directly towards determining your character and whether you are apt to make your premium payments timely

In fact much of the information requested may seem irrelevant such as marital status and education You may be thinking What could that possibly do with my ability to drive a car Statistical data has been compiled based on these factors and each one is assigned a value based on the claim history of other insured people who share the same education credit or marital background as you For example married people are a better insurance risk than single people

Car Insurance Quotes and Vehicle Details

After the insurance company is acquainted with the drivers you will need to supply information about your vehicle including such details as

Vehicle year make and model

Zip code where the vehicle is most often garaged

Primary driver

Annual mileage

Is the vehicle leased

Desired deductible

Primary purpose of the vehicle meaning do you use it for commuting and pleasure only or is it utilized for business purposes

Miles commuted between home and work

Driving Record

Your driving record is a good indicator of what kind of driver you are The car insurance company will want to know about any DUI convictions tickets accidents or car insurance claims you have had in the past

Car Insurance History and Policy Requirements

There are several reasons you will want to have a copy of your existing insurance policy with you First in order to properly compare rates you will want to get a car insurance quote for the same coverage as you have now If you compare the cost of a car insurance policy with a $1 000 deductible to that of a policy with a $500 policy you are comparing apples to oranges This means the value of what you will receive for your premium payments is not the same therefore the comparison is unreasonable

Second you are likely to be asked for the following information

Expiration renewal date of your current car insurance policy

How long have you had continuous car insurance coverage

How long you have been with your current insurance company

Car Insurance Quote Summary

It is prudent to get a new car insurance quote when any of the data provided to your car insurance company changes or is about to change For example if you are looking to buy a new vehicle you will want to know how that make and model of car will affect your car insurance rates before you make the purchase In some cases the purchase of a new vehicle can mean a monthly insurance premium equivalent to the cost of your car payment

No one enjoys shopping for car insurance but you can take some of the pain out of the experience by properly preparing to answer the questions that will get you the most accurate car insurance quote

Buying car insurance online is one of the many ways the Internet has made life easier No more waiting on hold filling out papers and mailing them to an insurance salesperson or wondering what your rate will be Getting your car insurance online is a quick and easy task that usually gives you instant access to your new policy

How to Buy Car Insurance Online

Applying for car insurance online is much like doing so in person but you can do it in the privacy of your own home You will still need to share a lot of personal information so the company can determine how much of a risk you are to insure Learning about your driving history and station in life is how the company decides your car insurance rate Someone with a history of accidents and highrisk driving behavior will have a higher rate than someone with a clean driving record

Since most of this information is sensitive make sure you have updated virus scan and firewall software on your computer Also check the site you are using to make certain that it is secure You can tell by looking for a lock on the bottom of the screen

When you are ready to apply have the following information onhand to make the application process faster

Personals information such as name sex age marital status address and telephone number If you have moved recently you will probably need to provide your last address and phone number

Driving history Be honest about any speeding tickets traffic violations or accidents you have had The insurance company will find out anyway when they do a background check so it is best to be honest

Make model and year of car

How often and how far you drive

Credit history The insurance company will run a credit check themselves once you provide your social security number

After you provide all this information and decide what kind of coverage you want you will be provided with a car insurance quote Many sites will do this instantaneously and you can decide in minutes if you want to accept the policy You can pay for your insurance right through the same web site print out your proof of insurance and hit the road

Benefits to Buying Car Insurance Online

Many car insurance companies claim that you can save money using their site and that may be true since it is so easy to compare insurance rates through the web Imagine how much time it would take if you called three or four different car insurance companies and went through their application process

Be careful that you are comparing the same type of policy Company A may be less Costlyer than Company B but if the deductibles are drastically different Company A could cost more if you have an accident

Buying car insurance online also eliminates potentially aggressive salespeople offering you addons you do not need Before you purchase your policy the website should spell out exactly what you are ordering so there are no surprises

You can also expect to reach more potential companies by shopping online Your hometown may only have a handful of insurance offices but the Internet has hundreds As long as the company is licensed in your state you can even use a foreign company if they have the policy you need The company website should tell you where it is licensed or you can contact the Insurance Commissioner in your state for a list

Best of all searching for car insurance online means you can do it at your own pace and in your own time Many of us cannot fit a trip to our local car insurance office into our day so shopping online after normal work hours or during a lunch break fits into our busy schedules

Drawbacks to Buying Online

The biggest disadvantage to getting insurance online is that you cannot talk to agent about any questions you have An agent may also be able to show you different options or work within your budget to get you exactly the policy you need But if you know what you want and are comfortable working without an agent there is no reason not to try it

Online Companies Offering Car Insurance

There are two types of companies offering car insurance on the web

Direct Companies

Most large insurance companies like Geico Progressive and State Farm offer their own online forms that give you quotes directly from their company They may also be able to show you discounts you qualify for or allow you to get information or quotes about other insurance products from their company