Articles Search Engine

When you decide to go shopping for your car insurance policy, you want to make sure that you are shopping smart. Because smart shopping for auto insurance is certainly one way to reduce the amount of money spent on insurance. First thing you want to decide is what insurance coverage you need.

Here is a five step guide to help you get started.

1. Kind of coverage you need:

Before you call the insurance company to get your insurance, quote you need to decide exactly what kind of coverage you need. Of course you know that you must have liability coverage, every state requires this. But there are other additional car insurance coverages you might be interested in. Some examples are:

Comprehensive
Collision
Emergency Roadside Service
Gap Insurance

Of course if you decide to take comprehensive and/or collision, you will have to decide on what amounts you want to set as deductibles.

List of Recommended Coverages to Compare When Getting Your Car Insurance Quote:

Bodily Injury Liability/each occurrence $300,000
Property Damage Liability/each occurrence $100,000
Medical Payments/each person $10,000
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury Liability/each accident $300,000
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage/each accident $10,000
Collision Deductible $500

Comprehensive (other than collision) Deductible $0-100

Please Note: These are only recommended coverages. The coverages recommended for your situation and your state could be entirely different. You should check with your agent for any changes in these recommended coverages. You should also determine if the car insurance quotes you are getting are for 6 or 12 month policies.

2. Choosing your insurance company:

There are things that you will want to research when you start to decide on which company you are going to use for your insurance. You need to know about the company’s financial strength. Will they be able to play that claim if and when one comes up? Another thing you’d like to know is how do they use your credit score in determining your insurance rates. Too many people look for the lowest rates, but that is not the best way to choose your insurance company. Take your time and research these companies fully. Then make a list of the companies that appeal to you.

3. Ready to make the call:

Okay, with your list of car insurance companies in your hand, it’s time to start calling each one to try to find the best deal you can. In addition to the list of companies, there are some other things that you need to have on hand. Some of the things you need are listed below.

What to Have Available to Obtain Your Car Insurance Quote:

Driver’s License #
Year, Make, Model of Vehicle
Vehicle Identification Number or VIN#
Vehicle Finance Company
And Don’t Forget Your Discounts:
Anti-theft Devices?
Airbags?
Anti-Lock Brakes?
Automatic Seat Belts?
Window Etching?
Multiple Car Discount?
Multiple Policy Discount?

4. Do you understand your car insurance policy?

Okay so now you have your policy from the insurance company. Do you know if you got what you paid for? What does it mean and do you understand it? You really need to know how your car insurance policy works. There are many ways that you can find help with understanding your policy online. You can search Google for insurance policies, you can find courses to study and you can find frequently asked questions about car insurance. All of these can be helpful.

5. Filing the car insurance claim:

We hope an insurance claim never has to be filed, but it is important to be prepared in case it’s necessary to file a claim. There are several things that you can do to learn more about the claims process and make it go smoother. Talk to your agent about claims processes before the time comes. Again you can also find much information online, just go to Google and search.