With auto insurance, it pays to be well covered when you are in an accident. Of course, you do not want to have to pay any more than you have to. By spending some time shopping for your car insurance you stand to save hundreds of dollars a year. Here are a few tips to consider while shopping.
How Much Insurance do you Need – In order to get the right insurance, you must first determine the amount of coverage you need. This varies from state to state, so you must first find out what is required where you live. Once that is determined you can choose the package that is right for you. Do you consider yourself an over-cautious person? If so, then insurance companies love you. They Thrive on peoples concern about the worst-case scenario. Try to determine what you will really need and cover for that.
Check your Driving Record – A clean driving record goes a long way to helping you with the cost of your insurance. It pays to know when speeding tickets are coming off your record. If a ticket or points are about to disappear off your record, wait until it does to get your insurance. You will be amazed at how much you save.
Competitive Quotes – Like anything else you purchase, it pays to shop around. This is not an easy task, but it is necessary if you want to save yourself money. If you have a company that can do the comparing for you, you can go that route. Most of the time it is a matter of typing in some information into an online form and waiting for a quote. It really is that simple, but it pays to get at the very least 3 different quotes before making a decision. It may take as long as 15 minutes per quote, but think of it as time well spent – especially if you end up saving your self hundreds of dollars.
Is the Insurance Company Reliable – Saving money is not everything. Especially if you are in an accident and you find out your insurance company is difficult to work with. Take the time to find out more about an insurance company before going with them. You can go to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Consumer Information to access information about insurance companies, including closed insurance complaints, financial data and licensing information. You can also check out the insurance company at consumer reports or JD Power.
Read the Policy before Signing – This may seem obvious, but take the time to read your policy before you sign. Make sure what you thought to be true about the policy indeed is. You can save yourself a big head down the road by taking this ounce of prevention now.
