Why to Get Multiple Auto Insurance Quotes (2024)

Most experts advise people to compare multiple auto insurance quotes every year or so. The reason most experts advise this has to do with changes in the insurance market and changes in consumer’s lives.

The insurance market is very competitive, and things change all the time.

One company or another might introduce a new plan or type of discount that could be beneficial to some vehicle owners.

If you don’t take the time to compare insurers every once in a while, you might not be getting the best possible deal from your old company.

Additionally, things change in your own life. These changes can impact your best choice of coverage and company. You might not even realize what changes that you make might influence your best choice for an insurer. That is why it is helpful to shop around periodically.

Use the FREE comparison tool above to start shopping for car insurance. Simply enter your ZIP code to get started!

Changes that Might Impact Your Best Choice of Car Insurance Company

There are multiple changes that can occur in your situation that can change the type of car insurance premiums you receive. Some of these things can change the way you shop for car insurance:

• Buying a new or used car
• Adding a new driver to your family policy
• Paying off a car note
• Moving to a new house

Other good times to compare multiple auto insurance quotes are when you get married, switch jobs, start a business, or start working from a home office.

Auto insurance companies consider all sorts of things when they figure out how much to charge each customer for their coverage.

Some of these factors can include the age of the drivers, the type of insurance you need, makes and models of the vehicles to get covered, and the ZIP code where the car gets parked at night.

Shopping around for multiple car insurance quotes gives you a chance to compare current quotes, discounts, and plans. It also forces you and an insurance agent to consider your current circumstances.

How To Compare Multiple Auto Insurance Quotes

If you have not bought a new policy for several years, you might think that shopping around for multiple plans and prices is a difficult and time-consuming task. In the old days, it did mean driving around to meet with several different local agents.

Even though local agents are very helpful, they are also motivated to try and sell you something.

This could make the process stressful as well as time-consuming.

However, it is much easier to compare multiple quotes and plans today. You can simply find online auto insurance quote forms that allow you to compare rates from multiple insurers in your area.

It should only take about five minutes to supply your basic information and click the Submit button. Then you can sit back and relax as multiple quotes and plans are delivered right to your personal computer, tablet computer, or smartphone.

In any case, you are never obligated to purchase a policy just because you got free quotes. You might want to do some more research, purchase your policy that day, or decide that your old coverage is still a good deal.

However, these free online quote systems can give you some information to base your decision upon.

Additionally, they should supply you with contact information for local agents or company representatives. It might be a good idea to contact these people before you make a final decision.

After you narrow down your choices, it should not take you that long to just contact a couple of agents or insurers for more information.

Should you still speak with a local agent?

It is never a bad idea to speak with local insurance agents. Good agents should be familiar with your community, and they can also provide a lot of advice that can help you choose with type of coverage is best for your family.

You should be aware that there are two types of auto insurance agents:

• Captive agents – These agents only represent one insurance company
• Independent agents – These agents can represent multiple insurers

Which type of agent is better? You will probably do best if you can simply find a good agent who stays in business because he provides good service for his clients.

Captive agents probably take the time to learn a lot about their own company’s products that are for sale in the area. On the other hand, multiple agents should know about several different companies, and they can shop the market for you.

If you already know which company you would like to learn more about, a captive agent can probably provide you with some good advice about his company’s products.

If you are still shopping around, it might be convenient to speak with an independent agent who can do some comparison shopping and provide advice.

In any case, you should know that agents are legally required to represent their customers. Yes, they get paid by insurers for selling policies.

But they still have a duty to represent their clients. If you can find a good agent who does his duty, you should probably hang onto him and tell all of your friends.

Should you only compare multiple auto insurance prices?

You really should not just shop by price alone. Drivers rarely save money when they sacrifice good coverage in order to save a few dollars on their monthly bills.

You might be prudent to check into a company’s record of handling claims and providing good customer service. You should be able to ask your friends for their opinions about their experiences with one company or another.

You can also find review sites that rank several factors about the services that car insurance companies provide their customers.

It might take a little bit of time to shop around for multiple auto insurance quotes. But you might find that you can save hundreds of dollars per year on your premium. If you take a little time, you can also be sure that you have purchased the right auto policy at the right price.

Enter your ZIP code into our FREE auto insurance comparison tool below to get started!