Best Car Insurance Quote

Your Best Car Insurance Quote - 3 Things To Do Before You Shop

Everybody knows that to get the best car insurance quote, it's important to shop at least five different car insurance companies. But before you even get those quotes, there are a few things you can do to make yourself (and your vehicle) more attractive to insurers.

1) To Keep Your Credit Clean…
Studies have shown a direct correlation between your credit score and the likelihood that you will file an auto insurance claim. For this reason, almost all insurers pull your credit report. Your credit report shows an insurer if you pay your bills in a timely fashion and have had the same credit accounts for a long time. Someone who does this is considered more stable than someone who pays late and frequently opens and closes accounts. This information is used to create your "insurance risk score", which is one factor that determines your car insurance rate.

Tip:
If your credit history is not strong, start cleaning it up. If there is unusual credit activity on your account, wait about a month for it to return to normal before shopping for car insurance quotes.

2) To Think About the Type of Car You Plan to Buy…
Insurers have a rating system for every car make and model. Most use a system devised by the Insurance Service Office, which starts with the cost of the vehicle and then factors in safety and theft data. Cars are given a rating from 1 to 27, and the higher the number, the higher your premium.

Tip:
Look up your car's relative risk online. If you're trying to keep your car insurance premiums low, it's best to consider this risk before you buy that high-risk sports car.

3) To Pay your insurance premium in full ...
"Fractional premium" fees are usually charged when you pay your annual premium in six-month, quarterly or monthly installments. There is almost always an administrative fee to break down these payments also. This can really add up.

Tip:
Ask about fees for paying in installments. If the fees are small enough, it may be worth it. If not, bite the bullet and pay for the insurance premium in full.

You've cleaned up your credit, chosen a low-risk car and have budgeted to pay your full car insurance premium up-front. Now you're ready to shop for your best car insurance quote!

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Cheapest Car Insurance Quote

Cheapest Car Insurance Quote
3 Steps to Avoid An Expensive Nightmare

So, you're looking for the cheapest car insurance quote you can find? That's understandable, given today's economic environment and the fact that every household has its purse-strings pulled tight.

Who wouldn't want to buy the cheapest car insurance available?

"But be careful." If you aren't aware of some minimum necessary insurance coverages, you could quickly find out that you are under-insured, or worse, not insured at all. That's when the cheapest car insurance quote suddenly turns into an expensive nightmare. To avoid that nightmare, consider these three steps before you jump on the cheapest insurance quote available.

1. Check with your state to make sure you are buying at least the minimum required liability coverage. Each state sets its own liability limits. If you're shopping for insurance from multiple sources, you're probably getting quotes from large national insurance providers. It's up to you to know the minimum liability coverage required by the state in which you live.

2. Think objectively about the amount and type of driving that you do. Minimum required coverages may not be enough, and we're not just talking race car driving here, if you drive neighborhood kids in the carpool every day, the minimum state-required liability insurance may not be adequate for your potential risk. Be honest with yourself about the amount of coverage you might need in a worst case scenario.

3. Remember that when another driver causes an accident, it's the responsibility of each driver's insurance company to collect from the at-fault party and their insurance provider.
So it's important to have your policy with an insurance provider that is financially stable and in a position to legally pursue the at-fault party. Choosing a small, unknown or relatively new company simply because they provided the cheapest car insurance quote could result in "no insurance" at all.

The bottom line, be smart. It's fine to shop for multiple insurance quotes, but remember that the cheapest car insurance quote isn't always the best car insurance quote. To reduce risk, and save a little time, you may want to shop for multiple quotes from one online quote provider who only has relationships with the top insurance companies.

If you're ready to start shopping for the cheapest car insurance quote, you may want to consider the online quote provider recommended below. They provide at least five free quotes and have relationships with only reputable national companies.

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