Getting quotes on Auto Insurance can be achieved in several ways. The most popular is to go to a website and fill in the information that is required by the site to see a premium. The next is to go to an insurance agent of an established agency such as State Farm, the third is to go to a broker agent which represents several insurance companies, and the fourth which is not so commonly known and depends on state legislation is to self insure.
The website approach is probably the most popular because of the ease of filling out the information from the convenience of your own home without the need of physically moving anywhere to get quotes. It has its drawbacks in some situations, the most obvious is the actual first quote provided. You must know that these sites were designed for shopping until you buy, they do not want to spend money on you until you have committed to them with at least the first month premium. Many people will get a great first quote, but at issue when it comes to buy the policy, two things can happen based on the way the business and state regulations apply.
The first will be a change in the quote, as it will be re-rated once your Motor Vehicle Report and Comprehensive loss report is reviewed, which can change the rate to a higher premium if history is found. If you know for a fact that you are having no tickets or accidents within a thirty six month period, then what was offered will likely be correct. The rule of thumb if you have a history in accidents or tickets is to be very cautious if the premium is cheaper by several hundreds of dollars because most reputable insurance companies are not going to be different in premium. The second situation is that your policy can have a policy changed in thirty days to reflect information pulled from those same reports above. Most states allow this practice because of old rules, however, this practice is quickly going away as technology has made reports instantaneous to receive.
Agents should be used when you have assets to cover or truthfully want to cover yourself in case of an accident but want to know what your buying. Referrals from friends are best, but you must understand that all Agents are truly committed to knowing their product and they know the best way to protect you and your assets. Agents tend to be a little more expensive, but you have the old service feeling that we lose when you use a front line web insurer. Agents also tend to be upfront when they provide a quote, and generally will look to gain all your insurance needs so that you can handle everything within their company.
Insurance Brokers are like agents, but use several insurance companies to get you the best quotes for auto insurance. Its like having a professional looking for the best price for the same coverages, and like agents tend to be upfront about the premium so that you know what your getting. These agents depending on the business are usually less service based as single store agencies, but you still get the human touch and generally good advice when it comes to policy coverages.
The last option that I mentioned was self-insured auto, this is by far the most difficult and regulated option, but you have the option to not pay premiums as long as you go this route. To start, in most states you have to add all the liability that is needed and then send a money order for that amount to be held by the state treasury. If an accident occurs the monies are then released to handle that situation, you will have to visit the state department of insurance to see if you can even get this option.
I hope this was informative, please review my other articles as most relate to insurance. Have a nice day.