Comparable car quotes bring better value!
We compare your current car insurance with multiple companies and send over a thoughtful email with our results.
Results? Usually better coverage for less money.
Time and cost? 5 to 15 minutes of your time. (Get us your current insurance before-hand, and it can be less!)
Follow up? We follow up how you want. No pushy sales or endless auto-drip, multi-channel, whiz-bang campaigns.
Learn more About Us (actual people!), our Sensible Approach, or our Carriers.
Three important steps for getting good auto insurance quotes:
1. Take a few minutes to know your current coverage by checking the “declarations pages.”
Many people know what they’re paying (that’s why they call for quotes) but to get an accurate sense of value you should also know your current coverages so that a no-good insurance rep doesn’t just reduce your coverages and say “yes, we can save you money.”
This is fairly easy and should only take 5-10 minutes. Log into your current insurance website or app and, usually under “Documents,” download the “Declarations Page,” which outlines your coverages. (If you don’t have an online account, you should have a copy from the mail, or can request one from your insurance agent).
The declarations pages allow you to know your main coverages & some additional benefits that may be included in your car policy.
Especially look to see if your policy includes features like accident forgiveness, a reduced deductible, or gap loan coverage. All such coverages have some value and will help you make a better comparison.
(Go to our Understanding Car Insurance if you’d like to know about what each coverage does.)
2. Get multiple quotes ahead of time (a couple weeks ahead).
First off, if your goal is to save some money, some carriers will give you an extra discount for quoting ahead.
Most important, you’ll have time to consider your options, clarify differences between competing quotes, run it by a spouse, or gather additional information such as drivers license numbers, car photos, etc.
This lead time also helps the agency put together accurate quotes (especially if you want them to quote more than one company for you). It also gives them time to clarify any underwriting issues that may arise.
We love providing multiple quotes ahead of time!
3. Ask the agent a few good questions such as
Are there reasonable ways you see to reduce the cost?
Agents can be reticent to advise reducing coverages because they may worry that you’ll remove a coverage and then that loss will happen! But the reality is that the coverage is your choice, and a thoughtful and experienced agent may have some ideas.
For instance, if your kids have moved on and you have a spare car around the house, you may not want rental reimbursement coverage, or you may want to suspend a vehicle. Or, if one of your cars is only worth a few thousand dollars, dropping collision may be worth the savings for you.
Are there any coverages you see that I should consider adding?
This might be a scary one but it is a good one to ask, especially if you haven’t revisited your insurance for awhile. Remember, you don’t have to take their suggestions, but it’s good to know if they see a potential shortfall.
For instance, we’ve come across clients who haven’t changed their car liability limits since college, but now they make a good living and own a good house. In other words, they have way more to protect than before. Yes, we think they should consider better coverage.
Consider requesting car insurance quotes from us, we’d love to help!
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to switch car insurance companies?
It’s pretty straightforward. Once your quote has been confirmed, you
- pay for your new insurance,
- complete any e-signatures with an online enrollment, and
- cancel your old insurance.
(Just make sure there is no time gap between the policies.)
Are the car quotes accurate? Or, why do quotes change sometimes?
We work hard to ensure that the quotes we provide are accurate. And we work very hard to ensure that our final “firmed up” quote is exactly that, firm.
We know people don’t like surprises and neither do we. (Funny enough, no one ever seems to complain if the rate goes down! 🙂 )
But sometimes quotes do change–up or down– from the initial estimate to our final quote.
So what causes car insurance quotes to change?
The leading cause is that updated information about tickets or accidents show up when we run motor vehicle records (MVRs). Sometimes the rate goes up and sometimes it goes down.
Our initial quote usually is reasonably accurate as it includes most claims and remembered tickets. Then, when you indicate you’re serious about the quote, we run the motor vehicle record (MVR), which sometimes turns up new accidents, tickets, or drivers. (If you’re wondering why we delay running the MVRs, it’s because requesting MVRs costs money.)
Sometimes people can’t remember their tickets (“Was that ticket on Cornelius Pass two years ago?”) or the details of an accident (“I’m not sure but I’d guess my husband was at fault.”) Also, some people just lie in the hopes of getting a better price. Thankfully, most do their best to give accurate info.
Other details that can change the quoted premium would be changing the effective date of the policy, adding other required household drivers, the length of time a relatively new driver has been licensed (“oh, I guess Jimmy has only been licensed for one year.”), or a discount change (“Oh, her grades aren’t a 3.0 after all.”).
Finally, sometimes we need to call into underwriters to correctly categorize accidents, remove duplicate entries, or seek approval.
In short, changing almost any details within the quote can lead to changed premiums. That’s one reason we ask all those pesky questions.
How often should I switch car insurance companies?
There is no magic number because it depends on what the alternative options look like for your specific situation.
Our experience suggests that if you’ve been with one carrier for 5+ years, if you’ve had a situation change (added a driver or a home for example), or have experienced major price increases, it’s worth checking.
Ideally, you’d find a good company and never have to switch, but it can be worth thousands to switch, especially over time.
On the one hand, we’ve seen people stick with one company for 30+ years because of relatively competitive pricing. On the other, we’ve seen others leave the same company because of way better pricing elsewhere.
You never really know unless you check.
That’s one reason it’s good to check with an independent agency like us because by checking multiple carriers for you we can save you time. Frequently, we can save you money too.
Plus, if you are our client and find yourself wondering after a few years about your rates, we can run the numbers again for you. Just ask us for fresh quotes and, because you’re our client, we already have most of the information.
Should I bundle my car insurance with my home insurance?
It’s certainly worth getting it quoted out as there’s almost always a bundling discount. It’s really big for some carriers.
There can be extra perks. For example, some carriers will forgive your car insurance deductible if both your car and home are damaged in the same event. (Long odds, but we’ve seen it happen!).
Also, there is the convenience of having your insurance all together at one place. It keeps things simpler.
Because of all these reasons, bundling your car insurance with home insurance is an option worth quoting. Most of our clients do end up bundling, but . . . BUT sometimes it’s not worth it depending on the situation.
Should I unbundle my car insurance?
We’ve had some clients cut their car insurance costs significantly by unbundling. And we’re glad to explore the unbundled option for you.
It is a little more complicated, especially if there is a personal liability umbrella involved, but sometimes the way insurance companies price a policy for your situation vary considerably. And occasionally that difference far exceeds the savings of a bundling discount.
Generally, the market favors bundling, but if the savings are compelling, we’re not afraid to unbundle for you.
Consider requesting car insurance quotes from us, we’d love to help!