Time To Review Your Auto Insurance and Decide If Renewing Is A Good Idea

When was the last time you actually looked at your auto insurance policy? The truth is, most of us get into the car insurance rut– we just keep renewing a policy because….well, because. Habitual renewals can be very costly, particularly in these times when the bewildering numbers of agencies and policies available keep pushing rates downward and quality of service upward. If you have not evaluated your car insurance lately, now is a great time to do so.

Begin with a few quotes. Everywhere you look today, it seems as if insurance companies are begging you to consider their policies - you will find companies big and small are eager to give you a cheap auto insurance quote. Gathering several of these is easy enough. One must be careful, however, to see that the coverage limits and deductible amounts are equal – that way you can begin with a level playing field as you evaluate the options.

At first, you may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of companies which offer to give you a cheap auto insurance quote. You may think that big companies are too expensive and small companies are too unreliable. This is not always the case so it behooves the buyer to look into the company’s financial strength and their customer service record. Two websites which specialize in such evaluations are:

•    A.M. Best Company (www.ambest.com,) which studies the financial positions of insurance companies in order that policy buyers may be confident in their ability to pay off in the event of a claim and,
•     J. D. Power, (www.jdpower.com,) which compiles and reports upon an insurance company’s customer service. Both of these things are critical, so don’t neglect this step.

You may also be under the mistaken impression that your cheap auto insurance quote will be the price of your final insurance policy. This is not true. The quotes you obtain initially will be ballpark numbers based on the rudimentary information you give them in the beginning. The cost of your insurance policy will be based upon many other details including your credit score, the kind of car you drive, where you live, how far you drive to work each day and many other factors. Don’t make the final decision on a car insurance company based upon a cheap auto insurance quote alone.

Saving money by shopping around for affordable auto insurance is worth the time and effort.