Best practices, top tips for buying car insurance

James Raia

Best practices, top tips for buying car insurance 1Car buyers often search Edmunds.com to research new and used cars and the read the reviews of the web site’s automotive experts. But the site is also a vast resource for many additional automotive areas, including car insurance.Philip Reed, the site’s senior consumer advice editor, offers a detailed article entitled “10 Steps to Buying Auto Insurance.”

Reed begins the article with the statement: When it comes to auto insurance, you want to be adequately covered if you get in an accident but you don’t want to pay any more than you have to. So how can you navigate your way through this murky subject?”

Best practices, top tips for buying car insurance 2Reed offers step-by-step guidelines from how much coverage is needed to soliciting competitive quotes and researching online insurance companies for discounts to canceling your old policy.

The author also offers a succinct, comprehensive checklist:

* Determine your state’s insurance requirements.
* Consider your own financial situation in relation to the required car insurance and consider buying more to protect your assets.
* Review the status of your driving record — do you have any outstanding tickets or points on your driver license?
* Check your current coverage to find out how much in premiums you are paying.
* Get competing quotes from an online car  insurance Web site such as InsWeb.com, YouDecide.com and InsureOne.com.
* Make follow-up phone calls to insurance companies to get additional information about coverage.
* Inquire about discounts you might qualify for such as a multiple policy discount.
* Evaluate the reliability of the insurance company you’re considering by visiting your state’s insurance Web site.
* If you have chosen a new insurance company, remember to cancel your old policy.

To read the complete article, visit: Edmunds.com/Insurance Advice

Article Last Updated: May 31, 2013.

1 thought on “Best practices, top tips for buying car insurance”

  1. I would like to mention cost should not be the determinative factor with auto insurance, as is often advertised on TV. The cheapest insurer may not provide what is most important, good claims service. The car owner should also check out how claims are handled, that is, what the procedures are, will the adjuster come to your home, how many estimates are required, how fast claims are processed, etc. Word of mouth from friends who have had auto claims also is an important resource to use when selecting an auto insurer.

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