Shop Around For Insurance Quotes

Insurance quotes are good for a few different reasons. They are free, and they save you money. Whether you are looking for auto insurance, home insurance, health insurance, or other types of insurance, it's important to shop around.

We've all seen the commercials about how you can save money by switching to a different insurance company, but all companies say that you can save money by switching. So if you want to find the best deal, you will have to compare quotes from different companies.

When you are looking for insurance quotes, don't sacrifice coverage for a lower rate. All insurance companies can give you a better insurance quote if they give you a lower coverage. Decide what amount of coverage you want and then shop and compare insurance quotes from the different companies.

All states have different insurance companies for different types of insurance, but there is always an assortment of options for each state. There was a survey taken not long about how many insurance quotes each person got before they decided to purchase insurance. The average amount of quotes a person shopped was 3. That means that some people would get only one quote, and others would get up to 4 or 5.

I've posted before about the important of shopping around and listed a few places to compare prices in various states just to show that prices do vary. Insurance companies sometimes target specific audiences, so there may be an insurance company that has a low rate for you. You just have to shop around.

You may feel that you have the best insurance company with the lowest quote. You may indeed have found it already, but it doesn't hurt to shop around every year, because each year insurance companies sometimes lower or raise their rates. You may find a better deal by shopping around and comparing insurance quotes.

Texas Insurance Comparisons for Home and Auto

The Texas Department of Insurance has comparisons for home and auto insurance which will give you approximate prices in Texas from different insurance companies. There is also information about financial ratings and complaint index. The prices you see are not actual premiums, but just a general idea of what you might pay. The comparisons are based on limited factors, so actual rates will vary.

The auto insurance comparison has several different driver profiles. The profiles have different ages, 18, 25, 35, 55, and over 64. Also for age 18, you can compare single vs. married. The profiles are ones with no tickets or accidents. You would then have to select your locality in Texas and be able to see the different prices of the different insurance companies.

The comparison for home insurance has different owner profiles consisting of new brick or frame home, and then different ages of the homes. Also you can see what kind of discounts the companies may offer. You also select where you live to compare the different rates.

These comparisons can give you a rough idea about prices, but it's important to shop around and get actual quotes. It's also important to note, that not all companies may be writing business, because the comparisons are only as current as the last provision.

Tool for Comparing California Auto Insurance

The California Department of Insurance created a tool for comparing auto insurance rates. The premiums shown are based on a CDI automobile premium survey. The results are not premium quotes, but is provided to encourage Californians to shop around for insurance.

The tool asks if you want standard or liability coverage, where you live, your sex, how long you have been licensed, miles you drive a year, driving record for 3 years, and vehicle type. I noticed they do not have many vehicles to choose from, but you could select a vehicle that is most similar to yours.

I ran a few tests to see how rates varied depending on a few factors. I wanted see how much difference driving experience and sex made.

I selected standard, Los Angeles Hollywood-West, Male, 3-5 driving experience, 7,600-10,000 miles, no violations or accidents, Honda Accord.
Rates are high. $2,000 - $7,000.
Rates are very similar for female.

When I changed to driving experience 16-40 years, Rates were much lower. $1,000 - 4,000.

I put 16-40 years driving experience, and 1 At-fault accident and rates go up 1,500 - 5,000.

These are not premium quotes, but good indicators of the differences in premiums charged by insurance companies. The rates did vary depending on the criteria I put in, but I was also surprised how much the rates varied from different insurers, assuming this tool is somewhat accurate.

Compare Car Insurance Quotes with Same Coverage

Find the most affordable car insurance by comparing rates. It costs nothing to compare car insurance. Many companies say how much you can save by switching car insurance, but why not compare several auto insurers, so you find a company with the best rate for you.

If you could save five hundred dollars by switching to one company, think how much you could save by getting multiple quotes from car insurance companies. Each company has different factors when setting your rate, so just because one insurance company is cheaper for your friend, doesn't mean it will be for you.

Many things affect your rate, but also the amount of coverage affects your rate. When you compare car insurance rates, be sure that you get quotes for the same coverage. The amount of liability coverage, collision, comprehensive, and PIP coverage all affect your rate.

Comprehensive protects you against theft, if you hit a deer, or natural disasters. Collision is important if you can't risk having to buy a new car. PIP (Personal Injury Protection) is a small amount of medical coverage that will pay up to a certain amount, before your medical coverage pays for the rest.

Compare Insurance Rates

It's very smart to compare insurance rates. Getting a quote from one company you may save $200, but if you check another you may save $400 or even more. That's why it's important to compare rates before you buy. I know it may be tempting to buy insurance the first quote you get, but if you want to save money you should compare at least 3 to 5 companies.

I know how important it is that you get insurance and assume that you don't shop for insurance very often. So see what choices you have, and then you can make a good decision.

So get out a pencil and piece of paper and write down the quotes that you get from many different companies. Insurance isn't free, but insurance quotes are free. By getting many insurance quotes your insurance will cost you less, and that's good.

Insurance companies like to say that you can save money by switching insurance, but it's important that you have the rates of the companies so you know which insurance company can save you the most.

The top insurance companies vary based on what state you are in. Another place you might check to find out which insurance companies are in your state is at the insurance department in your state, since not all insurance companies offer insurance in all states.

Florida's Tool for Comparing Homeowners Insurance

While I realize not everyone is from Florida nor a homeowner, I found that this tool demonstrates the importance of shopping around for insurance quotes, no matter where you live. The state of Florida created a tool to compare homeowners insurance in Florida where you can easily click on your county and compare the average rates of different companies.

I looked around this website myself. I found that in some counties, rates varied $600 to $1,300 which really isn't a lot, but substantial. However, in the coastal areas, insurer's rates varied from $1,700 to $7,000 and that is a lot. Please note, if you are in Florida and using this tool, not all companies listed may be writing new policies.

The launch of this website was sometime in June, according to a press release from the Florida's governor. To use the tool you go to ShopandCompareRates.com and then scroll down and click on compare homeowners insurance rates. Note to others, regardless of where you live or type of insurance, you could save a bundle by shopping around.