No matter what your income or your obligations, you should never pay too much for car insurance if you can get a free car insurance quote. Unlike twenty years ago, when the only way to get a quote was to call an agent, today it’s far easier with access to auto insurance rates online. Best of all, you can request a free auto insurance quote any time of the day or night. You don’t have to do it during business hours, when most likely, you’re busy earning a living. In some cases, the site shows a quote immediately. Other times, the information you input goes to several different agents who then contact you with a quote.

Best Way to Get a Free Car Insurance Quote

Of course, an online quote is the easiest method, but before you start, finds a copy of your auto insurance deck sheet from your auto insurance policy that shows your present coverage. It’s normally the first page of the policy, unless you changed your coverage. In that case, the company sent one separately through the mail. You’ll need this to make certain you’re comparing apples to apples and use the same coverage limits you presently have. Once you know if the price is better, you can always change your coverage to purchase insurance.

Comprehensive Insurance

The coverage listed on the deck sheet normally begins with comprehensive coverage and your deductible for that coverage. Comprehensive coverage pays you in the event a tree fell on the car, you have storm damage or someone stole your vehicle. In fact, it covers almost every type of damage except those that occur during a collision. Some companies still offer comprehensive insurance with no deductible but most have between $100 and $200. The higher the deductible is, the lower the cost is for the policy.

Collision

Collision coverage is normally the second to appear on the deck sheet of coverage. Few if any drivers still have a zero deductible. This type of coverage is more expensive than comprehensive coverage and having a higher deductible—the amount you pay out of your pocket if you cause the accident—saves quite a bit of money. That’s because many accidents involve smaller amounts of damage, but the cost of processing the claim is still quite expensive. By raising the deductible, it lowers the number of claims and saves the insurance company thousands of dollars in not only claims but also claim processing hours. The deductibles normally vary from $250 to $500. Some may be as high as $1,000 for expensive vehicles.

If you’re in an accident caused by another driver, the other driver’s coverage pays for your vehicle and you pay no deductible. However, if you cause the accident, your policy covers the cost and you pay the deductible. If you don’t carry collision coverage and are in an accident caused by the other driver, most insurance companies won’t help you collect, since you don’t have that type of coverage.

Required Car Insurance

If you have a loan on your vehicle, your lending institution requires you to carry both comprehensive and collision coverage. However, no state laws require you to carry this type of coverage. The only legal requirement for car insurance is the liability section of the auto policy. Most states have a specific minimum amount of insurance you must carry or face a fine or even loss of your license.

Liability Coverage

The liability section of an auto insurance policy contains bodily injury, property damage and medical payments to others. It may be a single limit, such as $500,000, or split limit, such as 100/300/50. The split limit in the above example pays up to $100,000 per person with a $300,000 maximum. It also pays a maximum of $50,000 for property damage. The single limit pays out $500,000 maximum divided in any way necessary to cover your liability.

Medical Payments

The medical payments section covers the people in your car if you cause the accident. The limit varies but in many cases, it’s $5,000.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

This coverage pays for damage to your car or injury caused by another driver that has no insurance or not enough to cover the damage or injuries caused from the accident.

Ease of Comparison

Most websites offering a free car Insurance are relatively simple to use. The sites that submit your information to local agents are probably the best. This way you have a person you can contact with questions, if you need to process a claim or need someone to help you settle a claim. One particularly good site is Discount Auto Insurance. This site sends your information to a number of different companies to find the best insurance at the cheapest price, which is the reason you wanted a free auto insurance quote.