Choosing The Best Insurance

A Variety Of Factors To Consider

Age, gender, legal status, and vehicles will play into your choice of auto insurance. Don’t trust the first “good deal” you find through Geico, Progressive, or All State. Sure, they’ve got some of the most compelling marketing out there. That doesn’t mean they’re going to have the best deals for you. Regional options like Foremost or Farmers could have a better rate. 

If you’re going to get the best rate on insurance, you’ll need to call up a few different companies and get quotes. Also, be careful. Sometimes you’ll get a quote and pay your first month of insurance only to have the rate change later owing to something like a traffic violation that wasn’t properly processed when you signed up. 

The bigger the insurance provider, the greater the likelihood they’ll pull a bait and switch on you. So keep that in mind. Also, some insurance providers won’t cover certain vehicles. For example, USAA, which provides exceptional deals for veterans, won’t provide insurance packages for RVs. This is because a lot of veterans will live in them full-time. That gets costly.

So firstly, look at your budget, and look at your needs. Secondly, determine what sort of vehicle you’re looking to get coverage for. Some agencies will cover motorcycles and/or RVs, some won’t. Next, determine what’s available in your area. National options can be attained across the country; localized solutions may provide national coverage at a reduced rate. 

Favored Discount Options

Next, be sure you know whether or not you’ve got anything that may net you a favored discount. Military discounts and specific insurance agencies serving both veterans and their families are out there, but come with their own restrictions. There may be additional discounts for other organizations with which you’re involved. 

When you’ve got all this information, it’s time to start calling insurance providers. You can get quotes online, but it’s better to call on the phone because individual people have greater motivation to get you the deal you want to convert to their insurance services. They get a commission when that happens. 

Accordingly, you’re likely to get a better deal in this way—but that’s not always the case. There are also online promo codes which may come into play, and could get you something like a free month’s worth of coverage out of twelve if you buy a certain amount right away. 

Something else to consider is paying up-front for a whole year. Paying for a year of insurance will actually save you a few hundred dollars over paying for it a month at a time; so be sure to ask, as you call around between providers, what sort of discount you can acquire if you pay for everything up front. 

Finding The Best Deals

Once you start calling, use a pen and paper (or a keyboard and computer—or even a voice recorder) to jot down rates, deals, discounts, and any other pertinent information. You’ll likely get the best rates if you’re female with a good record, some sort of military involvement, a non-RV, a non-motorcycle, and a good driving history. Males are a higher risk. 

All these things being said, it’s possible to get full coverage for a year at the $1,200 rate; or around $100 a month, on an RV—if you pay in advance. You could get liability only for under $300 the same way. It all depends on how much money you’ve got, the vehicle you’re looking to cover, and the insurance company; so call around and get quotes. 

To learn more about vehicular insurance, maintenance best practices, how to get deals at dealerships, the sort of political intrigue defining today’s world, and to get a few good laughs, be sure to become a regular reader of our blog at Anybody’s Autos!