Choosing auto insurance involves finding the company you wish to use and determining the amount of coverage you need for your car. Crunch your numbers to determine your protection needs, and then you'll be ready to make your decisions.
Determine your Financial Needs
Your auto insurance will become your protection against financial hardships associated with a vehicle accident or issues with your car. Assess your financial needs and your budget to determine how much money you can comfortably afford when paying for issues that could occur within your car. This is how you set your deductible and limit. Also, consider your other assets as you decide where to set your coverage limit. If you own your own home and have a number of valuable assets, it may be wise to have a high liability limit to protect yourself against loss in the event of an accident. Check with your lender if you have financed your car, because you may need to set your limit to a specific minimum based on requirements from the lender.
Assess Your Car and Your Driving
The type of car you drive will also determine your auto insurance needs. If you have an expensive, late-model car, it's likely that you will need higher limits with both collision and comprehensive coverage. Collision coverage protects you from damage that occurs to your car and comprehensive coverage protects you from incidents such as theft or natural disasters. If you have an older car, you may not need as much coverage. It's also important to consider your driving habits as you weigh the auto insurance coverage you need. If you don't drive often, you may only need the minimum coverage. However, if you commute daily and regularly drive in heavy traffic, you will probably require much higher limits.
Consider Special Factors
Some factors may make it necessary for you to purchase higher limits. For example, if you live in an urban area with a high population, you probably navigate highways and roads with high traffic volume, so the likelihood that you will experience some sort of minor accident is much higher. It's also more likely that you will experience some sort of crime or theft incident in connection with your car when you live in this type of location. It is also wise to consider where you park your car. If you park it in a private garage, the chances of theft or vandalism are nil. But, if you park your car on the street or in a public ramp, your car is at a higher risk of vandalism or theft.
Request Quotes
Once you have an idea of your auto insurance needs, it's time to request some quotes. Get at least four quotes from comparable companies. Compare the services of each company, as well as the premiums. Read reviews of the companies, and find out as much as you can about how they handle claims. Review the financial ratings of any company you are considering using.
