How to Choose the Most Reliable Auto Insurance Company
One of the more confusing things about the whole auto insurance process is just knowing what company you should buy from. There are plenty of companies out there, and each one tells you that they’ve got the best auto insurance for your situation at the best price. Before you jump in and just go with whatever company happens to be beating down your door, interrupting your favorite television show or cluttering up your email inbox, there are some things you need to consider.
Here are some of the things you need to do if you want to choose the most reliable auto insurance company available:
- Start with your state’s insurance department. Every state has regulations that govern how insurance works in the state. Even if you’re not familiar with it, your state has a department of insurance (although it may be named something else). Many state insurance departments will publish information about the various companies selling auto insurance in their state detailing things like the number of complaints that the company has received or whether there are consumer complaints against the company.
- Talk to body shops. One of the best, but most often overlooked sources of information about insurance companies in your area is local body shops. Talk to a local body shop that you trust, and ask about their experiences in dealing with insurance companies.
- Talk to an insurance agent. There are a number of auto insurance companies that let you buy auto insurance directly, but you’re almost always better off working with an insurance agent. An insurance agent is a local point of contact that you can turn to in the event of an accident. You can consider an agent that’s exclusive to a particular auto insurance company, or you can choose an independent agent who can work with multiple insurance companies.
- Check into insurance company ratings. You can use things like Standard & Poor’s ratings to find out how strong a company is financially. The last thing you want to do is get auto insurance only to find that the company goes under the same week you have an auto accident.
- See who has the best discounts. There are many discount programs available from most auto insurance providers. Things like multiple vehicle discounts or multiple line discounts, in particular, can give you a serious price break.
