- It’s easy to get car insurance quotes online by providing your basic information.
- USAA and GEICO are two insurers known to provide cheap quotes to online shoppers.
- You can use online quote comparison tools to see prices from multiple providers at once.
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Shopping for car insurance quotes online can feel tedious, but it’s actually one of the easiest ways to compare pricing from multiple companies – especially if you use a quote comparison tool like the one above. When choosing an insurer, you should always get a few quotes before deciding on a policy to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Our review team has researched all of the leading providers on the market and found the best car insurance companies that stand out from the rest. You can get car insurance quotes online from any top insurer just by providing some basic information about yourself and your vehicle. We’ll cover what you need to know about shopping for insurance online and how to find the best deals here.
Should You Get Car Insurance Quotes Online, Over the Phone, or in Person?
There are three main ways to get car insurance quotes: online, over the phone, and in person. Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of each type of situation.
| Type of Quote | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Online |
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| Over the Phone |
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| In Person |
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Overall, getting car insurance quotes online is the quickest and easiest avenue, especially when you want to compare multiple quotes at once. It does lack the human element of working with an agent online or over the phone, but keep in mind that you can always get an online quote first and then call an agent to talk about your specific insurance needs.
You might want to work with an agent if you have questions about what level of coverage is best. Generally, we recommend that you get as much liability coverage as you can reasonably afford, as a single bad accident can cause more damage than a state-minimum plan would cover. For even more personalized service, visit an agent at your local office in person.
How To Get Free Car Insurance Quotes Online
If you do a little planning ahead, you can make the process of getting car insurance quotes online quick and easy. More importantly, with the right information, you’ll get quotes that are as accurate as possible. Quotes are highly personalized and are based on info about who you are and the car you drive, so the more details you can provide, the better. Here’s the basic process of getting car insurance quotes online:
1. Choose your level of coverage: Each state sets its own minimums for coverage, but sometimes they don’t cover the entire cost of an accident. For example, if your state requires $25,000 of bodily injury liability insurance and you cause an accident that results in $50,000 worth of medical bills for other involved parties, you’ll be on the hook for the amount your insurance company doesn’t cover. You can elect higher policy limits to avoid this type of situation.
You’ll also need to decide whether you want comprehensive and collision coverage or any other add-ons, like roadside assistance or rideshare insurance.
2. Collect your information: You’ll need to provide your vehicle identification number (VIN), as well as the make, model, and mileage of your vehicle. You’ll also need names, dates of birth, addresses, employment information, and driver’s license numbers for everyone who drives the vehicle, and you’ll need to provide your social security number. Online quote tools will ask for information about your driving record and current insurance levels as well.
3. Get a quote from a provider or comparison tool: For online car insurance quotes, you can typically visit any major provider’s website. The biggest car insurance companies usually offer a way for potential customers to get free quotes online. Plan at least 10 minutes to fill out a quote form once you have your information ready.
It’s always a good idea to compare multiple quotes. You can either fill out multiple forms on different sites, or you can also use a quote comparison tool like the one at the top of this article that allows you to input your information once and get prices from several top insurers in your area.
4. Choose the best provider for you: When it’s time to make a decision, go with a provider that you’re confident gives good service to drivers in your area.
Where To Get The Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes Online
We’ve analyzed the best car insurance providers for multiple situations. Here are our top 12 picks, along with our overall rating, cost rating, and the AM Best financial strength rating for each company.
| Insurer | Best For | Overall Rating | Affordability Rating | Financial Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 GEICO | Best Overall | 96% | 95% | A++ |
| #2 USAA | Best for Military Families | 96% | 95% | A++ |
| #3 State Farm | Best for Student Drivers | 95% | 90% | A++ |
| #4 Progressive | Best for High-Risk Drivers | 95% | 90% | A+ |
| #5 AAA | Best Membership Perks | 92% | 90% | A |
| #6 Liberty Mutual | Best for New Drivers | 91% | 85% | A |
| #7 The Hartford | – | 91% | 90% | A+ |
| #8 Allstate | – | 90% | 80% | A+ |
| #9 Nationwide | – | 89% | 85% | A+ |
| #10 Root Auto | – | 89% | 95% | NR |
| #11 Farmers | – | 88% | 80% | A- |
| #12 Travelers | – | 88% | 85% | A++ |
Car insurance quotes are based on the level of risk that you pose to the insurance company as a driver. The company has to cover damages according to your policy, so it will charge you more if it anticipates paying more based on your risk profile.
One of the biggest factors is your age. Average car insurance rates by age range from over $5,000 per year for teens to about $1,300 per year for middle-aged adults. There’s a steep decline in price as you enter your 20s. Teen men typically pay more than teen women, but that difference diminishes with age.
Your driving record has a huge impact on insurance premiums, too. Speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and misdemeanors or felonies all raise your rate. A serious conviction like a DUI can put you in a high-risk group and add thousands to your insurance costs.
Your ZIP code can also affect the prices you find. Densely populated areas have higher rates of accidents, vandalism, and theft, which raises the likelihood that your insurer will have to cover damages. Comprehensive insurance claims are higher in regions with harsh weather, so those areas can have higher costs as well.
When you get car insurance quotes online, other factors insurance companies will look into include:
- Credit score
- Marital status
- Driving history
- Insurance history
- Deductible you choose
- Homeownership status
- Level of coverage you choose
- Vehicle type, age, and mileage
- Number of other drivers in your household
- Your state’s minimum insurance requirements
How To Get Cheaper Auto Insurance Rates
One way to find cheap car insurance quotes online is to look for discounts that apply to your situation. Insurers usually offer a variety of discounts, but not all providers give discounts for the same things. For example, GEICO is one of the only providers to offer a federal employee discount. Also, most companies offer some level of discount for good students, but State Farm’s good student discount is the best in the industry at up to 25% off. Other common discounts include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and safety feature discounts.
If you’re a good driver and don’t drive very often, you can also save on auto insurance coverage by choosing a usage-based program. These programs track your driving and reward you with discounts for safe driving and low annual mileage.
While you can’t control your age or past driving history, you can work on raising your credit score if it’s low to get good rates in the future. You could potentially save hundreds per year if you make a significant improvement.
Finally, it’s always important to spend time comparing multiple quotes from different companies. Your situation is the same no matter where you get a quote, but providers will assess your risk differently and offer a range of prices. You should be shopping around each time your policy is up for renewal, too, just to make sure you have the best available rate.
However, don’t spend too much time looking for the perfect provider if you risk a lapse in coverage. If your auto insurance policy is ineligible to be renewed for whatever reason, you need to have new insurance lined up ready to go. To an insurer, a lapse basically means you were an uninsured motorist for that time, and that will drive up auto insurance quotes.
Top Recommendations for Car Insurance
To summarize shopping for car insurance quotes online, different providers offer different rates. Getting more quotes improves your chances of finding the best price for your situation. Of course, you probably don’t have time to get quotes from the dozens of companies on the market today. We recommend checking out GEICO, USAA, and State Farm for low prices, or you can use our free quote comparison tool below to find the cheapest rates in your area.
GEICO: Best Overall
Our review team dug deep into things like financial stability, industry ratings, customer experience, pricing, and claims service for all of the top car insurance providers. After tallying the results, we rated GEICO auto insurance as best overall because it’s strong in multiple areas and comes at a low price for many drivers.
GEICO offers a wide range of coverage options and a few extras like roadside assistance, classic auto insurance, rideshare insurance, and mechanical breakdown insurance. Here are a few more highlights about the company:
- 16 discounts in total
- In business since 1936
- A++ financial rating from AM Best
- A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
USAA: Best for Military Families
If you’ve served the country as a member of the military, or if you have an immediate family member who has, it’s a good idea to check out USAA. The company is known for providing both cheap car insurance and high-quality service – two things that don’t always go together. USAA is available to active duty service members, veterans, and spouses and children of USAA members.
Whether you want basic bodily injury and property damage coverage or full coverage with high limits, USAA car insurance has options. Rideshare drivers can also find reliable coverage from the company. And since USAA caters to the military community, it offers useful perks like deployment checklists and payment calculators. Here are a few more things to know about USAA:
- 12 discounts in total
- A rating from the BBB
- In business since 1922
- A++ financial strength rating
State Farm: Best for Student Drivers
We ranked State Farm in third place overall and rated it Best for Student Drivers. That’s because it has the best student discount in the industry – 25%, as mentioned above. Besides that, drivers under 25 can take advantage of the Steer Clear® educational app for more discounts.
Out of our top three choices, State Farm auto insurance also has the most widely available usage-based program, called Drive Safe & SaveTM. The program tracks your driving habits and can give safe drivers up to 30% off. A few more highlights about State Farm include:
- In business since 1922
- A++ financial strength rating
- Largest auto insurance provider in the U.S.
- 11 discounts (not including participation programs)
Who has the cheapest online car insurance?
According to our research, GEICO and USAA consistently offer the cheapest car insurance quotes online. Both companies offer fast quotes on their websites. However, each insurance provider weighs aspects of your driving profile differently, so you may find cheaper rates from other companies.
What is the best car insurance quote site?
A car insurance quote site gives you access to pricing from many reputable companies at once. You can use our quote comparison form on this page to see rates from multiple leading providers in your area.
Which auto insurance has the best rates?
We’ve compared rates from multiple auto insurance companies to find the best prices. In order of affordability, our top five picks are GEICO, USAA, State Farm, Progressive, and AAA. USAA generally offers the best prices for military members, and GEICO typically has the best rates for the wider market.
Original article: How to Get Free Car Insurance Quotes Online (2021)
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