Everyone who drives needs car insurance. It’s just a fact of life. Car insurance protects you and the other people on the road. It provides a certain set of comfort and peace of mind knowing that you can drive and that a minor accident isn’t going to ruin your life. That’s important because accidents happen! We’ve managed to ritualize driving so well, but the fact is we’re still driving multi ton steel machines at speeds man can never reach naturally.
Despite our need for it, car insurance has become a huge business that is operated by companies trying to make a profit. What we as the public are looking for is the best value for the best protection we can get! Unfortunately, not every company is willing to offer that. In order to get the most out of your driving experience, you need to become as educated as possible.
Determine Which Liabilities You Need
There are several different liabilities that car insurance will help cover. Some are mandated by laws and some are not. How many you get will affect how expensive your policy is going to cost you.
- Physical Liability Insurance - This is one of the mandated types of insurance that you are required to cover. Depending on the state you live in, the amount will likely be different. Personal liability covers injuries to a person other than yourself or to multiple people other than yourself. This does not cover your own problems.
- Property Liability Insurance - This covers the accidental damage that can occur to someone else’s property. This can be vehicles or homes or anything that can be struck by a car accidentally.
- Personal Liability Insurance - This form of liability allows you to cover your own potential medical costs in case of injuries caused by yourself to yourself.
The liability coverage you pay for actually covers a certain amount. The monetary level determines how expensive your car insurance is.The more you pay in, the more you can be covered for.
Discounts and Tips for Saving Money
Getting a discount on car insurance can be solved by one simple tip. Research! Every company has different rates for almost every car. Every company alters their rates depending on your past history. This means that if you want to get a discount and get the best price, you are going to need to research the vagaries that are car insurance premiums. There are tools available now that will let you compare the average (or specific) insurance costs of each vehicle you may consider purchasing. Using this information and the comparison tools online, you can determine which car and provider are best for you.
Bundling your insurance is a great way to save money. Check with your current providers. They may be more than happy to drop the price on your policy thanks to the increased business overall.
Popular Car Insurance Providers
There are a lot of popular companies that are constantly advertising their car insurance policies for you. Here are some of the most popular and well regarded insurance companies by the public:
- Liberty Mutual - A small company that has continued to grow due to great service.
- Esurance - An online company that offers great rates thanks to being based online.
- Allstate - Sometimes pricier, but Allstate provides great emergency service and is a good bundling option.
- State Farm - Another all purpose insurer that responds well when you have to make a claim.
- Progressive - Well known thanks to their mascot “Flo”, Progressive continues to offer up excellent rates.
- The General - A company known for awful commercials, but they actually do have solid offers available.