AUTO INSURANCE

Everyone who drives a car has (or should have) auto insurance. And if you believe all the commercials on tv, we're all paying too much for the coverage we have.

Surprisingly, they might be right. We found significant variations in price between reputable insurance carriers for the same amount of coverage. This is because every insurance company evaluates risk differently; for example, some will give you a lower price for auto insurance in order to get you to purchase a home insurance policy; others will consider certain factors that their competitors completely ignore.

It's a good idea to make sure your auto insurance policy is at least competitive. In the past, that has meant contacting insurance agents and reviewing your personal details; that also meant putting up with a sales pitch. But with the internet, obtaining competitive quotes can be fast and easy, and you don't have to talk with anyone - even if you decide to purchase the policy online.

There are many factors to consider when comparing auto insurance sites. Some of these include:

•  Number of Quotes.  Does the site deliver competitive quotes from a variety of carriers, or just one quote?

•  Convenience.  Does the site give you authentic price quotes that you can use to purchase your insurance online? Or do they merely put you in touch with insurance agents over the phone?

•  Cost.  How does the quoted rate compare with what you're paying now?

We hope you find this information valuable in choosing the right Auto Insurance for you!

 

 

Insurance.com is an outstanding Auto Insurance site. You can easily obtain multiple quotes from quality insurance companies to compare with your own - and even purchase the policies right online.

To start with, the website is very easy to use. You begin the rate comparison process with just a click of the mouse. The application is a simple four-step process that does not require a lot of information. The site is secure so you can be confident you are not sharing your personal information with everyone on the internet. Conveniently, the site has a menu along the top that allows you to click on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS), Auto Insurance articles, or a Learning Center to help you figure out what is best for your needs.

As you fill out your quote information, a pop-up window appears and gives you the option to chat with an insurance agent live. This is a nice benefit if you feel like you want to talk with a person about a specific situation. Another feature that we found helpful is the ability to come back to your quote at a later time. If you are interrupted in the middle of your quote process, you can come back at a later date simply by reentering your email and birth date. It's very easy to pick up right where you left off.

Insurance.com offers four competitive quotes within a matter of minutes. Throughout our testing, all the quotes we received were from reputable companies and offered the chance to review payment options, claims, and service. Insurance.com keeps all four quotes in front of you even as you review each one - we found this side-by-side review very helpful!

Another great feature on this site is the "comparison view" that lets you compare all of your quotes at once - easily letting you evaluate payment options, company information (including their A.M. Best rating - which is very important when selecting a reputable insurance company), and customer service. This feature is a great way to get a quick picture of all the companies and to make a more educated decision about your coverage.

Insurance.com is an excellent website for finding competitive auto insurance quotes from a variety of quality providers. The information is presented quickly and safely, and earns Insurance.com our highest rating.

 

 

Esurance is a quick and easy way to get your insurance needs covered. The site offers auto, home, renters, life, and health insurance quotes. For our review we looked at their auto insurance quote capabilities.

Esurance is an easy site to navigate and understand. You start the process by entering your zip code. You are then directed to another page where you enter all of your personal and auto insurance information. At anytime during this process, you have the option of clicking on a link to talk directly to an agent if you have any questions.

Once you complete the form, Esurance gives you an immediate 6-month rate quote. You have the option within this quote to change your limits and other coverage so you can see different prices. You then have the option to either "click to talk" or "continue online". By clicking on "continue online" you are taken to another page where you get a temporary password so you can access your online quote at anytime. You can then proceed with purchasing your auto insurance at this point.

Esurance is a full-service insurance provider so they are not offering you comparisons, but an actual policy with them. They hold a rating of "A" by leading rating organizations, and because they are an online service (you print your own policy cards), their pricing is extremely competitive.

Esurance is a quality company that delivers competitive pricing in an easy-to-use format. They are definitely worth a look when examining your auto insurance alternatives.

 

 

Geico is a true auto insurance website. This is all they offer and they do it well. You start by simply entering your zip code. Geico then walks you through a questionnaire to compare their quote with your current coverage.

The quote is offered immediately based on the information provided. You always have the option to connect with a customer service representative during this process. The quote is very detailed, listing all of the coverage you selected and the pricing breakdown for each. You also have the option of changing the coverage so you can adjust your price according to your budget.

You also have the option to choose from a list of packages that Geico offers. The packages include the minimum (includes all liability required by your state), the regular (cost effective coverage for you and your car), the premium (increased coverage to better protect your assets), the ultra (higher level of coverage to reduce your car troubles). By clicking on one of these options you can see an immediate rate quote.

Geico gives you all of the payment options available for your quote with a click of the mouse. If you like what you see, you can simply click on "continue to buy" to begin the purchase process. The site is very easy to use and the quotes are comprehensive. These factors combine to earn high marks for Geico.

 

 

21ST Century Insurance offers auto insurance quotes online. The process is very simple, starting with your zip code.

21st Century requires a lot more information than most of the other sites we reviewed. For example, you need to list any comprehensive claims you have had in the last three years (as well as other accidents or traffic violations). By requesting this information at the time of quote, the 21st Century Insurance prices tended to be much higher than most of the other sites reviewed.

Obtaining the quote was fairly quick and you have the option of talking with a customer service representative at any time during the process. Your quote automatically includes four levels of coverage:

•  "Better" coverage, which is recommended for drivers who own a home and is the highest level of protection

•  "Common" coverage, which is ideal for those who want ample protection but do not need the maximum amount of coverage

•  "Basic" coverage, which is designed to keep your monthly premiums low, allowing you to work within your budget

•  "State Minimum" coverage, which is the lowest level of required coverage for the state you live in

21st Century Insurance is an easy website to use for your auto insurance needs. It provides you with 4 levels of quotes quickly and offers plenty of purchase options. Unfortunately the prices tended to be among the highest in our review.

 

 

Insweb offers an easy way to get multiple auto insurance quotes. The site is simple to navigate. To get started, you enter your personal information - full name, address, previous address, phone numbers, and email address. However, be advised - this information will be passed on to insurance companies that will contact you to obtain your business.

In our repeated testing attempts, only one actual auto insurance quote was returned online. The other three "quotes" simply listed agent information for different companies, or stated that an agent would contact us shortly. While this is helpful in comparing insurance options, we found it much less convenient than our top-rated selections. We much prefer seeing the rate quotes online and determining whether to pursue coverage with a company, without having to talk with competing insurance agents and listening to their sales pitches.

Recognizing this, Insweb offers a customized buyer's guide which you can print out and use when the other agents call you. The guide includes the one immediate quote you receive and then lists the other companies that were returned to you. You fill in the detailed information about each company when the agents contact you.

While Insweb does provide the opportunity for you to compare auto insurance rates, they receive a lower rating because the service is not nearly as convenient as other services in our review. If you truly want to find a quote without having to deal with an agent right away, then you would be better off trying our top-rated services.

 

 

Insurance Finder is a full-service website that helps you connect to quality insurance companies offering competitive rates. In addition to auto insurance, you can also obtain quotes for health, life, homeowners, business, and specialty insurance.

After clicking on the link for auto insurance you are given an option to "get a fast quote". From here, you fill out a questionnaire with your personal information as well as all of your current auto insurance needs. Unfortunately, after entering this information you do not actually get a quote; instead you get matched with leading auto insurance companies offering competitive rates in your area.

If you want to get a quote from one of the companies you are matched with than you click on "get quoted" and wait for them to contact you. The trouble with this process is you do not get a chance to look at and compare the quotes on your own; you have to wait for an insurance agent to call you. Once contacted, you again give them all of your insurance information and must talk through their sales pitch to get their quote offer. We find this method of rate quote far less convenient than comparing rates online.

One interesting point that struck our researchers was that the final page of Insurance Finder lists advertisements for other auto quote websites.

Insurance Finder connects you with auto insurance agents who will then offer you quotes based on your needs. However, you do not receive any rate quotes online at the time that you enter your information, nor are you able to compare quotes online.

 

 

Kanetix offers auto, home, life, motorcycle, and health insurance quotes. The site is simple to use; the homepage is easy to navigate and offers some helpful resources such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) and an Information Center. There is also a "More Info" section where you can click on resources like an insurance blog (something like an online newsletter of information), or saving tips. There are also quick guides for different types of insurance. The auto insurance quick guide explains how to get discounts and how insurance rates are calculated.

Navigating through the quote process is painless. Once you enter your information, however, you are suddenly taken to the Insweb site (which now lists Kanetix as a partner) and your options become exactly the same as Insweb. You are given one immediate quote and the names of three other insurance companies that will be contacting you shortly.

From this point forward you are now dealing with Insweb. As described in our Insweb review, they offer a customized buyer's guide which you can print out and use when the other agents call you. The guide includes the one immediate quote you received, and lists the other referred companies. You fill out the information after the agents contact you.

While Kanetix does offer comparative quotes, you only receive one immediately. We found the process of dealing with multiple agents in order to get the rest of the quotes more cumbersome than it needed to be. If you want to find comparison quotes without dealing with an agent right away, there are better sites available.

 

 

InsureMe is an easy site to navigate and offers the chance to get auto insurance quotes, as well as home, health, life, and long-term care. For this review we examined the auto insurance portion of InsureMe.

You start quickly by entering your zip code and being directed to an insurance information page. Although the information is thorough, it does not deliver any auto insurance quotes. Instead, you are "matched" with insurance agents who then contact you in order to provide you with insurance quotes specific to your situation.

This is a frustrating process when you are trying to get an idea of pricing quickly. Forcing you to deal with auto insurance agents over the phone slows down the process of getting the rate comparison information you want, and requires you to talk through the sales pitches of various insurance agents. While the companies presented are reputable, we found this process far less convenient than our top-rated providers.

InsureMe is a free service and it does help you to find competitive insurance rates through various companies. However, you will need to be prepared to do a lot of the comparison work on your own as you talk with several different agents and companies. All that InsureMe does is put these agents and companies in contact with you.

 

 

Hometown Quotes offers everything from annuity, auto, dental, disability, group health, health, homeowners, life, long-term care, and renters insurance. For this review we focused on auto insurance quotes.

The quote application process on Hometown Quotes takes a bit longer than some of the others. They gather more information in the hopes that you will do more with them than just auto insurance. You do not actually get to compare insurance quotes after you enter all of your information. Even though the site says "auto insurance quotes" you only get matches with agents who will then call you to discuss your insurance options.

Our testing consistently produced five or more different matches to choose from. Some of the matches were actual agents, and others were auto insurance company websites. Clicking the website links did not reveal auto insurance quotes either; they simply started the process over with an individual company. So, not only do you not get a quote, you also have to enter all of your personal information again.

Where the matches returned an insurance agent, your contact information is turned over to them and they subsequently call you in order to get your business. This is far less convenient than simply getting your insurance quote online.

Hometown Quotes receives a low rating compared with the other sites in our review. By delivering website matches and agent contacts instead of actual auto insurance quotes, you could do just as well by looking through your yellow pages.