Get A More Accurate Car Insurance Quote With These 3 Tips
It's always aggravating to get a price estimate that seems reasonable, then learn that the actual final cost will be much more expensive. It's even more aggravating when it's something that you can't just change your mind about buying, like car insurance. But the good news is that when it comes to car insurance, you really can get an accurate quote. The insurance companies aren't trying to trick you – they want their quotes to be accurate. If your quote and final cost often seem mismatched, take a look at some things you should be doing to get a more accurate car insurance cost estimate.
Pull Your Driving Record
You know that traffic violations drive up your insurance rate, so if you want to get an accurate quote, you need to know what's on yours so that you can give the proper information. If you've forgotten a minor moving violation and assume that your driving record is clean, you're going to be surprised when that ticket shows up and raises your final insurance cost higher than the original quote you received.
Even if you're certain that you shouldn't have any moving violations on your record, pull it anyway. Occasionally driving records do occasionally contain mistakes. For example, if you have a common name, a ticket belonging to someone else with your name could accidentally end up on your record. People who have been victims of identity fraud also sometimes find tickets on their driving record that the identity thief received. It's always best to check. You can get a copy of your driving record from your state's department of motor vehicles.
Be Prepared
When you want to get an accurate auto insurance quote, it's important to be prepared with all of the information you need, like your car's VIN and plate number and information about other drivers in your household. If you don't have all this information memorized, don't guess – go get the correct information before sitting down to get your quote.
This may sound obvious, but it's so easy to get a quote – especially on the internet – that you may not even think about it. It's easy to just click on a link to get a free quote and start filling out information, then not want to stop when you get to a question that you're not sure of the answer too. But leaving information blank or guessing at the answers will lead to an inaccurate quote.
Know Your Insurance Needs
There are many different ways to structure your insurance policy. Do you want full coverage or just the minimum required by law? Do you want a high deductible and a lower premium, or would you rather pay more for a low deductible? Do you need add-ons like rental reimbursement or towing?
If you get a quote for a high-deductible, low premium policy, but decide later that you really need a lower deductible, your final premium cost is going to be different. It helps to know precisely what you need from a policy when you're filling out the information to get your quote. If you don't know, at least make a note of the options you chose during your quote. You can change it after discussing your options with your insurance agent, but at least you'll know why the price changed.
Getting an accurate insurance quote boils down to giving accurate information. The more accurate you are, the more on point your quote will be, and the better you'll be able to plan your finances.
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