So you just purchased the car of your dreams, or you're about to, and you want to get the best new car insurance at the best rate. Here's how to do it.
New Car Insurance
When you buy a new car your loan company will require a certain amount of new car insurance to protect itself in case your car is damaged or stolen.
If you don't get your own insurance, your loan company or dealer will get it for you and, believe me, it won't be cheap. The last time I purchased a car the difference between my loan company's insurance rate and the rate I got myself was more than $1,000.
So the first thing you need to do is go shopping for your own insurance and compare rates.
Comparing Rates
The easiest and fastest way to get cheap rates is to go to a car insurance comparison site (see links below). Here you can get multiple rate quotes from a number of car insurance companies so you can compare them and choose the best rate.
Once you're on the site you'll be asked to fill out a questionnaire so you can tailor your insurance to fit your specific needs. As you fill it out you'll be able to view a list of discounts and include them in your auto insurance policy.
Here are some new car insurance discounts worth considering:
* Raising your deductible by a couple of hundred dollars can save you hundreds of dollars a year on your premium.
* Installing an auto alarm and ant-theft device can get you a good-sized discount.
* Dropping unnecessary coverage like medical and towing coverage if you already have them will save you money.
Comparing Companies
After you choose a car insurance company you want to make sure that company will give you good service, especially when it comes to paying your claims.
A good way to see how well a company treats its customers is to go to Epinions.com. Here you'll find reviews of all the major insurance companies written by actual customers, plus testimonials on how they were treated and what their claims experiences were.
You can also go to your state's insurance department website to see what claims have been filed against a particular company. If your state doesn't provide this information, you can get it from the California Department of Insurance website - www.insurance.ca.gov.
By: Brian Stevens