The basics
How to compare car insurance quotes
A lower number is only a better deal when the policies protect you the same way. Read the limits and the deductible before you read the premium.
- Step 1
Match the coverage
Use the same liability limits, deductibles, and add-ons on every quote. State minimums are often the default, and they can be too thin after a serious crash.
- Step 2
Check the company
Look up complaint patterns with your state insurance department. A cheap policy is a poor fit if claims are hard to close.
- Step 3
Price the whole set
If you also need renters or homeowners coverage, compare the combined bill. A bundle discount only helps when both policies are ones you want.
Insurers refile rates through the year. The company that was inexpensive at your last renewal can be expensive at the next one, even if nothing about your driving changed. Comparing again at renewal is ordinary maintenance, not a sign that you picked badly the first time.
Three routes
Where to get quotes
Each company on its own
Calling insurers or using their sites lets you adjust coverage line by line. It also means typing the same household details more than once, and some companies only sell through agents.
A comparison site
You enter your details once. The site matches you with insurers that want to quote that profile. You may still finish the purchase on the insurer’s site, and you may hear from more than one company.
An independent agent
An agent shops the companies they represent and can help when the household has several cars, a recent violation, or a vehicle that is hard to place online. You only see the carriers that agent can sell.
My Rate Comparison uses the comparison-site path. From here, a quote request goes to a partner that works with auto insurers in the United States.
Before you start
What you need before you start
Gather this for every driver and every car in the household. Missing a driver is a common reason a quote changes later.
If a car is financed or leased, the lender usually requires comprehensive and collision. Have the declarations page of your current policy nearby so you can match limits instead of accepting whatever the form suggests.
Reading the numbers
Coverage amounts
Liability limits are often written as three numbers, such as 25/50/25. Those figures are thousands of dollars, and the order is standard. Pick a set below to see what each number means.
Selected limits: 25 thousand per person, 50 thousand per crash, 25 thousand property damage.
Figures are thousands of dollars. The order is standard.
- First$25,000
- Per person injuryThe most the policy pays for one person’s injuries in a crash you cause.
- Second$50,000
- Per crash injuryThe most it pays for all injuries from that crash, no matter how many people are hurt.
- Third$25,000
- Property damageThe most it pays for property you damage, such as another car or a fence.
Example crash, for illustration only
You cause a crash. Two people are hurt, with $60,000 and $40,000 in medical bills, and the other car needs $30,000 in repairs.
Your state sets a minimum. That minimum is a legal floor, not a recommendation for what would make you whole. Medical bills and car repairs routinely exceed older minimums. If you have savings, a home, or wages a court could reach, higher liability limits are the part of the policy worth pricing first.
Other pieces you will see
- Collision
- Pays to repair your car after a crash, minus your deductible.
- Comprehensive
- Pays for theft, hail, flood, fire, and similar events, again minus a deductible.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist
- Applies when the other driver has little or no insurance.
- Medical payments or personal injury protection
- Helps with injuries in your own car. Rules differ by state.
Optional features, such as roadside assistance, rental reimbursement, or accident forgiveness, are worth comparing only after the core limits match. A slightly higher premium can be the better policy if it includes a feature you would otherwise pay for out of pocket.
Rating factors
What changes the price
Insurers score the chance of a claim and the likely size of that claim. The same coverage can cost more or less because of details that have nothing to do with a national average.
Age
New drivers pay more because they have little history. Prices often ease as drivers move through their thirties and forties. They can rise again later, when claim patterns and miles driven change. The company with the lowest price for a 35-year-old is not automatically the lowest price for a driver over 65. That is one reason to compare, rather than renew out of habit.
Driving record
An at-fault crash, a DUI, or a moving violation can raise the premium for several years. After an incident, the insurer you already have is not always the one that will charge the least. Comparing still matters, even when every quote is higher than it used to be.
Where the car is kept
State rules, repair costs, weather, and local claim rates all flow into the price. Two ZIP codes in the same city can differ. Use the address where the car is parked overnight.
Credit, where it is allowed
Some states let insurers use credit-based insurance scores. California, Hawaii, and Massachusetts restrict that use. If your credit has improved since you last shopped, a new quote can look different for that reason alone.
The car and the miles
A new vehicle costs more to repair and can cost more to insure. A paid-off older car may not need collision if you could replace it without a hardship. Cars that sit most of the week should be quoted with realistic annual mileage. Overstating miles raises the price. Understating them can cause trouble at claim time.
Mature drivers
Drivers 65 and older
Drivers past 65 are not a single rate class. Many have decades without a claim, own their cars outright, and drive fewer miles than they did while commuting. Others share a car with a spouse, a grandchild on the policy, or a newer vehicle with expensive repairs. Insurers weigh those facts differently, so the cheapest match at 65 is often a different company than the one that was cheapest at 50.
When you compare, ask which of these were applied
- A mature-driver or defensive-driving discount, if your state and the insurer offer one
- A low-mileage or pleasure-use rate, if the car is no longer a daily commute
- A paid-in-full or paperless discount
- A multi-car or multi-policy discount that still fits coverage you want
Dropping collision on a car with little resale value can lower the bill, but only if you could pay for repairs yourself. Liability limits should not be the place you cut. A claim that injures someone else is the part of the policy that protects savings and a home.
Have the household driver list current. A licensed person who lives with you may need to be named or explicitly excluded, depending on the insurer and the state. Leaving someone off to get a lower quote can void a claim.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Where can I compare car insurance?
You can quote companies one by one, work with an independent agent, or use a comparison site. My Rate Comparison sends you to a partner that collects your details and returns quotes from insurers that participate for your state.
Why is one quote so much higher than another?
The quotes may not be for the same limits, deductibles, or drivers. One may include comprehensive and collision while the other is liability only. Credit, prior insurance, and the exact garaging address also move the price.
Why doesn’t the quote match a price I saw in an ad?
Advertised examples use a sample driver. Your quote uses your age, location, car, record, and the coverage you select. Treat the sample as a reason to compare, not as the price you will be offered.
What is the fastest way to compare?
Decide on liability limits and deductibles first, then request quotes that use those choices. Matching the structure up front is faster than trying to translate three different packages after the fact.
Which company is best?
There isn’t one company that is cheapest for every driver. The right quote is the one with limits you understand, a deductible you could pay, and a premium that holds up after the insurer verifies your information.
Do you sell the policy?
No. My Rate Comparison does not bind coverage and does not take premium payments. A licensed insurer or its agent does that, after you choose a quote.