Donate Car to Charity California, Donate Car for Tax Credit, Donate Cars in MA, Donate Your Car Sacramento, How to Donate A Car in California, Donate Your Car for Kids, Donate a Car in Maryland, Donating a Car in Maryland, Donate Cars Illinois, Donate Old Cars to Charity, Met Auto, Car Donate Best and worst auto insurance companies Thinking about shopping your auto insurance? A huge percent of people never shop their insurance needs — and that’s a bad idea considering that modern American business punishes loyalty, rather than rewarding it. Car insurance ads on TV promise accident forgiveness, vanishing deductibles and other selling points. But those features are just a side show to the main act, which is a company’s reputation with satisfying customers after a claim is made. Read more: Car insurance rates: Geico vs. Progressive vs. Amica vs. State Farm Best and worst auto insurers Consumer Reports took a look at the auto insurance industry by surveying more than 64,000 readers about their satisfaction on the claims process, the cost of premiums and the overall customer experience. Here are the winners and losers, according to the magazine: 10 top-rated insurers (#1 is best) Amica Insurance New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company USAA Property & Casualty Auto Club Group Erie Insurance Group PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company The Cincinnati Insurance Company Auto-Owners Insurance Group of Companies Auto Club Enterprises Insurance Group Travelers Group 10 lowest-rated insurers (#1 is worst) MAPFRE North America Group MetLife Auto & Home Group Mercury General Group Progressive Insurance Group Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies Nationwide Group Allstate Farmers Insurance Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Group (Geico) State Farm When it comes to car insurance, be sure the deductible you have isn’t too low. Having a low deductible pushes premiums higher. It could also tempt you to make a claim for a small incident that will leave you in trouble with insurers going forward. You never want to make a claim on auto insurance for something small — like a cracked windshield or a broken side-view mirror — because the consequences are so ugly. The insurer can surcharge you for a number of years; eliminate the discounts you would otherwise qualify for; or put a black mark on your C.L.U.E. report, a little-known industry database of claims. The latter effectively limits your ability to shop with the competition for 36 months. Car insurance rates: Geico vs. Progressive vs. Amica vs. State Farm When’s the last time you shopped around for a new auto insurance policy? If you get a renewal in the mail that includes an increase, there’s no time like the present to start shopping! Clark recommends comparing car insurance prices every three years, but you can do so more often if you’d like. Read more: 7 things you never knew impacted your car insurance Save money by switching auto insurers A lot of people wait until the end of their policy period to do this comparison, but there’s no reason to wait until then – especially if you think you’re paying too much. If you switch during the middle of a policy term, you can just request a refund from the insurer you’re leaving. While USAA and Amica have been Clark’s longtime favorites, you may want to compare prices from several other companies identified in our story about the best auto insurers. Once you do that, it’s time to get quotes online or over the phone — and compare them! After receiving a bill to renew an existing 6-month Geico policy for $541, I called up Amica, Progressive and State Farm to get quotes for the same coverage. Which do you think had the lowest price? Read on to find out! State Farm 6-month policy: $634 $93 more expensive than existing policy Quote took 13 minutes Amica 12-month policy: $2,095 ($1,047 for 6 months) $506 more expensive than existing policy Quote took 12 minutes Progressive 6-month policy: $442 $99 less expensive than existing policy Quote took 15 minutes As you may have noticed, there’s a $605 difference between the most expensive quote and the cheapest one, which was lower than the existing Geico policy. By switching from Geico to Progressive, I would save $100 for less than an hour’s work! There are so many factors that impact auto insurance rates, including things that have nothing to do with your driving history: your age, home address and credit score. That’s why your quotes from these same insurers could be totally different from mine. “It’s a great idea for you to shop around for your auto insurance. The more you shop, truly, the more you save. Based on each individual situation, different insurers are going to treat you differently,” Clark said. Before calling the insurance companies to do this comparison, have your current policy, driver’s license and your vehicle’s VIN handy to speed up the process. Read more: 4 hidden factors that help determine your auto insurance premiums
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