Get Car Insurance Quotes For Free Online | 2024
Get Car Insurance Quotes For Free Online | 2024
How to get car insurance quotes
You can get auto insurance quotes online by visiting an insurer’s website or working with an insurance agent or broker. We recommends getting quotes from several different companies so you can compare them and find the best fit for you.
To actually get the quote, you’ll need information about your driving history and vehicle use. Those details determine the price of insurance premiums, and they also affect the auto insurance quotes you receive. Be ready to share:
Basic information such as your name, address, occupation and birthdate.
Your current auto insurance company, if you have one.
Driver's license information for you and anyone else on the policy.
Annual and current mileage on your car, as well as how often you drive and why (such as for pleasure or commuting to work).
Vehicle information, including whether you own or lease your car, the vehicle identification number and any safety features.
Driving history for the past five years for all drivers on the policy, including tickets, accidents and other violations. Keep in mind that any company you choose will find your driving history before issuing a policy, so it’s best to be honest so you can get an accurate car insurance quote.
How much coverage you need. If you already have a policy, the declaration page lists the coverage you currently have. You can use this for reference
But before you start making phone calls, remember these pro tips:
Look into car insurance companies’ complaint records and customer satisfaction to help find the best companies to work with. Auto insurance reviews are a good place to find that information.
Get at least three car insurance quotes online or from an agent so you can evaluate whether you’re getting a good price with your current insurance for the coverage you want.
Understand coverage limits. When getting car insurance quotes, check that each policy has comparable liability limits and deductibles.
Direct car insurance quotes online or over the phone
Getting free auto insurance quotes online is one of the most convenient ways to shop for car insurance. Most companies, like State Farm and Allstate, offer free auto insurance quotes online, letting you start on your own but then assigning you an agent to finalize your quote over the phone.
Purchasing a policy online (or over the phone) is referred to as buying car insurance “direct” from the insurer.
Buying insurance directly without the help of an agent gives you more freedom to adjust coverages, and you’ll be able to see auto insurance quotes online for yourself. However, there may be follow-up calls and emails or you may find that websites can provide less information than speaking directly with an agent.
Captive insurance agents
You could also get a free car insurance quote through a captive agent. These folks work for one specific insurance company, such as Allstate, Farmers or State Farm.
Any agent’s job is to help figure out what policy is best for you and provide a car insurance quote. In return, he or she earns a commission — or percentage of your premium — when you buy a policy. Unlike other agents, however, a captive agent may also receive a salary from the company they work for.
Independent insurance agents and brokers
If you want to talk through your car insurance options but don’t want to limit yourself to one company, getting an auto insurance quote from an independent broker or agent might be a good option.
Independent agents and brokers work with multiple insurers and can offer a wide range of options and policies. Big-name insurance companies such as Travelers and Progressive, as well as smaller local companies, sell policies through independent agents. And because independent agents work on commission, they may be more motivated to provide you the best customer service possible. The downside is that they may also be incentivized to steer you toward more expensive policies.
Independent brokers differ from independent agents in that they charge a broker’s fee and must disclose commission rates to customers. This transparency allows you to know exactly how much the broker is making from your business.
Comparison websites
If you want to get car insurance quotes online from multiple companies for free, consider using a comparison website. Different auto insurance comparison tool matches you with several insurers so you can easily compare prices and find the cheapest quote. This can be especially helpful if you already know the kind of coverage you want.
Specialty agencies
Drivers who have had DUIs, speeding tickets or multiple accidents may need to find a nonstandard insurance company that specializes in policies for high-risk drivers. Many local and national agencies exist just to serve this customer base. These agencies find car insurance quotes specifically from companies willing to cover individuals with spotty driving histories.
What to know before shopping for car insurance quotes
Knowing what you might expect to pay for coverage can be helpful in your journey to get car insurance quotes online or otherwise. This can give you a benchmark of what your auto insurance quotes may be and prepare you to budget for them.
But an average can only do so much, since many factors go into determining the instant car insurance quotes you get from different insurers.
Read on to see the average auto insurance costs for 35-year-olds with different driving histories, along with a rundown of factors that may affect what you pay.
How much are car insurance quotes?
Car insurance quotes can vary widely from person to person because of all the factors involved in pricing them. And because we don’t know details about your car, location and driving record, we can’t predict the exact auto insurance quote you’ll receive. But our June 2024 analysis of national car insurance rates helped us determine these averages:
Average auto insurance costs for a 35-year-old driver
| Driver profile | Full coverage | Minimum coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Clean driving record, good credit | $1,708 | $483 |
| One speeding ticket, good credit | $2,164 | $608 |
| One at-fault crash, good credit | $2,511 | $720 |
| One DUI, good credit | $3,194 | $916 |
| Clean driving record, poor credit | $2,726 | $752 |
What factors determine car insurance quotes?
Several factors affect car insurance rates, no matter who it’s from. However, how they differ changes from company to company. For instance, one insurance company might raise your rates by 10% if you live in a high-crime area, while a different insurer might only charge 5% more. Both companies are looking at the amount of crime in your neighborhood, but they calculate your insurance risk differently when they provide a quote for car insurance.
Here are some of the factors that affect car insurance quotes.
Personal characteristics like your age, gender, marital status and education level can affect your auto insurance quote, depending on where you live. This is because insurers use statistics about certain demographics to predict how likely a person is to crash. For instance, teen drivers will generally get higher car insurance quotes because they’re more likely to get in a car accident than almost any other age group.
The coverage you choose can make a difference in your auto insurance quote. Unsurprisingly, the more coverage you need, the higher your quote will be.
Your driving record, such as a history of accidents, speeding tickets and DUIs, will affect your auto insurance quote. But the same is true if you’re a new driver and don’t have a driving record yet. To get the cheapest auto insurance quote possible, you’d need a lengthy driving history with no recent traffic violations.
Details about your vehicle, including your car make and model, and whether it has features like a GPS system or safety equipment, all affect your car insurance quote. Why? Because luxury vehicles and cars with expensive features cost more to repair after an accident. (They’re also more likely to be stolen, making them a bigger liability for insurers.)
Location plays an important part in how much your coverage costs. The amount of coverage required to legally drive a car varies by state. As such, average rates for similar policies differ greatly. Other details about your location play a role in your insurance cost, too. Population density, crime and crash rates around your neighborhood are all factors insurers consider when giving a free car insurance quote.
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