Car Insurance Quotes
From LoveToKnow Insurance
Whether you go online or to your local insurance agency for a car insurance quote, you will be ask some of the same basic information.
Personal Information
Before you call an insurance company looking for a car insurance quote, it is a good idea to have all the information you will need for the company to process your request at hand. This is especially true if you will be getting a quote on a policy that will cover more than one driver.
The first set of details the insurance representative is likely to ask for is your personal information. Be prepared to provide the following for each driver to be covered by the car insurance policy:
- Full name
- Home address
- Birth date
- Social Security number
- Driver's license number
- Sex
- Marital status
- Education, including highest grade completed and driver's education training
- G.P.A., if a full-time student
- Occupation
- Credit history, such as have you filed bankruptcy, do you have charge offs or repossessions, and how good is your current overall credit rating (usually a excellent, good, fair, or poor answer will suffice)
- How long have you been a resident of the USA or Canada?
You may find it strange that your credit history would make up part of the equation that determine car insurance rates, but the ability to pay your bills goes directly towards determining your character and whether you are apt to make your premium payments timely.
In fact, much of the information requested may seem irrelevant, such as marital status and education. You may be thinking, What could that possibly do with my ability to drive a car? Statistical data has been compiled based on these factors, and each one is assigned a value based on the claim history of other insured people who share the same education, credit, or marital background as you. For example, married people are a better insurance risk than single people.
Car Insurance Quotes and Vehicle Details
After the insurance company is acquainted with the driver(s), you will need to supply information about your vehicle, including such details as:
- Vehicle year, make, and model
- Zip code where the vehicle is most often garaged
- Primary driver
- Annual mileage
- Is the vehicle leased?
- Desired deductible
- Primary purpose of the vehicle, meaning do you use it for commuting and pleasure only or is it utilized for business purposes?
- Miles commuted between home and work
Driving Record
Your driving record is a good indicator of what kind of driver you are. The car insurance company will want to know about any DUI convictions, tickets, accidents or car insurance claims you have had in the past.
Car Insurance History and Policy Requirements
There are several reasons you will want to have a copy of your existing insurance policy with you. First, in order to properly compare rates, you will want to get a car insurance quote for the same coverage as you have now. If you compare the cost of a car insurance policy with a $1,000 deductible to that of a policy with a $500 policy, you are comparing apples to oranges. This means the value of what you will receive for your premium payments is not the same; therefore, the comparison is unreasonable.
Second, you are likely to be asked for the following information:
- Expiration/renewal date of your current car insurance policy
- How long have you had continuous car insurance coverage?
- How long you have been with your current insurance company?
Car Insurance Quote Summary
It is prudent to get a new car insurance quote when any of the data provided to your car insurance company changes or is about to change. For example, if you are looking to buy a new vehicle, you will want to know how that make and model of car will affect your car insurance rates before you make the purchase. In some cases, the purchase of a new vehicle can mean a monthly insurance premium equivalent to the cost of your car payment.
No one enjoys shopping for car insurance, but you can take some of the pain out of the experience by properly preparing to answer the questions that will get you the most accurate car insurance quote.
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This page has been accessed 889 times. This page was last modified 04:33, 27 December 2007.
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