Free Car Insurance Quotes and Information

So you want a cheap auto insurance quote? Thankfully, auto insurance quotes are FREE! If you’re being told you must pay for a simple quote, you’re looking in the wrong places.

Now, if you want cheap auto insurance coverage, that’s another story entirely. Cheap car insurance comes with a huge risk (though the reward is more money in your pocket, providing that you are a safe driver).

Mandatory State Auto Insurance Laws

Most states have mandatory insurance laws you must abide by. You can check to see what your state requires by going to your state DMV website and looking under their general information page. For example, the California DMV website lists the following liability insurance requirements:

How much liability insurance am I required to have?

California requires that drivers and vehicle owners carry the following minimum monetary limits:

• $15,000 for injury or death of 1 person per accident
• $30,000 for injury or death of 2 or more persons per accident
• $5,000 for property damage per accident

Evidence of financial responsibility must be carried at all times in the vehicle. Most Californians maintain financial responsibility through insurance companies, which provide the policy holder with an identification card as evidence of coverage. The card must state the insurance company's name and address, the period of coverage and policy number.

Persons operating a vehicle in this state who are unlicensed or have an invalid California or out-of-state driver license are subject to the same financial responsibility laws as valid California licensed drivers.

So what does this all mean? Well, in industry terms, you need a minimum of 15/30/5 coverage in California (this varies between states). This is the minimum amount of coverage you need in order to legally drive in the state of California. This also means that these amounts are what your insurance company will pay if you ever exercise your policy. Anything MORE than these amounts and you will be forking over the remainder.

Are these amounts adequate? For the most part, yes. However, you must realize that these amounts just scrape on by. $15,000 dollars may cover hospital bills and procedures for one person, however the death of a person may cost much more on top of this amount. If you are found liable for the accident, you can be sure your other assets will be at stake. $5,000 dollars of property damage isn’t much if you run into a parked 2005 BMW 325i.

So how do I get the best rates?

So you know the risks, but want to know who to go to to get the best rates? The best way is to ask your friends and colleagues who their insurance company is and if they’re happy with their service and the amount they pay (if they’re willing to divulge this information). Another method is to shop around. The internet allows for an easy way to shop around for insurance compared to phone calling like people used to do years ago. Direct insurance writers such as 21st Century, Progressive, State Farm, Geico, all provide car insurance quotes online for free.

As long as you realize the risk of having lower insurance coverage, cheap car insurance can be had easily. State Farm recently lowered their annual premiums across the board. The easiest way to get cheap car insurance with your current insurance provider is to be over 25 years old, have multiple policies with them (home, auto, life, etc), have no tickets on your record, take defensive driving courses, have multiple cars on one policy, and drive a four door coupe that isn’t supercharged or has a turbo and isn’t a high theft vehicle.