You’ll want to ask if you can get immediate coverage. If you need insurance fast, you aren’t going to want to choose a company that can’t guarantee coverage right away. Fortunately, most companies can give you a policy-some within minutes of you filling out an application or form. If you’re looking to insure a motorcycle, you’ll want to ask up front if they cover motorcycles since a few companies choose not to. They consider motorcycles to be a higher risk because of possible serious injuries in the event of a collision.
Ask the representative if you can get a better payment if you go with a higher deductible. If you’re a fairly safe, defensive driver, there’s nothing wrong with having a higher deductible but if you or someone who drivers your car is accident prone, this won’t be the best choice for you. That’s why you’ll want to know if the policy has provisions to cover your teenage children if you let them drive your vehicle. Some policies have this blanket coverage while others do not.
Know if the auto insurance company you’re looking at for a quote offers any bundle servicing. Find out if they’ll give you a discount if you also put your home insurance needs with the company as well. Make sure you specifically ask about discounts as some insurance companies will not automatically offer them.
Ask what type of payment options they have. One of the most convenient ways to pay bills today is either as an automatic withdrawal through a bank account and if you don’t have a bank account, you’ll want to be able to pay it online for convenience sake.
You’ll want to have the above questions answered but you’ll also want to make sure that you fully comprehend what it is your state requires (the minimum) versus what will happen to your financial security if you have an accident and the costs exceed the minimum. For example, in the state of California, motorists are required to carry 15/30/5. That’s $15,000 for injury or death, $30,000 when it involves more than one person and $5,000 is for property damage. That’s just the minimum. You can run into serious financial trouble if you have an accident and there’s a greater injury or property damage cost.
When you get auto insurance, keep in mind that it’s for your protection and if you can afford a policy with more than the minimum requirements, you might be better off to go with that one. It’s always better to be prepared.
