Terms of Use While most every state requires that you buy a minimum amount of liability coverage, consider what you are paying for additional collision and comprehensive coverage, especially when you're driving an older vehicle. With most policies, your coverage reflects the market value of your car and the cost of repairing it. You may want to consider a liability-only policy which can reduce your insurance costs by 50 percent or more, according to the National Association of Insurance C  More...

Terms of Use You may not realize it, but the insurance rates you pay for your car can vary dramatically depending on the insurance company, agent or broker you choose, the coverages you request and the kind of car you drive. Listed below are a number of things you can do right now to lower your insurance costs. 1. COMPARISON SHOP Prices for the same coverage can vary by hundreds of dollars, so it pays to shop around. Ask your friends, check the yellow pages or call your state insurance de  More...

Terms of Use Almost every state requires you to buy a minimum amount of liability coverage. Chances are that you will need more liability insurance than the state requires because accidents cost more than the minimum limits defined by each state. If you’re found legally responsible for damages that are more than your insurance covers, you will have to pay the difference out of your own pocket. These costs could literally wipe you out financially! The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.  More...

Terms of Use There are five main considerations you need to take into account when picking an auto insurance company. Insurer financial stability Make sure that the company you buy from is financially stable so you know they will be around to pay any claims. The following companies rate insurance company strength: A.M. Best Company, Inc. Ambest Rd. Oldwick, NJ 08858 908-439-2200 http://www.ambest.com Moody’s Investor Services 99 Church Street New York, NY 10007 212-553-0300 http://ww  More...

Terms of Use: Try the following steps if you are not satisfied with how your insurance claim is being handled: Let your agent or company representative know that you are unhappy. If this individual is unable to solve your problem, get the name and phone number of the head of the insurer's claims department. Your insurance company may also have a consumer complaint department that may be helpful. Be prepared to support your case. Send documents and a letter explaining why you are not satisfie  More...

Terms of Use 1. Bodily Injury Liability This coverage applies to injuries you, the designated driver or policyholder cause to someone else. You and family members listed on the policy are also covered when driving someone else’s car with their permission. It’s very important to have enough liability insurance, because if you are involved in a serious accident, you may be sued for a large sum of money. Definitely consider buying more than the state-required minimum to protect assets  More...

Terms of Use We've all heard that filing a car insurance claim can boost your premiums. So what should you do the next time your fender gets bent? Although it hardly seems fair given the out-of-pocket costs you've incurred paying your car insurance premiums, it may just be in your best interest to pay out-of-pocket for any small damages to your vehicle, rather than submitting a claim to your insurance agency. There is no one best answer to the question of whether to file a claim. The  More...

Terms of Use NO! Almost every state requires you to have auto liability insurance. All states also have financial responsibility laws. This means that even in a state that does not require liability insurance, you need to have sufficient assets to pay claims if you cause an accident. If you don’t have enough assets, you must purchase at least the state minimum amount of insurance. Trying to see how little you can get by with can be very shortsighted and dangerous.

Terms of Use Your car will be considered to be totaled by the insurance company any time, usually when the costs to repair the vehicle exceeds the costs to replace it. If your vehicle is considered to be totaled, you can expect to receive the vehicle's market value. There are several standard guidelines for determining the market value of your car for insurance purposes. You and your insurer can refer to the Blue Book, which lists the depreciated value of all new and used cars. One Blue Bo  More...

Terms of Use You can buy insurance through an insurance agent that represents one or more companies or directly through the insurance companies that sell policies using their own employees. Buying directly will generally not save you any money. When looking for an insurance agent or company, consult your state insurance department , the yellow pages of your phone book, and most importantly friends and relatives to find out who they have their insurance through and their level of satisfaction. S  More...