My husband recently bought a new car so I thought now was the perfect time to shop for new car insurance.  In fact, it's long overdue.  Insurance companies have become very competitive and it's easier now than ever to shop for car insurance quotes online for comparison purposes. 

The need to shop around and do some competitive research for best deals on car insurance is greater than ever. I haven't shopped around for years for competitive car insurance rates. Mostly because I have my home insurance and car insurance coverage with the same company. I've been avoiding the hassle of doing the research; not a very good excuse to keep putting it off, especially when I'm pretty certain I can save money.

The biggest reason for shopping around for insurance rates is because rates change every year due to insurance companies claims from the previous year. If an insurance company had a high amount of claims that it had to pay out in any given year, then the following year they will need to raise their rates to make up for the money they lost the previous year. Same goes for lowering their rates; if they had a good year and came in under their projected claims, then they're more likely to reduce their rates the following year in order to attract new policy holders and keep their current customers from churning. Like most businesses, the cost of acquiring a new customer is more expensive than keeping the ones you have.

Insurance is an extremely competitive market, so you may need to do some digging to find the discounts for which you are eligible. You will have a lot of companies to research. If you have your home owner's insurance, like I do, through the same company as your auto insurance, or you want to investigate this option, your discount should be greater. Just like your phone or cable company, the more services you can add under one "umbrella" company, the better your discount.

Getting online car insurance quotes have helped many potential buyers save huge amounts of money. Mostly because you can compare car insurance quotes side-by-side from many different companies. From what I hear, you can get your auto insurance online in as little as twenty minutes.

In addition, you avoid having to use a broker or meeting with an agent one-on-one.  First, you have to rely on these folks to find the best policy for you, and second, you will wonder if they have your best interest in mind, or will find the best policy that will net them the fattest commission check. 

Listed below are a few websites you can go to in order to compare car insurance quotes online. Once you have done that, you can then call your current car insurance carrier, if you have one, and ask them if they can meet or beat the best rate you found online.

• Insurance.com
• Progressive.com
• Onlineautoinsurance.com
• 2insureforless.com
• Quotescout.com

Getting a car insurance quote online is easier today than ever before. Getting as many online quotes from as many different auto insurers and making wise comparisons are key factors to substantial savings. The right coverage will take a little research, review and budgeting, but the savings can definitely be worth it. In addition, don't forget to check out the additional savings of combining your auto and home owners insurance with one company.

As for me, this is next on my "Things To Do" list!

If you have had a good experience, bad experience or have additional recommendations on finding car insurance quotes online, please share them in the comments section.