Show Caution When Car Insurance Shopping Online

In an age of smart phones, apps, and online shopping, car insurance companies have shifted a lot of their attention to the World Wide Web. Traditionally, people would need to call around or rely on a licensed broker to find vehicle coverage, but with advancements in technology, motorists can now do all of their research on the Internet from the comfort of home. And many of them are. According to a recent survey from J.D. Power and Associates, 52 percent of consumers shopping for coverage start the process online, and nearly three-fourths visit at least one insurer’s website during the shopping process.

Before making a purchase, however, there are certain steps that consumers should take to ensure that they are getting the lowest rates from a reliable source. On the Internet, consumers don’t usually deal directly with other people, so it’s important to make sure that any potential coverage provider is both reputable and fully licensed to sell car coverage. Often, state insurance departments will list all licensed insurers online so that residents can easily cross-reference this information. If in doubt, it’s always better for people to err on the side of caution and to do a little more research before purchasing a policy.

Consumers shopping for an auto insurance company online will notice that not all insurers offer the same prices. Luckily, motorists can use the Web to take advantage of these discrepancies with a quick Internet search. Comparing quotes on the net can allow people to see dozens of sample rates at once, making it easy to identify the lower-priced options.

Shopping Smart for Car Coverage

When shopping around or making any purchase on the World Wide Web, it’s a good idea to protect personally sensitive information. There are some details that motorists should avoid giving to a company simply to avoid potentially unwanted consequences. For example, a person’s social security and driver’s license numbers are important and well worth protecting. When comparing quotes, there is little reason for any insurer to require this info, so people should be wary of a site that requests these details before it comes time to actually make a purchase.

Using the Internet to shop for vehicle insurance also entails the need to do so from a safe computer. There are plenty of unwanted programs that could easily make their way onto an unprotected machine, so it’s generally a good idea for people to keep their browsers up to date. Additionally, before filling out any info, drivers may want to review a website’s privacy policy to ensure that all of their details will be properly used and safely guarded.

The Idaho Department of Insurance understands that shopping around and buying vehicle coverage online is very similar to buying any other product on the World Wide Web. It’s important to exercise caution when dealing out personal details, and always investigate possible producers beforehand to ensure their legitimacy. The net can be a helpful and convenient tool for finding and buying protection, but it’s up to motorists to make the necessary effort to shop as safely as possible.