By Austin Brentley austin.brentley@complete-insurance-guide.com Complete Insurance Guide Columnist October 7, 2004

When shopping for a reputable auto insurance company, where should you look? There are thousands of places that offer good car insurance rates, but will they really be there in times of distress? There’s a big difference between cheap auto insurance and bad auto insurance. Fortunately, the Internet can be a powerful resource as you shop around.

Online car insurance rates

Fading are the days of confusing paperwork and lengthy waits. From your home computer, you can find online car insurance rates in a matter of minutes. With a few keystrokes, you can do what would have taken hours just five years ago.

Using your compiled list of online car insurance rates, you can determine a ball-park figure of what you can expect to pay. But your work isn’t finished yet. Price isn’t everything.

Advice about cheap auto insurance

Of course you want cheap auto insurance, but be forewarned: not every auto insurance company is reliable. Look for user reviews. Next, research exact terms, payments, premiums, and conditions (always read the fine print). Lastly, make sure you visit the Better Business Bureau’s web site to see how each auto insurance company handles complaints from clients.

In a short time, you should be able to create a solid list of about 3-5 places that offer cheap, but reliable, auto insurance. Although many companies will encourage you to buy online auto insurance immediately, you’ll probably want to speak with someone over the phone before you sign anything.

You can tell a lot about of company based on how easily you can connect with them via the phone. If they’re hard to reach now, they might be hard to reach when you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere.

About the Author
Austin Brentley is an English teacher currently living and working in Yamaguchi, Japan. His previous experience includes working for a lobbying firm, in his native Washington, DC and for various record and television studios in New York. Austin holds a B.A. in history from Harvard University.