Car Insurance Quotes

[KevinNU7]

I just moved to Cincinnati, Ohio from Massachusetts, the land of government regulated no-fault insurance. My wife got a quote from our current car insurance company (Liberty Mutual) that seemed quite high, even $600 more than Massachusetts for our two Hondas.

We did an online Geico quote, and it was much much much less than Liberty Mutual.

We then did an online Progressive quote, and it gave a range of quotes based on credit scores.

Coming from Massachusetts, we don't really know how to "play the game" of car insurance. Rates are set by the Massachusetts government, and I gather that in Ohio the government sets a maximum, but companies can undercut that.

Any help? We've been quite impressed by Liberty Mutual customer service in the past, and we don't want to switch with a company with a super-low quote (e.g. Geico) but lose easy pay outs/good customer service/etc... In life, it seems like if it's too good to be true it probably is, and I suspect it's probably the same with car insurance.

Thanks!

[KevinNU7]

Dola,

Geico.com's quote page was so easy even a therapist could do it;)

[SnDvls]

Mass. is one state that the Gov. sets the rates and many companies won't write auto/car insurance there because of it.

How it works in almost all the other states is that the insurance co. sets their rates based on several factors (age/marital status/driving record/location/and credit in many states) they must justify any increases with the Insurance Comm. of the state showing losses ect. but ultimatly the Ins. Co. sets their own rates. If they are too high they probally don't have a whole lot of customers though.

If you are getting a home owner's policy or renter's policy then I suggest getting a package deal w/ a multi-policy discount this will probally get you the best rate in all honesty. Ask what discounts are avaliable (anti-lock brakes, day time running lights, even some offer association discounts)

[MTD]

I've worked for the last 5 years as both an agent an adjuster for a mid-size insurance company. What is already said is absolutely accurate.

A bit more advice though..

For most insurance companies your credit score or more accurately your insurance score is the most important factor in determining the cost of your premium (check out www.insurancescore.com for more information).

What most people don't realize is that the credit score is based off of the person that calls in. So if your wife has a lower credit score than you, then even though you are married she would get a higher rate than had you called to get the quote.

Secondly, as a previous poster indicated the more insurance you have with a company the cheaper your rates will be. So having two cars on a policy will provide you with a discount, having renter's insurance or homeowner's insurance will provide you with a discount.

Also, the liability limits you carried with the previous company can have a bigger impact. Who is the bigger risk? A customer that has been with the same insurance company for the last 5 years and has carried 500,000 of liability insurance or the customer that has bounced from carrier to carrier every 6 months and only carries 25,000 in coverage.

The normal indicators such as distance of commute, driving record, year make and model of your car are still factors, but you'd be suprised as to what really makes the differnce.

I'd recommend getting a few more quotes and make sure that the person with the best credit score makes the call.

[KevinNU7]

Thanks for the info, we appreciate it. We just recieved the policy application in the mail, and it has my name listed #1, just like in Mass, even though my wife called. So I'm wondering if they used my score to set our rate even though she called since I'm the actual policy holder.

Previous to 2005, we were both still on our parents' policies, her mom's was Liberty Mutual, I don't know what mine was. We carried 20/40 on LM, but are now upping it to 100/300.

Anyone have any rant/raves re: customer service and such on the "cheaper" insurance companies like Geico?

Should I comparison shop? Do most people get quotes from several insurance agencies before they pick one?

[SnDvls]

Anyone have any rant/raves re: customer service and such on the "cheaper" insurance companies like Geico?

either do a quick google/yahoo search for XYZ company sucks to get bad reviews, or look to the BBB or even the state Insurance Commissions office will give you a good picture too.



Should I comparison shop? Do most people get quotes from several insurance agencies before they pick one?

yes you should always comparision shop. At my agency we only insure motor homes and travel trailers and write with 5 different carriers (licensed in 45 states) and we always quote all 5 to get the best rate...most auto agents you call only write for one carrier and in one state (typical of the industry) so make sure you are getting an apples to apples quote from them all then once you find the best rate you can customize it. Let whomever you talk to know what coverages you are looking for to help you and them out (liability limits, full glass, deductibles, towing, discounts ect.)

The "insurance credit scoring" doesn't effect your credit so get as may quotes as you feel is necessary 5-6 would probally give you a good idea and get you a good feel of where the rate will be.

[Logan]

Minor bump...anybody have experiences with Progressive? Positive or negative?

I've been with Liberty Mutual since I started driving. Last year I paid around $2000, and this year it will cost me about $1800. I checked Geico, and it was only marginally cheaper (just a few bucks a month).

Progressive though was down to $90 a month or $504 if I pay for 6 months in full (which I would do), which is obviously enough for me to switch. But as Kevin said, it's never worth it to save some money if it will lead to headaches down the road. Thankfully I've never needed to test Liberty Mutual's service, but it would be nice to hear anything about Progressive.

[Eaglesfan27]

We have had Progressive for 2-3 years. My only complaint is that they raised the rates substantially each year, but that could be because of Katrina and other events down here. We've had to service two claims since we've had them and I've been generally happy with how they serviced the claims at their "concierge claims centers."

[JeeberD]

I've been with Progressive for about five years now and haven't had any issues at all. Of course, I haven't had to make a claim yet...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Minor bump...anybody have experiences with Progressive? Positive or negative?

Personally? No.
But you might find this interesting.
http://www.jdpower.com/finance/ratings/auto_insurance/index.asp
(Progressive tied with AIG for the lowest rated of the 21 companies on their list)

[Logan]

Thanks for the quick responses. I was reading some reviews online, and most of them sucked. I looked at other companies, and those reviews sucked too. Apparently the people who review their insurance companies online are only doing it because they suck.

EF, one of the things I read online about Progressive is that the rates went up every year. Maybe it's for reasons like you mentioned. Jeeber...in your 5 years have your rates risen like EF's?

[JeeberD]

Personally? No.
But you might find this interesting.
http://www.jdpower.com/finance/ratings/auto_insurance/index.asp
(Progressive tied with AIG for the lowest rated of the 21 companies on their list)

Damn...I really need to get off my ass and switch to USAA like I've been meaning to do for the past couple of years.

[Eaglesfan27]

Just to clarify, both of our claims, the other driver was at fault and our company was completely restituted for any expenses they put out on the front end. So, that shouldn't have been a reason for the increases.

[Logan]

Personally? No.
But you might find this interesting.
http://www.jdpower.com/finance/ratings/auto_insurance/index.asp
(Progressive tied with AIG for the lowest rated of the 21 companies on their list)

Thanks for the link. Like I started saying before, with things like insurance, I tend to rely more on personal experiences of people I know (even including people on this board).

[JeeberD]

EF, one of the things I read online about Progressive is that the rates went up every year. Maybe it's for reasons like you mentioned. Jeeber...in your 5 years have your rates risen like EF's?

Mine have dropped quite a bit since I first signed up, but I was under 25 then. Off the top of my head, I think the rates have generally gone down since I turned 25, but not by much...

[Logan]

Cool...I'm getting close to that golden insurance age of 25. In NJ, I need all the help I can get.

[SnDvls]

Damn...I really need to get off my ass and switch to USAA like I've been meaning to do for the past couple of years.

Yes you should no one can beat their auto rates hands down.

[SnDvls]

Thanks for the link. Like I started saying before, with things like insurance, I tend to rely more on personal experiences of people I know (even including people on this board).

Personal experiece in that we write with them. Of the 5 carriers we write with they are the best with claims (again we only write RVs and travel trailers for the most part). Partly because they have some many people driving around in those "Progressive cars" to handle claims ect. Progressive is going towards the paid in full discount over all their product lines and in reality it makes sense to pay it that way as you are only spreading it out over a few months anyhow.

[JeeberD]

Yes you should no one can beat their auto rates hands down.

Yeah, I just got a quote and for much better coverage than I'm currently getting I would be paying $50 bucks less per month. As soon as my current policy is up in June I'm switching...

[Logan]

Progressive is going towards the paid in full discount over all their product lines and in reality it makes sense to pay it that way as you are only spreading it out over a few months anyhow.

Absolutely. The extra $45 it would cost me to "finance" it is basically an 18% interest rate. No thanks.

[14ers]

Minor bump...anybody have experiences with Progressive? Positive or negative?

I would like to hear from anyone that had their car totaled or knows how Progressive figures Car Value.


My Progressive insurance is $250 cheaper than Geico, because of their comprehensive coverage. Everything else is basically the same, within $10, except for the comprehensive which is $250 cheaper every 6 months with the exact same deductibles.

Crazy.

[bosshogg23]

I have used Progressive for 6 years and my rates have gone down 3 times. Once after I was continually insured with them for 12 months, once when I was 25 and just last month for some unknown reason.

I have never made a claim so im sure that helps keeps the rates down quite a bit.