As’salamo alaikum 
Again I am out in the market shopping for an auto insurance. I am looking for a relatively low cost auto insurance.
Please share your opinions about various auto insurance companies.
etc..
Auto Insurance depends upon so many factors like, ur age, time u been driving in USA, ur driving record, value of ur car, type of coverage u want and many others.. all of the above companies can offer u low cost of premium - plus it also depends upon the agent..the person can help u out.. I have Shelter Insurance in mid-west.. try to shop around a bit by getting free quotes...
Thanks any other suggestions. BTW I am from California
Here's all of them sorted alphabetically for you...
Ace USA Group
Allied
Allstate Insurance Company
American Mercury
American Modern Home
American Reliable
Armed Forces Insurance Exchange
Arrowhead/Clarendon
Assurant Group
Balboa
Beacon National
California FAIR Plan
Century National
Chubb
Cigna
CNA
CSAA
CSE
Deerbrook
Encompass Insurance (formerly CNA)
Explorer
Farmers Insurance Group
Five Star
Geovera
Hartford
Heartland
Homesite Insurance of California
Interinsurance Exchange of the Automobile Club
Liberty Mutual
Merastar
Mercury
Mercury Insurance Group
National Lloyds
New Hampshire Indemnity
Omaha P&C
Omni
Oregon Mutual
Oregon Mutual
Pacific Select
Progressive Companies
Prudential
Residence / Western Mutual
Royal Indemnity
Safeco
State Farm Insurance
The Insurance Corp Of New York
Tig Companies
Travelers
Trinity
USAA
USF&G
Vesta
Western / Farmers Home
Workmen's Auto Insurance
Buying insurance, is basically buying peace of mind. That if something happens to your vehicle, you will get your loss reduced. For this reason, personally, I don't go for a second-tier no-name company. Whats the use of paying them slightly lower premium and when the need arises, find out that they rather not pay up, anyway.
I personally have All State, and was quite impressed with their service when I bought the insurance. They offered the lowest rate at that time. Plus, when my car was in a minor collision, their claims process was quite painless. All in all I am fairly happy with them.
Everytime, the renewal comes up, I do the usual enquiries from other companies to get competitive quotes. Due to some unusual factors, All State always comes out lowest.
What I have found out is that calling an insurance company on the phone, and calculating the premium with the help of a live operator always gives a lower rate than doing it by yourself online. Especially if you have unusual cases (like fewer years in US or something like that).
Some of my friends switched to i21.com and they are extremely happy with the low rates. A few have Gieco and they are also happy with the savings and service. Progressive is also very prominent in Bay Area.
My advise will be to get competitive rates from all these 4-5 companies. State Farm is typically more expensive. And AAA is generally the highest, because they offer some additional perks when you get insurance from them.
Try progressive. I have used them and they offer a rather painless online process. of course you need to comparison shop to see which one is best but I have found them to be the cheapest amongst the leading insurance firms. Also they have been going head to head with all-state and have been winning.
Thanks hmcq, Faisal bhai, salman and, Degas for sharing the information. I think I will get quotes from All State, i21, Mercury Insurance Group and, Progressive.
I have two cars and I am the only one who drive em. I have to pay premiums on both. Most insurance companies offer second car discounts but still it is expensive.
I guess your best bet is to check with Salman, he is in California too and have two cars.
Wasim, do not limit yourself to 2-3 different companies. Although, it is a painful process finding the right company and better deal. But if you want to save some dollar amount then probably its wise to spend some more time.
Few more companies info
• Insweb the best online insurance shopping service
• 21st Century a great California insurer for good drivers
• Netquote similar to Insweb, though slower with quotes
• Insurecom is particularly useful if you want a local agent to contact you, or if you have poor credit or a bad driving record
Wasim
aside from price find out how much of a hassle do these companies give you when you file a claim. There are companies which may lowball you on premium cost but when you file a claim its like pulling teeth.
I have had insurance with farmers, allstate and state farm and have been very happy with them. I used to have insurance with some lame local insurance company and when I had a claim due to my car being vanadalized, they dragged it out, claimed that half the stuff was normal wear and tear etc etc.
I have been with Statefarm for over 7 years now, and teh claims that were made were donr very quickly and painlessly.
I had insurance with Geico, they were expensive but they have customer service that would make you love 'em. I changed to Progressive for a better rate, I am sure I can get better rates else where but I don't want to get the busy signal when I have to get my car fixed on a short notice.
Jitna gur dalaiN gay, otna meetha ho ga.
I once had insurance with Metlife. Never again. it was a terrible experience trying to get them to pay for an accident in which I was backended and not at fault!
Anyways, for anyone who ever has to get their car repaired make sure you call your insurance company first and find out THEIR AUTHORIZED Bodyshop and get your car fixed there. That way the insurance company is responsible for ensuring that the work done is sufficient to bring back the car to its pre accident value.
Thanks everyone for your advice.
Many of my friends in California insured thru "Farmers Insurance Group". They say service was Good. Personally I had Allstate and Progressive. I was involved in an accident while I had progressive. Their service was very good. I am sticking to Progressive because they offer their policies thru internet. You can calculate different coverages and how it affects your premium. Very cool.
on the same topic, let me tell you all to stay clear of GE Capital insurance. they suck bigtime. one of my work colleagues had it not too long back…her car was in an accident for which she wasn’t at fault…and they gave her the hardest time…took her many letters, phone calls, and several months to finally get compensated for damages…and the irony of it is that this was her insurance company, not the other party’s. goes to show that even large insurance companies such as GE Capital aren’t prone to inefficiencies.
:nono:
I just saved $600 by switching to Century 21. :bhangra:
All State kept increasing the premium. The latest renewal notice increased the premium by as much as 50%. With most insurance companies the rates go down if you stick with them. Not with All State. When I called they said there “rates have increased” and “there is nothing” they can do about it. Yeah rite!
Called Geico, and they quoted a similar rate compared to All State. Century 21 turned out to be the best of the lot. Gave me all the discounts I was looking for and handled everything in a matter of 15 minutes on the phone.
i am getting RIP by my Insurance ppl.
Insurance costs in general will rise for home, auto etc. the issues is due to the re-insurance business changing after 9/11. many companies which just passed the risk on to re-insurers and then focused on other parts of the business have now been forced to get into risk analysis mgmt, actuairal work, and thus the premuims ofr consumers will inadvertantly rise.
you may find good prices, but I am speaking of industry as a whole.
Faisal bhai,
Have you tried Auto Insurance offered by Price Club/Costco? I have heard their prices are competitive too.
I think they arrange through AmEx. I am not sure how much I would have saved. Actually, I did not renew my Costco membership this time. We hardly ever go there, and the 50 bucks go waste every year.
Try AAA Auto Insurance. Its the cheapest one I found. Also when you call insurance companies, try lowering PIP(Personal Injury Protection) numbers and that will also reduce your monthly rates tremendously. On PIP just go with the minimum requirements of the state.
Hope that helps