When comparing the top companies offering similar deals using the Offer Comparison Sheet, there is space for up to three other factors to rate and compare. Whichever factor you choose as most important to you, then you assign it to the first line.

 

You will need to do some research on the factor you are comparing. Try to gather your information from trusted sources. A recommended source is stated for each factor listed below.

 

After finding the information for each company, assign a rating of 5 stars to the company you determined was best, and then 4 stars to the runner-up, and so forth. This is how you compare each company using that factor.

 

If you’re still not able to find a clear winner amongst the top candidates using the first factor then move on to another then another. In most cases, you should be able to find separation using the first, but you do have up to three available.

 

Now let's take a look at some of the most common other factors. They are not listed in any specific order; since ultimately, you get to decide the order of importance to you.

​

Rewards & Benefits

 

Many companies these days offer rewards & benefits to customers in the form of cashback, discounts, or other incentives.

 

These rewards & benefits give you an opportunity to reduce the price of your policy. Keep in mind however, that the possible savings aren’t effective at the time of purchasing the policy and so it doesn’t affect the upfront price/quote. Rather, they offer an opportunity to reduce your premium in the future. Most of them take effect after a few months have passed during the policy period. Hence the reason why these are not viewed the same way as discounts customers receive at the time of signing the policy.

 

Some common rewards & benefits include:

 

• Safe/Good Driver Discount - gives you a discount on your premium for driving safe, normally for a 3 or 6 months period.

• Safe/Good Driver Check - gives you a check/money back for driving safely, normally for a 3 or 6 months period.

• Accident-Free Discount - gives you a discount on your premium for not having an accident

• Accident Forgiveness – an auto insurance benefit that may prevent insurance rates from increasing as a result of a driver's first at-fault accident. It can be added to a policy or awarded to those with a good driving record. Accident forgiveness may allow drivers to save on their premiums and retain good driver discounts.

 

You should search each company’s website or call them to find out the rewards & benefits they offer. The company that offers the most reward options is best.

​

Claims Servicing/Resolution

 

Often times this service gets thrown in as part of Customer Service. But we chose to single it out for its importance.

 

Most people will probably only contact their insurance company when it is time to file a claim. So it is a key point of contact between you and the insurance company.

 

Moreover, this is the one time when you need them the most, and so how they respond to a customer’s claim is very important.

 

Claims service is normally judged by speed of resolution or how efficient the company was in resolving the claim. Note however that this particular information may be a bit hard to find since most insurance companies wouldn’t release this type of information to the public.

 

Another way to judge claims service is to look for how many complaints were made against a company. The logic here is that if we can’t find out how full the glass is, then we can find out how empty it is. This means that since we can’t see how often an insurance company handles its claims great, then we should see how often it handles them badly.

 

A complaint index gives you a sense of how well an insurance company serves its customers.

 

Since we are focusing on claims service, we are specifically looking for complaints relating to claims processing. Try to find out how much of this type of complaint was made against the insurance companies you received quotes from. The company with the least complaints is best.

 

Many state insurance departments post complaint indexes on their website. You can find your state insurance department at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) website. www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm

 

Or you can visit the NAIC’s Consumer Information Source https://eapps.naic.org/cis/ to get information about insurance companies; including consumer complaints.

 

The NAIC is the oldest association of state government officials. Its members consist of the chief insurance regulators in all states and it is the authoritative source for insurance industry information.

​

Technology & Support

 

In today’s modern day and age this may be a big deal for those tech-savvy folks; and particularly those who want options to interact with their car insurance company.

 

Some common Tech & Support options include:

 

• Mobile Application

• Website

• Blog and Forum

• Chat

• Telephone Support

​

To some people, not having one or more of these options may be a deal breaker.

 

You can simply reach out to the insurance companies to find out what options they have available.

 

You may rate each company’s technology factor based on the importance of a particular tech feature or simply on who has the most options. It’s up to you.

 

Customer Service

 

Customer service, as we will refer to it, is any other interactions (aside from when filing a claim) customers have with the insurance company.

 

These may include when a customer contacts them to renew their policy, request information, file a complaint, or for any other reason they have to contact them.

 

How they treat a customer during those interactions should determine how good or bad their level of customer service is.

 

Information to look for is any other complaints that are not directly linked to claims service. Those complaints are what should be counted against the company’s customer service. Once again the company with the least complaints is best.

 

You can get the complaints information from the same NAIC sources stated above in the claims service section; or look around on the insurance company’s website. Most often customers will let their dissatisfaction be known.

 

So those are some of the most common other factors to compare amongst insurance companies. If there is some other factor you would like to use but it is not mentioned here, you can go ahead and use it in one of the three ratings slots available.

​

Final bit of Advice

 

At this point in the process, you should have finalized your decision on which company to choose.

 

So now we leave you with a final bit of advice on how to proceed with that company.

 

• Read your policy - read over your actual policy when you receive it from the insurance company. The information in the policy should be straightforward since you are now familiar with the topic and language. If you have any doubts or concerns contact the insurance company immediately.

• Find out what to do when you are involved in an accident - There are some general guidelines such as calling 911 and getting the other driver's information, but each insurance company may have specific guidelines, so be sure to check with your insurance provider about this information.

• Find out how to file a claim with them - Once again, this information may be a bit different at each insurance company. Find out what the procedures in place are at your insurance provider.

• Proof of Insurance - Keep your proof of insurance in your car at all times.

• Pay your Premium on time - Some insurers don’t accept late payments, and the once that do may increase your premium the next time you renew your policy.

 

That does it, my friend. You have completed the Auto Insurance Guide. We truly hope we have helped you find your ideal car insurance policy.

 

You should also check out our Homeowners Insurance and Life Insurance guides below.