Cheapest Car Insurance Quote - 3 Steps to Avoid An Expensive Nightmare

by: Barb Dearing

So - you're looking for the cheapest car insurance quote you can find? That's understandable, given today's economic environment and the fact that every household has its purse-strings pulled tight. Who wouldn't want to buy the cheapest car insurance available?

But be careful. If you aren't aware of some minimum necessary insurance coverages, you could quickly find out that you are under-insured, or worse, not insured at all. That's when the cheapest car insurance quote suddenly turns into an expensive nightmare. To avoid that nightmare, consider these three steps before you jump on the cheapest insurance quote available.

1. Check with your state to make sure you are buying at least the minimum required liability coverage. Each state sets its own liability limits. If you're shopping for insurance from multiple sources, you're probably getting quotes from large national insurance providers. It's up to you to know the minimum liability coverage required by the state in which you live.

2. Think objectively about the amount and type of driving that you do. Minimum required coverages may not be enough -- and we're not just talking race car driving here -- if you drive neighborhood kids in the carpool every day, the minimum state-required liability insurance may not be adequate for your potential risk. Be honest with yourself about the amount of coverage you might need in a worst case scenario.

3. Remember that when another driver causes an accident, it's the responsibility of each driver's insurance company to collect from the at-fault party and their insurance provider. So it's important to have your policy with an insurance provider that is financially stable and in a position to legally pursue the at-fault party. Choosing a small, unknown or relatively new company simply because they provided the cheapest car insurance quote could result in "no insurance" at all.

The bottom line -- be smart. It's fine to shop for multiple insurance quotes, but remember that the cheapest car insurance quote isn't always the best car insurance quote. To reduce risk, and save a little time, you may want to shop for multiple quotes from one online quote provider who only has relationships with the top insurance companies.

If you're ready to start shopping for the cheapest car insurance quote, you may want to consider the online quote provider recommended below. They provide at least five free quotes and have relationships with only reputable national companies.