When people take the time out of their busy day to check on a cheap auto insurance quote, they hope they get accurately low quotes. Nothing is more frustrating to switch and a month later it jumps higher than the last insurance policy. There are several crucial pieces of information you must put in your quote so that you are getting the most accurate estimates.
1. Gender and Age
This is especially true for those under 30. While the rate difference may not be that big, it still could have an impact. Your age will have as much of an impact if you are under the age of 25. Make sure you enter your date of birth correctly as well as any other drivers that you must put on the policy.
2. Driver's License Numbers, SSN's, and Claims History
If you don't have every piece of every driver's information, do the best you can to fill out as much of it as possible. Just know that any missed violations or claims will affect your rate. SSN's are important to accurately discount your policy for credit history. Trying to quote without it can either give you an inaccurately low or high rate, depending on how the insurance company programs the default.
3. Vehicle
Whether you have one vehicle or four, you need to have the VIN info handy on all of them. If you just guess on the year, make, and model, it still does not accurately rate for the sub model. You could get an entirely different price between an SS model and an LS model, rendering your cheap auto insurance quote void.
4. Prior Insurance Limits
You will get bigger discounts if your prior Bodily Injury Liability (BI) limits were higher than minimum. Many people don't realize this and so they always just choose the minimum coverage thinking it will always give them a cheap auto insurance quote. Surprisingly, that is untrue.
If you try to switch to a company going from $100,000 in BI to $25,000 in BI, you will either get a very little reduction, no reduction at all, or even an increase depending on how that company rates prior levels. If you have high limits, it is best to keep those high limits. Not only because you are in a better rating category, but because you are much better protected.
5. Prior Insurance History
The biggest factor in your rate will be establishing your insurance history. Any lapse in coverage can put you in a high-risk rating level. If you find a cheap auto insurance quote, set up the new one and wait for your policy to come in the mail. When you receive it, call your old insurance company and ask them to cancel your policy effective the same date that your new one started; you will probably be requested to put it in writing.
Having these five crucial pieces of information accurate on your quotes will ensure that if you find a cheap auto insurance quote, it should be fairly accurate. The less information you have, the more inaccurate you need to expect it to be.
