Shopping Your Policy: A 30-Minute Checklist
Most people overpay because comparing quotes properly is tedious. It is thirty minutes, once a year.
Carriers rate the same driver very differently, and the ranking changes as each files new rates. The carrier that was cheapest for you three years ago very often is not today. The only way to know is to check, and the only way to check meaningfully is to compare like with like.
Before you start: gather five things
- Your current declarations page
- VINs for every vehicle
- Licence numbers for every driver
- Approximate annual mileage per vehicle
- Dates and descriptions of any claims or violations in the last five years
Fix your coverage profile first
Decide your limits and deductibles before requesting a single quote, and hold them constant. This is the step people skip, and it is the one that makes the exercise meaningful. A quote that is cheaper because it quietly dropped your UM limits is not cheaper.
Write it down: liability limits, UM/UIM limits, comprehensive deductible, collision deductible, and any endorsements you want carried over.
Get at least five quotes
Include a mix: two national direct carriers, two regional carriers, and one independent agent who can quote several books at once. Regional carriers are frequently the cheapest and never appear in advertising.
Compare the right number
Compare six-month or twelve-month totals, not monthly. Monthly figures obscure instalment fees, which can add 5 to 8 percent over a term.
Check the things that are not price
- Complaint ratio with your state insurance department
- Claims satisfaction ratings from an independent source
- Whether claims are handled in-house or outsourced
- Whether the carrier offers OEM parts, and under what conditions
Before you switch
Bind the new policy first, with a start date matching your current expiry, then cancel the old one. Never the other way around — even a one-day gap is a lapse, and the tier consequences outlast any saving. Request written confirmation of both.
