Knowing how to choose the best car insurance company will make shopping a breeze. Start by determining if you need specialty car insurance or are a high-risk demographic.

Then, research the best car insurance companies for your insurance needs by checking reviews and ratings. Finally, get quotes from your top choices to determine the best deal for your insurance needs.

Ready to shop for the best car insurance? Find quotes from top car insurance companies in your area with our free quote tool.

What You Should Know

• Step #1: Determine Insurance Needs – Specialty Coverages, Demographic etc.
• Step #2: Research Companies – Check Ratings and Reviews
• Step #3: Get Quotes From Your Top Picks – Compare Prices

3 Steps To Follow To Find the Best Car Insurance Company

I would be willing to bet you selected your insurance company because a family member or friend recommended them or an agent sold you the policy. Let’s face it. Insurance is a bit dreary, yet totally necessary. The idea of researching and buying insurance induces procrastination.

Here’s the thing. It’s challenging to know if what you’re buying for insurance is actually good. You can take the word of someone you trust, but then how do they know? Insurance companies must manage and serve a wide variety of relationships.

Having a limited sense of your options, based on a few “recommendations” from people won’t necessarily get you the best coverage and the best insurance company.

Read More: Top 10 Car Insurance Companies That Customers are Likely to Recommend

The truth is, most people don’t know — and don’t care too much — about the coverage they end up selecting and paying for. If you are searching to learn how to compare car insurance choices, we've broken it down into three easy steps.

Step #1: Determine Insurance Needs

Not sure how to choose the best car insurance coverage? Not all car insurance companies are the same. Some cater to high-risk drivers with multiple DUIs, while others focus on offering the cheapest coverage possible at the expense of add-on options.

Make sure to look for companies that cater to your insurance needs. For example, if you are a high-risk demographic, such as a teen driver, you will want to look into the best companies for young drivers. Or, if you have a classic car, you will want to look into the best companies specializing in old collector vehicles.

Looking for a list of companies prioritizing your wants will make narrowing it down to one company much more straightforward.

Step #2: Research Companies

Once you've gathered a list of car insurance companies that meet your biggest priority, the next step is to see which has the best ratings and reviews. Some places to check business ratings include:

• A.M. Best (Financial Strength)
• Better Business Bureau (Business Practices)
• Consumer Reports (Customer Satisfaction)
• J.D. Power (Customer Satisfaction)
• NAIC (Complaint Ratio)

Make sure to figure out answers to questions like what car insurance has the best financial rating? Companies with poor ratings, especially when it comes to financial strength or customer complaints, are companies you may want to avoid.

In addition to checking business ratings, you should also check a company's customer reviews. Some places to check include Google, Yelp, and Reddit.

Weeding out companies with poor ratings and reviews will help you narrow your list down to a few choices.

Step #3: Get Quotes From Your Top Picks

Once you've narrowed your list to a few companies, the last and final crucial step is getting car insurance quotes. This will help you determine which car insurance companies offer the most affordable rates.

Learn More: Best Car Insurance Companies by Price Rating

You can often get car insurance quotes directly from companies' websites or use a quote comparison tool to compare multiple companies' rates at one time.

Average Cost of Car Insurance

You can expect the cost of car insurance to vary based on several factors, such as age, vehicle type, driving record, and location. One driver's auto insurance premium at a company will not be the same premium that you pay.

However, average rates can give you an idea of the ballpark your rate should be in and what companies are cheapest to start with. So what are the top 10 best car insurance companies? Below, you can see average rates at popular companies for minimum liability and full coverage policies (Read More: Liability vs. Full Coverage).

Insurance Company	Minimum Coverage	Full Coverage
	$60	$145
	$48	$120
	$57	$137
	$45	$115
	$62	$150
	$52	$135
	$55	$130
	$50	$125
	$58	$140
	$40	$110

So, what is the average car insurance bill in the US? The answer will depend on what type of coverage and what company you choose.

However, looking at these average rates shows that companies like Allstate and Liberty Mutual will be more expensive options, while the cheapest rates will likely be found at companies like USAA or Geico.

So if you want to know how to find the best car insurance rates, start by looking at averages before getting quotes to make sure that you are getting a deal that is close to the rates you see.

Reviewing Your Car Insurance Policy

Were you presented with choice the last time you signed up for insurance? In a recent analysis of 500 policyholders surveyed by Clearsurance, nearly 50% of policyholders who bought insurance from an agent shared that they were presented with only ONE insurance option.

Do you see a problem here? Most consumers like some choice when selecting a product or service. We get a second quote if we have repairs for our homes so why wouldn’t we want a second option for protecting against a loss?

What’s equally troubling is that price was the primary reason policyholders were recommended their insurance company by their agent. Premium rates vary greatly based on many factors and while there are many tools to get “quotes” about an insurance company, it’s very difficult to understand the details about how well claims are handled and even paid.

Learn More: Best Car Insurance Companies for Claims Handling

What could be of more interest to insurance consumers than finding out how their insurance choice compares to the marketplace without any biased input from family, friends, agents or the dozens of commercials and insurance mascots?

It is no surprise that many policyholders we hear from are deeply interested in tracking the service history and customer stories about their insurance companies. If consumers don’t have reasonable access to the reputation and service provided by insurance companies, then they are unable to buy meaningful coverage.

Have you searched your insurance company on Clearsurance yet? Maybe it’s time you start.

Finding the Best Car Insurance Company for You

Once you've gathered a list of the top companies for your demographic, looking up which car insurance company has the best reviews and ratings will help you narrow down your choices.

Once you have a few of the best car insurance companies picked, one of the best ways to get cheap car insurance is to get quotes to see which offers the best deal for you.

What is the most reasonable car insurance? To find the cheapest car insurance company in your area, enter your ZIP in our free quote finder.

The content on this site is offered only as a public service to the web community and does not constitute solicitation or provision of legal advice. This site should not be used as a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an insurance company or an attorney licensed or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. You should always consult a suitably qualified attorney regarding any specific legal problem or matter. The comments and opinions expressed on this site are of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of the insurance company or any individual attorney.