As with buying other products and services for your car, you can save yourself a good deal of money with online auto insurance. While there are still many ways to buy insurance in person today, the advantages of doing it online greatly outweigh the negatives, if there are any.

Buying on the web is:

• Simple – you can gather all your own information and enter it yourself
• Easy Access – you can do it from home, at 2 am, in your pajamas
• Economical – because you no longer need an insurance agent, costs are cut and passed on to you

It also makes it very easy to compare prices between several different online auto insurance companies, and to find special discounts that may not be mentioned by agents.

There are a few circumstances that make it a better idea to use an agent than online auto insurance. For instance, if you own a street rod or specialized and valuable car, you should talk to an agent to ensure you are covering all your bases. If you own a company fleet of vehicles that all need to be insured, or if you run a delivery company, you should also buy from an agent rather than online.

However, for almost all purchasers of insurance, online car insurance is the way to go.

How To Buy Auto Insurance Online

To save yourself time, have all your car information together before you go shopping for online car insurance: your VIN; the make, model, and year of your car; the license numbers and birth dates of all drivers in your household; and records of previous accidents and traffic violations within at least the last three years.

Give yourself some time to work on the policy. You’ll be filling in a lot of information and answering a lot of questions, so don’t do this at work. Many online auto insurance companies advertise that it takes no more than fifteen minutes to get your policy; count on a half hour or more instead. And make sure you have a printer hooked up and ready to go, so that when you finish your policy and it’s approved you can print the documents and cards out right away.

Don’t offer information that the insurance company doesn’t ask for. Most online auto insurance companies ask for information about traffic violations and accidents you’ve had within the last three years; if you had an accident three years and a month ago, don’t mention it. Also, if your accident did not go on the police record for some reason (for instance, you had an accident in a parking lot that you took care of yourself), don’t mention it. One accident, even if it’s not your fault, can double your premiums. Auto insurance, online or offline, is in the business to make money; it’s your job to ensure you keep as much of your money as possible.

Finally, update your auto insurance information at least annually, and shop around for online car insurance with other companies to see if you can get a better deal elsewhere. The insurance industry is volatile, and you’re likely to see changes every year that may benefit you. Just because you find a better deal with another company doesn’t mean you need to change your insurance company to save money; call them and tell them about the other company’s deal to see if they offer to match it first.