Pros & Cons of Getting Car Insurance Quotes Online

The only way you could get car insurance quotes a decade ago was calling a list of companies, putting forward your coverage needs and waiting for each of them to call you back with a quote. It was a long and tedious process that could often take as much as a whole week, if not more.

Fortunately, nowadays the Internet allows you to get dozens of quotes in a matter of minutes. There are still several benefits of shopping in a brick and mortar office, but they are definitely outweighed by the advantages of buying car insurance online. This article will show you some pros and cons of getting auto insurance quotes online.

The Pros

Time considerations. The time saved is, by far, the best advantage of shopping online. You don’t have to drive around from one place to another or call a lengthy list – just open your browser window, pick an insurance calculator tool that compares quotes from many providers and, voila, you just got your best quote.

Range of offerings. All insurance companies are available online, whereas not all of them may have offline agencies in your area. Some carriers have even chosen to be present only in major cities and handle the rest of the business online. If you live in a crowded area you might have access to a lot of the big players, but suburbs or rural zones will barely be covered by a few companies.

No timing constraints. Offline stores have regular service hours – they are usually open from 8 or 9 am to 5 or 6 pm. If you work from 9 to 5 and spend another hour on the road you won’t make it on time, unless you leave early or get to work late. If you shop online, on the other hand, you can get your quote whenever you want, even at 2 am.

The Cons

There aren’t many advantages of buying insurance the old fashioned way. After talking to some hardcore offline shoppers, here are some of them:

• Poor communication. People who are less tech-savvy tend to be put off by talking to an insurance agent from behind a computer screen. They prefer a face to face discussion, which is understandable to some extent. Keep in mind, though, that the sales agent is not your friend and, no matter how nice and jovial he might seem, the behavior is a sales technique. Right when he is smiling at you and complementing on your shiny new car, he is building the sales technique and analyzing scenarios to make you buy. At the end of the day, he needs your money to put food on the table.
• Bind with people. It can be fun to do the shopping on the phone from your living room with your friends and family gathered around. You get to share tasks and have everyone call a shorter list of insurers. However, you don’t have to shop for insurance to get a good time with the loved ones – you can engage them in group activities without the pressure of getting the most affordable insurance policy.