Smart Auto Insurance Blog

JD Power recently released Auto Insurance Provider Ratings report in the 2009 National Auto Insurance Study.  They ranked various auto insurance companies and State Farm Auto Insurance ranked very well.

In the category of overall satisfaction State Farm received the score of “better than most”.  This is based on how customers rate all aspects of their service experience with the insurer.  In the category of contacting the insurance company State Farm received the ranking of “among the best”.  This is great to know when shopping around since you need your insurance company the most during stressful times and you do not want to worry about not being able to get in touch with them.

In the category of policy offerings State Farm ranked “better than most” and they received the same ranking in billing and payment.  Billing and payment scoring is based on how customers rate the clarity, timeliness, and accuracy of their bills as well as the overall payment process.  Using this type of report when you compare auto insurance quotes can be extremely useful to see who is coming out on top.  It can save you a lot of time to have all the information on one useful chart.  Visit JD Power’s site for more detailed information on the rankings.

The JD Power 2009 National Auto Insurance Study rankings are out and Amica Mutual stays strong as the award recipient.  The detailed rankings can be viewed on JD Power’s website.  USAA and the New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co. both ranked very high as well but are not included in the rankings since they are exclusive auto insurance groups.

Amica Mutual ranked among the best for all the categories which include overall satisfaction, contacting the insurer, policy offerings, billing and payment, and pricing.  Contacting the insurer is a score based on how customers rate their experience dealing with the auto insurance company in terms of an agent, call center representative, website, or an automated phone system.  This may include getting car insurance quotes.

Policy offerings is based on how customers rate the type and variety of coverage options offered by the insurer.  It also factors in the extent in which the company meets their needs.  Billing and payment is based on timeliness, accuracy, and the clarity of billing statements, and the overall payment process whether through regular mail or the internet.  Pricing factors in the actual cost as well as the type of coverage at that price.  Shelter Insurance and State Farm also ranked well in the study.

According to the article “New York No-Fault Auto Insurance Leads to Inflated Claims” by Ryan Fields on e-wisdom.com, New York auto insurance could be experiencing higher rates because of their insurance model.  New York is one of many states in the US using the no-fault auto insurance system.  The purpose of this type in insurance model is to reduce costly legal costs from deciding who is at-fault for an accident.

Since no-fault auto insurance has auto insurance companies paying out claims directly to their customers regardless of fault, fraud can be an issue.  According to the Insurance Information Institute, about 20% of each no-fault auto insurance claims made are fraudulent.  That adds up to approximately $1561 per claim and cost insurers and their customers over $600 million since 2005.

Chief economist, Dr. Steven Weisbard, ties the increase to medical providers who submit claims that are much higher than they should be.  He says the amount of fraud in New York’s auto insurance system is so severe that payouts for claims are currently the 2nd highest they have been since the late 1990’s.  This excess translates to higher auto insurance rates for drivers in New York obtaining auto insurance.  Costs rise for everyone as fraud claims rise.

According to the press release “Progressive Launches Industry’s First Android App for Car Insurance” from Business Wire, Progressive Auto Insurance has a phone application for the Google Android (TM) operating program.  Android happens to be the fastest growing smart phone out there according to data from comScore, Inc.

Matt Lehman, Progressive’s Web experience director says they have seen a 30% increase in visits to their Mobile Website by Android owners over the last 4 months.  They have aimed to simplify the mobile app experience for the Android customers.

Progressive is the first major US auto insurance company to offer an Android app for auto insurance.  They also have an iPhone Apple application as well as their Mobile Website.  You can download the free Progressive app for your Android at the Marketplace on Android phones.

Many companies are leaning towards mobile phone users since more and more consumers want to access their financial information through their phone.  Benefits of these various applications include getting car insurance quotes and purchasing a policy, making payments and updating policy information, and reporting ad tracking claims.  In is the wave of the future, and perhaps smaller auto insurance companies, such as Dairyland Insurance, will offer some sort of similar benefit for their customers.

Infinity Auto Insurance has a branch of their company which insures collectible automobiles called Classic Collectors Insurance.  This type of insurance comes in very handy for those rarely driving a car because it is considered a Classic.

Like many auto insurance companies, Infinity has some guidelines when insuring a classic car.  For example plans have low mileage coverage - 1000, 3000, or 5000 miles.  And there is a list of things cars cannot be used for such as:

1. Work/school commute
2. Regular personal use
3. Business/commercial use
4. Racing or timed events
5. Backup transportation

There are also some strict requirements that must be adhered to.  All drivers in the household must have a valid driver’s license and may not have had more than 1 moving violation or at fault accident in the past three years.  There is a max of 2 drivers per household.  Also, the driver must have at least 10 years driving experience in order to qualify for this type of coverage.

If you own an antique, modern classic, kit cars, replicar, an exotic, street rod or a special interest modified car get auto insurance quotes to see if you can get the appropriate classic collectors coverage.

Monthly auto insurance is an option for many looking for transitional coverage or inexpensive premiums with little to no down payment.  Auto insurance companies such as Eastwood Insurance offer low down payment options and that can be invaluable for those struggling financially.

Monthly auto insurance is a policy where the rates are paid in monthly payments with a 30 day installment plan.  Customers can choose to make the payments each month as long as they want their policy current.  Terms can be offered in 3 months, 6, or even 12 month increments based on the policyholder’s situation.

Some tips to keep auto insurance rates lower include setting up automatic withdraw from your bank account to lower billing fees.  Fees could be lowered by up to $10 per month, sometimes more.  If you are able to pay in advance fees are often lowered by going this route.  The cost of monthly auto insurance will vary from carrier to carrier, and many variables are considered.  Continue to shop around and compare auto insurance quotes to ensure you are getting the best deal and not wasting your money.

According to the article “Insurance Changes Would Help 80% of Drivers” by Mike D’Arelli on sfgate.com, California auto insurance is about to see some major changes.  Thousands of auto insurance agents support Proposition 17 which will extend an auto insurance discount to millions of drivers in California who are forced to pay hundreds of dollars more every year for their auto insurance rates if they switch insurers.  It looks to reward good drivers and save them as much as $250/year.

Prop 17 plans to fix an underlying issue current in the auto insurance system.  Drivers who keep auto insurance with the same company are eligible for a continuous coverage discount.  If a consumer decides to switch carriers they do not get this benefit and Prop 17 will fix this flaw.  Drivers who follow the law and keep coverage continuously will still get the discount even if they change insurance companies.

Prop 17 will also increase competition among carriers and provide California drivers with many more options.  It will benefit up to 80% of drivers who keep continuous coverage.  It also contains some consumer protections to help those suffering from the economic downturn.  In addition, Prop 17 will protect our military men and women who are serving abroad and do not carry continuous coverage because they are not driving.  All of these provisions may seem like common sense, but it’s been the current law for awhile and it’s time for changes.  SR22 insurance will need to be still be carried by those high risk drivers who are required to carry this type of coverage.

Auto insurance companies are getting more and more strict with paying out claims as the recession is forcing consumers to request more money to cover damages.  This is according to the article “Under-Insurance Hitting Thin Wallets” by Roeland Van Der Bergh on stuff.co.nz.

Another downside to this economy from the viewpoint of the auto insurance company is the rising rates of insurance fraud according to the article “Recession is Fueling a Boom in Insurance Fraud” found on the Times Dispatch website.  This increase in fraud is keeping state regulators and law enforcement very busy across the nation.

A recent survey conducted by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud of 37 state insurance fraud bureaus found that the down economy has had a significant effect on the amount of fraud.  The bureaus reported an increase in fraud referrals and new investigations in all 15 categories of fraud covered in the survey.  Other tough financial times such as the influx in gas prices a few years ago.  As gas prices went up, so did the number of automobile fraud cases where people fraudulently reported their cars as stolen, or destroyed just to get the insurance payout from the auto insurance company.  People will do extreme things when faced with financial adversity.

Auto insurance quotes vary greatly from state to state.  According to the article “Where Auto Insurance Is Most Expensive” by Jennifer Saranow Schultz on nytimes.com, Louisiana has the highest average auto insurance in the US and Maine has the lowest.  This data was accumulated by insure.com, which ranked the states based on average auto insurance rates.

This data was released this week and comes from a study completed by Quadrant Information Services which looked for the most and least expensive car to insure across the country.  The information determined average auto insurance quotes for over 2400 cars from the 2010 model year from 6 large companies across 10 zip codes in every state.  This also enabled auto insurance rates in general to be compared from state to state.

It’s surprising how dramatically auto insurance rates can vary from state to state.  Insure.com says the varying laws from state to state is partly to blame.    Regardless of how good someone’s driving record is, a portion of your rates are at the mercy of your states’ insurance laws.  Shopping around is your best bet at getting comparison quotes.  Even smaller companies such as Bristol West Insurance can offer competitive rates.

Government research shows that both women and men have the same accident rates per million miles driven.  But men do have more accidents overall according to the press release from MileMeter on businesswire “Men vs Women: Who Pays Less for Auto Insurance”.  This is because men drive more miles than women on average.

Even though men drive more, many auto insurance companies such as Acceptance Insurance, are charging the same yearly premiums to adult men and women.  This means that women are paying more per mile driven than men.  Insurance discrimination occurs against all people whose cars are driven less than average.  The main way to end the group discrimination against women and other lower mileage groups and individuals is to charge by the mile, which more and more companies are turning to.

MileMeter is a company that specializes in per mile auto insurance.  This Texas based company is the first to apply per mile prices to the miles recorded on odometers.  This helps to ensure equal treatment towards men and women drivers.  They offer this benefit without installing vehicle tracking devices which many view as an invasion of privacy.  The miles are bought in advance, and more miles are purchased as needed to ensure full coverage.