When you dip your toe into the waters shopping for car insurance, a quick car insurance comparison and policies will bring home to you that there is no simple common sense rule here that tells you which company or policy is best. Car insurance rates are easily all over the place, from very high to very low, depending on the company you ask, the time of year, and the details that they choose to ask you. Some insurance companies will come through right away with your policy when you apply, and others will ask questions like they were recruiting for a CIA operative. It is important to have a way to sort the wheat from the chaff.

The first thing you could do is to obtain a preliminary idea of how things stand by searching on the Internet for expert consumer reports and personal consumer experiences on how the different insurance companies compare on customer service and value for money. Try to compare car insurance quotes on their reputations with experts and consumers alike. When with family and friends bring up the subject of how different insurance companies stack up. If there are several people in your circle who have had bad experiences with a couple of companies, you will know what to avoid.

Try to compare the insurance companies that make the cut this far, on dedication to customer service. Look up their websites to see if they have a large number of claim centers, customer contact offices and year-round phone and e-mail service. The company that has the best customer network of all, is most likely to give you an easy time when you need help. Try to see what the best way would be to pay your premiums; pay every month through checks sent in, pay with a credit card, or in other ways. If the insurance company you have narrowed it down to has an arrangement with your bank or credit card company, you might find they have special best auto insurance rates waiting for you. When you get your quotes, try to make sure that they give you your rates with and without claims bonus protection. You could use the tool at How2BuyInsurance.com right now to compare auto insurance quotes from up to five different insurance companies.