The Basics: How to Insure a Car in 7 Steps

Last updated July 19, 2022

The Basics: How to Insure a Car in 7 Steps

Whether you’re a first-time driver or recently purchased a new vehicle, learning how to insure a car is essential. For most people, a car is a huge investment, and protecting your investment with insurance is a wise decision. Not to mention that almost every state requires drivers to carry a minimum amount of auto insurance. If you’re in the market for car insurance, keep reading to learn how to insure a car in seven steps.

How to insure a car in 7 steps

There are different types of auto insurance coverage available, and choosing the right one can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are the basics of how to insure a car.

Step 1: Understand your state’s car insurance requirements

Every state has unique car insurance laws that determine the type and amount of coverage you need to operate a vehicle. Most states require body injury liability and property damage liability. However, you can find your state’s exact auto insurance requirements here.

Step 2: Gather Your Personal and Vehicle Information

Car insurance companies consider a variety of factors when determining the cost of your auto insurance policy. To receive an accurate quote, you will need to provide personal and vehicle information. This information can include:

Driver’s name, date of birth, and driver’s license number and issuing state
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Current mileage on the vehicle that needs insurance
Current address where the vehicle is registered
Name of the current registered owner
The date you purchased the vehicle
How you use the vehicle (i.e., for work or pleasure)

By having all of this information handy, you’ll be able to get an accurate car insurance quote for your vehicle quickly.

Step 3: Research the top insurance providers

It’s essential to research top insurance providers to find the best company. While price is an important determining factor in the company you choose, there are other things to consider. When researching companies, look at their customer reviews, claims process, and customer service options. It’s vital that your insurance company is easy to contact if you have questions or need to file a claim.

It’s important to note that each company has its own way of assessing risk and assigning rates based on your driver profile. Rate Retriever helps you find the best providers for your driver profile and preferences. Tell us a little about yourself, and we’ll match you with competitive insurance providers for you.

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Step 4: Gather quotes from insurance providers

Next, you can submit your information to the companies you researched to get a free insurance quote. An insurance quote is an estimate of what your insurance policy will cost, usually on a monthly, bi-annual, or annual basis.

Typically, you would need to manually research and visit each provider’s website and provide basic information about yourself and your coverage needs to get a quote. However, at Rate Retriever, we make it even easier than that! You can fill out our five-question basic form once, and we’ll connect you with the best insurance providers for you. From there, you can select the policy that’s right for you.

Step 5: Select your coverage types and amounts

You must choose at least the minimum auto insurance coverage required by your state. However, you can also choose additional coverage types for more protection while on the road.

The most common types of insurance are liability insurance, collision coverage, personal injury protection, uninsured and underinsured motorist protection, comprehensive insurance, and medical payments coverage.

You can learn more about each insurance type here to decide if you want to add additional coverage to your policy.

Step 6: Select your premium and deductible

Once you choose the type and amount of insurance coverage you want, you can select your premium and deductible amount. Your premium is your monthly cost for car insurance, while your deductible is what you pay upfront in the event of an accident before your car insurance “kicks in” to cover the rest. Generally, the higher your deductible, the lower your premium, and vice versa.

During this step, you can ask your insurance provider if you are eligible for any discounts to get an even better deal on the overall cost.

Step 7: Sign your policy and hit the road

Once everything looks good, and you’re comfortable with the policy details, it’s time to sign your agreement and hit the road. Congratulations! Now you know how to insure a car.

Ready to get started? Use our free comparison tool to find your top providers today!

About Rate Retriever

At Rate Retriever, our mission is to make the way you shop for insurance transparent and fair through user-friendly tools that respect your privacy and deliver reliable, comprehensive results.

So we took everything we hated about comparing insurance quotes online – the spam, the long questionnaires, the limited choices, the inaccuracy of quote prices – and threw it out the window, favoring a short form that more accurately estimates what you’ll pay at each of the top insurance providers near you.

Rate Retriever is an independent company that is not owned by an insurance provider, nor do we provide insurance ourselves. This independence allows us to be your free and impartial insurance research tool, helping you make the best decisions for your insurance needs.

We may earn a commission when you click one of the links or call one of the providers listed on our site; however, we do not allow our partnerships to influence which information we provide.

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The Basics: How to Insure a Car in 7 Steps