Florida Auto Insurance Compare

When you’re ready to shop for Florida auto insurance, compare rates from several companies like FloridaInsuranceQuotes.net to find the best fit for your budget.  You should be aware that Florida requires everyone to carry insurance and that they have minimum amounts of coverage set.  These include $10,000 of both personal injury protection (PIP) and property damage liability (PDL).  The PIP is also known as Florida’s no fault insurance because you’re covered whether or not you caused the accident.

Florida has strict requirements that anyone registering a motor vehicle must carry the minimum PIP and PDL coverage.  This even applies to those who do not reside in the state full time.  The law requires that if you own a vehicle that is registered in Florida it must be insured for the full year.  In fact, anyone who is in the state for 90  days in a one year time period must also comply with the Florida insurance law.

How does Florida auto insurance compare to other areas?  Most agree that Florida’s insurance rates tend to be higher than other areas of the country.  There are several reasons for this.  One is that Florida seems to rank very high when it comes to the number of  auto related fatalities.  That causes more risk to the insurer.  Another reason is due to the high probability of weather related property damage, again resulting in a higher number of claims compared to other areas of the U.S.

For these reasons, it’s vital that you take the time to do your homework before buying an auto insurance policy.  There are a lot of things you can do, or take advantage of, to help keep your insurance premiums down.  Here’s just a few things to consider:

• Your driving record.  It’s no surprise that a good driving record will help you get a better rate on your insurance policy.

• Where you live.  High crime areas and heavily populated areas will cost you more to insure your vehicle than smaller towns and rural areas.

• What kind of automobile you drive.  Insurance companies will look at the make, model and year of your vehicle to determine a rate.  You might want to take this into consideration before buying a vehicle.

• Your credit history.  Believe it or not, some insurance companies will check your credit history and can charge you higher premiums if your score is not great.  It’s a good idea to know your credit score before you apply for insurance, if it’s not that great you’ll want to look for a company that doesn’t use this as part of the approval process.

Most people who go online to shop for Florida auto insurance, compare rates from the big name companies they see advertised on TV.  While you can get good rates from some of these companies, don’t forget to consider smaller, local agencies as well.  Ask friends and family members who they have insurance with.  Try to find consumer reviews that rate the customer service of a company as well as the rates.  The more information you can gather, the better decision you can make.