The World Wide Web re-invented the auto insurance business like no other development in history. The business as currently constituted bears little resemblance to what it was prior to the emergence of the WWW back in the early Nineties. Back then, when renewal time came up, it was automatic for almost two-thirds of the market to ultimately re-sign with the same insurer. Now that we can research and buy auto insurance, all that has changed.
A generation ago, insurers would get uncomfortable when approached by a new car insurance customer. If they had just acquired a car and had no insurer – that was one thing. But if the would-be client already had an automobile insurer and they just wanted to switch companies, they were typically viewed with suspicion and their application scrutinized closely.
These days, the underwriting process is made transparent as shoppers learn what are the triggers for actuarial insurance analysis. No longer needing days or weeks to learn your final rate, instant quotes have made the process of shopping for car insurance less onerous.
One of the nicest things about buying auto insurance online is the way it lets you compare rates for full coverage versus just getting liability. This is particularly significant for those who live in so-called ‘no fault’ insurance’ jurisdictions.
No-fault insurance, in its broad sense, describes an insurance policy that says the insurance company agrees to pay the policy holder’s losses regardless of who is at fault. Basically, a policyholder and any passengers in the policy holder’s vehicle are reimbursed for losses in a traffic accident by the policyholder’s insurer without reference to whose fault the accident was.
For good drivers, the no-fault insurance program is manifestly unfair. Nevertheless, variations on this theme prevail in 12 of the United States, Puerto Rico and four Canadian provinces. Do note that the phrase ‘no-fault’ is also used as a synonym for ‘first-party coverage.’ First Party coverage refers to any insurance contract in which the policyholder is indemnified against losses by their own insurance company, not the insurance company of the party who caused the loss (unless it was their own fault, of course).
Under these types of insurance laws, the additional cost of carrying collision insurance makes little sense unless new, or close to it. If you are financing the car, you may still be required to carry comprehensive coverage. The great thing if you buy auto insurance online is that you can quickly get the price for full versus liability-only coverage and can quickly know when you’re better off dropping the collision and theft coverage.