No matter where you live in the U.S., your state probably has some form of minimum requirements for auto insurance coverage, which means millions of Americans need car insurance. Even if your state doesn’t specifically require auto insurance, you’re still financially responsible for any costs you might incur from hurting someone or damaging property with your car. The best way to prepare for that is, well, getting car insurance.
Whether you’re a new driver getting coverage for the first time or you’re looking to switch auto insurance providers, you’ve probably already realized there are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to choosing the right car insurance for you. But you may also be wondering, how long does it take to sign up, and how soon can you and your car get covered?
Set aside some time to shop around for quotes
The first step in getting car insurance is shopping around for quotes, to make sure that you’re getting the best policy to fit your needs and the best price to fit your budget. You’ll want to get multiple quotes so you can compare prices, but price isn’t everything. Re-shopping even if you already have insurance is important — some Americans never re-shop, leaving hundreds of dollars on the table.
Also check out factors like the insurer’s J.D. Power rating, and do a quick scan of online reviews to make sure there don’t seem to be a lot of complaints.
How long does it take to apply for car insurance?
Actually applying for car insurance is a pretty quick process. Unlike health insurance, which usually has a specific enrollment period, or life insurance, which often has an underwriting period that can take weeks, applying for auto insurance can probably be done in around 20 minutes.
When you’re applying for car insurance, be sure to have this information at the ready:
- Names of all drivers
- Dates of birth for all drivers
- Driver’s license numbers for all drivers
- Social Security numbers for all drivers
- VINs (Vehicle Information Numbers) for all vehicles
- An address for the insured (where you live and where the car is garaged, which is usually the same place)
- Your declarations page from your most recent prior car insurance policy
How soon does my car insurance start?
You won’t have to wait long between applying for car insurance and having an insured vehicle. In many cases, a policy can be issued the same day you apply. Now, all you have to do is keep paying your car insurance premiums each policy period to ensure your insurance is in force. If you still have questions about your car insurance, here’s a list of 20 answers to questions about car insurance you may be too embarrassed to ask.
How to get car insurance quickly
Getting car insurance is already a pretty speedy process, but there are some things you can do to prepare that will help make sure you get your vehicle insured as quickly as possible.
Understand how much coverage you need: Figuring out how much minimum car insurance coverage your state requires is a good starting place when applying for insurance. But, in order to choose the right amount of coverage for you, you’ll want to consider other factors like where you live, or how much you’d be prepared to pay out of pocket if you were to exceed your coverage limit.
Have all your personal information ready before you start the process: Make sure you’ve got all the necessary info for all the drivers who will be included on the policy. And make sure you have your car insurance declarations page from your most recent policy. That declarations page (sometimes called a dec page) will have a lot of the other information you’ll need to apply for car insurance. It will also show your new provider the limits you were covered for under your previous policy, and that you didn’t have any lapse in coverage.
This article originally appeared on Policygenius and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Featured Image Credit: FatCamera.
