Finding good auto insurance in Gainesville can be challenging since there are a lot of options and selecting the best Gainesville auto insurance agent for your needs is not as easy as just randomly choosing from the yellow pages. You need an excellent agent, and also want to find the best price on auto insurance.
Many car insurance agents compete for your business, and it can be difficult to compare rates to find the lowest cost out there.
Your local neighborhood insurance agent
Educated insurance agents can answer important questions and give you someone to call. The biggest benefit of getting online price quotes is that you can obtain lower rates but still work with a licensed agent.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information is submitted to companies in Gainesville who will battle for your coverage. You don’t have to leave your computer due to the fact that quote results will go immediately to your email address. Now that’s easy! You can find better rates AND an agent nearby.
Selecting an auto insurance agent requires more thought than just the price. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
Captive and independent Gainesville auto insurance agents
If you’re trying to find a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different agency structures to choose from. Gainesville agents are either captive or independent.
Captive Agents
These agents have only one company to place business with and examples are Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. These agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so it’s a take it or leave it situation. These agents are trained well on the products they sell which can be an advantage. Some consumers prefer to choose to use a captive agent mostly because of high brand loyalty and strong financial ratings.
Listed below is a list of captive insurance agencies in Gainesville willing to provide price quote information.
- Rosie Smith State Farm Ins – 6500 SW Archer Rd – Gainesville, FL 32608 – (352) 377-1366
- Allstate Insurance – 4004 NW 13th St – Gainesville, FL 32609 – (352) 371-2204
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 4432 NW 23rd Ave # 3 – Gainesville, FL 32606 – (352) 378-1389
Independent Agents
Independent agents are not required to write business for one company so they have the ability to put coverage with multiple insurance companies and potentially find a lower price. If your agent finds better pricing, the agent simply finds a different carrier without you having to go to a different agency.
When comparing rates, you should always contact several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection. They also have the ability to place coverage with smaller companies who may have lower rates.
Listed below are Gainesville independent agents willing to provide price quote information.
- Lee Crane Insurance – 4020 W Newberry Rd # 400 – Gainesville, FL 32607 – (352) 375-0500
- Nathan Williams Agency – 4908 NW 34th St # 4 – Gainesville, FL 32605 – (352) 384-9826
- Yawn Family Insurance – 4020 W Newberry Rd # 600 – Gainesville, FL 32607 – (352) 372-3399
- Sherouse Agency – – Gainesville, FL 32601 – (352) 377-4389
- Steve Taber Agency – 5310 NW 8th Ave # 1 – Gainesville, FL 32605 – (352) 377-9819
To view a complete directory of Gainesville insurance agents, visit this link.
After getting positive feedback to your questions and a low price estimate, you may have just found an insurance agency that can adequately provide auto insurance.
Online companies can help you save
Insurance agents serve a purpose, but you also have the option of buying Florida car insurance direct from companies that only sell online. Certain auto insurance companies, such as State Farm, Allstate and Farmers, that are more known for using agents, also allow consumers to buy a policy online, so that should be considered if you don’t want to take the time to contact agents.
If you’re uncomfortable with not receiving proper advice when shopping online, that is quite common when buying online the first time. Insurance companies all provide contact methods for customer questions.
When trying to find the best rates, the only way to determine if car insurance prices are lower online or from agents is to get price quotes for both. It’s fairly common that you receive different coverage costs from agents as you do online from exactly the same company.
Does coverage cost less online? The answer to that question is complicated because there are many components that impact your rate calculation. Common logic is that going direct prevents the agent from taking a cut. For the majority of companies, however, getting their brand in front of customers is expensive and that impacts the rates consumers pay.
Even more information is located at the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website. Florida consumers can read industry bulletins, view agent and company licensing information, read consumer alerts, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
One last thing
When buying insurance coverage, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the savings was not a smart move. The proper strategy is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.
People change insurance companies for any number of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, questionable increases in premium, extreme rates for teen drivers or not issuing a premium refund. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch switching companies can be easy and end up saving you some money.
