You have many choices when trying to find low-cost insurance for your vehicle. You can either buy through an agent or get quotes online to compare rates from multiple companies. Shopping for auto insurance online saves time, is easy to do, in addition you can save money.

Comparing auto insurance rates direct online can be complicated if you are a beginner to online rate quotes. But relax because it's actually quite easy. Getting lower is not rocket science. The only thing you need to do is invest a little time getting comparison quotes online from several insurance companies. This is very easy and can be done by comparing rates here.

Criteria which help determine car insurance premiums

Car insurance premiums paid to insure a 2009 will vary greatly and are calculated by many factors. A few of these criteria are:

• High performance increases premiums
• Your accident history
• Whether you insure your home with the same company
• How you use your vehicle
• Optional coverages like vehicle replacement
• Your claim history
• Maintaining coverage lowers rates
• Owning a home can lower rates

An additional factor that will help determine is the year of the vehicle. Newer models have a higher replacement value than older models so the costs to repair will push premiums up. But new models may have safety features including a telematics system, adaptive cruise control, and anti-lock brakes so those may lower rates.

Liability coverage

This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property by causing an accident. Liability insurance covers claims such as funeral expenses, loss of income, and emergency aid. It is cheap coverage so you should buy as much as you can afford.

Coverage for collisions

Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. You can also raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

Comprehensive coverage

This pays for damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage. The maximum amount a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it's not worth much more than your deductible consider removing comprehensive coverage.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

This coverage protects you and your vehicle's occupants when the "other guys" either have no liability insurance or not enough. Due to the fact that many drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits, it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family.

Medical payments coverage and PIP

Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for bills such as ambulance fees, surgery, and doctor visits. They are often used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. PIP coverage is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay.