It’s a well known fact that people procrastinate and put off things that they don’t like to do and aren’t required to do right now. One of the things involved with this procrastination is switching auto insurance companies. You probably know that if you did some comparison shopping to find cheap auto insurance, you almost certainly would be able to do so, so what is stopping you from starting the process?

With just a few phone calls and a few clicks online, you could quickly compare your current auto insurance policy to find out how it stacks up against the same coverage from other auto insurance companies. There is really nothing unpleasant about it. Maybe you don’t want to disappoint the insurance sales agent that you’ve been with for years, but isn’t it worth disappointing him if he has been overcharging you for years, and if you could save literally hundreds of dollars per year on your car insurance?

The reality of the matter is that auto insurance is a very competitive industry and all of them are doing what it takes to earn your business. In most cases, what it takes is having the best price for the best coverage.

But before you start clicking your mouse or dialing your phone, there are some things you need to be aware of. First of all, not all auto insurance policies are created equally, so you need to make sure that you are comparing apples to apples when you are comparing insurance quotes from multiple companies. What are the deductibles? You can set a different deductible amount for almost every type of coverage to keep your premiums as low as possible. For example, you can have $500 deductible on collision, $1000 deductible on theft, $1500 deductible on fire, and so on. Keep in mind that the lower the deductible, the more the insurance company is required to pay if you make a claim in that area, and therefore the higher your premiums will be.

Do you even need collision insurance? This is where a lot of people waste a lot of money. If you are driving an old clunker, it makes no sense to have collision insurance on it, since if it gets into an accident, chances are high that the cost to repair the car is going to be more than the cost of declaring it totaled and just paying you?re the fair market price for it. You can save a bundle by taking collision coverage off your policy, although if you are still making payments on the car or it is a lease car, you will almost certainly be required to carry collision insurance on it to protect the interests of the title holder.

Also compare the limits of liability for property damage and personal injury. Some “standard” limits might be $250,000 but if someone is severely injured, you know that with hospital costs these days, that limit can be reached in a heartbeat. So make sure that the limits are the same when comparing policies.

You can find cheap auto insurance if you put a bit of time and effort into it, and it can save you hundreds of dollars per year. Don’t forget to get an online auto insurance quote, since online quotes can frequently save you even more.