Connecticut Auto Insurance Companies

Virtually everyone who drives a car in the U.S. is required by law to be protected by at least minimum liability auto insurance. The state of Connecticut not only requires minimum liability coverage, but is one of 14 states that mandate uninsured and under-insured motorist protection coverage in order to drive legally.

Be sure to find the best price by comparing auto insurance quotes from various companies. To use the FREE quote comparison tool, simply enter your ZIP code into the box above!

Auto insurance products are standard, but levels and quality of service as well as the price of a six month premium are wide ranging. The savvy consumer can immediately save meaningful amounts of money for quality auto insurance coverage by conducting careful evaluation and comparison research without sacrificing needed insurance protection.

The following identifies different types of coverage in order of importance for licensed drivers in the state of Connecticut.

1. Liability Insurance

Liability coverage is required for all licensed drivers in Connecticut. When there is an accident, liability pays for damages and injuries to the other driver and the passengers of the other driver.

It does not pay for damages to your car, or for injuries suffered by you or your passengers. Legally mandated liability limits are very low and may not cover all damages. If you do not have enough liability coverage, you could be sued.

The state of Connecticut requires a minimum of 20,000 dollars for bodily injury per person, 40,000 dollars per accident and 10,000 dollars for property damage. On the policy declaration page and insurance card this coverage would look like 20/40/10.

Insurance companies notify the Connecticut DMV whenever insurance is cancelled. A warning notice is sent to the car owner about legal consequences and loss of driving privileges. If the car owner cannot provide evidence that the vehicle is insured, a 200 dollar fine is assessed.

Failure to get insurance will result in suspension of registration and the inability to renew or register any motor vehicle.

2. Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

Connecticut is one of 14 states that mandates underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage. This coverage pays for damages and injuries caused by the other driver if the driver who is at fault does not have enough insurance or does not have insurance.

It also pays for injuries if you or members of your family are hit by uninsured, underinsured, or hit and run drivers when you are pedestrians or cyclists.

3. Collision

Collision coverage pays for damages to your car as a result of a car accident. Damages will be paid regardless of who is driving the car. If your car is damaged due to impact with an immobile object such as a building, fence or light post, collision coverage will pay for these damages.

Sometimes, collision coverage will pay for the damage caused by hitting a deer in the road. Animal damage is sometimes covered by comprehensive coverage. Collision is the most expensive coverage, and it gets more expensive as car values increase.

4. Comprehensive

Non- collision damages that are caused by fire, flood, storms are covered by comprehensive coverage. This coverage will also cover animal damage such as hitting a deer in the road. Comprehensive also covers losses due to vandalism and theft.

5. Personal Injury Protection

Personal injury protection or PIP covers additional medical expenses, lost wages and other expenses such as helpers to do chores that cannot be completed due to the car accident. It pays regardless of who is at fault. PIP is not available in every state, but it is available in Connecticut.

6. Rental Coverage

Auto insurance policies will normally pay for a rental car for the injured party who is not at fault.

Additional rental coverage is available for accidents when you are at fault, or involved in an accident with an underinsured or uninsured motorist, and a rental car is needed.

Comparison Shopping for Auto Insurance in Connecticut

The best results for comparison shopping for car insurance will occur when the cost of car insurance you must have simply to be able to drive is determined before the higher levels of coverage are evaluated.

In Connecticut, you must give some of your personal information to both the online insurance sites and the call centers in order to receive insurance prices. Multiple return calls from insurance sales people are unavoidable, but there is no obligation to purchase.

Once an agreement is made, changing insurance providers is not possible without financial penalties until renewal time, which is a minimum of 6 months.

The state of Connecticut does not offer a published price list of auto insurance for comparison purposes,however, an informal survey of insurance consumers found the following to be true.

• Progressive Insurance offers the lowest priced premium for safe drivers, followed by State Farm.
• Drivers younger than 25 years of age get the lowest premium price from Geico, followed by State Farm.
• High mileage drivers get the best rates at State Farm, and Progressive follows closely by only a couple of dollars per month.
• Drivers with at-fault accidents, DUIs, and traffic violations in their driving histories find the lowest premiums at State Farm. The next lowest price for this driver is offered by Progressive, but it is about 80 dollars per month higher than State Farm.

Reducing the Cost of Insurance in Connecticut

Experts say most car owners pay an average of $368 per year more than they need to for the same insurance. The following tips may help you save:

• Protect from overpaying by comparison shopping.
• Consider moving to a lower risk community. A lower risk community may be just a few miles away.
• Check insurance rates annually, or when there is a change in marital status or driving records.
• Know what kind of insurance you want before you shop in order to get accurate quotes. Insurance companies do not advertise all of their discounts. They are often discovered in individual quotes.
• College graduates, members of the military, people with good driving records, and those who have completed defensive driving classes often qualify for insurance premium discounts.
• Cars with certain safety features qualify for discounts.
• Choose to drive less and receive a low-mileage discount.
• Achieve and maintain good credit. Insurance companies are increasingly using credit scores as a factor in the cost of insurance premiums.
• Know the cost to insure a car before you buy the car.

Good News

Insurance rates throughout the U.S. have actually have actually decreased in the past two decades. By requiring minimum liability for all drivers, the risk is spread more evenly which lowers insurance cost for all drivers. Mandated uninsured and underinsured coverage is also contributing to rate reduction.

Additionally, better consumer access to the internet gives consumers more opportunities to seek out better prices and services forcing insurance companies to become more competitive.

Enter your ZIP code below to start saving on auto insurance today!