California Launches Online Auto Insurance Comparison Tool

[Brian Anderson]

The California Department of Insurance has set up an online tool to help consumers compare average premium prices among auto insurers.

CDI’s Automobile Insurance Comparison Tool allows consumers to make quick comparisons of average premium rates from national and local carriers. Apparently the goal is to help consumers search beyond the big advertisers.

“Consumers know the insurers that advertise on television and radio, but they may not know about the companies that serve their neighborhood and may offer a lower price,” says California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones.

If anyone’s interested in checking it out, it can be accessed here:

https://interactive.web.insurance.ca.gov/apex/f?p=111:10

 

[indienoise]

I'm surprised California hasn't had this til now. The SC and GA DOI both have similar tools. They are equally generic in their criteria however, and don't really account for the many niches that exist from one carrier to another. The tool can be both helpful and not.

 

[djs]

California has had it for a while. Looks like they want to revitalize it a bit.

The problem with the CA tool last time I used it (a few years ago) is it just gave very generic answers and didn't account for the person themselves. Hey, it was great that in my zip code a particular carriers premium averages this, vs another that averaged that, but it didn't help me if I had a new teenage driver or a recent ticket or a DUI or whatever.

You could, however, find carriers to talk to and bypass agents entirely.

Dan