Online Car Insurance Quotes : Compare the Offers

To get online car insurance quotes ten years ago, you would have to call an agent who would send a quote to you via email. This process was an advance on having the agent send you a pile of papers through the mail, but it still required at least a telephone conversation and often a personal appointment with the agent.

Back then, the idea that insurance agents would abandon their main weapon in the competition for customers was preposterous. The majority of agents wouldn't even consider giving a quote to a prospect that wouldn't come in to the office for a proper meeting.

That has changed recently, as website sales have replaced an even larger share of agents. This change has been driven by young, urban customers who prefer to do as much of their business over the web as possible. This results in less and less business for agents, who become less effective. That in turn results in forcing older and less sophisticated customers to start using the web as well, since companies are spending more and more effort on web sales.

With people becoming busier and busier, online car insurance quotes have steadily increased in popularity. Clients are now more willing to make big purchases without ever seeing a salesperson and more aware of the terminology involved and the options they can purchase. In short, clients demand more self-service than in previous years.

The result of all of this is that previously unknown car insurance providers have become household names almost overnight. Millions of customers seek out a free auto insurance quote and inexpensive insurance that the largest companies would not provide. The market leaders found that they had to play catch up because small companies had found a way to become major players.

Keep in mind: Competition is in the consumer's best interest. Knowing that, it doesn't seem like a bad thing that these days every US insurance company seems to offer online car insurance quotes. This is because the huge market leaders have caught up.

The discount car insurance industry has been changed forever by technology. Ten years ago, before promises of free quotes and huge savings become the norm, it was far more difficult to get quotes and take the time to compare them properly. There are many new competitors in the car insurance business, all seeking to make their mark through lower prices and/or better service when you need them.