When shopping for car insurance, choosing the right Phoenix insurance agent is harder than just driving to the closest agent’s office. You need a professional agent, but also the lowest rates for car insurance in Phoenix.
Lots of insurance agents contend to insure your vehicles, and it can be difficult to compare rates and uncover the absolute best price available.
Working with a local agent
Professional agents can answer important questions and help submit paperwork. One of the great benefits of getting online price quotes is the fact that you can find the lowest rates and still choose a local agent.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), the quote information is emailed to local insurance agents who will give you bids to get your business. You never need to leave your computer as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. How’s that for easy! It’s the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to.
Deciding on an insurance agency should depend on more than just the premium amount. Some important questions to ask are:
- Do clients work directly with the agent or are most inquiries handled by a CSR?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
- Who are their largest clients?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
Two types of car insurance agents
When searching for a good Phoenix insurance agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Insurance agencies in Phoenix can either be independent or captive.
Captive Agents
These agents write business for a single company and examples are Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. They are unable to give you multiple price quotes so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agents are very knowledgeable on the products they sell and that can be a competitive advantage. Some people will only purchase coverage from captives partially due to loyalty to the company and strong financial ratings.
Below is a list of captive insurance agents in Phoenix willing to provide comparison quotes.
- State Farm Insurance – 3040 E Cactus Rd # 2 – Phoenix, AZ 85032 – (602) 971-3130
- American Family Insurance – 7246 S Central Ave – Phoenix, AZ 85042 – (602) 276-5777
- Allstate Insurance Co – 13832 N 32nd St # C118 – Phoenix, AZ 85032 – (602) 485-7804
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 10240 N 31st Ave # 135 – Phoenix, AZ 85051 – (602) 997-6633
- Farmers Insurance Group – 4531 N 16th St – Phoenix, AZ 85016 – (602) 277-7458
- Liberty Mutual Insurance – 2510 W Dunlap Ave # 300 – Phoenix, AZ 85021 – (602) 997-4700
Independent Agents
These agents do not work for one specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with any number of different companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to find a new agent. When comparing rates, you should always get quotes from at least one independent agent to ensure the widest selection of prices. They also have the ability to place coverage with smaller companies which can be an advantage.
Below is a short list of independent agents in Phoenix that are able to give price quote information.
- Progressive Insurance Co – 4415 E Cotton Center Blvd – Phoenix, AZ 85040 – (602) 470-9167
- Jill Garr Agency – 23021 N 15th Ave – Phoenix, AZ 85027 – (623) 580-8881
- Cas Bonds and Insurance – 15007b N Cave Creek Rd – Phoenix, AZ 85032 – (602) 569-8401
- Dan Firth Agency – 2737 E Greenway Rd # 2 – Phoenix, AZ 85032 – (602) 494-2660
- Krchnavy Agency – 2730 W Agua Fria Fwy # 104 – Phoenix, AZ 85027 – (623) 869-8333
For a complete listing of car insurance agents in Phoenix, please view this page.
Once you have answers to your satisfaction and an acceptable price quote, chances are good that you have found an insurance agent that can provide car insurance coverage.
Can you buy online and save?
Insurance agents are important, but you also have the option of buying Arizona car insurance directly from online companies. Some companies who sell through the agent channel also let you quote and buy online, so that should be considered if you don’t want to take the time to contact agents.
If you’re uncomfortable with not having an agent to talk to when buying direct, this is expected but don’t let that bother you. Online companies all have toll-free customer service for answering any questions you have. They also have online help and live chat so buying online is not difficult.
If the lowest price is important, the best way to know who has the best deal, local agents or online insurance companies, is making fair comparisons of each of their rates. It’s fairly common that you receive different coverage costs when getting a price from both an agent and online for the same auto insurance company.
Are online companies cheaper? It’s difficult to say for sure since there may be dozens of rate factors that can increase policy rates. Common logic is that buying car insurance online reduces premiums because there is no agent. But that assumption is generally incorrect because advertising and marketing take a lot of money so rates may not be all that different from traditional agents.
More detailed Arizona car insurance information can be read at the Arizona Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, view agent and company licensing information, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and read industry bulletins.
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Smart consumers save more
People change insurance companies for a number of reasons such as poor customer service, unfair underwriting practices, extreme rates for teen drivers and even high prices. It doesn’t matter what your reason, switching car insurance companies can be easy and end up saving you some money.
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s a bad idea to buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, consumers will sacrifice full coverage and found out when filing a claim they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate.
