My insurance renewal went up sixty dollars last spring for reasons nobody could explain. I almost paid it out of habit. Instead I spent one evening getting quotes from three other companies, and the cheapest one saved me two hundred a year for the same coverage.

Why prices drift

Insurance companies raise rates for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with your driving: claims in your area, weather events, their own costs. Loyalty is rarely rewarded. The company you have been with for years is often the most expensive option, because they bet you will not bother to check.

How to compare without wasting an hour per company

The trick is to have your current policy handy and enter the exact same coverage everywhere. I kept my current declarations page open and copied the numbers: same limits, same deductible, same add ons. That way the quotes actually compare the same thing.

Then I checked three things on each quote:

1. The yearly total, not the teaser.
2. The deductible. A lower price with a doubled deductible is not a saving.
3. What is not covered. Some cheap quotes drop roadside assistance or rental car coverage. I wanted those kept.

Use the quote to negotiate

Before switching, call your current company and tell them what you were quoted. I did, and they matched it within five minutes. Staying put with a lower price beat switching, because I did not have to change anything.

Set a reminder to check quotes once a year, around your renewal date. Prices drift every year, and the one hour check has now saved me money two years running. The second year I did not even switch, I just used a competing quote to knock down my renewal.

It is the highest paid hour of my year, and I almost never did it out of habit.