After several years of rising auto insurance costs, drivers may finally be seeing signs of relief.
At the national level, the Consumer Price Index for motor vehicle insurance declined 2.0% in June 2026 after falling 1.7% in May. The index was also 4.1% lower than it was in June 2025. That does not guarantee that every driver will receive a lower renewal offer as prices still vary considerably by state, carrier, vehicle, and household. But, it does make this a timely opportunity to review your policy and explore the market. (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Getting multiple quotes is a good place to start. The challenge is determining whether those quotes are actually comparable.
A proposal that is hundreds of dollars less may look like a better deal. But what if it also has lower liability limits, higher deductibles, no rental-car coverage, and a discount that may not continue at renewal?
That is not necessarily a better price for the same protection. It may be a different policy altogether.
Start with your current declarations page
Your auto insurance declarations page summarizes the major parts of your current policy, including the insured drivers and vehicles, liability limits, deductibles, optional coverages, and premium.
Use it as the starting point for any comparison. Ask for each new quote to be prepared using the same drivers, vehicles, limits, and deductibles. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners recommends providing the same information to each insurance company or agent when requesting quotes.
A useful approach is to request two versions:
- A quote that matches your current policy as closely as possible.
- A second option incorporating any changes your agent recommends.
The first shows whether another company may offer a more competitive price for similar protection. The second helps you determine whether your current policy still fits your needs.
Simply copying an old policy is not always the right answer. Your vehicles, household drivers, assets, and financial responsibilities may have changed since the policy was first purchased.
Do not rely on the phrase “full coverage”
“Full coverage” is commonly used, but it is not a standardized insurance package. An auto policy is assembled from individual coverages, limits, deductibles, and endorsements. Two companies can both describe their proposals as “full coverage” while providing significantly different protection. The NAIC specifically advises consumers that there is no single policy officially defined as full coverage.
Instead, compare each of the following items.
1. Bodily injury and property damage liability
Liability coverage helps protect you when you are legally responsible for injuring another person or damaging someone else’s property.
Bodily injury limits are often displayed as two numbers, such as 100/300. In that example, the policy may provide up to $100,000 for one injured person and up to $300,000 for all bodily injuries resulting from one covered accident.
Property damage liability has its own limit. It helps pay for damage you cause to another vehicle, building, fence, or other property.
When reviewing proposals, ask:
- Are the bodily injury limits identical?
- Is the property damage limit the same?
- Is one proposal using split limits while another uses a combined single limit?
- Do the limits satisfy the requirements of any personal umbrella policy you have?
A quote can become substantially less expensive when liability limits are reduced. The premium may look attractive, but your potential out-of-pocket exposure may be much greater.
2. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
Uninsured motorist coverage can help when an at-fault driver has no insurance. Underinsured motorist coverage may apply when the other driver has insurance but not enough to cover the resulting loss.
The availability, structure, and legal requirements for these coverages vary by state. Look carefully at whether the quote includes bodily injury coverage, property damage coverage, or both, and whether the limits match your current policy.
Do not assume this coverage automatically matches your liability limits. Ask your agent to explain who is protected, which losses are covered, and how the coverage works in your state.
3. Medical payments or personal injury protection
Depending on the state and policy, you may see medical payments coverage, often called MedPay, or personal injury protection, commonly called PIP.
These coverages can help with certain accident-related medical expenses for you and your passengers. PIP may also address other expenses, depending on the state and policy.
When comparing quotes, review the coverage limit, any deductible, the people protected, and how the coverage coordinates with health insurance. A proposal that leaves this coverage out is not equivalent to one that includes it.
Liability, collision, comprehensive, medical payments, uninsured motorist, and personal injury protection are among the major coverages commonly included in personal auto insurance pricing. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
4. Collision and comprehensive deductibles
Collision coverage generally helps pay for covered damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision. Comprehensive coverage generally applies to covered losses such as theft, vandalism, fi re, hail, falling objects, broken glass, or contact with an animal.
Both normally have deductibles; this is the amount you agree to pay before insurance applies to a covered loss.
Check the collision and comprehensive deductibles separately. One quote may use a $500 deductible while another uses $1,000 or more. A higher deductible can reduce the premium, but it also increases what you would have to pay after a claim.
Also ask whether glass claims have a separate deductible or special option. The answer can make a meaningful difference when a windshield needs to be repaired or replaced.
5. How would a total loss be settled?
Most drivers focus on deductibles but may overlook what happens when a vehicle cannot be repaired economically.
Ask how the insurer determines the vehicle’s value after a total loss. Depending on the vehicle, carrier, and policy, additional options may include:
- New-car replacement
- Loan or lease gap coverage
- Replacement-cost coverage
- Coverage for custom equipment or modifications
Do not assume that owing money on a vehicle means the insurance settlement will automatically pay off the loan. Ask your agent whether gap protection is needed and whether it is already provided elsewhere.
6. Rental reimbursement, towing, and other options
Optional conveniences are easy to overlook until a claim occurs.
Rental reimbursement should be compared by both its daily limit and its maximum benefit. A policy offering $30 a day with a $900 maximum is different from one providing $50 a day up to $1,500. A quote without rental coverage may leave you paying the entire cost of temporary transportation.
Other items to review include:
- Towing and emergency roadside assistance
- Original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, parts options
- Special glass coverage
- Accident forgiveness
- Diminishing or disappearing deductibles
- Coverage for electronic or custom equipment
- Rideshare or delivery-driver coverage
- New-car replacement
Names such as “accident forgiveness” can sound similar across companies, but the eligibility requirements and benefits may be different. Ask how each feature works rather than comparing the name alone.
7. Make sure every driver and vehicle is represented accurately
A quote is only as reliable as the information used to prepare it.
Confirm that every proposal reflects the same:
- Named insureds and household drivers
- Vehicle identification numbers
- Garaging address
- Annual mileage
- Commuting distance
- Personal, business, rideshare, or delivery use
- Accidents, claims, and traffic violations
- Vehicle ownership and lienholder information
Leaving out a youthful driver, using an incorrect mileage estimate, or listing a vehicle as recreational when it is driven daily can produce a lower initial number. It can also lead to a revised premium or a serious coverage problem later.
Ask whether the price is still an estimate or whether the carrier has completed its normal driving-record, claims-history, and underwriting reviews.
8. Compare the total policy cost—not just the monthly payment
A small monthly payment does not necessarily mean a lower total cost.
One quote may be written for six months and another for 12 months. Payment plans may have different down payments or installment fees. A pay-in-full quote should not be compared directly with a monthly-payment quote without accounting for those differences.
The most useful comparison is the total cost for the same period, payment arrangement, and coverage.
9. Understand the discounts
Carriers may offer discounts for bundling home and auto insurance, insuring multiple vehicles, paying in full, enrolling in automatic payments, maintaining a good driving record, or having a student with qualifying grades.
Usage-based or telematics programs may offer additional savings based on driving data.
Ask whether every discount is guaranteed, conditional, or temporary. Find out whether a discount requires continued participation, completion of a program, or verification of eligibility. A proposal containing a new-customer or participation-based discount may change at renewal if the requirements are no longer met.
10. Look beyond the price
Insurance becomes most valuable when something goes wrong. The lowest premium may not provide the best overall experience if the company’s claims process, communication or coverage does not fi t your expectations.
Ask your agent about:
- How to report a claim
- Availability of telephone and digital claims service
- Repair-shop options
- Rental-car arrangements
- Billing and policy-service support
- The insurer’s financial strength
- The role your agency will play during a claim
These factors may not appear in the premium column, but they can become very important after an accident.
A quick apples-to-apples checklist
Before accepting a quote, confirm that:
- Liability and uninsured motorist limits match.
- Medical payments or PIP coverage is comparable.
- Collision and comprehensive deductibles are the same.
- Rental, roadside, and glass options have been included or intentionally removed. 6
- All drivers, vehicles, and vehicle uses are accurate.
- The policy terms and payment plans match.
- Discounts have been explained.
- The quote has gone through the necessary underwriting review.
- Any umbrella policy requirements are satisfied.
- You understand every material difference from your current policy.
How an independent agency can help
Different insurance companies evaluate households differently. A carrier that is highly competitive for one driver may not be the right fit for another household with different vehicles, drivers, claims, or coverage needs.
That is where an independent agency can provide an important advantage.
Wichert Insurance is an independent Trusted Choice agency and works with a wide range of insurance companies. Rather than being limited to a single carrier, Wichert can explore multiple options based on the customer’s circumstances and help explain differences in coverage, deductibles, discounts and pricing.
At Wichert, the objective is not simply to produce the lowest number on a page. It is to help customers understand what they are purchasing and find an appropriate combination of protection, service, and price.
Before changing companies, provide your Wichert agent with your current declarations page and ask for a side-by-side review. Your agent can identify what stayed the same, what changed, and which differences are responsible for the price.
Saving money on auto insurance is valuable. Saving money while preserving the protection you expect is even better.
Compare apples to apples—and ask questions before you switch.
Coverage availability, terminology, requirements, and policy provisions vary by state and insurance company. This article provides general information only. The terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions of the issued policy determine coverage.