Allstate has purchased Esurance, an insurance company selling auto insurance directly to the public, mainly through its website. Allstate hopes to expand its business in the rapidly growing market of consumers purchasing insurance direct from the company, by phone or online, so it can better compete with other companies, like Progressive and Geico, already successful marketing this way. Allstate has also purchased Answer Financial, an online independent insurance agency, previously owned as well, by the former parent company of Esurance, White Mountains Insurance Group.

The last time I received an online auto insurance quote from Esurance, I was contacted a few days later by Answer Financial, and they quoted me the best rate they could offer among the independent insurance companies they represent. I knew Esurance and Answer Financial were marketing partners, but I did not know they were owned by the same parent company. If you have Esurance, and don’t like Allstate for some reason, don’t panic. I imagine Allstate will allow Esurance to operate as it does now, as a separate subsidiary, much like Liberty Mutual allows Safeco, which it owns, to operate separately from Liberty Mutual Insurance. However, if you see changes you do not like, or a rate increase at your renewal, use my website to research leading car insurance companies and get auto insurance quotes. The Allstate decision to acquire Esurance & Answer Financial, is an indication of the rapidly increasing numbers of auto insurance consumers, seeking price quotes and to purchase policies through the Internet. There are hundreds of sites offering free online auto insurance price quotes from multiple companies. But insurance shoppers need to be very careful, because choosing the wrong site can lead to wildly inaccurate price quotes, spam, and aggressive marketing for years to come. This blog post will tell you the smart way to get Internet auto insurance quotes in 2013.

If you have been reading my blog, you know I have been thinking about the best way to get car insurance quotes online, considering the changing market place and current marketing practices.

Here are my recommendations for getting online auto insurance quotes the smart(er) way:

1. Get quotes directly from the company’s website. Progressive and Esurance are a great place to start, because they will quote you other insurance companies, too — online and through marketing partners, like Esurance uses Answer Financial, as I mentioned above.

2. Avoid requesting quotes through websites other than the website for the insurance company you wish to be quoted.
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For example, go to statefarm.com or geico.com, not something like, “lowest-cost-car-insurance.com”

A lot of websites promise online quotes from multiple insurance companies, or mislead you with promises of “discounted” car insurance ( See my blog post about the myth of discount auto insurance.), only to fail to give you accurate prices online, sell your information to many agents calling you until they talk to you, sell your information to e-mail spammers, and call you every 3 months to try to get you to start the process all over again (see my previous post about aggressive telemarketing here). You can use a throwaway e-mail and a fake phone number, but the e-mailed quotes you receive will not be accurate or reliable, even as a ball park quote. Most websites use short quote request forms, because the more information they ask for, the less number of people complete the form. But without all the information needed to give you an accurate price, the quote you receive will be hundreds of dollars higher or lower than it will be when you buy it.

3. Getting quotes directly online, through an insurance company website, is more likely to be accurate, and your information is very unlikely to be sold. You may receive a call from an agent working for the company, to review your quote. You should take advantage of the agent’s expertise, and have the agent review the quote, to make sure they are giving you the best price they can offer. If you don’t like the price, thank the agent, and tell the agent you do not wish to be contacted again.

Of course, my website is an excellent resource to research insurance companies, insurance company ratings & complaints. Many people pay too much for their auto insurance because they never shop for better rates, or if they do shop, they don’t check the rates of enough companies. For a lot of people, the best auto insurance company is the one with the lowest rates.

Are you concerned about Allstate owning Esurance? Have you had a problem while getting online auto insurance quotes? Tell me about it. Comment on my facebook page. Or, email me at help@smartshopyourcarinsurance.com if you have questions and would like my help. Follow me on Twitter for important insurance consumer news and new blog entries at CarInsWatch.