Auto insurance buyers may be aware Allstate purchased an online auto insurance company called Esurance a few years ago. What people may not know, is the previous parent company for Esurance, White Mountains Insurance Group, also owned an online insurance agency, Answer Financial, authorized to represent multiple insurance companies as an agent or broker, which was also included in the sale of Esurance to Allstate insurance. Answerfinancial.com is one of the few places on the Web showing you the prices for different auto insurance companies online on their site, once you complete submitting your information for the quote, instead of selling your personal information to insurance companies and agents, to e-mail or call you with auto insurance quotes. How accurate are the auto insurance rates quoted by Answer Financial? Can you rely on Answer Financial to compare the best auto insurance companies for you? Should you buy auto insurance from Answer Financial? This review will tell you about how Answer Financial quotes auto insurance, and assesses the usefulness of Answerfinancial.com to the online auto insurance shopper.

When shopping for auto insurance online, I recommend starting with the Progressive website (unless you are now insured with Progressive), then the GEICO website (unless you are now insured with GEICO), and then the Esurance website (unless you are now insured with Esurance). Both the Progressive and Esurance websites provide auto insurance quotes from other companies in addition to their own, usually a selection from the largest auto insurance companies in your state, such as State Farm, Farmers, Allstate, American Family, or Nationwide Insurance. However, large national auto insurance companies selling through independent insurance agencies, such as Safeco, The Hartford, Metlife Auto & Home, Travelers, & Mercury Insurance, are often not included with the Esurance or Progressive auto insurance rate comparisons. An online auto insurance rate comparison offered through a website run by a large independent insurance agency, like autoinsurance.com or Answer Financial, may quote you important auto insurance companies you should not leave out.

Getting auto insurance quotes from Answer Financial

If you get an online auto insurance quote from the Esurance website, your information will likely be shared with Answer Financial, and Answer Financial will try to reach you by phone or e-mail, to quote you additional auto insurance companies. Esurance is not available in every US state. If you go to the Esurance site to request an auto insurance quote, but Esurance is not available in your state, the Esurance site will probably display an ad where you can click and request an auto insurance quote through Answer Financial (as well as an ad for the parent company, Allstate Insurance). Of course, you can go directly to answerfinancial.com and get auto insurance rate comparisons for multiple companies, too.

The process of getting online auto insurance quotes from Answerfinancial.com

The process of using the Answer Financial website, putting in your information, and getting auto insurance quotes is fairly easy, and I think better than other sites like Insurance Zebra & Ratekick, which may have sharper designs, but don’t get enough information to quote you accurately.

Answer Financial has an option to input the vehicle identification number for your cars or trucks, and orders consumer reports, like your credit bureau report, with a clear disclosure and request for permission. The system very clearly notified me it was unable to access my credit information, asked me to assess the quality of my credit (excellent, good, fair, etc.), and specified the quotes would be approximate, because of the inability to receive the report with my credit information. Since I was only testing their quoting system, I did not choose to provide my social security number, which may account for the problem with accessing my credit report. An auto insurance quoting system using vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and consumer reports like credit are more likely to quote you accurately than quoting systems not getting this information.

One possible problem is the default answer is “no” for many questions. This creates a problem if you miss the question, and the correct answer is “yes,” which may result in an inaccurate price quote, or a quote for a company where you may not be eligible, and you won’t find out about it until you try to buy the policy. For example, if you have been involved in an accident in the last three years, and you miss the question about accidents, the default answer is “no,” meaning you have not been involved in an accident. As long as you carefully read and answer each question, you should not have a problem.

Unlike some company’s auto insurance quoting software, Answer Financial asks you about coverage, which for obvious reasons, is very important. However, some coverage limits default, so before moving forward to buy a policy, click on the coverage link, and make sure you have the coverage you need and want. For example, in my state of Oregon, we have a required coverage called Personal Injury Protection (PIP). Most people have the coverage without a deductible, which is also my preference, but the default coverage with Answer Financial is PIP with a $250 deductible, and I would not have known about it, if I did not take the extra step to check the coverage. The deductible made the original quotes cost less than they would with the coverage I have.

The auto insurance companies Answer Financial quotes you online

This is the biggest drawback of the online auto insurance quotes I received from Answer Financial. Only four companies were compared, and many of the major national auto insurance companies sold through independent insurance agents were not included. I was quoted Progressive, but the Progressive auto insurance sold through independent insurance agencies is usually more expensive than the Progressive auto insurance you can buy direct from the company. I was also quoted Esurance. So, Auto insurance shoppers following my advice, and starting their shopping at the Progressive and Esurance websites, would already have quotes from these two companies, before using Answer Financial. I was quoted 21st Century, which sells through independent insurance agents, but does most of its sales direct from the company. Finally, I was quoted Safeco.
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Several years ago, I used Answer Financial to quote my auto insurance, and if I remember correctly, I was quoted Safeco, The Hartford, Unitrin, and Travelers, among other companies. I’m not happy with the limited selection Answer Financial quoted me, and I don’t think Answer Financial will help you find the best price or company, among the companies selling through independent insurance agents.

TrustedChoice.com may be a better option than Answer Financial

When shopping for auto insurance, some auto insurance companies sell direct to the public, through their own agents, or through independent agents. Some major companies, such as Allstate & Nationwide, sell direct, through their own agents, and through independent agents in some areas. But some companies are available through only one distribution method. For example, USAA & Amica sell only direct from the company, and you aren’t likely to see them included on any website quoting multiple companies. Likewise, some auto insurance companies sell only through independent insurance agents, including many great regional companies. A wise car insurance shopper checks the rates & coverage for all the major companies in their state, whether they sell direct, through their own agents, or independent insurance agents.

In my opinion, Answer Financial is not a good way for the online auto insurance shopper to check the rates of the major auto insurance companies selling auto insurance through independent insurance agencies in their state.

Another website, which has been under development for several years, is now providing online auto insurance quotes in 40 states. It’s called trustedchoice.com. Trusted Choice is the national brand created exclusively for members of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, to help consumers understand the value of an independent insurance agent. This initiative is supported by many Trusted Choice partner insurance companies. However, auto insurance quotes online are available for only Westfield Insurance, State Auto, The Main Street America Group, Safeco, Selective and Central Insurance Companies. Per this Insurance Journal article, Trusted Choice Consumer Portal Funding Now Tops $50M, Travelers & Motorists Insurance are new investors, and I hope may be added in the near future to the companies providing online auto insurance quotes through the site.

The best way to use trustedchoice.com now, is to use it to find local independent insurance agents in your area, to check the rates of the best companies selling through independent insurance agents in your state. Although online auto insurance quotes are convenient, some of the best auto insurance companies are regional companies, not likely to ever provide online quotes. For example, Oregon Mutual has a great reputation in my state of Oregon, but auto insurance quotes for this company are only available through independent insurance agents appointed to represent the company.

A lot of people want to know which company is the best, least expensive auto insurance company. You can’t depend on any websites comparing auto insurance rates online to find it for you. Which company providing the best customer service can vary by state. In New Jersey, JD Power regularly scores New Jersey Manufacturers the best, but it’s only available in NJ, and can only be purchased direct from the company, if your employer is eligible. NJ auto insurance shoppers will never find out about NJ Manufacturers through an online auto insurance quoting website. In California, Wawanesa Insurance (available in Oregon & California only) topped last year’s JD Power auto insurance customer satisfaction study for the state, but Wawanesa only sells direct, and isn’t likely to be compared with other companies on an online auto insurance comparison website. For Texas, the regional company, Texas Farm Bureau, scores the highest by JD Power, but auto insurance coverage needs to be quoted through a Texas Farm Bureau agent. Every state’s auto insurance market is unique, so you need to know about all the major companies in your state. There is a link on my home page to my auto & home insurance company reviews for each state. To see the best companies in each US region, see my analysis of the 2013 JD Power Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study.

As for the auto insurance company with the best price, any diligent auto insurance shopper will find some insurance companies charge a lot more than other companies for the same coverage. However, no single company has low rates for every type of driver or household. You have to shop with all the leading companies, to find the company with the best coverage and best price for you.

Read auto & homeowners insurance company reviews for over forty different companies, rating each company’s pricing, claims handling and customer service; check out my customer complaint analysis for the major insurance companies in each US State; see my term life insurance rate surveys and more, at smartshopyourcarinsurance.com.

Have you used Answerfinancial,com to get online auto insurance quotes? Have you purchased an insurance policy from Answer Financial? What’s your experience with Answer Financial? Comment or ask me questions on my facebook page. Follow me on Twitter for important insurance consumer news & new blog entries at CarInsWatch.