Lower Your Car Insurance: I Saved $687/Year in 30 Minutes

I hadn't shopped for car insurance in 4 years. Figured my company was fine, the rates were reasonable, why bother? Then I finally checked and I was furious.

I was paying $184/month. After 30 minutes of shopping, I found the same coverage for $127/month. That's $684 per year I was wasting. For literally zero reason.

Here's my process: I used three comparison sites (The Zebra, Policygenius, and NerdWallet's tool). Entered my info once, got quotes from like 15 companies. Took maybe 15 minutes total.

Important: make sure you're comparing the SAME coverage. Same limits, same deductibles. Don't just chase the lowest number or you might be underinsured.

My quotes ranged from $97/month (too low, suspicious) to $223/month (GEICO, which shocked me because everyone says they're cheap). Most were in the $120-150 range.

I called my top 3 choices, asked about discounts I might qualify for. Turns out: Good student discount (I graduated 6 years ago but my degree counted for some insurers). Defensive driving course ($25 online course saved me $12/month). Paperless billing and auto-pay (another $5/month off). Bundling with renters insurance ($18/month total saved).

Ended up with Progressive at $127/month with better coverage than I had before. Literally better coverage and cheaper. Why was I being loyal to a company that raised my rates every year?

Things that DIDN'T save me money: Telling them about my good credit (they already knew). Asking for loyalty discount (they laughed). Threatening to leave my old company (they didn't care).

Pro tip: Shop every 6-12 months. Insurance companies raise rates hoping you won't notice. They count on laziness. Don't be lazy.

Another pro tip: Your credit score affects car insurance rates in most states. I fixed my credit and my insurance dropped another $13/month at renewal. Weird but true.

Total time invested: 30 minutes shopping, 15 minutes switching. Total annual savings: $687. That's $22.90 per minute. Best hourly rate I've ever made.