get the best car insurance for you

Understand types of coverage. Liability coverage protects if you are found at fault of an accident. Collision coverage pays damages to the book value of your car whoever was to blame. Medical or Personal Injury Protection pays medical bills for you and your passengers. Comprehensive covers damage to your car through theft, fire, vandals and collision with animals. Uninsured and underinsured driver coverage protects you from hit and run drivers as well as drivers with no or limited coverage.

Understand the terms insurance companies use. Deductibles are the amount of money you will pay on a claim before your insurance starts to pay out. No fault requires insurance companies only to pay for damages to their insured's car, regardless of who is at fault. If you have more than 51% of the blame for an accident, you are viewed as 'at fault'.

Determine which coverages are mandatory for your state. Your state insurance department can outline your requirements for you or you can visit a site such as insure.com.

Decide what extras you need, whether this be medical coverage, collision or comprehensive cover, rental cover or towing.

Work out how much your deductible will be. It's worth noting that the higher your deductible, the lower your premium. So if you can afford a higher outlay, then go for it. But remember, in the case of a claim, you will need to be able to pay this amount at short notice.

Grab a telephone book or your pc and start finding insurance companies. Insurance companies' rates differ for the same coverage, so shop around. Many companies offer online quotes for your vehicle. Remember, you can never have too many quotes.

Before you choose which carrier to go with, check out consumer reviews on the web to find out the pro's and con's.