There are a number of reasons why you should buy business car insurance online. A big one is time. As a business owner, you have your hands full with all of the aspects of running a business, either big or small, and the last thing you have a lot of time for is searching for business car insurance.
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Making sure your business vehicles are covered by insurance is an important thing to do. The Internet makes it easy to search for and get multiple quotes from insurance providers. It is fast and easy and there are multiple sources that you can tap into if you have questions about insurance terms or the type of policy you should get.
Buying Online Saves Time
One of the biggest reasons for buying business car insurance over the Internet is because it is a huge time saver. If you were to walk into a local insurance office to get a quote and you wanted to get a few quotes to compare, it could take anywhere from half a day to a full one. Calling individual companies can eat up a lot of time as well, especially if you have to deal with automated systems and waiting times.
When you use the Internet for your business car insurance needs, you can shave off a lot of time.
It is also great because you can do your search whenever it is convenient for you, rather than having to fit it into certain business hours.
There are a number of avenues you can take when looking for insurance online. You can visit individual insurance company websites or you can visit one place that offers the ability to get multiple quotes from different carriers.
Who Should Purchase Business Car Insurance
In general, if you use a vehicle for business purposes, you need to purchase commercial car insurance. This is usually true even if you have a small business for which you use the same car for business as for pleasure. Most insurance companies that sell business insurance insure businesses of all sizes.
A small business is often defined as one that has one employee to as many as 100. These businesses are usually sole proprietorships, partnerships, or privately owned corporations. The most typical vehicles that are insured include SUVs, pickup trucks, cars, and vans.
If you have a trucking or towing business, you will usually need different types of business insurance coverage than a small business does. Many insurance companies have separate truck and tow truck insurance products.
Examples of companies that purchase business car insurance are delivery companies, plumbers, contractors, landscapers, construction, manufacturers, and handyman companies. When you are researching different companies, check to see which types of businesses they do insure, as some will not insure certain types, especially if there is a lot more risk involved.
Types of Business Car Insurance
One of the things you need to know when looking for insurance online is what types of coverage you need. Business auto insurance covers similar things that personal car insurance does, plus more.
As with personal auto insurance, there are certain types of insurance that are required by each state.
Check with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to see what your state requires. The majority of states require you to carry liability insurance for both bodily injury and damage to property. This covers the other vehicle involved, but not yours.
To help pay for damages to your own vehicle, you can choose to buy collision and/or comprehensive coverage. Some type of medical coverage is recommended, whether it is medical payment coverage or personal injury protection. To help protect you from drivers who do not have enough insurance to cover your damages, you may want to consider uninsured motorist coverage.
Because businesses usually involve more than one driver, coverage differs from individual insurance. You want to make sure that the coverage you purchase extends to any employee who drives the business-owned vehicles.
Another thing to consider is that your employees may drive their own cars for business purposes. You may have a delivery business in which the employees use their own vehicles or they may use them for business errands and trips. To help protect them in these circumstances, you will need to purchase coverage for non-owned vehicles.
You should also consider adding an endorsement for individual named insured. This extends your commercial insurance to cover you if you are ever driving a vehicle that you don’t own.
If you own a fleet of vehicles and you make deliveries or trips across state lines, contact the Department of Transportation to determine what extra coverage you need, especially if you are carrying materials that are toxic or hazardous.
With business insurance, keep in mind that you will usually need to purchase higher limits than you would for personal insurance.
Using a Third-Party Quote Website
When you begin your search for a company that will insure your business vehicles, one of the best places to start is with a site like the one you are on now. These websites allow you to get more than one quote from just one company.
If you have a smaller business that only has one or a few vehicles and very few employees, and your business insurance needs are fairly straightforward, using a quote site is a smart business move. You can spend around thirty minutes filling out your information and then get quotes from the companies that are able to help you out.
Using a Website for a Particular Insurance Company
If your business car insurance needs are more complicated, you may want to go to the website of a specific insurance company. The reason for this is that you will be able to get more of your questions answered. This is recommended for businesses with multiple different vehicles, fleets, or for trucks that carry hazardous materials.
An insurance company’s website offers many resources. You can read more about the different products and services offered by the company to get a better idea of what you should purchase. Some websites also offer the ability to do a live online chat with an insurance representative. This is similar to going into a local office and speaking with an agent, except that you can stay at your desk. Also, this service is often available 24 hours a day.
Most insurance websites also have the option to get a free instant quote online. If you are checking out a few different providers, this will take a little extra time but it may be worth it.
To decide which insurance company to visit, you can go about it a few ways. If you like the company that handles your personal insurance, check to see if they offer business car insurance.
You can also check with other business people who you know to find out who they use. Often, a referral is the best way to go because you know that other people are happy with the service they are receiving.
You can also visit a website such as J.D. Power and Associates, which publishes ratings from consumers. If you go this route you may have to do a little extra research, as these ratings are for personal auto insurance providers. Not all of them offer business car insurance.
Weighing Your Options
Once you have a few business car insurance quotes, your job is not done. Your next step is to choose which company to go with and you don’t want price to be your only determinant. Check with your state insurance department and ask about the companies you are comparing.
The state department will be able to tell you if the company is licensed and registered to sell business insurance in your state. It will also inform you of any complaints that have been made against any of the companies and if the complaints have been resolved or not.
You will want to look into the financial stability of each of the companies. Visit A.M. Best and check the size of the company, its financial ratings, and its outlook for the future. This information is a good indicator as to how stable the company is and its ability to pay for claims, as this is one of the biggest reasons you purchase insurance.
Visiting your local Better Business Bureau is also a good idea. As a business yourself, you can appreciate the value that the BBB has. Even if the insurance companies you are considering are not accredited by the Bureau, it will have any complaints that have been made about the local offices in your area.
Purchasing car insurance for your business is a necessity, but it doesn’t have to be a pain.
Using the Internet to not only get free quotes but also do additional research will help make the process easier.
You can do it on your own time and it can be done in a fairly quick manner.
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