$1,396. I read it twice, then got the spiral notebook out of the truck's door pocket and flipped back to April, where I had written $1,254 in the margin with a frowny face. Two renewals in a row, two increases, and in between we had chosen to add $54 for better liability limits. The rest of the climb was the company's idea.
From $1,068 last fall to $1,396 this fall is $328 more every six months, a little over 30 percent in a year. No claims. No tickets. Same two vehicles, both a year older and worth less. Our policy renewed October 1, we pay monthly, and the first payment at the new rate had already gone out. That was the push I needed.
We have used an independent agent in town for years. Our policy came through that office in the first place, but an independent agent works with several insurance companies, not just one, so they can shop the same coverage around. I had never actually asked for that. I had just renewed whatever showed up.
This time I asked our agent to quote our exact policy with every company they could, and to tell me straight if staying put was the best deal.
What I had ready
I learned in the spring that I make a better phone call with a list. After reading our declarations page line by line in September, I had most of this in one folder already.
- The current declarations page with every coverage, limit and deductible
- Both VINs and current odometer readings (Sienna about 195,000, Silverado about 139,000)
- Rough annual miles: about 12,500 on each vehicle, from the notebook
- Driver's license numbers and birth dates for Tina and me
- Garrett's permit date and the fact that he'll be eligible to drive solo in late January
- Our claims and ticket history, which is a short paragraph: none
The mileage turned out to matter. One company asked for it specifically, and being able to give a real number from the notebook instead of a guess felt good. Nine years of writing down every fill-up finally paid for itself in something besides arguments with Tina about the van's gas mileage.
I also asked for the quotes to match what we had, line for line: 100/300/100 liability, uninsured motorist, $500 deductibles on comprehensive and collision, and roadside on both vehicles. If two quotes don't have the same coverage, comparing their prices tells you nothing. The rental reimbursement I'd put a question mark next to in September stayed in for now. Apples to apples first, trimming later.
How close the numbers came
Our agent came back four days later with three quotes, plus the renewal we already had.
Against our renewal of $1,396, the first quote, from a mid-size insurer, came in at $1,092. The second was $1,163. The third was $1,228.
Every single quote beat what we were paying. The lowest was $304 less every six months. Even the highest was $168 less. The gap between the three new quotes was smaller than the gap between any of them and our renewal, which told me something about loyalty in this business. Staying put had been the expensive choice for a while, and I just hadn't checked.
I asked our agent why our current company was so far off. The honest answer was that rates move differently at different companies, and they all price risk in their own way. One might weigh a teenager in the house more heavily, another might weigh the age of the vehicles. There's no secret. You just don't find out unless you ask.
What I'm doing next
I'm not signing anything the same day. Before we switch, I want to compare the actual policy documents, not just the summary. Same limits and deductibles on paper is a start. I also want to know how the new company handles claims, what their roadside add-on covers, and how they'll treat Garrett when he's licensed in a few months. A lower price today doesn't mean much if they're the company that doubles it in February.
The other thing is timing. Our agent suggested starting a new policy on the first of a month and canceling the old one effective the same day, so there's no gap where we're not covered. We'd get back the unused part of what we've already paid.
So that's the plan for the next three weeks: read the fine print, ask a few more questions, and set the date. Deer season is starting, and US-36 at 6 a.m. is no place to be between insurance policies.
When I told Tina the lowest number, she said, "So we've been overpaying for how long?" I said I didn't know. She said, "Look in your notebook." She's not wrong. It's probably in there somewhere.