Free Car Insurance Comparison Checklist (Fillable PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the car insurance comparison checklist

Bodily injury and property damage liability

What the policy pays others if you cause a crash. Written as per-person / per-accident limits (100/300 means $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident). State minimums are usually far too low to protect your savings.

Collision and comprehensive deductibles

What you pay before the insurer pays for your own car: collision for crashes, comprehensive for theft, weather, animals and glass. A higher deductible lowers the premium; make sure you could pay it tomorrow.

Uninsured / underinsured motorist

Covers you when the other driver has no insurance or too little. About one in seven US drivers is uninsured; this line is often the first thing a cheap quote cuts.

Medical payments / PIP

Your own medical costs after a crash regardless of fault. PIP is required in no-fault states (New York, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and others).

Rental, roadside, glass, gap

The extras that differ most between quotes. Rental reimbursement has a daily limit and a day cap; glass may carry a separate zero deductible; gap matters only if you owe more than the car is worth.

Discounts applied

List them so you can see whether a quote is cheap because of the rate or because of a discount you may lose (telematics, paid-in-full, bundle).

Premium: 6 and 12 months

Compare on the same term. Some insurers quote six months; write both so the comparison is honest.

Why quotes have to be compared line by line

Two quotes $400 apart are not comparable till you know whether the cheaper one dropped the uninsured motorist limit from 100/300 to the state minimum, raised the collision deductible from $500 to $1,000, and removed rental reimbursement. Each of those is invisible in a headline price and each is exactly what you would want in the week after a crash. Insurance comparison sites standardise some of this but not all, and agents will quote whatever is cheapest unless you tell them the coverage you want first.

That's why the worksheet starts with your current policy in column one. Fill it from your declarations page, then ask each insurer to quote the same limits and deductibles. Only when the rows match is the premium row the deciding one. The Insurance Information Institute and most state insurance departments publish the same advice: compare identical coverage, check the insurer's financial rating and complaint ratio, and do it at every renewal.

Which sheet to use

• Compare three quotes: when shopping. Current policy plus three quotes, sixteen lines, insurer details and a decision box.
• Coverage checklist: before you ask for quotes, to settle the limits, deductibles, drivers, use and discounts, so every quote is for the same thing.
• Renewal review: every year when the notice arrives. What changed, whether the coverage still fits, and whether to shop.

How to compare quotes

1. Get your current declarations page and copy each line into the first column.
2. Work through the coverage checklist and decide what you want, which may be more than you have now (liability) or less (collision on an old car).
3. Ask three insurers for quotes at those exact limits and deductibles. Use at least one direct insurer, one independent agent and one captive agent.
4. Copy each quote into its column. Note the discounts and the payment plan fees.
5. Check each insurer's AM Best rating and complaint ratio on your state insurance department site.
6. Decide, bind the new policy, and only then cancel the old one in writing with the effective date matching.

Mistakes that cost money or coverage

• Comparing a six-month premium with a twelve-month one.
• Letting the quote set the coverage. The cheap quote is cheap because it cut something.
• Keeping collision and comprehensive on a car worth less than ten times the annual cost of that coverage plus the deductible.
• Carrying state-minimum liability with a house and savings to protect.
• Canceling the old policy before the new one is in force, which creates a gap that raises future rates.
• Not telling the insurer about a teen driver, a move or a new commute, which can void a claim.

Reading the limits

Liability limits are written as three numbers: 100/300/100 means $100,000 bodily injury per person, $300,000 per accident, $100,000 property damage. State minimums run from 15/30/5 (California) to 50/100/25 (Maine, Alaska); most advisers suggest at least 100/300/100 for anyone with assets, and 250/500 if you carry an umbrella policy. Deductibles are per claim. Uninsured motorist limits usually mirror your liability limits. For a second opinion on a specific policy, your state insurance department has a consumer line, and the worksheet is what to have in front of you when you call.

Editing the Word and Excel versions

The Excel comparison keeps the sixteen rows in place and lets you add a fourth quote column; the premium rows can be turned into numbers for a difference formula. In Word, the rows are a plain table and the checklist is tick boxes. Keep last year's renewal review with this year's so the premium history is on paper.

Questions

How much liability coverage should I carry?

More than the state minimum. 100/300/100 is a common recommendation for drivers with a home or savings; 250/500 if you've an umbrella policy. Liability is cheap relative to what it protects.

When should I drop collision and comprehensive?

A common rule: when the annual cost of that coverage plus the deductible is more than about 10% of the car's value. For a $5,000 car with a $500 deductible, paying more than $500 a year for collision rarely makes sense. Lenders require full coverage while there is a loan.

How often should I shop my car insurance?

Every renewal, or at least every two years, and whenever something big changes: a new car, a new driver, a move, a paid-off loan. Loyalty rarely gets the best rate.

What is a good deductible?

The largest amount you could pay tomorrow without borrowing. Raising collision from $500 to $1,000 typically saves 10-20% on that coverage.

Does the Excel version calculate anything?

The worksheet is mostly text (limits and deductibles). The premium rows are left as entered; type them as numbers and add a difference formula if you want it to.