It depends upon your needs if you should obtain insurance from a state (local) insurance company or an insurance carrier that is nationwide. Whatever insurance provider you choose for your auto insurance needs you should make sure to purchase your car insurance coverages from a company that has a good rating, is reputable, and one that you can trust.

When you purchase car insurance locally in state you usually are either purchasing it through an independent agent or directly through a carrier. Independent agents have broker or agent relationships with the insurance companies and they provide their products. CarInsurance.com is an independent agency with many many independent insurance agents.

There is no major difference between getting car insurance locally or through a national carrier. In fact, you can purchase national car insurance from a local agent. Since there is not a main difference it really depends upon your needs and in some situations you may need a national carrier instead of a state auto insurance provider.

As you are likely aware not every company is licensed and authorized to operate in each state. While you may not need a national insurance company as your provider you should be sure you buy from a company that is licensed in your state. State insurance regulators typically require this and can help you if there is a problem as long as the insurance company is licensed in your state. To find out which companies are licensed in your state, contact the state insurance regulatory body.

There are some reasons one may need to buy from a national insurance company instead of an insurance company only available in your state. For instance if you are required by one state to file a SR-22 but you live in a different state than normally you would need to obtain insurance from an insurance carrier that is either national or at least licensed in both states. This way you can get your auto insurance in your home state but have the insurer file the SR22 certificate of financial responsibility in the state which is requiring you to carry this form. Some non-national carriers may be able to file out of state SR-22s, even if they aren't licensed in those states.

Also if you have different homes in different states or are in the military and are a resident of one state but are stationed in another it also may be easier for you if you have your car insurance policy with a national carrier. In the case where you have homes in different states with cars registered in both states you cannot normally have one policy for the cars but having both vehicles covered with the same national carrier it may make it easier for you as a consumer.

You should feel comfortable with your insurance purchase, whether you buy it from a local agent, directly from the company over the phone, or over the Internet with a national company. Make sure you find the company reliable and that the agent or company will be easy to reach if you have a question or need to file a claim.

When searching for insurance your state’s insurance regulator may publish a guide that shows what insurers charge for different policies in various parts of your state. You can look here normally for both state wide and nationwide insurance companies.

CarInsurance.com offers many national carriers and some local state carriers so that we can give consumers more choice when they purchase car insurance. If you would like to do comparison shopping for auto insurance with us, click here for an insurance quote.

For more information about finding the right coverage for you, go to the CarInsurance.com Learning Center.