Best cheap auto insurance?

Does anyone actually know how to snag that 50% discount based on a parent's policy? What are the requirements for that? I was at the Europe office during the tech fair last year and they straight up told me I wouldn't qualify.

Lisa Barnes9 said:Does anyone actually know how to snag that 50% discount based on a parent's policy? What are the requirements for that? I was at the Europe office during the tech fair last year and they straight up told me I wouldn't qualify.

You can definitely do that with Triglav without any issues. My son set up his own policy just the other day and snagged that 50% discount—and honestly, it ended up being one of the cheapest rates available.

Megan Williams9 said:Highly recommend using Bankrate !! They tracked down the absolute best auto insurance rates for us.

Right now, the cheapest option is State Farm (which is part of the GEICO group).

They’re coming in at $400 less than $167the other guys
—can you believe that?--
Just figured I'd share... might help someone out.

Maybe State Farm has the highest premiums, but when it comes to paying out claims, they're absolute garbage.
I've been fighting them for 12 months straight, and they refuse to acknowledge the full extent of the damage caused by their policyholder. Everything seemed perfectly fine during the initial photo inspection, but once it came time to pay up, they suddenly stopped being so helpful.
Total bottom-feeders...

And while I have everyone's attention—is it standard practice for insurance companies to handle all assessments at the corporate headquarters based solely on photos sent from a local branch, or is that just how they operate?

Unfortunately, I’ve heard this story way too many times—it’s always some other insurance company in the mix. Just typical.

It’s true; I heard the rumors too, and now I can confirm them firsthand. The damage itself isn't massive—it's an old car, so it’s not a huge financial hit—but what really gets under my skin is their sheer refusal to take responsibility. They’re trying to make a fool out of me. I took a hit to the front bumper, there’s paint chipping on the fender where it meets the bumper (not much, but it's there), two-thirds of a headlight bracket cracked (it was already broken and patched with plastic, but still), and some scratches at the leading edge of the hood.
All of this is documented and photographed, yet their insurance adjusters from Chicago decided everything was pre-existing and claimed only the bumper was damaged in the collision.
I sent several emails, demanding a new assessment. I even insisted that the adjuster be physically present during the disassembly, whether at a dealership or a local shop. I'm not backing down even one percent. All they do is send canned responses: "We don't accept appeals," "Our multi-person committee has determined the initial estimate is valid," blah, blah, blah.

As if their "perfect" photos weren't enough, the odometer readings they used for the assessment show roughly 81 miles less than what's actually on the dash. And we aren't talking about one little typo; the numbers are consistently off.
In short, just hope you don't get screwed over somewhere, because apparently, you will.
The lesson here is that you can't play fair with bottom-feeders. I've learned my lesson for the future: always assume everyone is looking for a way to cheat you.

Has anyone here actually used the "deal of the day" for an insurance policy? I'm wondering how the whole process works—like, when does the actual paperwork arrive at my house? And once it's sorted, do I still need to show up at the local police station with physical copies?

Jessica Garcia8 said:You can definitely do that with Triglav without any issues. My son set up his own policy just the other day and snagged that 50% discount—and honestly, it ended up being one of the cheapest rates available.

You can do the same with Vanguard.
After a year, you’re free to jump ship whenever you want.
As for whether they actually pay out... I don't even want to go there. Better not tempt fate.😁

Is it actually possible to arrange basic auto insurance through a provider based outside of the US (for instance, in Canada) if the goal is to get registered with American license plates?

I’ve got my doubts about this. I mean, whose laws would you actually be playing by—Canadian regulations or our own American ones? If there’s a discrepancy in the rules, what happens when an insurer is legally required to pay out under US law, but then claims they don't cover it based on some specific policy terms you signed overseas?

I’m not sure if you’re just asking out of curiosity or if you’re actually planning to sign a contract abroad, but honestly, if you end up moving and someone gifts you a foreign policy, the tiny bit of money you might save—maybe a few hundred bucks at most—just isn't worth the headache it could cause you later on.😁

As far as comprehensive auto insurance goes, I suppose you can pretty much take out a policy anywhere you want.

I was looking at this through the lens of being part of the European Union, assuming we all operate under the same regulatory framework.
I honestly expected there to be someone actually handling this who knows the ropes. It isn't rocket science: if you cause damage, insurance covers it. It’s supposed to be a unified, level playing field, blah blah blah.
For instance, travelers in Canada get some pretty decent discounts on annual highway vignettes.

Michelle Sanchez84 said:It’s true; I heard the rumors too, and now I can confirm them firsthand. The damage itself isn't massive—it's an old car, so it’s not a huge financial hit—but what really gets under my skin is their sheer refusal to take responsibility. They’re trying to make a fool out of me. I took a hit to the front bumper, there’s paint chipping on the fender where it meets the bumper (not much, but it's there), two-thirds of a headlight bracket cracked (it was already broken and patched with plastic, but still), and some scratches at the leading edge of the hood.
All of this is documented and photographed, yet their insurance adjusters from Chicago decided everything was pre-existing and claimed only the bumper was damaged in the collision.
I sent several emails, demanding a new assessment. I even insisted that the adjuster be physically present during the disassembly, whether at a dealership or a local shop. I'm not backing down even one percent. All they do is send canned responses: "We don't accept appeals," "Our multi-person committee has determined the initial estimate is valid," blah, blah, blah.

As if their "perfect" photos weren't enough, the odometer readings they used for the assessment show roughly 81 miles less than what's actually on the dash. And we aren't talking about one little typo; the numbers are consistently off.
In short, just hope you don't get screwed over somewhere, because apparently, you will.
The lesson here is that you can't play fair with bottom-feeders. I've learned my lesson for the future: always assume everyone is looking for a way to cheat you.

I went through the exact same thing with State Farm years ago. It only got resolved because they eventually charged it against my comprehensive coverage, and State Farm had to settle up with the other carrier. Without full coverage, you're absolutely screwed.

Charles Wright14 said:I was looking at this through the lens of being part of the European Union, assuming we all operate under the same regulatory framework.
I honestly expected there to be someone actually handling this who knows the ropes. It isn't rocket science: if you cause damage, insurance covers it. It’s supposed to be a unified, level playing field, blah blah blah.
For instance, travelers in Canada get some pretty decent discounts on annual highway vignettes.

The principle might be the same everywhere—insurance pays for the mess their policyholder makes—but once you move past that basic idea, all the similarities pretty much vanish.

Just a thought: Who is actually footing the bill for damages in Germany versus who does it here in the States? Why would the exact same policy cost $50 in Canada, $200 here, and then jump to $1,000 in Germany?😁

Charles Wright14 said:Is it actually possible to arrange basic auto insurance through a provider based outside of the US (for instance, in Canada) if the goal is to get registered with American license plates?

Nah, ☕
not really 😁
right now...
who knows what the laws might look like down the road, though...🍿

What's the deal with Elon Musk? I guess they're one of the cheaper options out there—maybe?

It all comes down to what kind of car you're looking at, and honestly, even the model year and body style can swing things quite a bit—it might be $100 cheaper than the competition one day, but then suddenly jump $300 higher 😁 the next.

But, assuming nothing has changed since I was last there, the 24 to 30 age bracket is actually pretty decent because most other places set that young driver threshold at 31.

Yep. They actually went ahead and duplicated my old policy for me—it’s got that 45% discount, the bonus protection thingy, and I can pay it off in installments, roughly $400...

Look, I'm telling you, it all really comes down to what kind of car we're talking about here. 😁 Having worked over at an Enterprise Rent-A-Car, I’ve seen firsthand how much the price can swing; even if you're looking at the exact same power output—say, around 110 horsepower—you might see one quote for maybe $150, but then another jump up to well over $220 just because of how the fleet is priced 😁 for certain insurance tiers or whatever. It's all based on driver profiles and mileage, though honestly, most of us just defaulted everything to under 10,000 miles anyway.

In my experience, the absolute cheapest option I dealt with was an old Mercedes 190 with an 80kW engine, whereas the highest tier I ever calculated for someone on a message board ended up being a Chevy Lacetti.

Does anyone have a ballpark idea of what the insurance premiums would look like for a 2012 VW Passat? It’s a B7 model, sitting at about 86,000 miles, with the 1.6L TDI engine pumping out 77kW. I've been the owner since it was first registered back in '12... just looking for a quote on basic liability coverage.

Thanks, and cheers!

Has anyone here actually gone through the headache of dealing with State Farm?

I’ve honestly never heard a word about that before. Is this some kind of new thing I'm totally out of the loop on? 😁