Switching your car insurance company may be a good idea, especially if you've been with your carrier for a while and your premium has gone up.
A few years back, you may have initially gone with your carrier because the price they offered was good. But as time passed, your auto premium has creeped up to where it seems like you are paying more than you think you should. The increase in premium may be justifiable: maybe you had an at-fault accident or had a moving violation. Whatever the case may be, it doesn't hurt to see if you can get a better price elsewhere.
It doesn't matter if your renewal date is far off into the distance or your policy just renewed. You can switch your insurance at any time. And if you already paid for the term in full or made your monthly payment, the insurance company will return any unused premium to you.
Also, if you have an open claim, switching carriers won't have any impact on the open insurance claim that you have. Your current carrier must still pay out the claim as it would if you were still with them.
There are things to be wary of however.
A recent at-fault accident or moving violation can impact rates when shopping around. So if you've just recently renewed or are in the middle of your policy term, it may make sense to stay with your carrier until those incidents have an impact on your premium because your rates won't change mid-term.
Also, if you've bundled your auto and home, you may lose your auto/home discount if you switch only your auto. The largest discount that one can receive on their auto (and home) insurance is the auto/home bundle discount. This discount can be a couple hundred dollars for both policies. So you'll want to make sure that it makes sense to switch the auto.
This also applies in the reverse as well. What I mean is maybe when you signed up with auto insurance, you weren't a homeowner, but now you are. If your auto is with one carrier and your home is with another, it would be wise to check and see if it would be cheaper to have both auto and home with one carrier to get the auto/home discount.
There are many more reasons to consider switching or staying with your carrier. Before switching, I recommend speaking to an INDEPENDENT insurance broker to weigh out your options.
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