1) Visit your state's department of auto insurance Web sites. Although you may not be familiar with it, your state, and every state, has a department of auto insurance. Most departments have webpages, and many publish "consumer complaint ratios" for all of the insurance firms that sell policies in their state. This ratio tells you how many complaints a automobile insurance corporation received per 1,000 claims filed.

If you've done your homework, you should already have a list of insurance organizations with the lowest premium costs. Now jot down the companies with the lowest (or best) complaint ratios. Then, compare your two lists — the firms that rank best on both lists merit your strongest consideration.

If you can't find complaint ratios for your state, Heller recommends examining the complaint ratios published by other states. Keep in mind that a single car insurance companies practices can vary significantly from state to state — a subpar ratio in one state doesn't necessarily mean the situation is the same in your state. But watch for general trends. If an insurer is getting a lot of complaints in several other states, you probably don't want to get involved with this company. The I-CAN Web site provides links and contact information for every state's department of car insurance.

Also note that insurance department webpages, often provide basic quotes comparison surveys. These can give you a rough idea of which insurers might interest you on a financial basis without the hassle of typing in all your personal information (as you must when you use one of the online rate sites).

Two) Find out which insurers body shops recommend. One of the best ways to identify reliable insurers, according to Howard, is to contact local body shops that you trust and ask for their recommendations. Body shop managers have a unique perspective to offer, since they regularly interact with insurance adjusters. They know which firms have the smoothest claim processes, which affects how quickly the work can be completed on a damaged car. And they know which organizations are pushing aftermarket parts, in lieu of genuine original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, to cut costs.

Three) Check the J.D. Power Ratings. J.D. Power and Associates collects data from individual plan holders nationwide and rates them according to coverage options, price, claims handling, satisfaction with firm representatives and the overall experience. A quick visit to the J.D. Power Consumer Center will give you a feel for how the major carriers stack up. J.D. Power also publishes an annual survey of major insurance — Amica and Erie have finished at the top for the last three years. These are also firms that Howard recommends: "Erie is sold by independent agents, who are very knowledgeable about the product. I like their claims handling approach. Almost all other firms look at a claim and find a way to not pay it. Erie and Amica will look at it and try to find a way to cover it."

4) Consider insurers' financial strength ratings. As a final check, you can take a look at the A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's ratings. Both companies publish financial strength ratings for all auto insurance organizations — these "measure" an 5) companies ability to pay out a claim (they have nothing to do with the way a corporation treats its customers).

For the general consumer, looking up these ratings is only a formality, since most of the well-known carriers are going to be a safe bet. Moreover, independent agents would be unlikely to recommend a organization with dubious financial standing. Still, if you're considering a smaller, unfamiliar car insurance carrier, you might consider this research time well spent. car insurance organizations often provide this information on their online sites, but if not, you can run a search at the A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's sites.

The A.M. Best rating is expressed as a letter grade from A++ (the highest) to D. Some organization may be assigned ratings of E (indicating regulatory action regarding the organizations solvency), F (in liquidation) and S (suspended). In any case, you should only work with organization that have at least a B+ rating.

The Standard & Poor's ratings range from AAA (the highest) to CC. Additionally, some firm receive ratings of R (under regulatory supervision) and NR, which means "not rated." The letter grades might be modified by a plus or minus mark. Consider only those companies that have at least a BBB rating.

Five) Still confused? Consider working with an broker. It used to be that everyone purchased insurance from an representative, but now, car insurance firms like Esurance, Geico and others allow you to purchase auto insurance directly — over the phone from a customer service representative or online. Still, many of the major players have preserved their national networks of local representatives — even if you use State Farm's or Allstate's online sites, you will still be assigned a local chance event.

There are two kinds of representatives:

a) the captive representative, who represents only one car insurance company (major carriers like AAA, Allstate and State Farm sell policies through captive agents).

b) the independent agent, also known as a broker, who represents several vehicle insurance organizations and therefore does not have a vested interest in selling you a policy from one particular firm.

The main advantage in having your own agent. is that this someone has a vested interest in keeping you happy. Accordingly, he can become familiar with your situation and guide you toward a suitable policy. Howard favors the use of representative and advised, "Don't rule out direct providers, but my personal preference is to have an broker, preferably an independent broker, write your policy for you.... An independent representative would become aware of less advantageous conditions with one firm [and help you move to another]. You can change carriers without changing your representative. I encourage consumers to develop a relationship with their agent."

The prospect of good working relations with an agent may help you to make a determination: When Heller purchased insurance for the first time, two insurers gave him similar quotes, but he went for the slightly higher one because the broker had been highly recommended by a friend.

But, he cautioned, "Never feel pressured by a broker or an representative. Take the time to talk with an broker or a agent as well as do your webpages research. You may not need an representative — you may find a better deal with a corporation that operates direct."

Independent brokers sometimes charge a fee for their plans, but you may be able to negotiate that. You should agree upon any fee in writing before making a purchase. Look for agents who are certified by Independent Insurance Agents of America (Big "I") or Professional Insurance Agents (PIA).