Buying car insurance can be a confusing and even frustrating experience if you don't know what you are doing. So the more knowledge you can get about the subject, the better for you. And there are many ways to save on your car insurance bill if you know about them in advance. So here are some things that you need to know if you want to get cheap car insurance rates:

* Get a copy of your driving record before shopping for car insurance and make sure that it is accurate. It has been estimated that error rates can range as high as 20% on many driving records, so especially if you have received any traffic citations or tickets in the past, make sure that you check your driving record and know that it is accurate before getting insurance quotes.

* While you are at it, also check your credit report too. Many people do not know that car insurance companies usually check your credit report before issuing any policy as it gives them an idea of how reliable you are in paying your bills, including your car insurance. So if your credit score is low due to errors, which often happens, be sure to clear up the discrepancies in advance if you want to get the best car insurance quote possible.

* Avoid insurance scams and cheapie car insurance companies. Price is not the only consideration when making an auto insurance comparison. You also don't want to get ripped off by companies that may be here today and gone tomorrow. Before you accept any insurance quote, check up on the financial stability of the company at ambest.com and standardandpoors.com to see how stable that company is. They are usually rated by their financial stability and the more high marks that they receive the better for you as a consumer.

* Use the internet to get as many car insurance quotes as possible. In recent years, several internet car insurance companies have been established for those that want to buy car insurance online. The advantages of these auto insurance sites is that they let you shop quickly and get lots of quotes when you do. And since the communication is done online it saves the insurance companies money which they can then pass on as savings to you. But before you decide to accept any online quote, it's a good idea to call and speak with the company as well and verify the coverages that have been offered. And don't forget to check up on their financial stability as well. You may even want to make a phone call to the insurance commissioner on the state where the company resides to see how many customer complaints they receive about that company to help make your final decision.

Making a thorough auto insurance comparison is a good practice if you want to get cheap car insurance rates, so do your homework and most likely you will save lots of money when you do.