Everyone in the United States needs car insurance: there's no getting around it. If you want to drive, you must have insurance. Driving without insurance is illegal and can have potentially stiff consequences, up to and including jail time. But the first thing you will notice if you are shopping for car insurance is that there are a lot of different types out there. Watch an hour of TV and you'll probably see 3 or 4 commercials for different car insurance companies, and each one will say that they are the cheapest. However, there is more to consider than just price when it comes to car insurance, including:

Company history - Is the company established and has been around for a while? Do you now anyone personally who has this kind of insurance? How do they feel about it? Have they had good experiences with customer service? How much did their rates go up after an accident? With a good, established company, the answers to these questions should make you feel comfortable. Contrast that with some new, fly-by-night insurance company that has only been around for a month and will probably go out of business in another month, whom you probably don't want to let handle your business.

Company reputation - What happens if you're in an accident? Will you be dropped? Will your rates go from $50 a month to $500 a month? These are the kind of things you want to find out before you sign on the dotted line.

Price - Yes, price is important, but remember that it's not the only thing. It's often better to pay a few dollars more per month with a reputable company than it is to go with the cheapest company who might save you a lot of money but will drop you or won't pay your claims if you get into an accident. Just don't over-emphasize price. A lot of people make this mistake, and then, when they're in an accident, they realize they don't have the coverage they thought they had.

Shop around. The car insurance companies will still be there tomorrow. Well, the good ones will, at least.