Thinking of Buying Vehicle Insurance Online? Think Again

Writing for The Wall Street Journal (11/24-25/18), Nicole Friedman explains the pitfalls of online shopping for car insurance. The experience can be frustrating for many reasons, including, the proprietary formulas that insurance companies use. You need to visit multiple sites for the different companies (and set up your own spreadsheet for comparison). Some of the biggest insurers (including Stte Farm & Geico) don't share their rating system with price comparison sites. Now most sites are simply "lead generation" sites that identify potential customers for agents to contact.
Another reason: Your info may be sold. Most auto insurance comparison sites sell shoppers' info to agents and insurance companies.
So... what do you get in return for sharing your personal info? Two to three quotes, emails, and phone calls from agents.
"It's nothing more than a garbage arbitrage play, where someone buys your info once and sells it 10 times" according to Keith Melnick, CEO or insurance comparison sites Zebra (which no longer sells leads).
Insurance is regulated by the states with each state having different rules.
The actual cost will differ from the estimated price, sometimes significantly. 
Most shoppers need an expert's help to decide how much insurance to buy for their circumstances. 
"The quoted price matches up with the final price about 60% of the time."

Related: Take Control of your Auto Loan webinar from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIYKGRp1veM