Find a great price on car insurance

Most companies won't refuse to add a teenager to the parents' policy," says Ron Sundermann, an independent agent in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "But to get out of the business, some companies will simply quadruple the rates for teens if they're the principal user of the car.

An agent who knows the market can help find a better deal.

If you live in a rural area, you're probably better off with a local company. "Mass-market companies are not comfortable with the 'unknowns' of a rural area," explains Rick Blank, an independent agent at NFP Property & Casualty Services in White Plains, N.Y. "It's hard to get a company like that to say yes to you. There are little mutual companies in an area that have good prices, and they understand the market, which isn't as attractive to a mass marketer."