Shopping for car insurance can be a tricky thing. With so many different agencies, options, and prices, one is likely to just throw up their hands and go with the first option they see. But with a little help you can make an educated decision about buying car insurance.

There are four basic parts to a car insurance plan: liability, collision, comprehensive, and uninsured/underinsured coverage. Liability insurance covers a fixed dollar amount of damage caused to another's property. This is usually the biggest part of an auto insurance policy.

Collision insurance will pay for any damage caused to your vehicle in an accident, and is usually subject to a deductible.

Comprehensive insurance covers any damage to your vehicle that is not associated with an accident. For example, comprehensive insurance would pay for damage caused by theft, vandalism, weather, or impact with animals.

Uninsured/Underinsured coverage protects you if the at-fault party in a collision does not have adequate insurance coverage or no insurance at all. How to determine if a motorist is uninsured/underinsured and how much coverage you get is determined by each state.

There are also many other options and packages that you may consider when buying insurance. Talk with your insurance agent to discover what is the right plan for you. The minimum required levels of insurance vary from state to state, as does pricing. A good rule of thumb is to get at least 3 separate quotes before making a purchasing decision. This will help you to pick a good policy that you can keep for a long time.