To get online car insurance quotes ten years ago, you would have to call an agent who would send a quote to you via email. This process was an advance on having the agent send you a pile of papers through the mail, but it still required at least a telephone conversation and often a personal appointment with the agent.

In the past, it seemed ridiculous to assume that any agent would give up their secret weapon in the fight for new clients. Most of them would never even think about handing out a quote to a potential client if they didn't actually come to their office for a real meeting.

It's not like that anymore. These days, the agents of the past have given way to automated web sales which concentrate on price rather than the agent-customer relationship. Young urbanites find the shift to the Internet particularly handy, as it is their preferred form of media. Older, less tech-savvy customers will gradually have to look online too as more and more companies focus on web sales and agents have less to offer in comparison.

Recent trends have shown an increase in people getting their car insurance quotes online. Everyone's life is getting more hectic as new activities are filling their limited time and more purchases are made without ever meeting a salesperson. At the same time, potential clients are more aware of the various insurance terms and options and now expect better self-service for their dollar.

The result of all of this is that previously unknown car insurance providers have become household names almost overnight. Millions of customers seek out a free auto insurance quote and inexpensive insurance that the largest companies would not provide. The market leaders found that they had to play catch up because small companies had found a way to become major players.

Now that the huge market leaders have caught up, every insurance company in the US seems to offer online car insurance quotes. Only now, there seem to be more of them than ever before. This is, of course, not a bad thing. Competition is in the consumer's best interest.

The role of technology has changed in the search for discount car insurance, but because pronouncements of "big savings" and "free quotes" have become the norm, it is important to remember how long it used to take, just ten years ago, and spend a little bit of time comparing the offers.