6 Must-Know Techniques When Buying Bowie Maryland Car Insurance

Tired of trying to scrape together enough money to pay your car insurance bill each month? Your situation is no different than many other Maryland drivers. Popular companies such as Progressive, State Farm and GEICO continually hit you with ad campaigns and it is difficult to see through the deception and find the best price available.

If you have insurance now or need new coverage, you can use this information to find better prices and possibly find even better coverage. Finding the best rates in Bowie is not rocket science. Maryland vehicle owners only need an understanding of the most effective way to shop for car insurance online.

Quick Bowie Car Insurance Quotes

Getting better car insurance pricing is surprisingly easy. Just take a few minutes comparing rates online from several insurance companies. This can be accomplished in a couple of different ways.

The fastest way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form like this one (opens in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating separate quotation requests to each individual car insurance company. Taking the time to complete one form will get you price quotes from multiple low-cost companies.
A more time consuming way to compare rate quotes is to manually visit the website for every company you want to comare to request a price quote. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you want rates from USAA, Farmers and Progressive. To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Bowie, click here.
The hardest method of comparing rate quotes is driving around to and from local Bowie insurance agencies. The internet has reduced the need for local agents unless you prefer the personal advice of a local Bowie agent. However, consumers can compare online quotes and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll cover that in a bit.

Whichever method you choose, be sure to compare apples-to-apples coverage limits and deductibles for every quote you compare. If you enter different deductibles it’s impossible to decipher which rate is best in Bowie.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Car insurance can cost a lot, but there are discounts available that many people don’t even know exist. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be asked about before you get the savings. If you’re not getting every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount with a few car insurance companies.
Low Mileage Discounts – Fewer annual miles could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
Safe Drivers – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.
Resident Student – Youth drivers who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching to them before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
Save with a New Car – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Good Students Pay Less – A discount for being a good student can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
Multiple Cars – Buying coverage for all your vehicles on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.

Keep in mind that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. A few only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think you could get a free car insurance policy, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will reduce your overall premium however.

To see a list of insurance companies with the best car insurance discounts in Bowie, click here.

Compare online but buy from a local Bowie agent

Some people prefer to sit down with an agent and that is OK! Insurance agents are trained to spot inefficiencies and give you peace of mind. The biggest benefit of comparing rates online is that you can obtain the lowest rates and still choose a local agent. And supporting local businesses is definitely important in Bowie.

For easy comparison, once you complete this quick form, the coverage information is emailed to insurance agents in Bowie who will return price quotes to get your business. You won’t need to leave your house due to the fact that quote results will go to the email address you provide. Now that’s easy! save money in Bowie MD

Choose an insurance agent wisely

If you’re trying to find a reputable insurance agent or broker, you must know there are a couple different types of agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Bowie agents are categorized either captive or independent. Either one can write coverage properly, but it’s worth learning how they differ because it can impact your agent selection.

Independent Agents

Independent insurance agents do not work for one specific company but instead can place your coverage with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, the business is moved internally and you don’t have to find a new agent.

When shopping rates, we recommend you include price quotes from at least one independent agent to get the best comparison.

Listed below are Bowie independent insurance agencies that are able to give comparison quotes.

Ernest Burley Jr Insurance Inc – 13621 Annapolis Rd – Bowie, MD 20720 – (301) 262-2600
V W Brown Insurance Svc Inc – 10380 Old Columbia Rd – Bowie, MD 20715 – (301) 621-4256

Captive Insurance Agents

Captive agencies are contracted to one company and some examples include State Farm, Allstate and AAA. These agents are unable to give you multiple price quotes so keep that in mind. Captive agencies are trained well on their company’s products which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums.

Listed below are captive insurance agencies in Bowie that can give you price quote information.

Allstate Insurance – 3000 Mitchellville Rd – Bowie, MD 20716 – (301) 390-8100
State Farm Insurance – 4339 Northview Dr – Bowie, MD 20716 – (301) 464-2108

To view a full list of car insurance agents in Bowie, visit this site.

Choosing an auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. These are valid questions to ask:

What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
How often do they review policy coverages?
If you have an accident, will your rates go up?

Once you have received acceptable answers to your questions and an acceptable price quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance agency that will properly insure your vehicles.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know some of the elements that come into play when calculating car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.

Discounts for married couples – Having a wife or husband helps lower the price on car insurance. Marriage is viewed as being more responsible and it’s proven that married drivers get in fewer accidents.
How credit affects car insurance rates – Your credit rating is a big factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Drivers who have excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with lower credit ratings. If your credit history can use some improvement, you could save money insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
Higher safety ratings means cheaper insurance – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safer cars result in less severe injuries and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
An active claims history can cost you – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Insurance companies in Maryland provide cheaper rates to policyholders who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Auto insurance is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
Liability coverage is peace of mind – Your policy’s liability coverage is the coverage that protects you when a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides legal defense starting from day one. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.

In conclusion

Lower-priced car insurance is possible on the web as well as from independent agents in Bowie, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some car insurance companies don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

We just showed you a lot of information how to reduce car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with a smaller regional carrier. Smaller companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm and Allstate.

More Maryland car insurance information

Additional information can be read on the website for the Maryland Insurance Administration. Click here for link. Maryland consumers can view agent and company licensing information, read industry bulletins, and read state legal mandates and laws.