Compare South Portland Maine Car Insurance for Less Money With These Proven Methods

Are you sick and tired of scraping the payment together each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as millions of other consumers. There are many auto insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to have multiple companies, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates and cut insurance costs.

Buying car insurance in South Portland is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you have a current car insurance policy or need a new policy, you can follow these tips to shop for the lowest rates while maintaining coverages. Maine drivers just need to know the proper way to get comparison rates online.

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Car insurance companies don’t list all their discounts very clearly, so we took the time to find some of the best known and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving. If you’re not getting every credit available, you’re paying more than you need to.

• Government Employees – Employees or retirees of the government can save as much as 8% depending on your company.
• Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can get savings of more than 20%.
• E-sign – Some insurance companies give back up to $50 just for signing your application online.
• Multi-policy Discount – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one insurance company you may save 10% to 20% off each policy.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child enroll in driver’s education in high school.
• Multiple Cars – Insuring all your vehicles on one policy qualifies for this discount.
• Auto/Life Discount – Companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy life insurance.
• Defensive Driver – Completing a course in driver safety could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• No Claims – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less when compared to frequent claim filers.
• Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can avoid accidents and earn discounts up to 10%.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.

For a list of providers who offer car insurance discounts in South Portland, follow this link.

What if I want to buy from a local South Portland agent?

Some people prefer to buy from a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Educated insurance agents can help determine the best coverages and give you peace of mind. The best thing about price shopping on the web is you may find the lowest rates but still work with a licensed agent.

After completing this form (opens in new window), the quote information is sent to local insurance agents who will compete to get your business. You won’t need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. How cool is that?!

Deciding on an insurer should depend on more than just a low price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:

• Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
• Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
• Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
• Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Maine?
• Does the agency have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
• Will you be dealing directly with the agent or with a Custom Service Representative (CSR)?
• What insurance companies do they work with?
• Who are their largest clients?

Listed below are South Portland insurers that may be able to provide price quote information.

Bay Agency – 520 Ocean St, South Portland, ME 04106 – (207) 772-5220
J F Hayes Insurance & Fncl Svc – 9 Karynel Dr, South Portland, ME 04106 – (207) 799-9533
Liberty Mutual Insurance – 324 Cummings Rd # 202, South Portland, ME 04106 – (207) 871-9000
Norton Insurance – 75 John Roberts Rd # 4, South Portland, ME 04106 – (207) 772-1933
State Farm Insurance – 146 Ocean St, South Portland, ME 04106 – (207) 767-3223
Allstate Insurance – 26 Atlantic Pl, South Portland, ME 04106 – (207) 772-1997

Upon getting answers to your satisfaction to any questions you have as well as a affordable price, you’ve probably found an insurance company that will provide car insurance coverage.

Is there truth in advertising?

Maine drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies make the same claim of big savings if you move your policy.

How does each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

All companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a profitable customer might be between the ages of 40 and 55, owns a home, and has a short commute. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” will get the preferred rates and most likely will save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who don’t meet the requirements must pay higher prices and this can result in business not being written. The ads say “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much money. That’s why companies can truthfully advertise the savings. This illustrates why you absolutely need to get as many quotes as possible. It’s impossible to know which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Even more information can be read at the Maine Bureau of Insurance website. Consumers can read consumer alerts, learn about specific coverages, get help finding coverage, and file complaints about a company.

Online plus local equals savings

When shopping online for car insurance, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced full coverage to discover at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

We just covered some good ideas how to reduce car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers could even find that the best price on car insurance is with a small mutual company. These smaller insurers may only write in your state and offer lower rates as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Nationwide.