Follow These Ultimate Tips for Saving Money on Baltimore, MD Auto Insurance

Feel like you’re a prisoner to an overpriced auto insurance policy? Believe me when I say there are many people just like you. Multiple insurance companies compete for your business, and because of this it can be hard to compare insurance companies to discover the definitive cheapest price

Free Quotes for Auto Insurance in Baltimore, Maryland

All major auto insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate and GEICO provide coverage price quotes directly from their websites. Getting online quotes doesn’t take much effort as you just type in into a form. After you submit the form their system pulls reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price based on many factors. Online quotes streamlines rate comparisons, but the time required to go to different websites and enter the same data into a form can be a bit repetitive. But it’s very important to do this if you are searching for the best price possible.

A less time-consuming method to lower your rates requires only one form that gets price quotes from several different companies. It saves time, eliminates repetitive work, and makes quoting online much easier. Immediately after submitting the form, it gets priced and you can select any one of the resulting price quotes.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, it’s easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. This process just takes a couple of minutes and may result in a nice savings.

To find out what other companies charge, click here and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you complete the form with as close as possible to your current policy. Using the same limits helps guarantee you will have a price comparison based on similar coverages.

Companies offer discounts so take them!

Car insurance is not cheap, but you may find discounts to help offset the cost. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you quote, but a few must be specially asked for in order for you to get them. If you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

• Life Insurance – Select insurance companies reward you with better rates if you take out life insurance.
• Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who avoid accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than their less cautious counterparts.
• Discount for Good Grades – Performing well in school can save 20 to 25%. The good student discount can last up until you turn 25.
• Federal Government Employee – Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount with a few auto insurance companies.
• Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts of more than 20%.
• Discount for Swiching Early – Some companies give discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck. Any amount of discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.

Factors that affect insurance rates

It’s important that you understand the rating factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with better auto insurance rates.

Shown below are a few of the “ingredients” used by your company to calculate rates.

• Don’t get talked into coverage you don’t need – There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying if you aren’t careful. Things like rental car reimbursement, accidental death and motor club memberships are some examples. They may seem like a good idea when talking to your agent, but if you don’t need them remove them from your policy.
• Do you have a high stress job? – Occupations such as lawyers, architects and dentists have the highest average rates in part from high stress and lots of time spent at work. Other occupations such as scientists, historians and retirees get better rates.
• How credit affects auto insurance rates – Your credit score is a important factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. If your credit history is lower than you’d like, you could potentially save money when insuring your by repairing your credit. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than those with poor credit.
• Men pay higher rates – The statistics show that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men cause accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers are most likely to cause an accident and therefore have the most expensive auto insurance rates.
• Lower rates with optional equipment – Purchasing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can save you a little every year. Theft prevention features like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all aid in stopping auto theft.
• Liability coverage is peace of mind – Liability insurance will protect you when a jury decides you are liable for damages from an accident. It will provide you with a defense in court which can be incredibly expensive. Liability insurance is quite affordable compared to physical damage coverage, so buy as much as you can afford.

Compare but don’t skimp

As you restructure your insurance plan, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. In many cases, an accident victim reduced liability coverage limits only to regret that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your goal should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best price.

You just learned quite a bit of information on how to shop for auto insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company. Regional companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates compared to the large companies like GEICO and State Farm.

More information can be found on the website for the Maryland Insurance Administration. Click here for link. Maryland consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find out industry alerts, read industry bulletins, and view agent and company licensing information.