Top 6 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance in New Carrollton

Buying the lowest cost New Carrollton car insurance on the web may be somewhat difficult for beginners to shopping for insurance online. With so many companies competing online, how can anyone possibly compare them all to find the best available price?

If you have car insurance now, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using these methods. Shopping for more affordable car insurance in New Carrollton can be fairly easy. Nevertheless, Maryland car owners must comprehend the methods companies use to compete online and apply this information to your search.

Comprehensive Car Insurance Comparison in New Carrollton, Maryland

Effectively comparing car insurance prices can take hours if you aren’t aware of the fastest way to get free quotes. You could spend the better part of a day talking about coverages with insurance agencies in New Carrollton, or you can utilize the internet to get rates in a matter of minutes.

Many of the larger companies belong to a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and each participating company then returns a price quote for coverage. This saves time by eliminating quote requests for every car insurance company.

To find out how much you’re overpaying now click to open in new window.

The one downside to pricing coverage this way is buyers cannot specifically choose which insurance companies to receive prices from. If you prefer to choose individual companies to request quotes from, we have a listing of low cost car insurance companies in Maryland. View list of Maryland insurance companies.

Whichever method you choose, ensure you are comparing the exact same coverages and limits for each price quote. If each company quotes higher or lower deductibles it will be very difficult to make an equal comparison in New Carrollton. Slightly different coverage limits can make a big difference in price. It’s important to know that obtaining a wide range of quotes helps you find a lower rate.

Pay less by taking advantage of these six discounts

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there are discounts available to cut the cost considerably. Some discounts apply automatically when you get a quote, but less common discounts must be inquired about prior to getting the savings.

• Discount for Life Insurance – Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance.
• Braking Control Discount – Vehicles equipped with ABS or steering control prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.
• One Accident Forgiven – Certain companies allow you one accident before hitting you with a surcharge as long as you don’t have any claims for a set time period.
• Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a defensive driving course could save 5% or more if your company offers it.
• Federal Government Employee – Active or retired federal employment could cut as much as 10% off with select insurance companies.
• Use Seat Belts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt could save 15% off your medical payments premium.

It’s important to note that some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, you won’t be that lucky. But all discounts will reduce your overall premium however.

To choose insurers with the best car insurance discounts in New Carrollton, click here to view.

Your coverage should be tailored to you

When buying the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no cookie cutter policy. Everyone’s needs are different.

These are some specific questions might help in determining whether you could use an agent’s help.

• Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
• Do I need motorclub coverage?
• Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
• Do I have any recourse if my insurance company denies a claim?
• What should my uninsured motorist coverage limits be in Maryland?
• Should I buy only the required Maryland minimum liability coverage?

If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form.

Car insurance coverages 101

Knowing the specifics of your car insurance policy helps when choosing which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring.

Uninsured or underinsured coverage

Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your vehicle.

Because many people have only the minimum liability required by law (which is 30/60/15), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is a good idea. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.

Comprehensive protection

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like rock chips in glass, vandalism and fire damage. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.

Collision insurance

This pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. You first must pay a deductible then your collision coverage will kick in.

Collision insurance covers things such as crashing into a building, driving through your garage door, damaging your car on a curb and hitting a mailbox. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also choose a higher deductible to bring the cost down.

Liability auto insurance

This protects you from damage that occurs to a person or their property. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You commonly see liability limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability coverage pays for things like repair costs for stationary objects, medical services, emergency aid, court costs and structural damage. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but consider buying as large an amount as possible. Maryland state law requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/15,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.

Medical expense coverage

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for bills such as doctor visits, hospital visits, ambulance fees, funeral costs and EMT expenses. They are used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers all vehicle occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

One last thing about your coverage

When trying to cut insurance costs, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice collision coverage and discovered at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

In this article, we covered many tips how you can get a better price on car insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from a small mutual company.

People who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, being labeled a high risk driver, questionable increases in premium or even policy non-renewal. Regardless of your reason, finding a great new company can be pretty painless.

More information is located on the Maryland Insurance Administration website found here. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, download brochures, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.