9 Guaranteed Tricks to Lower Auto Insurance Costs in Havre De Grace

Finding affordable Havre De Grace auto insurance over the internet may be difficult for consumers not familiar with price shopping online. Because there are so many insurers available, how can Havre De Grace drivers have a chance to compare them all to find the cheapest rates?

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, buy you may qualify for discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you complete an application, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about in order for you to get them.

  • Early Signing – Some companies give discounts for buying a policy prior to your current policy expiration. This can save 10% or more.
  • Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates than drivers with accidents.
  • Save with a New Car – Adding a new car to your policy is cheaper because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
  • Multiple Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same insurance company you may save 10% to 20% off each policy.
  • Defensive Driver – Taking a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount if you qualify.
  • Driver’s Ed – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
  • Government Employees – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount with select insurance companies.
  • Paperless Signup – A handful of insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy digitally online.
  • Low Mileage Discounts – Keeping the miles down could qualify for a substantially lower rate.

Consumers should know that some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Just because you may think you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way. But any discount will cut your premiums.

To choose companies with discount auto insurance rates in Havre De Grace, follow this link.

Auto Insurance Comparison Rates in Havre De Grace, Maryland

The are a couple different ways to compare rate quotes and find the best price. The best way to compare insurance prices is to use the internet to compare rates. This can be done in several different ways.

  • The single most time-saving way to compare a lot of rates at once is an all-inclusive rate comparison like this one (opens in new window). This type of form prevents you from having to do a different quote to each individual auto insurance company. Completing one form will return quotes from many national carriers. Just one form and you’re done.
  • A less efficient way to analyze rates is spending the time to visit each company website to request a price quote. For sake of this example, let’s assume you want to compare USAA, Farmers and Travelers. You would have to take the time to go to each site to input your insurance information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to insurance companies in Havre De Grace, click here.
  • The hardest method to get comparison rates to different Havre De Grace agent offices. Buying insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you require the professional guidance that only a license agent can provide. It is possible to price shop online and get advice from an agent in your area and we’ll cover that in a bit.

Whichever way you use, make darn sure you compare the exact same coverage limits and deductibles for every company. If the quotes have differing limits it’s impossible to make a fair comparison in Havre De Grace. Having just a slight variation in coverages can mean a large discrepancy in price. Keep in mind that comparing a large number of companies provides better odds of finding a lower rate.

Situations that might require an agent

When buying adequate coverage for your vehicles, there is no best way to insure your cars. Every insured’s situation is different.

These are some specific questions may help you determine if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.

  • Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
  • How high should my medical payments coverage be?
  • Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
  • Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
  • Are rental cars covered under my policy?
  • If my vehicle is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
  • Why does it cost so much to insure a teen driver in Havre De Grace?
  • Do I need roadside assistance coverage?
  • Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?

If you’re not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.<img class="alignright" style="padding-top:15px" src="https://www.carinsurancediy.com/wp-content/uploads/ci175-50.jpg" alt="Havre De Grace MD insurance quotes” />

Auto insurance 101

Understanding the coverages of your policy can be of help when determining the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Policy terminology can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Liability car insurance – Liability coverage protects you from damage that occurs to people or other property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.

Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 25/50/25 that means you have $25,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $50,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit rather than limiting it on a per person basis.

Liability can pay for things like court costs, medical expenses and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. Maryland requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/15,000 but you should consider buying more coverage.

Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses like rehabilitation expenses, dental work, funeral costs and X-ray expenses. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you are not covered by health insurance. They cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover if you are hit as a while walking down the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible

Comprehensive insurance – This coverage will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as theft, fire damage, hitting a deer and hail damage. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – This provides protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your vehicle.

Since many Maryland drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (30/60/15 in Maryland), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Frequently these limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Havre De Grace MD insurance prices

Collision – Collision coverage covers damage to your vehicle resulting from a collision with an object or car. You first must pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage pays for claims like colliding with another moving vehicle, damaging your car on a curb, scraping a guard rail, hitting a parking meter and driving through your garage door. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Best coverage at the best price

We just showed you many ideas to shop for auto insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from a small mutual company.

When trying to cut insurance costs, make sure you don’t buy less coverage just to save a little money. Too many times, an insured cut comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal should be to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.

Insureds change insurance companies for any number of reasons including unfair underwriting practices, policy cancellation, extreme rates for teen drivers and even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch finding a new auto insurance company is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.