Finding affordable Brewer car insurance online can be somewhat difficult for people who are new to comparing rates online. With dozens of insurers to choose from, how can you effectively compare every company to locate the best price?
It’s smart to shop coverage around yearly because insurance rates are variable and change quite frequently. If you had the lowest rates last year other companies may now be cheaper. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the tricks you need to know to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
Pricing cheaper coverage in Brewer is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you are insured now or are looking for a new policy, you can use this information to get lower rates while maximizing coverage. Maine drivers only need to know the tricks to find the lowest price over the internet.
How to Compare Car Insurance in Brewer, ME
All major car insurance companies quote coverage price quotes online. Getting online rates doesn’t take much effort as you simply enter the coverages you want as requested by the quote form. Once entered, the system obtains reports for credit and driving violations and returns a price.
Online quotes makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the process of having to visit each company’s website and repetitively fill out multiple forms is not the best way to spend an afternoon. But it is imperative to do this in order to get the lowest possible prices on car insurance.
Rate comparisons made easy
The smarter way to lower your car insurance bill uses one form to get prices from a lot of companies. This type of form saves time, requires much less work on your part, and makes online price comparison a lot less work. Once the form is submitted, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any of the price quotes you receive.
If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. It only takes a few minutes and may save quite a bit of money.
To save time and find out how much you can save on car insurance, click here and enter your information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you copy coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. Doing this guarantees you will receive an apples-to-apples comparison for similar insurance coverage.
Is there deception in advertising?
Consumers in Maine can’t ignore all the ads that promise big savings by companies like Progressive, Allstate and Geico. They all say the same thing that you can save after switching to them.
How do they all claim to save you money?
All the different companies can use profiling for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured might be profiled as over the age of 50, has no prior claims, and chooses high deductibles. A customer who matches those parameters is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.
Potential customers who don’t measure up to this ideal profile will be charged more money which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The ads state “customers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that kind of money. This is how companies can make those claims.
That is why it is so important to quote coverage with many companies. It’s just too difficult to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.
Factors that affect insurance rates
It’s important that you understand some of the elements that play a part in calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that can help you get lower car insurance prices.
- Liability coverage protects you – Your policy’s liability coverage provides coverage when you are found to be at fault for damages from an accident. It provides legal defense coverage starting from day one. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
- The type of vehicle makes a difference – The type of car you are buying insurance for makes a substantial difference in your rates. The lowest base rates are for economy passenger vehicles, but there are many factors that impact the final cost.
- Rural vs Urban Areas – Living in a small town has it’s advantages when it comes to car insurance. Fewer drivers means reduced accidents. Urban drivers have to deal with congested traffic and longer commute times. More time on the road translates into higher accident risk.
- Your car insurance rates can be influenced by your job – Occupations such as judges, social workers and accountants are shown to have higher rates than average attributed to high stress and long work days. On the flip side, professions such as pilots, athletes and the unemployed pay the least.
- Too many car insurance claims drive up costs – If you file claims often, you can pretty much guarantee either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Companies in Maine generally give cheaper rates to insureds who do not file claims often. Auto insurance is intended for the large, substantial claims.
- How many coverages with the same company – The majority of companies will award you with lower prices to policyholders who carry more than one policy in the form of a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, you may still want to comparison shop to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.
- Little extras can really add up – There are many extra coverages that you can buy when buying car insurance. Coverages like vanishing deductibles, towing coverage and term life insurance are examples of these. They may seem good initially, but if they’re wasting money get rid of them and save.
- Younger drivers pay higher rates – Teen drivers in Maine are statistically proven to be careless and easily distracted when behind the wheel so car insurance rates are higher. Older insureds are more cautious drivers, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.
Take discounts and save
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but companies offer discounts to reduce the price significantly. Most are applied at the time of purchase, but some must be requested specifically before you get the savings. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you are throwing money away.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
- Defensive Driver – Successfully completing a course in driver safety can save you 5% or more if you qualify.
- One Accident Forgiven – Certain companies will allow you to have one accident before raising your premiums if you are claim-free for a set time period.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Keeping the miles down could qualify for a substantially lower rate.
- Good Student – Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when the math indicates you could get a free car insurance policy, you’re out of luck. But any discount will cut your premiums.
You may need specialized coverage
When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is not a “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s situation is unique.
These are some specific questions can aid in determining whether you would benefit from professional advice.
- Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
- Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Maine?
- Can I get a multi-policy discount for packaging my home and auto coverage?
- When should I remove comp and collision on my vehicle?
- When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
- I have good health insurance, so how much medical payments coverage do I need?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with a licensed agent. If you don’t have a local agent, simply complete this short form. It is quick, free and may give you better protection.
Quote online but still have a local agent
Some people just want to visit with an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. Insurance agents can point out coverage gaps and help in the event of a claim. One of the best bonuses of getting online price quotes is you can get the lowest rates but still work with a licensed agent. And supporting local businesses is definitely important in Brewer.
Upon completion of this short form, your insurance data is emailed to agents in your area who will battle to get your business. You don’t have to even leave your home as quotes are delivered to your email. How’s that for easy!
Types of insurance agents
If you’re trying to find a good insurance agency, there are a couple of types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Insurance agencies in Brewer are classified as either captive or independent (non-captive). Both types can insure your vehicles, but it’s worth learning the differences since it may influence the selection process.
Independent Agents
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with lots of companies and potentially find a lower price. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move the coverage in-house and that require little work on your part. When searching for an agent, it’s recommended you get quotes from at least one independent agent to have the most options to choose from.Most can insure with lesser-known insurance companies which can save you money.
Listed below are Brewer independent agencies that can give you price quote information.
- All Points Insurance Inc – 309 S Main St – Brewer, ME 04412 – (207) 989-8880
- Insurance Shoppers Inc – 419 Wilson St – Brewer, ME 04412 – (207) 989-1112
Captive Insurance Agents
These agents have only one company to place business with such as Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. These agents are not able to give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. They are well schooled on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Consumers sometimes choose to use a captive agent mostly because of loyalty to the company and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.
Shown below is a short list of captive agencies in Brewer that can give you comparison quotes.
- Allstate Insurance – 221 N Main St – Brewer, ME 04412 – (207) 989-1124
To view a full list of Brewer captive agents, go to this page.
Picking an insurance agency requires more thought than just a cheap price. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Maine?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- Do they carry Errors and Omissions coverage?
- How many years of experience in personal lines insurance coverages do they have?
- If you are a high risk driver, do they have special markets for your coverage?
Upon getting satisfactory answers to these questions and locked in a price quote, you have narrowed it down to an auto insurance agent that will adequately provide car insurance.
The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest
Cheap car insurance can be found from both online companies in addition to many Brewer insurance agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and many times these small insurance companies only sell through independent insurance agents.
Consumers leave their current company for a variety of reasons including extreme rates for teen drivers, lack of trust in their agent, an unsatisfactory settlement offer or even unfair underwriting practices. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding the right car insurance provider is not as hard as you think.
In this article, we covered some good ideas how to get a better price on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from an unexpected company.
Additional information can be found on the Maine Bureau of Insurance website located here. Consumers can find disaster information, download brochures, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.