Tightwads Guide for Saving on Buckfield Auto Insurance

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us, there are lots of people in the same boat. Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive all promote huge savings with ad campaigns and it is challenging if not impossible to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what influences your rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

  • Liability insurance protects assets - Liability coverage provides coverage if a jury decides you are liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides legal defense starting from day one. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap when compared with rates for comp and collision, so do not skimp.
  • Do you know your deductibles? - The deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend before your auto insurance pays a claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims are colliding with a building, damage caused by hail, and rolling your vehicle. The more you have to pay, the less your auto insurance will be.
  • Pleasure use saves money - Driving more miles in a year the more you'll pay to insure your vehicle. Almost all companies price each vehicle's coverage based on their usage. Cars left parked in the garage receive lower rates compared to those used for work or business. Make sure your auto insurance coverage is rated on the proper vehicle usage, because improper ratings can cost you money.
  • Frequent auto insurance claims increase rates - Auto insurance companies in Maine generally give cheaper rates to drivers who do not file claims often. If you file claims often, you can pretty much guarantee either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the large, substantial claims.
  • Do you have a high stress job? - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations such as judges, social workers and dentists have the highest average rates because of high stress and lengthy work days. Other occupations like actors, historians and performers get better rates.
  • Do men or women drive better? - Statistics demonstrate women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men have accidents in similar numbers, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Young males are most likely to cause an accident and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.

Compare Quotes for Buckfield Auto Insurance

Reducing your insurance rates isn't really that difficult. Consumers just need to invest a few minutes comparing price quotes online with multiple companies. It is quite easy and can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

  1. The fastest way to compare a lot of rates at once is a comparison rater form click here to open form in new window. This type of form keeps you from doing separate quotes for every auto insurance company. Filling out one form gets rate comparisons instantly.
  2. A harder way to shop for auto insurance online is spending the time to visit each individual company website and complete a new quote form. For instance, we'll pretend you want to compare rates from , and . To get rate quotes you would need to go to every website and enter your policy data, which is why the first method is more popular.

    For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Buckfield, click here.

However you get your quotes, ensure you are comparing exactly the same information on every quote. If you use higher or lower deductibles it will be impossible to make a fair comparison in Buckfield.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Companies offering auto insurance don't necessarily list all available discounts in a way that's easy to find, so we researched some of the best known as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving. If you aren't receiving every discount possible, you are paying more than you should be.

  • Organization Discounts - Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization may earn a discount when buying auto insurance.
  • Multiple Vehicles - Buying insurance for multiple vehicles with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • New Vehicle Savings - Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less since new cars are generally safer.
  • Drivers Ed for Students - Cut your cost by having your teen driver enroll in driver's education if it's offered in school.
  • Claim Free - Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay much less when compared with accident-prone drivers.

It's important to note that some of the credits will not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you're out of luck.

To choose insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Buckfield, click here.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Maine drivers can't ignore all the ads that promise big savings from the likes of Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim that you can save after switching your coverage to them.

How can each company say the same thing?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as between 30 and 50, has no driving citations, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Consumers who don't qualify for the requirements must pay higher rates and this can result in business not being written. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way insurance companies can advertise the way they do. This illustrates why you need to get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict which auto insurance company will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Additional detailed information is located at the Maine Bureau of Insurance website. Maine drivers can find out which companies have the most complaints, report car insurance fraud, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and download brochures.

A tidy conclusion

Lower-priced auto insurance can be purchased on the web as well as from independent agents in Buckfield, so compare prices from both to get a complete price analysis. Some auto insurance companies don't offer online price quotes and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

When shopping online for auto insurance, it's not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, someone sacrificed collision coverage and learned later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your focus should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.