How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Auto Insurance in Burtonsville

Are you sick and tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul each month for car insurance? You are no different than many other Maryland drivers.

Numerous battle to insure your vehicles, so it's not easy to compare every to find the lowest price

It's important to compare prices once or twice a year because prices are constantly changing. Just because you had the best price a few years ago you may be paying too much now. Forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because I'm going to let you in on the secrets to the proper way to get good coverage at a lower rate.

If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. Finding the best rates in Burtonsville is easy if you know what you're doing. But Maryland drivers do need to know the methods companies use to sell insurance online and apply this information to your search.

How to Compare Auto Insurance Costs in Burtonsville

Most major insurance companies such as GEICO, State Farm and Progressive give price estimates on the web. This process is quite simple as you just type in the amount of coverage you want as detailed in the form. Behind the scenes, the company's rating system will obtain credit information and your driving record and returns a price. Quoting online streamlines rate comparisons, but having to visit many different websites and enter the same data into a form is monotonous and tiresome. But it's very important to do this in order to get the best price on auto insurance.

A less time-consuming method to find cheaper rates uses one form that obtains quotes from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates form submissions, and makes rate comparisons a little more enjoyable. After sending the form, your coverage is rated and you can choose any of the returned quotes. If a lower price is quoted, it's easy to complete the application and purchase the new policy. This process takes 15 minutes at the most and you will know how your current rates stack up.

To find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you copy the coverage information just like they are on your policy. This way, you will have a fair comparison based on similar coverages.

How to Lower your Auto Insurance Rates

It's important that you understand the rating factors that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. Understanding what controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with big savings.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" used by your company to calculate rates.

Pleasure use saves money - The more miles you rack up on your car every year the more you will pay for auto insurance. Almost all companies apply a rate based on how the vehicle is used. Autos not used for work or commuting qualify for better rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Ask your agent if your auto insurance policy is showing how each vehicle is driven.
Safer cars are cheaper to insure - Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. These vehicles protect occupants better and lower injury rates translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
Careful drivers pay lower rates - Your driving citation history impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Just one moving violation can bump up the cost forty percent or more. Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums than bad drivers. Drivers who have serious citations like DUI or reckless driving may need to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to continue driving.
Don't sacrifice liability coverage - Liability insurance will protect you if ever a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. This coverage is very inexpensive compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
Discounts for married couples - Having a spouse can actually save you money on your auto insurance policy. It translates into being more mature than a single person and it's proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
Low deductibles can be expensive - Physical damage insurance, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims could be a windshield shattered by a rock, vandalism, and rolling your vehicle. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. The higher the amount you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Your occupation can affect rates - Did you know that where you work can have an impact on rates? Jobs such as lawyers, executives and accountants have higher rates than average because of stressful work requirements and lots of time spent at work. On the flip side, occupations such as farmers, athletes and homemakers get better rates.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies that sell car insurance don't necessarily list all their discounts in an easy-to-find place, so we took the time to find both well-publicized as well as the least known ways to save on auto insurance.

Discount for New Cars - Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% due to better safety requirements for new cars.
Lower Rates for Military - Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
Good Students Pay Less - Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply until age 25.
Club Memberships - Participating in certain professional organizations could trigger savings on auto insurance.
Multi-car Discount - Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Homeowners Pay Less - Owning a house in Burtonsville may earn you a small savings because owning a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Claim Free - Claim-free drivers can save substantially as compared to frequent claim filers.
Seat Belts Save more than Lives - Drivers who require all occupants to use their safety belts could save 15% off your medical payments premium.
One Accident Forgiven - A few companies will forgive one accident without raising rates as long as you don't have any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
Payment Discounts - If paying your policy premium upfront rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.

Drivers should understand that most discount credits are not given to the entire cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies wouldn't make money that way.

For a list of companies offering auto insurance discounts in Burtonsville, click this link.

More detailed Maryland auto insurance information can be found at the Maryland Insurance Administration website. Maryland consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, find disaster information, file complaints about a company, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

Final considerations

As you shop your coverage around, never reduce needed coverages to save money. In many instances, an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford.

You just read some good ideas how to lower your auto insurance rates. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premiums are with a small local company. Smaller companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as .