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

Are you sick and tired of paying out the nose each month for car insurance? You are in the same boat as many other Maine drivers. Big companies like GEICO and Progressive all promote huge savings with ad campaigns and it can be hard to sift through the bull and do the work needed to find the best deal.

It's important to compare prices once or twice a year since insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best price six months ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. Forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because you're about to find out how to use online quotes to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.

If you have a current auto insurance policy or are looking for a new policy, you will benefit by learning to find better prices while maximizing coverage. Finding the best rates in Eliot is quite easy. Maine drivers only need an understanding of the most efficient way to shop for auto insurance over the internet.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates enables informed choices that can help you get much lower annual insurance costs.

The following are a few of the "ingredients" auto insurance companies consider when setting your rates.

Poor credit can mean higher rates - Your credit history is a huge factor in your rate calculation. If your credit is not that good, you could save money insuring your by improving your credit score. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers with lower credit scores.
Save money with special equipment - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help bring down rates. Theft prevention features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder auto theft.
Low deductibles can be expensive - Insurance for physical damage to your car, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, protects your car from damage. Some instances where coverage would apply are running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend before your auto insurance pays a claim. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Don't let your coverage lapse - Letting your insurance expire will be a guaranteed way to pay more for auto insurance. And not only will your rates increase, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance may earn you a license revocation or jail time.
Occupation reflects on rates - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations like lawyers, social workers and dentists tend to have the highest average rates in part from job stress and long work days. Other occupations such as farmers, historians and performers receive lower rates.
Women pay lower rates - The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. Both sexes are in accidents in similar percentages, but men have costlier accidents. Men also get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Male drivers age 16 to 19 tend to get in the most accidents and are penalized with high auto insurance rates.
Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? - Many insurance companies give discounts to people who consolidate policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to 10 percent or more. If you currently are using one company, it's in your best interest to comparison shop to ensure the best deal. You may still find better rates by buying auto insurance from a different company.

How to Compare Auto Insurance Costs in Eliot

All major auto insurance companies quote coverage prices on their websites. Getting online quotes is quite simple as you simply enter the amount of coverage you want as detailed in the form. After the form is submitted, their system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and returns a price quote based on many factors. Online quotes helps simplify price comparisons, but the process of having to visit several different sites and fill out multiple forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to compare as many rates as possible if you are searching for better auto insurance pricing.

The preferred way to find cheaper rates requires only one form that analyzes rates from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes quoting online much more enjoyable. Once the form is submitted, it is quoted and you can select your choice of the resulting price quotes.

If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and purchase the new policy. It takes 15 minutes at the most and can result in significant savings.

To quickly find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and submit the form. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you input your coverages exactly as they are listed on your policy. This makes sure you will receive comparison quotes for the exact same coverage.

These discounts can lower your rates

Car insurance can cost a lot, but you can get discounts that you may not know about. Certain discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but a few need to be requested specifically before you will receive the discount. If you aren't receiving every discount available, you are paying more than you should be.

Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles with factory air bags can qualify for discounts of up to 25% or more.
Payment Method - By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you may reduce your total bill.
Homeowners Pay Less - Being a homeowner can save you money due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
Seat Belt Usage - Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts can save up to 15% on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
No Accidents - Claim-free drivers can save substantially compared to accident-prone drivers.
One Accident Forgiven - A handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a set time period.
Theft Prevention Discount - Vehicles with anti-theft systems help deter theft and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.

It's important to understand that some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, it doesn't quite work that way. Any qualifying discounts will reduce the cost of coverage.

To choose providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Eliot, click here.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Maine drivers can't ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by State Farm and Allstate. All the ads have a common claim of big savings after switching to their company.

How can each company say the same thing? This is how they do it.

Insurance companies can use profiling for the driver that makes them money. For example, a preferred risk might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has a high credit rating. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who are not a match for the requirements will be charged more money and this can result in business not being written. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much. That's why insurance companies can confidently state the savings.

That is why you need to compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict the company that will have the lowest rates.

Additional auto insurance information can be found on the website for the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Click here for link. Maine drivers can find out industry alerts, view a list of available companies, report car insurance fraud, and find a variety of consumer forms.

Best coverage at the best price

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of techniques to compare auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the lowest rates come from a smaller regional carrier. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas than the large multi-state companies such as .

Low-cost auto insurance can be sourced on the web and also from your neighborhood Eliot agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies may not provide online price quotes and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.