Tightwads Tips for Saving on Harwood Car Insurance

Paying for high-priced car insurance can dwindle your checking account and put the squeeze on your family's finances. Comparison shopping is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to help make ends meet. You have so many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to shop coverage around quite often because rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best deal a year ago you can probably find a better price now. So ignore everything you know about car insurance because you're going to learn the proper way to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

Tips to Get Lower Harwood Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that play a part in calculating your car insurance rates. Knowing what impacts premium levels empowers consumers to make smart changes that can help you get lower car insurance prices.

Shown below are some of the factors used by your company to calculate your rates.

How's your driving record? - Drivers who don't get tickets have lower premiums than their less careful counterparts. Even one moving violation can bump up the cost by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who get dangerous violations such as DUI or reckless driving may be required to submit a SR-22 form with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.
With age comes lower rates - Young drivers in Maryland have a tendency to be less responsible when driving so they pay higher car insurance rates. If you've ever had to add a young driver onto a policy can break the bank. More mature drivers tend to be more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and get fewer tickets.
Liability coverage is cheap - Your policy's liability coverage is the protection in the event that you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides legal defense coverage starting from day one. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
Males pay more for insurance - Statistics have proven that women are safer drivers than men. Now that doesn't mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men are in accidents at about the same rate, but men tend to have more serious accidents. Men also receive more costly citations such as reckless driving.
Add-on coverages can add up - There are quite a few add-on coverages you can purchase on your policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and additional equipment coverage may be costing you every month. These may sound like a good investment when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies offering auto insurance do not list every available discount very clearly, so here is a list some of the more common as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using. If you're not getting every credit you deserve, you are paying more than you should be.

Good Student Discount - This discount can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
55 and Retired - If you're over the age of 55, you may receive a small decrease in premiums.
Multiple Cars - Buying coverage for all your vehicles with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Accident Waiver - Certain companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free prior to the accident.
Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles with factory air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of 20% or more.
Safety Course Discount - Completing a driver safety course could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like it's possible to get free car insurance, you won't be that lucky.

To choose providers with discount car insurance rates in Maryland, click here to view.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Consumers can't ignore all the ads for car insurance savings from the likes of State Farm and Allstate. All the ads make an identical promise about savings if you change your coverage to them.

How does each company make the same claim?

All companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a preferred risk could be over the age of 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has excellent credit. A customer who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and as a result will probably save when switching.

Potential insureds who are not a match for these standards will be charged more money and ends up with business going elsewhere. Company advertisements say "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that much money. This is how companies can truthfully make those claims. That is why you should get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Different people need different coverages

When buying proper insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn't really a best way to insure your cars. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance should reflect that For instance, these questions may help you determine whether you could use an agent's help.

Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Maryland?
Am I covered by my employer's commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
Am I covered if I wreck a rental car?
Does my policy cover me when driving someone else's vehicle?
Can I rate high risk drivers on liability-only vehicles?
Should I rate my vehicle as pleasure use or commute?
What happens if I owe more than my vehicle is worth?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?

If you're not sure about those questions but one or more may apply to you, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of car insurance companies in your area. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.

Even more information is available at the Maryland Insurance Administration website. Consumers can file complaints about a company, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find out which companies have the most complaints, and learn about insurance regulations.

And the best car insurance company is...

We just showed you many tips how you can save on car insurance. It's most important to understand that the more you quote, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even discover the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company. Some small companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as .

While you're price shopping online, never buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your goal should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.

Cheaper car insurance can be sourced from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Harwood, and you need to comparison shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies don't offer online price quotes and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.