Top 7 Ways You Can Buy Car Insurance for Less in Hollis Center

No one looks forward to buying car insurance, especially when they are paying too much.

Drivers have multiple to buy insurance from, and although it's nice to be able to choose, it can be more challenging to compare rates.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

Effectively comparing car insurance prices can be exhausting if you don't understand the most efficient way to do it. You can spend your afternoon driving to local insurance agents in Hollis Center, or you could save time and use the internet to quickly compare rates.

Most of the larger companies enroll in a system that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and every company provides a quote based on that data. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions to each individual car insurance company.

To submit your quote information now, click here to open in new window.

The only drawback to using this type of form is that consumers can't choose which providers to get pricing from. So if you prefer to choose individual companies to request quotes from, we put together a list of car insurance companies in Maine. Click to view list.

However you get your quotes, be sure to compare identical quote information for every company. If you have mixed coverages it will be impossible to decipher which rate is best in Hollis Center. Slightly different coverages may cause a big price difference. Keep in mind that obtaining a wide range of quotes helps locate the best offered rates.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don't necessarily list all available discounts very clearly, so here is a list some of the more common as well as the least known discounts you could be receiving.

Driver Safety - Taking a driver safety course can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
Good Student - This discount can save 20 to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
Paperless Signup - Some insurance companies will give a small break for buying your policy over the internet.
Student in College - Youth drivers who live away from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle can receive lower rates.
Anti-theft System - Vehicles with anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
Multiple Vehicles - Buying insurance for multiple vehicles with the same company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Auto/Home Discount - If you insure your home and vehicles with one company you may earn 10% to 20% off each policy.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

To choose insurers who offer car insurance discounts in Maine, click here.

Is there truth in advertising?

21st Century, Allstate and State Farm continually stream television and radio advertisements. All the companies have a common claim about savings after switching to their company. How does each company make the same claim?

Different companies have a certain "appetite" for the driver that makes them money. An example of a profitable customer could be between 30 and 50, a clean driving record, and has excellent credit. Any new insured that hits that "sweet spot" will get very good rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential insureds who don't measure up to these standards must pay more money and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ads say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much. That is how companies can truthfully make those claims. This illustrates why you need to get quotes from several different companies. It's just too difficult to predict which company will have the lowest rates.

How do I know if I need professional advice?

When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there isn't really a "perfect" insurance plan. Everyone's needs are different and your policy should reflect that. For example, these questions may help highlight whether or not you might need professional guidance.

Should I have combined single limit or split liability limits?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Maine?
Does medical payments coverage apply to all occupants?
What are Maine no-fault laws?
Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?

If you can't answer these questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. If you don't have a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Even more information is available at the Maine Bureau of Insurance website. Consumers can discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about a company, get help finding coverage, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Final considerations

Cheap car insurance can be sourced from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Hollis Center agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies may not provide online price quotes and usually these smaller companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

You just learned a lot of techniques to compare car insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with a small local company. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments compared to the large companies like .

While you're price shopping online, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time they didn't purchase enough coverage. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.