Tightwads Guide to Saving on North Potomac Car Insurance

Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can take a big chunk out of your checking account, especially in this economy. Doing a price comparison is free and is an excellent way to slash your bill and have more diposable income.

Because you have many choices of insurance companies, it can be hard to pick the right provider.

Finding the best rates in North Potomac is easy if you know what you're doing. If you currently have car insurance, you should be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. But Maryland consumers do need to know the methods companies use to sell insurance online.

These discounts can lower your rates

Companies offering auto insurance don't always list all available discounts very well, so the following is a list of both the well known and the harder-to-find ways to save on car insurance.

Multi-car Discount - Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on the same car insurance policy qualifies for this discount.
Save with a New Car - Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
Early Signing - Select companies give a discount for buying a policy before your current expiration date. This can save 10% or more.
Good Student Discount - A discount for being a good student can save 20 to 25%. The good student discount can last until age 25.
Student in College - Any of your kids living away from home attending college and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Anti-theft System - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Driving fewer miles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
Own a Home - Owning a home in North Potomac may earn you a small savings because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
Accident Free - Drivers who don't have accidents pay less when compared with bad drivers.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of more than 20%.

Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think you could get a free car insurance policy, companies wouldn't make money that way.

To see a list of insurers offering car insurance discounts in Maryland, click this link.

Low Cost North Potomac Car Insurance

Most companies give pricing directly from their websites. Obtaining pricing is pretty easy as you just enter your coverage information as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, the system will obtain your driving record and credit report and gives you a price quote based on these factors. This makes comparing rates easy, but the process of having to visit several different sites and fill out multiple forms is monotonous and tiresome. But it's very important to perform this step in order to get better car insurance pricing.

The preferred way to locate the lowest prices makes use of a single form to get prices from many companies. The form is fast, requires less work, and makes rate comparisons much easier to do. Once the form is submitted, your coverage is rated and you can choose any or none of the price quotes you receive. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can click and sign and buy the policy. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes and you will know how your current rates stack up.

In order to find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and enter your information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend that you enter the limits and deductibles just like they are on your policy. This makes sure you will have rate comparison quotes based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Why some people pay less for insurance in North Potomac

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that go into determining the rates you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that could result in better car insurance rates.

Listed below are some of the items companies use to determine premiums.

Increase deductibles and save - Physical damage deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay in the event of a claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, insures against damage to your car. Examples of covered claims would be colliding with a building, collision with an animal, or theft. The more expense you're willing to pay, the bigger discount you will receive.
Mature drivers pay less - Youthful drivers in Maryland are statistically proven to get distracted easily when driving so car insurance rates are higher. Having to add a teenage driver to your policy can really hurt. More mature drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
What type of vehicle do you drive? - The performance of the car you are insuring makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. The cheapest insurance rates tend to be for lower performance four cylinder passenger models, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Bad driving skills means higher rates - Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Only having one ticket can increase rates by as much as thirty percent. Drivers with serious tickets such as DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions are required to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? - Most car insurance companies will award you with lower prices to insureds who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, it's in your best interest to compare rates to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Different people need different coverages

When choosing coverage for your personal vehicles, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Every insured's situation is different so this has to be addressed. For instance, these questions may help you determine whether you could use an agent's help.

Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
Should I file a claim if it's only slightly more than my deductible?
Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
Do I need to file an SR-22 for a DUI in Maryland?
What are Maryland no-fault laws?
Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?

If it's difficult to answer those questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to an agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Allstate, GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ads on television and other media. All the companies make the same claim that you'll save big if you switch to them. But how can every company claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a profitable customer might be over the age of 40, insures multiple vehicles, and has a high credit rating. Any driver who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.

Consumers who are not a match for this ideal profile must pay higher rates which leads to the customer not buying. The ads state "drivers who switch" not "everybody who quotes" save money. This is how companies can state the savings. This illustrates why drivers must get a wide range of price quotes. You cannot predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Do the work, save more money

Budget-conscious car insurance is available both online and with local North Potomac insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies do not offer the ability to get a quote online and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you restructure your insurance plan, don't be tempted to reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, drivers have reduced collision coverage and discovered at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your focus should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.

We just presented many ideas to compare car insurance prices online. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the lowest premiums are with a lesser-known regional company. These smaller insurers may only write in your state and offer lower rates than the large multi-state companies such as .

More detailed Maryland car insurance information can be read at the Maryland Insurance Administration website. Visitors are able to report car insurance fraud, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about specific coverages, and file complaints about a company.

Additional helpful sites include this link for Maryland car insurance quotes and this page for help finding agents in North Potomac, MD.