How to Know You're Spending Too Much for Auto Insurance in Portland

Having to pay for overpriced auto insurance can dwindle your personal savings and put the squeeze on your family's finances. Comparison shopping is a smart way to reduce premiums and put more money in your pocket.

There are many to buy insurance from, and even though it's nice to have a choice, it makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to check auto insurance prices on a regular basis because insurance rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best deal on your last policy there may be better deals available now. So just ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you're about to learn the proper way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.

Finding the best rates in Portland is not that difficult. If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to save some money using this strategy. Although Maine drivers do need to know the methods companies use to sell online and take advantage of how the system works.

Maine auto insurance

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies don't always list every available discount very clearly, so here is a list both well-publicized and the more hidden auto insurance savings.

  • Good Student Discount - Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
  • E-sign - Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy over the internet.
  • Multiple Cars - Buying coverage for all your vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
  • Save over 55 - Older drivers may receive reduced rates.
  • Safety Course Discount - Completing a course in driver safety could cut 5% off your bill depending on where you live.
  • Club Memberships - Participating in a qualifying organization could qualify you for a break on your policy.
  • Anti-theft Discount - Anti-theft and alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.

A little note about advertised discounts, most of the big mark downs will not be given to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So when it seems like it's possible to get free car insurance, you won't be that lucky.

For a list of providers with discount auto insurance rates in Maine, follow this link.

Which Auto Insurance is Cheapest in Portland, Maine?

Most major insurance companies like State Farm and Allstate provide prices for coverage online. Getting online rates is fairly straightforward as you simply enter the coverages you want as detailed in the form. Once entered, the company's rating system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and provides a quote based on these and other factors. Being able to quote online makes comparing rates easy, but the work required to visit each company's website and repetitively enter the same data into a form is monotonous and tiresome. But it's very important to have as many quotes as possible if you want to find the best price on auto insurance.

A more efficient way to find lower prices uses one simple form that analyzes rates from a bunch of companies at once. The form is fast, requires much less work on your part, and makes rate comparisons much easier. After sending your information, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the quotes that you receive. If the quotes result in lower rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. The whole process only takes a few minutes and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

To save time and find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have a policy now, it's recommended you enter coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This helps ensure you will have comparison quotes based on identical coverages.

The best insurance company isn't always the cheapest

In this article, we presented many ways to get a better price on auto insurance. It's most important to understand that the more you quote, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. Consumers may even find the lowest premiums are with a company that doesn't do a lot of advertising. These companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as .

The cheapest auto insurance can be sourced online and with local Portland insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who do not offer online quoting and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.

When you buy insurance online, it's very important that you do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many cases where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal should be to buy the best coverage you can find at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.