9 Ways You Can Buy Car Insurance for Less in Preston Maryland

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Trust us, there are many Preston consumers feeling the pinch from expensive car insurance.

You have so many to pick from, and although it's nice to be able to choose, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

It's important to shop coverage around at least once a year since rates are constantly changing. Just because you found the best deal a few years ago there is a good chance you can find better rates now. So block out anything you think you know about car insurance because we're going to show you the only way to find better rates and still maintain coverage.

Quick Preston Car Insurance Quotes

There are several ways to compare car insurance prices but there is one way that is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can spend your afternoon driving to insurance companies in Preston, or you can utilize online quoting to get prices fast.

Most of the larger companies are enrolled in a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and each participating company can give them a price for coverage. This saves time by eliminating 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 doing it this way is you can't choose which providers you want to price. So if you want to select specific insurance companies to compare prices, we put together a list of low cost car insurance companies in Maryland. Click to view list.

It's your choice how you get your quotes, but compare identical quote information for each price quote. If you use mixed coverages it will be impossible to truly determine the lowest rate in Preston. Quoting even small variations in coverages may result in large price differences. Just keep in mind that comparing more company's prices helps you find the best offered rates.

Be sure to get all your discounts

Car insurance is not cheap, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not know about. Certain discounts will be applied when you get a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before you will receive the discount.

Theft Prevention System - Cars that have factory anti-theft systems prevent vehicle theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Low Mileage - Fewer annual miles can qualify you for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
No Charge for an Accident - Certain companies permit an accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
Life Insurance - Companies who offer life insurance give a discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
Lower Rates for Military - Being on active duty in the military may qualify for rate reductions.
Payment Method - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of making monthly payments you could save up to 5%.
Organization Discounts - Being a member of a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
Multiple Vehicles - Buying insurance for multiple vehicles with the same company could earn a price break for each car.
Save with a New Car - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can cost up to 25% less due to better safety requirements for new cars.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply the the whole policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So despite the fact that it appears having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, car insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will bring down the amount you have to pay.

To choose providers who offer car insurance discounts in Maryland, click here to view.

Is there truth in advertising?

Companies like Allstate and Progressive continually stream television and radio advertisements. All the ads make an identical promise about savings after switching your coverage to them. How does each company claim to save you money?

All the different companies are able to cherry pick for the type of customer that makes them money. An example of a preferred risk might be between the ages of 30 and 50, has no tickets, and has a short commute. Any new insured who meets those qualifications is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Drivers who don't measure up to these standards will be charged higher premiums and ends up with the customer not buying. Company advertisements say "people who switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that much money. That's the way companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings.

That is why you need to compare many company's rates. It's just too difficult to predict which car insurance company will fit your personal profile best.

Additional information is available on the website for the Maryland Insurance Administration through this link. Visitors are able to read consumer alerts, discover disciplinary actions, get help finding coverage, and view agent and company licensing information.

Other informative sites include BankRate.com's Car Insurance: When not to Skimp and this Preston agent directory.

Shop smart and save

As you shop your coverage around, make sure you don't reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, an insured dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits to discover at claim time that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to buy enough coverage at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.

Cheap car insurance can be sourced both online as well as from independent agents in Preston, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance providers don't offer online price quotes and many times these smaller companies only sell through independent insurance agents.