Best Way to Find the Cheapest Silver Spring Car Insurance

Comparison shopping for Silver Spring car insurance is a challenge for people who are new to buying insurance online. There are so many choices that it can be a ton of work to compare prices in Silver Spring.

If you are paying for car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to reduce your rates substantially using this information. The purpose of this post is to instruct you on the most effective way to quote insurance and some money-saving tips. Nevertheless, Maryland car owners do need to know the methods companies use to market on the web.

Fast and Easy Silver Spring Car Insurance Quotes

The are a couple different ways to compare quotes and find the best price. The recommended way to find the lowest rates is to use the internet to compare rates. This can be accomplished in just a few minutes using one of these methods.

The first (and easiest) way to get quotes for comparison is a comparison rater form click to view form in new window. This method eliminates the need for separate quote forms to each individual car insurance company. Taking the time to complete one form gets you coverage quotes from many national carriers.It's the quickest way to get rates.

Another way to shop for car insurance online consists of going to the website for every company you want to comare to complete their respective quote request forms. For instance, we'll pretend you want rates from , and . To find out each rate you need to go to every website to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular.

For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Silver Spring, click here.

Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using exactly the same coverages on every quote you get. If you use different limits and deductibles on each one it's not possible to determine which rate is truly the best in Silver Spring. Just a small difference in coverage limits may cause a big price difference. It's important to know that obtaining a wide range of quotes will improve the odds of getting lower pricing.

Silver Spring Rates are Influenced by These Factors

It's important that you understand some of the elements that come into play when calculating your car insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates enables informed choices that could result in big savings.

The list below includes some of the items car insurance companies consider when setting premiums.

Safer cars cost less to insure - Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders.
High numbers of claims are not good - If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on higher rates. Auto insurance companies in Maryland provide cheaper rates to policyholders who are claim-free. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of major claims that would cause financial hardship.
A lapse in coverage is a bad thing - Driving your car without having proper coverage is illegal and you will pay a penalty because you let your coverage have a gap. Not only will rates go up, failure to provide proof of insurance might get you a steep fine or even jail time.
How's your driving record? - Whether or not you get tickets has a huge affect on how much you pay. Careful drivers have lower premiums than people who have multiple driving citations. Just one citation can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Drivers with severe tickets such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to drive a vehicle legally.
Men fork out a little more - The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, don't assume that men are worse drivers. They both have accidents at a similar rate, but the male of the species cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving.
Credit scores impact car insurance rates - A driver's credit rating is a important factor in your rate calculation. Drivers who have high credit scores tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit ratings. If your credit rating can use some improvement, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your credit score.
Policy add-ons can waste money - There are a lot of extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Insurance for vanishing deductibles, accidental death and term life insurance are examples of these. They may seem good when you first buy your policy, but if they're wasting money eliminate the coverages to reduce your premium.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Companies offering auto insurance do not list all available discounts in a way that's easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the more common as well as the least known car insurance savings.

Fewer Miles Equal More Savings - Keeping the miles down could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
Drivers Ed for Students - Require your teen driver to enroll in driver's education in high school.
Use Seat Belts - Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save 10% or more off your medical payments premium.
Employee of Federal Government - Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount depending on your company.
Good Students Pay Less - Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
Student in College - Children living away from home attending college without a vehicle on campus can receive lower rates.
One Accident Forgiven - A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident without raising rates so long as you haven't had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
Anti-lock Brake Discount - Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems prevent accidents and will save you 10% or more.

Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So when it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, companies don't profit that way.

For a list of insurers with the best car insurance discounts in Silver Spring, follow this link.

More tips and info about car insurance can be read at the Maryland Insurance Administration website. Consumers can find disaster information, download brochures, and find a variety of consumer forms.

Final considerations

Cost effective car insurance is definitely available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Silver Spring agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best rate selection. There are still a few companies who may not provide online quoting and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

Consumers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as delays in responding to claim requests, extreme rates for teen drivers, being labeled a high risk driver and poor customer service. No matter why you want to switch, choosing a new insurance company is not as hard as you think.

We just showed you a lot of information how to lower your car insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the lowest premiums are with the least-expected company.