8 Top Ways to Cut Auto Insurance Costs in Hagerstown

Scraping up a payment for overpriced auto insurance can drain your savings account, especially in this economy. Shopping your coverage around is free and is an excellent way to cut your insurance bill. You have multiple auto insurance companies to buy insurance from, and even though it’s nice to have multiple companies, it can be more challenging to adequately compare rates.

You need to check auto insurance prices before your policy renews because insurance rates tend to go up over time. Even if you got the best rates six months ago other companies may now be cheaper. So ignore everything you know about auto insurance because I’m going to teach you the proper way to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.

The purpose of this post is to let you in on how to get online quotes and some money-saving tips. If you are paying for car insurance now, you should be able to save some money using these methods. Maryland drivers just need to learn the proper methods to compare price quotes on the web.

Are you getting all your discounts?

The price of auto insurance can be rather high, buy you may qualify for discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Certain discounts will be applied when you complete an application, but less common discounts must be inquired about in order for you to get them. If you don’t get every credit you deserve, you’re just leaving money on the table.

Clubs and Organizations – Participating in certain professional organizations may earn a discount when buying auto insurance.
Distant Student – Kids in college living away from home attending college and don’t have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
Sign Early and Save – Select companies give a discount for switching to them prior to your current policy expiring. It can save you around 10%.
Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts when compared to drivers who are more careless.
Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles can qualify you for a substantially lower rate.
Good Student – Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
Paperwork-free – Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy over the internet.
Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you will save at least 10% off all policies.

It’s important to understand that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you’re out of luck. But any discount will cut the amount you have to pay.

To choose insurance companies with discount auto insurance rates in Hagerstown, click here.

Vehicle Insurance Comparison

All the larger auto insurance companies allow you to get prices for coverage on the web. Getting quotes is fairly straightforward as you just enter your coverage information into a form. Once you submit the form, their system pulls your driving record and credit report and generates a price based on these and other factors. Quoting online helps simplify price comparisons, but the process of having to visit multiple sites and enter the same data into a form can be a bit repetitive. Unfortunately, it is important to compare as many rates as possible if you are searching for the lowest price.

The smarter way to compare auto insurance pricing requires only one form that obtains quotes from more than one company. The form is fast, eliminates repetitive work, and makes rate comparisons much easier. After sending your information, your coverage is rated and you can select any or none of the quote results.

If you find a better price you can click and sign and buy the policy. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes and may result in a nice savings.

To quickly use this form to compare rates, simply click here to open in new window and fill out the form. To compare your current rates, we recommend you complete the form with deductibles and limits exactly as they are listed on your policy. Doing this assures you will receive a rate comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage. Hagerstown Maryland insurance ad

Tailor your coverage to you

When it comes to buying adequate coverage, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions can help discover if your insurance needs might need an agent’s assistance.

Do I need PIP (personal injury protection) coverage in Maryland?
Is pleasure use cheaper than using my vehicle to commute?
Do I really need UM/UIM coverage?
Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
What companies insure drivers after a DUI or DWI?
Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
Do I need added coverage for expensive stereo equipment?
Is my babysitter covered when using my vehicle?
How much liability coverage do I need in Maryland?
Is business property covered if stolen from my car?

If you’re not sure about those questions, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It is quick, free and may give you better protection.

Specifics of your auto insurance policy

Learning about specific coverages of your policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the usual coverages found on most auto insurance policies.

Insurance for medical payments – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for bills for things like EMT expenses, ambulance fees and X-ray expenses. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants in addition to being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is only offered in select states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage

Liability car insurance – This provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property in an accident. This insurance protects YOU from legal claims by others, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.

It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see liability limits of 25/50/25 which stand for a $25,000 limit per person for injuries, a limit of $50,000 in injury protection per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Another option is a combined single limit or CSL which combines the three limits into one amount without having the split limit caps.

Liability coverage protects against claims such as court costs, structural damage, loss of income, medical services and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but buy higher limits if possible. Maryland state law requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/15,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.

Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your vehicle.

Since many Maryland drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (30/60/15 in Maryland), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Frequently the UM/UIM limits are set the same as your liablity limits.

Collision coverages – This pays for damage to your vehicle caused by collision with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.

Collision can pay for things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, sideswiping another vehicle, hitting a parking meter, crashing into a building and crashing into a ditch. This coverage can be expensive, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to choose a higher deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.

Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision) – This coverage covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive can pay for things such as fire damage, falling objects, damage from a tornado or hurricane, damage from flooding and vandalism. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

In conclusion

Cheap auto insurance is definitely available from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Hagerstown agents, so you should be comparing quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance providers may not provide online price quotes and usually these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

While you’re price shopping online, do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are too many instances where consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. The aim is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate.

Additional information can be found on the website for the Maryland Insurance Administration found here. Consumers can read state legal mandates and laws, learn about specific coverages, report car insurance fraud, and learn about insurance regulations.