Everyone knows that auto insurance companies don’t want policyholders to compare prices from other companies. Consumers who get price quotes annually are inclined to buy a different policy because of the good chance of finding lower prices. A study discovered that drivers who compared rate quotes regularly saved on average $865 annually compared to other drivers who never shopped around for better prices.
If finding the best rates on car insurance is your target objective, then learning a little about how to shop for insurance can make it easier to find better rates.
The best way to get more affordable auto insurance rates in Baltimore is to regularly compare prices from insurance carriers who sell insurance in Maryland.
First, gain an understanding of how your policy works and the measures you can take to prevent high rates. Many risk factors that result in higher rates such as at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and a not-so-good credit history can be controlled by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes. This article gives ideas to get lower rates and get additional discounts that may be available.
Second, request price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give prices from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agencies can quote rates from multiple sources.
Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate quote and buy the policy, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
Fourth, notify your current company to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit payment and a completed application to your new insurance company. Once coverage is bound, put the new proof of insurance paperwork in an easily accessible location in your vehicle.
The key thing to know about shopping around is to compare the same deductibles and limits on each quote request and and to compare as many different companies as possible. This enables a level playing field and a complete rate analysis.
Finding the cheapest insurance coverage in Baltimore is much easier if you know where to start. If you are insured now, you will definitely be able to get lower rates using these methods. Smart shoppers just need to learn the most efficient way to shop their coverage around online from multiple companies.
Getting cheap Ford Flex insurance pricing is a fairly straight forward process. All you need to do is take the time to compare rates to discover which company has the cheapest Ford Flex rate quotes.
Getting quotes online is very simple and it makes it obsolete to physically go to local Baltimore insurance agencies. Quoting and buying Ford Flex insurance online makes this unnecessary unless your situation requires the trained advice of a licensed agent. Although, it is possible find lower rates online but have a local agent actually write the policy.
The companies shown below provide free rate quotes in Baltimore, MD. If your goal is to find the cheapest car insurance in Baltimore, we suggest you visit several of them to get the best price comparison.
Insurance coverage analysis
The premium information displayed next outlines estimates of prices for Ford Flex models. Knowing how insurance prices are figured can help drivers make decisions on the best policy coverages.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Flex SE 2WD | $308 | $536 | $390 | $24 | $116 | $1,374 | $115 |
Flex SEL 2WD | $308 | $632 | $390 | $24 | $116 | $1,470 | $123 |
Flex SEL AWD | $342 | $632 | $390 | $24 | $116 | $1,504 | $125 |
Flex Limited 2WD | $342 | $632 | $390 | $24 | $116 | $1,504 | $125 |
Flex Limited AWD | $342 | $632 | $390 | $24 | $116 | $1,504 | $125 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Above prices assume married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and Maryland minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, claim-free, multi-vehicle, safe-driver, and homeowner. Price information does not factor in zip code location which can revise insurance rates considerably.
How high should deductibles be?
When shopping for auto insurance, a common question is where to set your physical damage deductibles. The comparison tables below lay out how much more rates are between low and high comp and collision deductibles. The first data table uses a $100 comprehensive and collision deductible and the second data table uses a $1,000 deductible.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Flex SE 2WD | $394 | $632 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,603 | $134 |
Flex SEL 2WD | $394 | $744 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,715 | $143 |
Flex SEL AWD | $440 | $744 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,761 | $147 |
Flex Limited 2WD | $440 | $744 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,761 | $147 |
Flex Limited AWD | $440 | $744 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,761 | $147 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
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Flex SE 2WD | $218 | $332 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,102 | $92 |
Flex SEL 2WD | $218 | $392 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,162 | $97 |
Flex SEL AWD | $244 | $392 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,188 | $99 |
Flex Limited 2WD | $244 | $392 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,188 | $99 |
Flex Limited AWD | $244 | $392 | $406 | $24 | $122 | $1,188 | $99 |
Get Your Own Custom Quote Go |
Table data represents married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Maryland minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy. Information does not factor in Baltimore location which can decrease or increase rates significantly.
We can derive from the above data that using a $100 deductible will cost you about $47 more each month or $564 every year averaged for all Flex models than selecting the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would have to pay $900 more if you turn in a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $100 deductible, if you normally average more than 19 months between claim filings, you would more than likely save some money by going with a higher deductible.
Ford Flex insurance premiums by gender and age
The illustration below shows the comparison of Ford Flex insurance costs for male and female drivers. The premiums assume no claims or driving citations, full coverage, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Full coverage versus liability only rates
The illustration below visualizes the comparison of Ford Flex car insurance costs with full physical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The rate quotes are based on no accidents or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
Should you pay for full coverage?
There is no exact formula of when to phase out comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost of full coverage is 10% or more of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your Ford Flex replacement cost is $7,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, the most you would get paid by your company is $6,000 after the deductible is paid. If you are currently paying more than $600 annually for physical damage coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
There are a few situations where dropping physical damage coverage is not a good plan. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you have to carry full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not consider dropping full coverage.
Good Decisions Result in Lower Insurance Premiums
A large part of saving on auto insurance is knowing the factors that are used to determine your auto insurance rates. If you understand what impacts premium levels, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that can earn you better auto insurance rates. Many factors are considered when you get your auto insurance bill. Some factors are common sense such as traffic violations, but other factors are less apparent such as whether you are married or how safe your car is.
- Rate your vehicle for proper use – The more you drive in a year the more you’ll pay to insure your vehicle. Many insurance companies charge to insure your cars based upon how you use the vehicle. Vehicles used primarily for pleasure use can get a lower rate than vehicles that are driven to work every day. It’s a smart idea to ensure your auto insurance coverage is rated on the correct usage, because improper ratings can cost you money. Having the wrong rating on your Flex can result in significantly higher rates.
- Too many claims drive up premiums – Insurance companies in Maryland award better rates to policyholders who do not file claims often. If you file a lot of claims you can definitely plan on either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Insurance coverage is intended for claims that you cannot pay yourself.
- Don’t let your policy lapse – Having a lapse in insurance coverage is a guaranteed way to bump up your auto insurance costs. Not only will you pay higher rates, being ticketed for driving with no insurance can result in a license revocation or jail time.
- Use one insurance company and save – Some auto insurance companies give discounts to clients who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even with this discount, consumers should still compare other company rates to help ensure you have the lowest rates.
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Responsible drivers pay the best premiums – Having a clean driving record impacts your car insurance rates tremendously. Having just one citation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers who don’t get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance as compared to careless drivers. Drivers who have received multiple citations like DUI or willful reckless driving may find that they have to to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to prevent a license revocation.
The information below highlights how speeding tickets and at-fault accidents can affect Ford Flex annual premium costs for different age groups. The prices are based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
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High performance vehicles cost more to insure – The performance of the car you need to insure makes a huge difference in your car insurance bill. Smaller low performance passenger vehicles usually have the lowest rates, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
The following data assumes a single female driver age 50, full coverage with $250 deductibles, and no discounts or violations. The data compares Ford Flex car insurance rates compared to other vehicles that have a range of performance rating factors.
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Ford Flex claim data – Insurers study historical loss data as a tool for profitable underwriting. Vehicles that statistically have increased losses will have a higher cost to insure. The table below outlines the collected loss data for Ford Flex vehicles.
For each policy coverage type, the claim amount for all vehicles combined as an average is considered to be 100. Values that are 100 or less are indicative of better than average losses, while percentage values above 100 point to more claims or an increased likelihood of larger losses.
Ford Flex Insurance Loss Statistics Specific Ford Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Ford Flex 4dr 2WD 89 84 107 91 100 87 Ford Flex 4dr 4WD 105 84 119 77 79 75 BETTERAVERAGEWORSEStatistics from IIHS.org for 2013-2015 Model Years
Car insurance just makes sense
Despite the fact that car insurance is not cheap in Baltimore, maintaining insurance serves a purpose in several ways.
First, most states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means the state requires a minimum amount of liability in order to license the vehicle. In Maryland these limits are 30/60/15 which means you must have $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $15,000 of property damage coverage.
Second, if your vehicle has a lienholder, most banks will make it mandatory that you have insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If you default on your policy, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Ford for a lot more money and require you to fork over for it.
Third, car insurance protects not only your Ford but also your assets. It will also cover medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of having car insurance definitely exceed the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. In a recent study of 1,000 drivers, the average customer overpays more than $855 a year so compare quotes from several companies each time the policy renews to be sure current rates are still competitive.
Which car insurance company is best in Maryland?
Selecting a good quality auto insurance company can be a challenge considering how many choices there are in Baltimore. The information displayed below may help you decide which providers to look at when shopping around.
Top 10 Baltimore Car Insurance Companies Overall
- Travelers
- USAA
- Mercury Insurance
- AAA Insurance
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- State Farm
- The Hartford
- Safeco Insurance
- Progressive