Do you want an efficient way to compare low-cost Oldsmobile Alero insurance in Baltimore? Being forced to pay for high-priced auto insurance premiums can overdraw your checking account and force you to cut corners elsewhere. Comparing rates annually is a fast and free way to make sure you’re not throwing money away.
Everyone knows that auto insurance companies don’t want their policyholders to compare prices. People who shop around will probably move their business because of the good chance of finding a lower-cost company. A survey found that drivers who regularly shopped around saved over $3,450 over four years as compared to drivers who never shopped around for better prices.
If finding low prices for auto insurance is why you’re reading this, then knowing how to get rate quotes and compare cheaper coverage can help simplify the task of finding more affordable coverage.
Steps to finding low-cost rates for Oldsmobile Alero insurance in Baltimore
The recommended way to find lower priced Oldsmobile Alero insurance in Baltimore is to compare prices once a year from insurance carriers that insure vehicles in Maryland. This can be done by following these guidelines.
Step 1: Read and learn about what coverages are included in your policy and the factors you can control to prevent rate increases. Many policy risk factors that drive up the price such as traffic citations, accidents, and poor credit history can be rectified by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
Step 2: Request price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give prices from a single company like GEICO or Allstate, while independent agents can quote prices for a wide range of companies.
Step 3: Compare the new rate quotes to the price on your current policy and see if you can save money. If you find better rates and change companies, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
The key thing to know about shopping around is that you’ll want to make sure you compare the same amount of coverage on every quote and and to get price estimates from all possible companies. This guarantees a level playing field and the most accurate and complete price analysis.
Consumers have so many insurance companies to purchase coverage from, and even though it’s nice to have a choice, it can be more challenging to compare rates and find the lowest cost auto insurance.
Locating the most cost-effective insurance policy in Baltimore is much easier if you know where to start. If you’re already insured, you will definitely be able to save money using these techniques. Although Maryland car owners need to have an understanding of the way insurance companies determine prices and apply this information to your search.
Companies offering Oldsmobile Alero insurance in Maryland
The car insurance companies shown below can provide comparison quotes in Maryland. If you want to find cheap auto insurance in Baltimore, we recommend you visit two to three different companies in order to find the most competitive rates.
Score discounts to get cheaper Baltimore car insurance quotes
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always list their entire list of discounts very clearly, so below is a list both the well known as well as the least known credits that you can use to lower your rates.
- Active Service Discounts – Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
- ABS Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles have fewer accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Drivers Education – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them enroll and complete driver’s education in high school.
- Online Discount – A handful of companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for completing your application online.
- Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents could pay up to 40% less than drivers with accident claims.
- Driving Data Discount – Drivers who elect to allow their insurance company to look at where and when they drive by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as Progressive’s Snapshot and State Farm’s In-Drive might get better premium rates if their driving habits are good.
- Life Insurance – Select insurance carriers reward you with a discount if you purchase some life insurance in addition to your auto policy.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you may save nearly 15% which can help you find inexpensive Oldsmobile Alero insurance in Baltimore.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking part in a course that instructs on driving safety could cut 5% off your bill if your company offers it.
- Federal Employees – Federal government employees could cut as much as 10% off but check with your company.
Drivers should understand that many deductions do not apply to the whole policy. Some only reduce specific coverage prices like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you could get a free car insurance policy, it doesn’t quite work that way.
Larger car insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts can be found below.
- State Farm may include discounts for anti-theft, safe vehicle, driver’s education, student away at school, defensive driving training, and good driver.
- American Family offers premium reductions for good student, good driver, defensive driver, air bags, accident-free, and early bird.
- AAA has discounts for pay-in-full, AAA membership discount, education and occupation, anti-theft, good student, and multi-policy.
- GEICO may offer discounts for air bags, anti-theft, anti-lock brakes, membership and employees, multi-vehicle, federal employee, and five-year accident-free.
- Mercury Insurance includes discounts for accident-free, multi-car, professional/association, anti-theft, good student, ease of repair, and age of vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including alternative fuel, homeowner, early shopping, multi-car, and distant student.
- Progressive may have discounts that include online signing, continuous coverage, good student, online quote discount, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and homeowner.
If you are trying to find inexpensive Baltimore car insurance quotes, ask every prospective company to apply every possible discount. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be available to policyholders in your area. If you would like to choose from a list of car insurance companies with the best discounts in Maryland, click this link.
Exclusive and independent insurance agents
Many drivers still like to sit down with an agent and that is recommended in a lot of cases A good thing about comparing insurance online is you may find lower prices but also keep your business local.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this quick form, your insurance coverage information is instantly submitted to agents in your area that give free quotes for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to leave your house since price quotes are sent immediately to you. You can find lower rates without requiring a lot of work. If for some reason you want to compare rates from a specific company, feel free to search and find their rate quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Finding the right provider should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- How many years have they been established?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- Is the quote a firm price?
- What company holds the largest book of business for them?
Auto insurance coverages
Having a good grasp of a car insurance policy can be of help when determining the right coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be difficult to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverages found on most car insurance policies.
Comprehensive coverage (or Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims like rock chips in glass, damage from a tornado or hurricane and theft. The highest amount your car 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 probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Auto collision coverage
This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Alero resulting from colliding with a stationary object or other vehicle. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, driving through your garage door, crashing into a building, damaging your car on a curb and sideswiping another vehicle. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also increase the deductible on your Alero in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Insurance for medical payments
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for immediate expenses like hospital visits, surgery, chiropractic care and pain medications. The coverages can be used to cover expenses not covered by your health insurance program or if you are not covered by health insurance. It covers not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Uninsured Motorist or Underinsured Motorist insurance
This coverage protects you and your vehicle when the “other guys” are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries as well as damage to your Oldsmobile Alero.
Since many Maryland drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (Maryland limits are 30/60/15), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is important protection for you and your family.
Coverage for liability
This will cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your own vehicle damage or injuries.
It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. As an example, you may have values of 30/60/15 that translate to a limit of $30,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $60,000, and a limit of $15,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage pays for claims such as structural damage, legal defense fees and bail bonds. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a decision to put some thought into, but buy higher limits if possible. Maryland requires minimum liability limits of 30/60/15 but it’s recommended drivers buy better liability coverage.
The illustration below demonstrates why low liability limits may not be enough.
Cheaper car insurance is a realistic goal
When searching for affordable Baltimore car insurance quotes, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where someone sacrificed liability coverage limits only to regret that the savings was not a smart move. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest price and still be able to protect your assets.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of tips how to save on Oldsmobile Alero insurance in Baltimore. The key thing to remember is the more you quote Baltimore car insurance, the better chance you’ll have of finding affordable Oldsmobile Alero insurance quotes. You may even find the most savings is with an unexpected company. These companies often have lower premium rates on specific markets than their larger competitors like Allstate or State Farm.
Cheaper car insurance in Baltimore can be found both online and from local agencies, so you need to shop Baltimore car insurance with both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies may not offer online price quotes and usually these smaller companies sell through local independent agents.
Steps to finding low-cost rates for Oldsmobile Alero insurance in Baltimore
It takes a few minutes, but the best way to get budget car insurance rates is to begin comparing prices regularly from insurance carriers who sell insurance in Baltimore. You can compare prices by following these steps.
First, spend a few minutes and learn about individual coverages and the things you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that cause rate increases such as tickets, at-fault accidents, and poor credit history can be amended by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
Second, compare rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from one company like GEICO or Allstate, while agents who are independent can provide price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers.
Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing rates to see if switching to a new carrier will save money. If you find a lower rate quote and switch companies, make sure coverage is continuous and does not lapse.
An important bit of advice to remember is to try to compare identical deductibles and limits on each quote request and and to get quotes from as many companies as possible. Doing this provides an accurate price comparison and a thorough price selection.
For more information, take a look at these articles:
- Warning systems don’t curb driver distraction (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Teenage Males in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a 20 Year Old Male in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for a Learners Permit in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance for Homeowners in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for Young Drivers in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- Anti-Lock Brake FAQ (iihs.org)
- State Car Insurance Guides (GEICO)
- Vehicle Insurance (Wikipedia)
- New vehicle ratings focus on headlights (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)