Trying to find low cost Buick Lesabre insurance in Baltimore is always slightly frustrating for people not familiar with comparing prices online. There are so many different companies and agents to choose from that it can quickly become a difficult situation to find the best premium rates.
A recent auto insurance study revealed that nearly 70% of drivers kept their policy with the same company for at least four years, and about 40% of consumers have never shopped around. Consumers in Baltimore could save approximately $750 every year, but most tend to underestimate how much they could save if they bought a different policy.
You need to compare prices as often as possible because prices change quite often. Just because you had the best rates on Buick Lesabre insurance in Baltimore two years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate quote today. You’ll find quite a bit of inaccurate information about Lesabre insurance online, but we’re going to give you a lot of great tips on how to lower your auto insurance bill.
Keep in mind that having more price comparisons helps increase your odds of locating the best rates.
The auto insurance companies shown below provide quotes in Maryland. In order to find the best auto insurance in Baltimore, MD, we recommend you get price quotes from several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Why you need auto insurance
Even though Baltimore Lesabre insurance rates can get expensive, paying for auto insurance serves an important purpose.
- The majority of states have mandatory insurance requirements which means the state requires a minimum amount of liability if you drive a 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.
- If your vehicle has a loan, most banks will force you to buy insurance to ensure the loan is repaid in case of a total loss. If the policy lapses, the bank may buy a policy for your Buick at a more expensive rate and force you to pay the higher premium.
- Insurance protects both your Buick and your personal assets. It will also provide coverage for medical transport and hospital expenses incurred in an accident. Liability insurance also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit in the event you are sued. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will cover the damage repairs after a deductible is paid.
The benefits of insuring your car more than cancel out the cost, particularly for liability claims. According to a recent study, the average American driver is currently overpaying as much as $830 a year so you should quote rates at least once a year to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Affordable Buick Lesabre insurance in Baltimore
Some insurers don’t necessarily list every discount very clearly, so we researched some of the more common as well as the least known credits that you can use to lower your rates.
- Resident Student – Older children who live away from home at college and do not take a car to college may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Good Student – Being a good student may save as much as 25% on a Baltimore car insurance quote. The good student discount can last until age 25.
- Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with some insurance companies.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – Not necessarily a discount, but companies like State Farm and Progressive will let one accident slide without getting socked with a rate hike if you have no claims for a set time period.
- Low Mileage – Driving less can qualify you for lower premium rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle their seat belts can save 10% or more off PIP or medical payments premium.
Keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the whole policy. The majority will only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So even though you would think all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.
Car insurance companies who might offer many of the previously listed discounts are:
If you need lower rates, check with each company what discounts are available to you. Discounts may not apply to policies in Baltimore.
What is the best car insurance coverage?
When it comes to choosing the right insurance coverage, there isn’t really a one-size-fits-all type of policy. Every insured’s situation is different and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply.
Here are some questions about coverages that might help in determining if you might need professional guidance.
- Do I need motorclub coverage?
- What states are considered no-fault?
- When would I need additional glass coverage?
- Do I need replacement cost coverage?
- Am I covered if I crash into my own garage door?
- Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
- Can I insure my car for more than it’s worth?
- Can I use my car for my catering business?
- Should I buy only the required Maryland minimum liability coverage?
- Does my insurance cover my expensive audio equipment?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
When to contact an insurance agency
Many people just want to sit down and talk to an agent and that can be a smart move An additional benefit of comparing rates online is you can get better rates and still have a local agent. Buying from local insurance agents is especially important in Baltimore.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, your insurance data is transmitted to participating agents in Baltimore who will give competitive quotes for your coverage. There is no reason to contact any agents since rate quotes are delivered to your email. You can find lower rates without requiring a lot of work. If you want to compare rates from a particular provider, just jump over to their website and fill out their quote form.
Baltimore car insurance agents are either independent or exclusive
When searching for a reliable agent, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Baltimore agents are considered either independent agents or exclusive agents.
Independent Insurance Agencies
Agents that choose to be independent are not limited to a single company and that is an advantage because they can write policies with an assortment of companies and find you cheaper rates. If they find a cheaper price, an independent agent can move your coverage and the insured can keep the same agent. When comparing rate quotes, we recommend you contact a few independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices. Many independent agencies also insure through companies that do not advertise much that may have much lower rates than larger companies.
The following is a partial list of independent insurance agencies in Baltimore who may be able to give you price quotes.
- Senate Select Insurance
5417 Reisterstown Rd – Baltimore, MD 21215 – (410) 358-0411 – View Map - Allied Insurance Agency
7840 Eastern Ave – Baltimore, MD 21224 – (410) 282-1111 – View Map - Nationwide Insurance: Robert Frank Stastny
6822 Harford Rd – Baltimore, MD 21234 – (410) 254-1500 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
These type of agents can usually just insure with one company such as State Farm, Allstate, or Farmers Insurance. Exclusive agents cannot give you multiple price quotes so you might not find the best rates. They are usually quite knowledgeable in insurance sales which aids in selling service over price. Some insured continue to use the same exclusive agent partially due to loyalty to the company rather than having the cheapest rates.
The following are Baltimore exclusive insurance agents that are able to give price quote information.
- Tom Nash – State Farm Insurance Agent
454 E Fort Ave – Baltimore, MD 21230 – (410) 727-4545 – View Map - Paul Funk – State Farm Insurance Agent
307 Frederick Rd – Baltimore, MD 21228 – (410) 744-0077 – View Map - Allstate Insurance Agency: Abernathy Michael
7696 Belair Rd – Baltimore, MD 21236 – (410) 426-5500 – View Map
Choosing an insurance agency requires more thought than just the premium amount. Before buying a policy in Baltimore, get answers to these questions.
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in Baltimore?
- What discounts might you be missing?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- Do they write coverage based solely on cost?
- Does the agent have professional designations like CIC, CPCU or AIC?
- How long has their agency been open in Baltimore?
- Is there a 24/7 contact number?
Auto insurance coverages explained
Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy can be of help when determining which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are the usual coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Liability car insurance
Liability insurance protects you from damages or injuries you inflict on other people or property by causing an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show values of 30/60/15 that translate to $30,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $15,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Another option is a combined limit which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage pays for claims like medical expenses, funeral expenses, court costs, medical services and loss of income. How much liability coverage do you need? That is a personal decision, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. Maryland state law requires minimum liability limits of 30/60/15 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.
The chart below shows why the minimum limit may not be high enough to adequately cover claims.
Medical expense coverage
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance pay for expenses such as prosthetic devices, nursing services and chiropractic care. They are often used to fill the gap from your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible
Collision coverage
Collision coverage pays for damage to your Lesabre resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things like hitting a mailbox, crashing into a ditch and damaging your car on a curb. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible on your Lesabre in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your Buick Lesabre.
Due to the fact that many Maryland drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (30/60/15 in Maryland), their limits can quickly be used up. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is important protection for you and your family. Most of the time your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages do not exceed the liability coverage limits.
Comprehensive protection
Comprehensive insurance coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things like fire damage, hail damage and a broken windshield. The maximum amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
What is the best auto insurance company in Maryland?
Ending up with the top insurer can be difficult considering how many different companies there are to choose from in Maryland. The company ratings in the next section can help you select which auto insurance companies to look at when comparing rates.
Top 10 Baltimore Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Claims Service
- Travelers
- Nationwide
- Allstate
- State Farm
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- American Family
- Esurance
- Titan Insurance
- AAA Insurance
Top 10 Baltimore Car Insurance Companies by A.M. Best Rank
- Travelers – A++
- USAA – A++
- GEICO – A++
- State Farm – A++
- Titan Insurance – A+
- Esurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- The Hartford – A+
- Allstate – A+
- Nationwide – A+
Persistent drivers can save
Cheaper car insurance in Baltimore is possible both online in addition to many Baltimore insurance agents, so you need to quote Baltimore car insurance with both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance companies may not have price quotes online and many times these small insurance companies only sell coverage through independent insurance agents.
In this article, we covered many ways to find affordable Buick Lesabre insurance in Baltimore. It’s most important to understand that the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even find the best prices are with some of the lesser-known companies. These smaller insurers often have lower rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.
Steps to finding affordable Buick Lesabre insurance in Baltimore
If you want to find the absolute lowest rates, then the best way to get more affordable Buick Lesabre insurance in Baltimore is to annually compare prices from providers in Maryland.
- First, read about coverages and the things you can control to keep rates low. Many policy risk factors that cause high rates such as at-fault accidents, careless driving, and a poor credit score can be remedied by paying attention to minor details.
- Second, obtain price quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only quote rates from one company like Progressive or State Farm, while agents who are independent can provide price quotes for many different companies.
- Third, compare the new quotes to your existing rates and determine if there is any savings. If you find a lower rate, make sure there is no lapse in coverage.
- Fourth, give proper notification to your current agent or company to cancel your current auto insurance policy and submit a down payment along with a signed application to the newly selected company. As soon as you can, place the new certificate verifying proof of insurance with your vehicle’s registration.
A valuable tip to remember is to compare the same coverage limits and deductibles on each price quote and and to look at every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure an apples-to-apples comparison and the best price quote selection.
Even more information is located by following these links:
- Alcohol Impaired Driving FAQ (iihs.org)
- Who Has Affordable Baltimore Car Insurance for a GMC Sierra? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for a Ford Explorer in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Seniors in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Baltimore Auto Insurance Quotes for a Nissan Altima? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for a Toyota Camry in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- Car Insurance for Teen Drivers with Divorced Parents (Allstate)
- Property Damage Coverage (Liberty Mutual)