Do you get exhausted from paying out the nose to keep your car insured? You’re in the same situation as many other Maryland drivers.
A study showed that a large majority of drivers kept their policy with the same company for well over three years, and approximately 40% of consumers have never compared car insurance rates at all. Most drivers in Baltimore can save hundreds of dollars each year by just comparing rate quotes, but they just don’t understand how easy it is to find cheaper insurance by shopping around.
Steps to quoting cheaper Saturn Astra insurance in Baltimore
The preferred way to find cheaper prices for car insurance rates in Baltimore is to regularly compare quotes from insurers who sell auto insurance in Maryland. Price quotes can be compared by completing these steps.
- First, take a few minutes and learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the modifications you can make to prevent rate increases. Many policy risk factors that cause rate increases like traffic violations and an unacceptable credit history can be improved by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes. This article provides the details to keep prices down and get discounts that may be overlooked.
- Second, get rate quotes from exclusive agents, independent agents, and direct providers. Exclusive and direct companies can only provide price estimates from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide prices from multiple companies.
- Third, compare the quotes to your current policy to see if a cheaper rate is available in Baltimore. If you find a better price and buy the policy, ensure there is no coverage lapse between policies.
- Fourth, provide proper notification to your current company of your decision to cancel the current policy and submit a completed policy application and payment to the new company. As soon as you have the new policy, put the new proof of insurance paperwork with the vehicle registration.
One thing to remember is to try to compare identical limits and deductibles on every quote and and to get prices from every insurance company. This enables a fair rate comparison and a better comparison of the market.
Popular companies such as GEICO, 21st Century and Progressive constantly bombard you with ad campaigns and consumers find it hard to see past the geckos and flying pigs and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
You should take the time to price shop coverage yearly since prices are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Despite the fact that you may have had the best deal on Saturn Astra insurance in Baltimore a couple years back the chances are good that you can find a lower premium rate today. You can find a lot of wrong information about Astra insurance online but you can learn the easiest ways to quit paying high car insurance rates in Baltimore.
If you are already insured, you stand a good chance to be able to find the best rates using these techniques. Locating the best rates in Baltimore is quite easy. But Maryland consumers can benefit by having an understanding of how insurance companies determine premium rates and use it to your advantage.
Just keep in mind that comparing all the rates in your area gives you a better chance of getting more affordable insurance.
The auto insurance companies shown below offer quotes in Maryland. If you wish to find the best cheap car insurance in Baltimore, we recommend you compare several of them to find the most affordable auto insurance rates.
Reduce your insurance rates with discounts
Insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but there could be significant discounts that you may not know about. Certain discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but lesser-known reductions have to be manually applied before you get the savings.
- Military Rewards – Having an actively deployed family member may lower your prices slightly.
- Baltimore Homeowners Pay Less – Owning your own home or condo can save a few bucks because maintaining a house shows financial diligence.
- Cautious Driver Discount – Safe drivers could pay up to 40% less as compared to drivers with claims.
- Mature Driver Discount – Older drivers may be able to get lower premium rates.
- Sign Early and Save – A few companies give discounts for renewing your policy prior to your current Astra insurance policy expiring. The savings is around 10%.
- Discounts for New Vehicles – Insuring a new Astra is cheaper due to better safety requirements for new vehicles.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – This one is not really a discount per se, but companies like State Farm and GEICO will allow you to have one accident before they charge you more for coverage so long as you haven’t had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Driving Data Discount – Insureds who allow driving data collection to track vehicle usage remotely like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot may see discounts as long as the data is positive.
Keep in mind that most credits do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Just because you may think you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you’re out of luck. Any qualifying discounts will definitely reduce your policy premium.
Larger insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts can be found below.
- State Farm includes discounts for good student, multiple autos, good driver, Steer Clear safe driver discount, driver’s education, anti-theft, and safe vehicle.
- GEICO may include discounts for daytime running lights, anti-theft, anti-lock brakes, federal employee, and military active duty.
- Progressive offers discounts for multi-policy, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, homeowner, online signing, and good student.
- 21st Century offers premium reductions for 55 and older, anti-lock brakes, early bird, good student, defensive driver, air bags, and automatic seat belts.
- American Family may offer discounts for good student, air bags, TimeAway discount, good driver, bundled insurance, defensive driver, and Steer into Savings.
- The Hartford discounts include air bag, bundle, defensive driver, good student, anti-theft, and vehicle fuel type.
- AAA may have discounts that include education and occupation, multi-car, AAA membership discount, anti-theft, and good student.
If you need affordable Saturn Astra insurance quotes, ask each company which discounts can lower your rates. Some discounts listed above may not apply to policies everywhere. To see a list of providers that provide some of the discounts listed above in Baltimore, click here to view.
Insurance is available from agents near you
Certain consumers would prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that is OK! A good thing about getting free rate quotes online is the fact that you can find better rates and also buy local. Buying insurance from local agencies is important particularly in Baltimore.
For easy comparison, once you complete this simple form, the quote information is submitted to local insurance agents who will give you quotes for your coverage. You never need to do any legwork because prices are sent directly to you. You can get cheaper insurance rates without requiring a lot of work. If you want to get a price quote from a specific company, feel free to jump over to their website and fill out their quote form.
If you are wanting to find a reputable agency, it’s important to understand the types of insurance agents that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Insurance agents are categorized either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).
Independent Insurance Agents
Agents of this type are not required to write business for one company so they can insure your vehicles through many different insurance companies and possibly get better coverage at lower prices. If they quote lower rates, your agent can switch companies and the insured can keep the same agent. When shopping rates, we recommend you compare prices from multiple independent agents for the best price selection.
Shown below is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Baltimore that may be able to provide price quotes.
Kirby Insurance Agency, Inc.
14 W Saratoga St #100 – Baltimore, MD 21201 – (410) 837-2320 – View Map
Maryland Auto Insurance (the new MAIF)
1215 E Fort Ave #300 – Baltimore, MD 21230 – (800) 492-7120 – View Map
Nationwide Insurance: Robert Frank Stastny
6822 Harford Rd – Baltimore, MD 21234 – (410) 254-1500 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Agents that elect to be exclusive normally can only provide a single company’s rates and examples are Farmers Insurance, American Family, State Farm and Allstate. Exclusive agencies are unable to shop your coverage around so you might not find the best rates. They are usually well trained on sales techniques and that enables them to sell even at higher rates.
Below is a short list of exclusive insurance agents in Baltimore that are able to give rate quotes.
State Farm: Scott Garvey
3818 Roland Ave – Baltimore, MD 21211 – (410) 889-5840 – View Map
Mindy Andreychek – State Farm Insurance Agent
8502 Harford Rd Ste B – Baltimore, MD 21234 – (410) 668-7600 – View Map
Nathan Scholze – State Farm Insurance Agent
101 St Helena Ave – Baltimore, MD 21222 – (410) 288-4120 – View Map
Finding a good auto insurance agent is decision based upon more than just the bottom line cost. Agents should be asked these questions:
- Which insurance company do they prefer to write with?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- If they are an independent agency in Baltimore, which companies do they recommend?
- Is the agency active in community causes in Baltimore?
- If you have an accident, are you able to get your vehicle repaired at the shop of your choice?
- How often do they review policy coverages?
Smart Consumers Can Lower Insurance Rates
Many different elements are used in the calculation when premium rates are determined. Some are obvious such as traffic violations, but others are less obvious like where you live or your commute time.
The list below includes some of the factors used by insurance companies to determine premiums.
Employer reflects on rates – Careers like judges, business owners, and miners tend to have the highest rates attributed to stressful work requirements and incredibly demanding work hours. On the flip side, occupations like farmers, students and retirees generally pay rates lower than average.
GPS tracking and theft deterrents lowers auto insurance rates – Selecting a car model with a theft deterrent system can save you some money. Anti-theft devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder car theft and help bring rates down.
Higher deductibles are cheaper – Insurance for physical damage to your car, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, insures against damage to your Saturn. Some examples of covered claims are a dented fender, flood damage, and rolling your vehicle. Your deductibles define how much the insured will be required to pay in the event of a claim. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the better rate you will receive.
Annual miles is a factor – The more you drive each year the higher the price you pay to insure it. Many insurance companies charge rates based upon how much you drive. Cars and trucks that have low annual miles can get a lower rate than those that get driven frequently. An improperly rated Astra may be costing you higher rates. It’s a smart idea to ensure your auto insurance policy reflects how each vehicle is driven, because it can save money.
Choosing the best Astra insurance in Maryland is an important decision
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Saturn in Baltimore, insurance may not be optional for several reasons.
- Most states have minimum liability requirements which means the state requires a minimum amount of liability protection if you want to drive legally. 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 you bought your Saturn with a loan, almost every bank will have a requirement that you have comprehensive coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the bank will be required to insure your Saturn for a lot more money and force you to pay much more than you were paying before.
- Insurance safeguards your vehicle and your assets. It will also pay for most medical and hospital costs for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. Liability insurance will also pay attorney fees if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of having insurance are without a doubt worth the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. According to a recent study, the average American driver is overpaying more than $855 a year so you should quote and compare rates at least once a year to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Final considerations
When searching for cheaper Baltimore auto insurance quotes, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many instances, an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage to discover at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The aim is to buy the best coverage you can find at a price you can afford, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
Affordable Saturn Astra insurance in Baltimore can be purchased from both online companies and from local agencies, so get free Baltimore auto insurance quotes from both of them so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance providers don’t offer rates over the internet and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through independent agents.
How to find cheaper Saturn Astra insurance in Baltimore
It takes a little time, but the best way to find cheaper prices for auto insurance rates in Baltimore is to begin comparing prices regularly from insurers in Maryland.
- First, try to understand how companies set rates and the things you can change to keep rates in check. Many policy risk factors that result in higher prices such as accidents, careless driving, and a substandard credit history can be improved by paying attention to minor details.
- Second, quote rates from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agencies can quote rates from many different companies.
- Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing policy to determine if switching companies saves money. If you find a better price and switch companies, make sure coverage does not lapse between policies.
- Fourth, notify your company or agent to cancel your current car insurance policy. Submit the signed application along with the required initial payment to your new company or agent. Make sure you keep the new proof of insurance paperwork with your registration paperwork.
A key point to remember is that you’ll want to compare similar deductibles and liability limits on every quote request and and to compare as many companies as possible. Doing this helps ensure an apples-to-apples comparison and the best price quote selection.
Additional detailed information is located at these sites:
- Car Insurance FAQ (Trusted Choice)
- How Much is Baltimore Car Insurance for a Company Car? (FAQ)
- Insurance Losses by Make and Model (iihs.org)
- Help Your Teen Be a Better Driver (State Farm)
- Learn About Car Insurance (GEICO)
- Car Insurance for Teen Drivers with Divorced Parents (Allstate)