It’s an obvious assumption that car insurance companies don’t want you to look for cheaper rates. Drivers who compare other prices are highly likely to switch companies because they have good chances of finding discount prices. A recent survey discovered that people who made a habit of comparing rate quotes saved an average of $850 each year compared to policyholders who never compared rates.
If finding budget-friendly rates on auto insurance is your goal, then understanding the best ways to find and compare cheaper coverage can make shopping around easier.
It takes a few minutes, but the best way to get affordable car insurance rates in Baltimore is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from insurance carriers that sell auto insurance in Maryland.
- Try to learn about auto insurance and the steps you can take to prevent expensive coverage. Many factors that are responsible for high rates like your driving record and a low credit rating can be improved by improving your driving habits or financial responsibility.
- Request price quotes from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only quote rates from one company like GEICO or State Farm, while independent agencies can provide prices for many different companies. View prices
- Compare the new rates to the premium of your current policy to see if a cheaper price is available in Baltimore. If you can save money, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
One important bit of advice is to try to use the same physical damage deductibles and liability limits on each quote and and to look at every company you can. This ensures an apples-to-apples comparison and a thorough selection of prices.
Affordable companies for GMC Sonoma insurance in Maryland
The auto insurance companies shown below can provide price quotes in Baltimore, MD. If multiple companies are listed, it’s a good idea that you visit as many as you can in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Baltimore Insurance Prices are Influenced by These Factors
Multiple criteria are used in the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some are pretty understandable such as your driving record, although others are less apparent such as your marital status and annual miles driven. Consumers need to have an understanding of a few of the rating criteria that help calculate the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates, this enables you to make decisions that could help you find better auto insurance rates.
The following are most of the major factors used by companies to determine premiums.
Extra coverages are wasting money – There are many add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your Sonoma policy. Coverages like roadside assistance, towing, and Farm Bureau memberships may be wasting your money. They may sound like good ideas at first, but if you’ve never needed them in the past get rid of them and save.
Single vs. married – Having a significant other may earn you lower rates on your policy. Having a spouse demonstrates that you tend to be more responsible and insurance companies reward insureds because married couples file fewer claims.
Lower rates by staying claim free – If you tend to file frequent claims, you should expect higher rates. Auto insurance companies in Maryland generally give the best rates to people who only file infrequent claims. Auto insurance is intended for claims that pose a financial burden.
Alarm systems save money – Owning a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can earn a premium discount. Systems that thwart thieves such as OnStar, LoJack tracking, and tamper alarms all hinder auto theft.
High credit rating translates to low rates – An insured’s credit score is a big factor in calculating your auto insurance rates. Insureds with high credit ratings tend to be more responsible as compared to drivers with worse credit. If your credit score is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your GMC Sonoma by repairing your credit.
Lower coverage deductibles cost more – Comprehensive and collision coverage deductibles define the amount the insured will be required to pay if you file a covered claim. Physical damage insurance, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, insures against damage to your car. Some coverage claims could be collision with another vehicle, fire damage, and damage from wind. The more of the claim you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the bigger discount you will receive.
Verify you’re applying every discount
Car insurance companies don’t always publicize every discount they offer very clearly, so the list below contains both the well known as well as the least known credits that you can use to lower your rates. If you don’t get every credit you qualify for, you may be paying too high a price.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents can save up to 40% or more on their Baltimore auto insurance quote than less cautious drivers.
- Senior Citizen Discount – Mature drivers are able to get a small decrease in premiums.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same company you could get a discount of up to 20% and get you cheaper Sonoma insurance.
- Professional Organizations – Being a member of certain professional organizations is a good way to get lower rates on your next renewal.
- Student Driver Training – Have your child complete a driver education course as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
You should keep in mind that some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as medical payments or collision. Despite the appearance that you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don’t profit that way.
A list of companies and their offered discounts are detailed below.
- Farm Bureau has savings for good student, youthful driver, renewal discount, 55 and retired, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle.
- Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include new graduate, exclusive group savings, preferred payment discount, multi-policy, newly retired, and multi-car.
- State Farm discounts include driver’s education, Drive Safe & Save, multiple policy, student away at school, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good driver, and safe vehicle.
- Auto-Owners Insurance offers discounts including student away at school, mature driver, safe driver, paperless, multi-policy, anti-lock brakes, and good student.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including good student, anti-lock brakes, air bags, five-year accident-free, and multi-vehicle.
- SAFECO may include discounts for teen safety rewards, anti-lock brakes, drive less, bundle discounts, and homeowner.
If you want cheaper Baltimore auto insurance quotes, ask every company to give you their best rates. A few discounts might not be available to policyholders in Baltimore. To see a list of insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Baltimore, click this link.
What if I want to buy from local Baltimore insurance agencies?
A lot of people still like to have an agent’s advice and doing so can bring peace of mind Professional agents can help you build your policy and give you someone to call. One of the benefits of getting online price quotes is that you can obtain better rates and still have an agent to talk to.
Once you complete this simple form, the quote information is transmitted to agents in your area that can give you free Baltimore auto insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t even need to search for any insurance agencies since price quotes are sent straight to your inbox. In the event you want to compare prices from a particular provider, feel free to navigate to their website and fill out their quote form.
Finding the right insurance company requires you to look at more than just the bottom line cost. These are valid questions to ask:
- What companies can they write with?
- Do they have cheaper tiers of coverage?
- Do you qualify for any additional discounts?
- Do they assist clients in filing claims?
- Can you use your own choice of collision repair facility?
- Will the agent or a CSR service your policy?
- Which insurance company do they prefer to write with?
When finding a reputable insurance agent or broker, it’s helpful to know the types of agencies that you can select. Car insurance agents can be described as either exclusive or independent agents depending on their company appointments. Both provide car insurance policies, but we need to point out the difference in how they write coverage because it can influence buying decisions.
Exclusive Car Insurance Agencies
Agents that elect to be exclusive work for only one company and some examples include State Farm, Allstate and AAA. Exclusive agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so they have to upsell other benefits. Exclusive agencies are well trained on their company’s products and that enables them to sell even at higher rates. Consumers often use the same agent partially due to the brand legacy rather than low price.
Shown below is a short list of exclusive agencies in Baltimore that can give you price quote information.
- GEICO Insurance Agent
7915 Belair Rd – Baltimore, MD 21236 – (410) 882-8200 – View Map - Anthony Walker Sr. – State Farm Insurance Agent
8641 Loch Raven Blvd #2d – Baltimore, MD 21239 – (410) 663-8888 – View Map - Allstate Insurance Agency: Abernathy Michael
7696 Belair Rd – Baltimore, MD 21236 – (410) 426-5500 – View Map
Independent Agencies or Brokers
These agents are normally appointed by many insurers so as a result can place your coverage with a variety of different insurance companies and get the cheapest rates. If premiums increase, they simply move your policy to a different company and the insured can keep the same agent. When comparing car insurance prices, we recommend you get insurance quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to have the best price comparison. Most have the option of insuring with less well-known companies which may provide better rates.
Listed below is a list of independent insurance agencies in Baltimore who can help you get rate quotes.
- Austen’s Insurance Inc
3407 Eastern Blvd – Baltimore, MD 21220 – (410) 686-4700 – View Map - Nationwide Insurance: Rodgers Insurance Agency Inc
6800 Holabird Ave a – Baltimore, MD 21222 – (410) 282-1379 – View Map - Luray Insurance of Baltimore
1726 Reisterstown Rd #220 – Baltimore, MD 21208 – (410) 602-2636 – View Map
If you get positive feedback for all questions you ask as well as an affordable premium quote, it’s a good possibility that you have found an auto insurance agent that can be relied on to service your policy. It’s important to know that you are able to cancel your policy for any reason so don’t feel that you are obligated to any specific agency for the entire policy term.
Cheaper car insurance is a realistic goal
People switch companies for a variety of reasons including unfair underwriting practices, lack of trust in their agent, questionable increases in premium or even high rates after DUI convictions. Whatever your reason, finding a new car insurance company is not as hard as you think.
While you’re price shopping online, it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are many occasions where consumers will sacrifice physical damage coverage only to regret they didn’t have enough coverage. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.
You just read a lot of techniques to compare GMC Sonoma insurance prices in Baltimore. The key thing to remember is the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest prices come from a smaller regional carrier.
Additional information
- Vehicle Insurance (Wikipedia)
- Who Has Affordable Baltimore Car Insurance for a GMC Sierra? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Baltimore Auto Insurance for Veterans? (FAQ)
- How Much are Car Insurance Quotes for Ride Shares in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Baltimore Auto Insurance Quotes for High Risk Drivers? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Baltimore Car Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Highlander? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for High Mileage Drivers in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Baltimore Car Insurance Rates for 19 Year Olds? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance Quotes for a Ford F-150 in Baltimore? (FAQ)
- Eight Auto Insurance Myths (Insurance Information Institute)
- State Car Insurance Guides (GEICO)