Paying Too Much for Auto Insurance in College Park Maryland? Here’s How to Save!

Consumers who are new to comparing rates online may find buying the cheapest College Park auto insurance very challenging.

If you are insured now or are looking for a new policy, you can learn to reduce the price you pay while maintaining coverages. Buying more affordable protection in College Park is easy if you know what you’re doing. Maryland vehicle owners just need to learn the most efficient way to shop their coverage around online.

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the different types of things that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Having a good understanding of what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that will entitle you to much lower annual insurance costs.

• Don’t buy coverages you don’t need – There are a ton of additional coverages you can purchase on your policy. Coverages for rental car reimbursement, better glass coverage and term life insurance are examples of these. These may sound like a good investment at first, but if they’re wasting money eliminate them to save money.
• Being married can save on auto insurance – Having a spouse can get you a discount on your policy. Having a significant other is viewed as being more mature than a single person and it’s proven that married couples file fewer claims.
• Credit scores impact auto insurance rates – Your credit history is a large factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. If your credit is not that good, you could save money insuring your by improving your credit score. People with excellent credit tend to be more responsible than those with lower credit scores.
• High crash test scores lower rates – Vehicles with good safety scores tend to have better insurance rates. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.

Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss

Companies offering auto insurance do not advertise all their discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so here is a list both well-publicized and also the lesser-known ways to save on auto insurance. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you are throwing money away.

• Senior Citizens – Older drivers can possibly qualify for a small decrease in premiums.
• Federal Employees – Employees or retirees of the government can earn a discount up to 10% with a few auto insurance companies.
• Passive Restraint Discount – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems can receive discounts of 20% or more.
• Anti-theft System – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
• Defensive Driver – Taking part in a course in driver safety could save 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
• Bundle and Save – If you have multiple policies with the same insurance company you could get a discount of at least 10% off all policies.
• Drive Safe and Save – Drivers who avoid accidents may save up to 50% more than drivers with accident claims.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Even though it may seem like it’s possible to get free car insurance, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.

Buying auto insurance from a local agent

Certain consumers just want to talk to a local agent and that is OK! Good agents can help determine the best coverages and help you file claims. One of the best bonuses of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain lower rates and still have an agent to talk to.

Once you complete this short form, the coverage information is sent to participating agents in College Park who will compete to get your business. You don’t have to drive around due to the fact that quote results will go to the email address you provide. How cool is that?!

Picking a company shouldn’t rely on just the bottom line cost. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:

• Do they receive special compensation for putting your coverage with one company over another?
• Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
• Is their price quote a firm figure or are their hidden costs?
• What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
• Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.

Choose an insurance agent wisely

When searching for a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different types of agents from which to choose. Insurance agencies in College Park are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive. Both types can insure your vehicles, but it’s important to know the difference between them because it can impact your agent selection.

Agency Captives

Captive agents have only one company to place business with and examples are AAA, Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual. These agents are unable to compare other company’s rates so keep that in mind. Captive agencies receive extensive training on their company’s products which can be an advantage. Consumers often choose to use a captive agent partially due to loyalty to the company and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.

Shown below are captive insurance agents in College Park who can help you get rate quotes.

• State Farm Insurance – 7307 Baltimore Ave # 110 – College Park, MD 20740 – (301) 779-0727
• Allstate Insurance – 9723 Baltimore Ave # 2 – College Park, MD 20740 – (301) 220-1400

Independent Insurance Agents

These agents are not employed by any specific company but rather can write business with many different companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, the agent simply finds a different carrier without you having to go to a different agency.

When comparing rates, it’s a good idea to include price quotes from at least one independent agent to have the most options to choose from. They also have the ability to place coverage with smaller regional carriers which may provide better rates.

Below are College Park independent agents willing to provide rate quotes.

• Mars Insurance – 7207 Baltimore Ave – College Park, MD 20740 – (301) 779-6620
• Felicia Everett Insurance Inc – 8902 Rhode Island Ave – College Park, MD 20740 – (301) 220-4111

To view a complete directory of licensed insurance agents in College Park, visit this site.

After getting satisfactory answers to your questions and an affordable coverage quote, most likely you have located an insurance agent that will adequately provide auto insurance.

But I don’t know anything about car insurance

When it comes to buying coverage for your vehicles, there is no cookie cutter policy. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.

These are some specific questions could help you determine whether your personal situation will benefit from professional help.

• What is the difference between comprehensive and collision coverage?
• Do I need higher deductibles?
• Does my personal auto insurance policy cover using my vehicle for business use?
• Is a new car covered when I drive it off the dealer lot?
• Does coverage extend to a rental car in a foreign country?
• Do no-fault laws apply in Maryland?
• Is my vehicle covered by my employer’s policy when using it for work?
• Are my tools covered if they get stolen from my vehicle?
• Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
• Is my vehicle covered for flood damage?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you know they apply to you, you might consider talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.

More Maryland auto insurance resources

More detailed Maryland auto insurance information is located at the Maryland Insurance Administration website. Maryland drivers can read state legal mandates and laws, find a variety of consumer forms, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.

Smart shoppers get results

Discount auto insurance can be found on the web and with local College Park insurance agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best selection. Some insurance providers do not offer online price quotes and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

You just learned quite a bit of information on how to compare auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more times you quote, the better chance you’ll have of finding lower rates. You may even find the lowest priced auto insurance comes from the least-expected company.

When buying insurance coverage, you should never buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where an insured cut full coverage and learned later that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.