Tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to insure your Mercedes-Benz every month? Your situation is no different than the majority of other people. People have many auto insurance companies to choose from, and though it is a good thing to have a choice, it makes it harder to find the best rates for your vehicles.
Finding the best rates is not rocket science. If you have a current auto insurance policy or are shopping for new coverage, you can use this information to shop for the lowest rates and possibly find even better coverage. Drivers just need to learn the best way to get comparison quotes online.
Smart Buyers Can Cut Insurance Costs
When buying auto insurance it’s important to understand the different types of things that help calculate the rates you pay for auto insurance. When you understand what determines premiums, this allows you to make good choices that could result in lower rates.
- Do you know you’re credit history? – An insured’s credit history can be an important factor in determining premium rates. So if your credit is lower than you’d like, you may save money insuring your Mercedes-Benz 350SDL by repairing your credit. Insureds with excellent credit scores tend to file fewer claims than those with lower credit scores.
- Safer vehicles are cheaper to insure – Safe vehicles tend to have lower insurance rates. Vehicles engineered for safety reduce the chance of injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
- Insurance companies don’t like frequent insurance claims – If you tend to file frequent claims, you can look forward to either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Car insurance companies give better rates to people who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. Your car insurance is meant to be used in the event of the large, substantial claims.
- Don’t get traffic citations – Drivers who don’t get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Even a single driving citation may increase your cost by as much as twenty percent. Drivers who have received dangerous citations such as reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to submit a SR-22 form with their state in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
- Insurance rates are higher for high performance vehicles – The performance of the car you own makes a big difference in the rate you pay. The cheapest rates are for lower cost passenger vehicles, but many other things help determine your insurance rates. Since the Mercedes-Benz 350SDL falls in the luxury sedan class, insuring your vehicle will cost more as compared to the average rate.
- Where you reside – Residing in a rural area is a positive aspect when trying to find low car insurance rates. Fewer drivers corresponds to lower accident rates as well as less vandalism and auto theft. People in densly populated areas tend to have much more traffic and longer commute times. More time on the road translates into higher accident risk.
Auto insurance discounts are available to cut your rates
Some insurance providers don’t list their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of both the well known in addition to some of the lesser obvious discounts that you may qualify for.
- Discounts for Federal Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government could provide a small rate reduction for 350SDL coverage with select insurance companies.
- Air Bags and Passive Restraints – Factory options such as air bags or motorized seat belts may earn rate discounts of more than 20%.
- Membership in Organizations – Participating in a professional or civic organization could qualify you for a break on your next auto insurance statement.
- Safety Course Discount – Taking part in a course that instructs on driving safety could cut 5% off your bill and also improve your driving technique.
- Driving Data Discount – Drivers who agree to allow their auto insurance company to analyze when and where they use their vehicle by using a telematics device such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system might get better premium rates if they exhibit good driving behavior.
- Safe Driver Discount – Insureds without accidents can pay as much as 50% less for 350SDL coverage than drivers with accidents.
- Low Mileage – Driving less may enable drivers to earn lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
As a footnote on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most only cut specific coverage prices like collision or personal injury protection. Just because it seems like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you aren’t that lucky. But any discount should help reduce your overall bill.
A few companies who may offer some of the above discounts include:
If you need , ask every company which discounts can lower your rates. Depending on the company, some discounts may not be offered in your area. For a list of insurers who offer free auto insurance quotes, click here.
Truth in auto insurance advertising
Consumers can’t avoid all the ads that claim the cheapest premium rates from companies such as Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all seem to make the same claim that you’ll save big if you change your coverage to them.
But how can every company give you a lower rate? You have to listen carefully.
Auto insurance companies provide the lowest rates for the type of driver that will most likely be profitable. For example, this type of driver might have to be between the ages of 30 and 50, has never had a policy lapse, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer who matches that profile will qualify for the lowest premium rates and is almost guaranteed to save quite a bit of money when switching.
Insureds who cannot meet the requirements may receive higher premiums which translates to business not being written. If you pay attention, the ads say “people that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save money. This is how companies can truthfully claim big savings. That is why drivers must compare many company’s prices. It’s impossible to know with any certainty which company will have the best premium rates at this point in time.
You can find cheaper coverage
Low-cost Mercedes-Benz 350SDL insurance can be sourced from both online companies and from local agencies, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance providers may not provide online price quotes and most of the time these smaller companies prefer to sell through independent agents.
When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, someone dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret at claim time they didn’t have enough coverage. The ultimate goal is to find the BEST coverage at the best cost, but do not skimp to save money.
