How to Compare Tampa Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Insurance

It’s safe to conclude that auto insurance companies want to keep you from shopping around. Insureds who shop around for cheaper prices are highly likely to switch companies because they have a good chance of finding a lower-priced policy. A recent survey discovered that consumers who faithfully checked for cheaper rates saved an average of $72 a month compared to policyholders who don’t regularly compare prices.

If finding the cheapest rates on car insurance is your ultimate objective, knowing how to quote and compare auto insurance can help simplify the task of finding more affordable coverage.

If you want to save money, the best way to find discount Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG insurance is to do a yearly price comparison from insurers in Tampa.

First, gain an understanding of how companies price auto insurance and the modifications you can make to prevent expensive coverage. Many rating criteria that result in higher rates like accidents, traffic violations, and a low credit rating can be rectified by being financially responsible and driving safely.

Second, compare rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive and direct companies can provide rates from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes from multiple insurance companies.

Third, compare the new rate quotes to your existing coverage and determine if there is any savings. If you can save some money, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.

Fourth, give proper notification to your current agent or company of your intent to cancel the current policy. Submit the signed application along with the required initial payment to the new company. Once coverage is bound, safely store the proof of insurance certificate along with your vehicle registration.

One thing to point out is to compare the same amount of coverage on every quote request and and to analyze every company you can. This ensures an accurate price comparison and a thorough price selection.

If you have a policy now or just want cheaper rates, you can use these techniques to buy cheaper car insurance and still have adequate protection. Choosing the best rates in Tampa is much easier if you know where to start. You only need an understanding of the proper way to get comparison rates online.

Most companies provide price estimates on their websites. Doing online price comparisons for Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG insurance in Tampa is possible for anyone as all you need to do is type in the coverage amounts you desire as detailed in the form. Upon sending the form, the system makes automated requests for your driving record and credit report and gives you a price quote determined by many factors. This simplifies rate comparisons, and it’s also necessary to compare as many rates as possible if you want to find the most affordable premium possible.

To find out what other companies charge, compare quotes from the companies shown below. If you currently have coverage, we recommend you input the coverage information just like they are on your policy. Doing this guarantees you will receive a rate comparison based on identical coverages.

The companies shown below offer comparison quotes in Tampa, FL. If you want cheaper auto insurance in Tampa, FL, we recommend you visit as many as you can to get a more complete price comparison.

Insurance is not optional but you don’t have to overpay

Despite the potentially high cost of Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG insurance, buying insurance serves a purpose in several ways.

• Most states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means the state requires specific minimum amounts of liability insurance in order to get the vehicle licensed. In Florida these limits are 10/20/10 which means you must have $10,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $20,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 of property damage coverage.
• If you took out a loan on your Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, more than likely the lender will require you to have full coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If the policy lapses, the bank may insure your Mercedes-Benz at a much higher premium rate and require you to pay for the much more expensive policy.
• Insurance protects both your assets and your vehicle. It will also pay for all forms of medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. Liability insurance also pays expenses related to your legal defense in the event you are sued. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to have it repaired.

The benefits of carrying adequate insurance greatly outweigh the cost, especially for larger claims. According to a recent study, the average American driver is wasting up to $830 a year so compare rate quotes at every policy renewal to save money.

Affordable Tampa insurance rates with discounts

Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may qualify for discounts that may help make it more affordable. Many discounts should be triggered at quote time, but a few need to be requested specifically before being credited.

• Good Students Pay Less – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last up to age 25.
• Passive Restraints – Options like air bags or motorized seat belts can receive discounts as much as 30%.
• Paper-free Discount – A handful of insurance companies provide a small discount for completing your application on the internet.
• Own a Home and Save – Being a homeowner can help you save on insurance because owning a home demonstrates responsibility.
• Claim Free – Good drivers with no accidents are rewarded with significantly better rates on Tampa auto insurance quote in comparison with accident-prone drivers.
• Early Signing – Some insurance companies give discounts for buying a new policy prior to the expiration date on your current SLS AMG insurance policy. The savings is around 10%.
• College Student – Older children living away from Tampa attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may qualify for this discount.
• Student Driver Training – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers enroll in driver’s education as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
• Save with a New Car – Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% since new model year vehicles have better safety ratings.
• No Charge for an Accident – Not really a discount, but some companies like Allstate and Progressive will let one accident slide without getting socked with a rate hike if you are claim-free for a specific time period.

A little disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like physical damage coverage or medical payments. Despite the appearance that you can get free auto insurance, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will help lower the cost of coverage.

A list of insurance companies and their possible discounts include:

• Farm Bureau may have discounts that include good student, safe driver, 55 and retired, renewal discount, youthful driver, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy.
• MetLife may include discounts for claim-free, good driver, accident-free, good student, multi-policy, defensive driver
• Progressive offers premium reductions for multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online signing, multi-policy, homeowner, online quote discount, and good student.
• AAA offers discounts for good driver, AAA membership discount, good student, multi-car, and multi-policy.
• American Family offers discounts including Steer into Savings, early bird, mySafetyValet, good student, and accident-free.
• GEICO discounts include membership and employees, military active duty, anti-lock brakes, driver training, anti-theft, multi-policy, and defensive driver.
• State Farm has savings for student away at school, Steer Clear safe driver discount, Drive Safe & Save, anti-theft, safe vehicle, multiple policy, and driver’s education.

If you want cheaper Tampa auto insurance quotes, ask all the companies which discounts you may be entitled to. Savings may not be available in your area. If you would like to see a list of insurance companies that offer the discounts shown above in Tampa, click here.

Insurance agent or online?

Some people prefer to go talk to an agent and often times that is recommended Good agents can help you choose the best coverages and help submit paperwork. One of the benefits of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find better rates and still choose a local agent.

To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), your coverage information is transmitted to participating agents in Tampa that provide free Tampa auto insurance quotes for your coverage. There is no reason to find an agent on your own since rate quotes are delivered instantly to you. If you need to quote rates from a particular provider, just jump over to their website to submit a rate quote request.

Deciding on a company requires more thought than just the premium amount. These are some questions you should get answers to.

• Will a damage claim use OEM or aftermarket replacement parts?
• Will high miles depreciate repair valuations?
• How long have they been in business?
• How long have they worked with personal auto insurance coverage?
• How does the company pay claims for a total loss?
• How are they compensated?

Choose the right car insurance agent

When researching a reliable insurance agent, you need to know there are two types of insurance agents and how they can quote your rates. Agents in Tampa can either be exclusive or independent. Either one can sell car insurance policies, but it is a good idea to know how they are different because it may have an impact on buying decisions.

Exclusive Agents

Agents that elect to be exclusive can only write with one company and examples are State Farm, AAA, Farmers Insurance or Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot compare rates from other companies so always compare other rates. Exclusive agencies are well schooled on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents.

Listed below are Tampa exclusive insurance agents that can give you price quotes.

View more Tampa agents

Independent Car Insurance Agents

These type of agents do not sell for just one brand and that enables them to quote your coverage through many companies and find you the best rates. To transfer your coverage to a different company, the business is moved internally and you don’t have to switch agencies.

If you need cheaper car insurance rates, it’s a good idea to get several quotes from independent agents to get the best comparison.

Shown below is a short list of independent agencies in Tampa that are able to give price quotes.

View more Tampa agents

Tampa auto insurance companies ranked

Choosing the highest-rated car insurance company can be difficult considering how many companies there are to choose from in Florida. The company ratings shown below could help you decide which auto insurance companies to look at when comparing rates.

Top 10 Tampa Car Insurance Companies Overall

1. Travelers
2. USAA
3. Mercury Insurance
4. AAA Insurance
5. Nationwide
6. Allstate
7. State Farm
8. The Hartford
9. Safeco Insurance
10. Progressive

Situations that may require an agent’s advice

When it comes to choosing insurance from an agent or online, there isn’t really a “best” method to buy coverage. Every insured’s situation is different.

For instance, these questions can aid in determining whether or not you might need professional guidance.

• What is the premium to book value ratio for dropping full coverage?
• Is my teen driver covered when they drive my company car?
• Is my camper covered by my car insurance policy?
• Am I covered if I hit my neighbor’s mailbox?
• Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
• What can I do if my company won’t pay a claim?
• Is my Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG covered if I use it for business?
• Am I covered if I hit a deer?

If you’re not sure about those questions, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form. It is quick, free and can help protect your family.

Auto insurance coverage breakdown

Having a good grasp of auto insurance helps when choosing the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Collision coverage – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with an object or car. You will need to pay your deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as driving through your garage door, backing into a parked car, sideswiping another vehicle, scraping a guard rail and colliding with a tree. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. Another option is to choose a higher deductible on your SLS AMG in order to get cheaper collision rates.

Coverage for uninsured or underinsured drivers – This coverage protects you and your vehicle from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and damage to your Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Due to the fact that many Florida drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (Florida limits are 10/20/10), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.

Coverage for medical expenses – Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills for prosthetic devices, EMT expenses, nursing services, surgery and doctor visits. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. It covers both the driver and occupants in addition to any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available and may carry a deductible

Liability coverages – Liability coverage provides protection from damage that occurs to people or other property in an accident. Liability coverage has three limits: per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You commonly see values of 10/20/10 which stand for $10,000 bodily injury coverage, $20,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $10,000 for damage to vehicles and property.

Liability coverage protects against things such as structural damage, medical services, emergency aid and medical expenses. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. Florida requires drivers to carry at least 10/20/10 but it’s recommended drivers buy more liability than the minimum.

The illustration below shows why low liability limits may not be high enough to cover claims.

Comprehensive auto insurance – Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as theft, damage from flooding, fire damage and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum payout you’ll receive from a claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s not worth carrying full coverage.

More quotes mean more insurance savings

Drivers who switch companies do it for many reasons like delays in responding to claim requests, high prices, denial of a claim or even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. No matter why you want to switch, switching insurance companies is easier than you think.

Lower-priced Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG insurance in Tampa can be sourced both online and also from your neighborhood Tampa agents, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance providers may not provide rate quotes online and most of the time these smaller companies work with independent agents.

We just presented quite a bit of information on how to find lower-cost Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG insurance in Tampa. It’s most important to understand that the more you quote Tampa auto insurance, the higher your chance of finding the cheapest Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG rate quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest rates come from some of the lesser-known companies.

Other articles

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• How Much is Auto Insurance for a Honda Civic in Tampa? (FAQ)
• Reducing Your Risks in a Car Crash Video (iihs.org)
• Car Insurance for Teen Drivers with Divorced Parents (Allstate)
• Safe Vehicles for Teens (iihs.org)