No car owner anticipates paying for auto insurance, in particular when they are paying too much. There are many auto insurance companies to insure vehicles with, and although it’s nice to be able to choose, so many choices can make it hard to find the lowest cost provider.
It’s a good idea to do price comparisons yearly because insurance prices trend upward over time. If you had the best price for Santa Fe coverage a year ago you can probably find a better rate quote now. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate how to use online quotes to get good coverage at a lower rate.
Effectively comparing auto insurance prices can be a lot of work if you aren’t aware of the fastest way to get free quotes. You could spend your day discussing policy coverages with insurance agencies in Houston, or you can stay home and use online quotes to get pricing more quickly.
The majority of car insurance companies are enrolled in a marketplace where prospective buyers send in one quote, and every company can provide price quotes for coverage. This system prevents you from having to do quotation requests to each individual auto insurance company.
To use this form to compare rates click here (opens in new window).
The only downside to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose the insurers you will receive quotes from. So if you prefer to pick from a list of companies to compare prices, we have a listing of the cheapest auto insurance companies in Texas. Click to view list.
Take whichever approach you prefer, but compare equivalent coverages and limits with each company. If you are comparing differing limits it’s not possible to find the best deal for your Hyundai Santa Fe in Houston. Just a small difference in coverage limits may result in large price differences. And when comparing auto insurance rates, know that making a lot of price comparisons provides better odds of finding lower pricing.
Car insurance coverages for a Hyundai Santa Fe
Understanding the coverages of a auto insurance policy can help you determine appropriate coverage and proper limits and deductibles. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. These are typical coverages found on the average auto insurance policy.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
This gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants and damage to your Hyundai Santa Fe.
Due to the fact that many Texas drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 30/60/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Frequently these coverages are similar to your liability insurance amounts.
Liability coverages
This coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to people or other property by causing an accident. It consists of three limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show policy limits of 50/100/50 that translate to $50,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and a total limit of $50,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which combines the three limits into one amount with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage protects against things such as loss of income, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and funeral expenses. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Texas state law requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/25,000 but you should think about purchasing more coverage.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance provide coverage for expenses for things like EMT expenses, pain medications, dental work and X-ray expenses. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers both the driver and occupants as well as being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and may carry a deductible
Collision insurance
This pays to fix your vehicle from damage caused by collision with an object or car. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage protects against claims like colliding with a tree, scraping a guard rail and sideswiping another vehicle. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. You can also bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Comprehensive coverage
This will pay to fix damage OTHER than collision with another vehicle or object. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against claims like vandalism, a broken windshield, fire damage, falling objects and hitting a deer. The highest amount your auto insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
Additional auto insurance information is available on the Texas Department of Insurance website found here. Texas drivers can read consumer alerts, view a list of available companies, view agent and company licensing information, and find out which companies have the most complaints.
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