Having to pay for high-priced car insurance can drain your budget and force you to make sacrifices. Shopping your coverage around is recommended to lower your monthly bill.
There is such a variety of insurance companies to choose from, and although it’s a good thing to be able to choose, it can be more difficult to find the best rates.
You need to quote other rates occasionally due to the fact that insurance prices fluctuate regularly. If you had the best deal on Cooper insurance on your last policy other companies may now be cheaper. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the things you must know in order to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
Getting a low cost price on insurance can be surprisingly simple. Drivers just need to take the time to compare rate quotes to find the company with . This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.
- One of the simplest ways to find low rates would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This easy form keeps you from doing repetitive form submissions for each company you want a rate for. One form submission will get you price quotes direct from many companies.
- A different way to shop for car insurance online is to take the time to go to the website of each company to request a price quote. For examples sake, let’s assume you want to compare prices for Farmers, State Farm and Liberty Mutual. To find out each rate you need to go to each individual site to enter the same coverage data repeatedly, which can take a lot of time. For a list of companies in Houston, click here.
- The hardest method to compare price quotes is calling or driving to insurance agents’ offices. Doing it all online eliminates this option unless you have a complicated situation and need the trained guidance that you can only get from talking to an agent. If you prefer, some companies allow you to get prices online and get advice from an agent in your area.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just be sure to compare the exact same coverage limits and deductibles with each company. If the quotes have different limits and deductibles on each one it’s impossible to get a fair rate comparison in Houston.
Car insurance policy discounts you can’t miss
Car insurance is not cheap nor is it fun to buy but companies offer discounts that you may not know about. Some trigger automatically at quote time, but some need to be specially asked for prior to receiving the credit.
- Discount for Low Mileage – Keeping the miles down on your Mini can qualify you for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Payment Discounts – By making one initial payment instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.
- Air Bag Discount – Vehicles equipped with air bags may get savings of 25 to 30%.
- Theft Deterent System – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices help deter theft so companies will give you a small discount.
- Discount for New Cars – Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper because newer vehicles are generally safer.
- Club Memberships – Affiliation with a professional or civic organization may earn a discount on your bill.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Being a homeowner can get you a discount because of the fact that having a home shows financial diligence.
- Good Students Pay Less – Being a good student can save 20 to 25%. You can use this discount normally up until you turn 25.
- No Claim Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims can earn big discounts as compared to frequent claim filers.
- Federal Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% on Cooper insurance with some car insurance companies.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So when it seems like you could get a free car insurance policy, you’re out of luck. But any discount will reduce your policy premium.
Large car insurance companies and their possible discounts are detailed below.
- Progressive offers discounts including good student, continuous coverage, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, online signing, and homeowner.
- The Hartford policyholders can earn discounts including vehicle fuel type, air bag, driver training, good student, bundle, and defensive driver.
- Mercury Insurance has savings for age of vehicle, multi-car, ease of repair, location of vehicle, low natural disaster claims, and multi-policy.
- GEICO offers discounts for five-year accident-free, air bags, daytime running lights, good student, military active duty, and emergency military deployment.
- AAA discounts include AAA membership discount, good driver, good student, pay-in-full, multi-car, and anti-theft.
- State Farm may include discounts for multiple policy, accident-free, defensive driving training, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, passive restraint, and multiple autos.
It’s a good idea to ask every company what discounts are available to you. Some credits may not apply to policies in Houston. If you would like to choose from a list of providers that offer many of these discounts in Houston, follow this link.
Car insurance is available from local insurance agents
Certain consumers just prefer to buy from a local agent and that is just fine! Agents can help you choose the best coverages and help file insurance claims. The biggest benefit of comparing rate quotes online is you can get cheap car insurance rates and also buy local. Buying from local insurance agencies is important especially in Houston.
Upon completion of this simple form, the quote information gets sent to agents in your area that provide for your insurance coverage. There is no need to contact any agents because quoted prices will be sent directly to your email. If you wish to compare rates from a specific insurance company, you would need to go to their quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.
When looking for a reliable insurance agency, there are two types of insurance agents and how they operate. Agents in Houston are either captive agents or independent agents. Either one can handle car insurance, but it’s a good idea to understand the difference in how they write coverage since it could factor into which agent you choose.
Independent Car Insurance Agencies
These type of agents are not employed by one company and that is an advantage because they can write policies with many different companies and find the cheapest rate. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to do anything.
When comparing car insurance rates, we recommend you get quotes from at least one independent agent for maximum quote selection.
Captive Insurance Agencies
Captive agencies work for only one company and some examples include Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. Captive agents cannot compare rates from other companies so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. Captive agencies are highly trained on sales techniques which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates.
Finding a good auto insurance agent requires you to look at more than just a low price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- How much experience to they have in personal lines coverages?
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- Does the agent have a valid license to sell insurance in Texas?
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Does the agent help file claims?
Car insurance can be complex
When it comes to choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there is no “best” method to buy coverage. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs so your insurance needs to address that. These are some specific questions might point out if your situation might need professional guidance.
- Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
- Do I get a pro-rated refund if I cancel my policy early?
- What are the best liability limits?
- I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
- Is my dog or cat covered if injured in an accident?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, then you may want to think about talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It’s fast, free and may give you better protection.
Additional information is located on the . Click here for link. Texas consumers can find disaster information, find a variety of consumer forms, read state legal mandates and laws, and report car insurance fraud.
The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Houston
- Car Insurance in Houston Texas 5 Tricks to Lower Rates
- Lowest Prices from Houston Car Insurance Agents
- Easily Find an Insurance Agent in Houston
Persistence pays off
We covered quite a bit of information on how to save on Mini Cooper insurance. The key concept to understand is the more rate comparisons you have, the better likelihood of getting . Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from a small mutual company. Smaller companies often have lower auto insurance rates on specific markets compared to the large companies like Progressive or GEICO.
Cheaper Mini Cooper insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Houston, and you need to price shop both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance providers may not provide internet price quotes and these smaller companies only sell through independent agents.