No one in their right mind looks forward to buying car insurance, especially when they are aware that they could find better rates elsewhere. Companies like Progressive, State Farm and GEICO increase brand awareness with ads and consumers find it hard to ignore the flashy ads and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
Decisions You Make Can Impact Your Insurance Prices
Lots of factors are used in the calculation when you get a price on insurance. Some are pretty understandable like an MVR report, but some are not as apparent like your vehicle usage or your vehicle rating.
The itemized list below are a partial list of the pieces utilized by car insurance companies to help set your prices.
- Rural vs Urban Areas – Being located in areas with lower population can save you money if you are looking for the lowest rates. City drivers regularly have more aggressive driving styles and higher rates of accident claims. Less people means a lower chance of having an accident and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
- Vehicles with better crash test results cost less to insure – Safe vehicles can get you lower premiums. Safer cars reduce the chance of injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates directly to fewer claims and thus lower rates. If your Nissan earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website or four stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website you may be receiving a better rate.
- What type of car do you drive? – The performance of the car you own makes a significant difference in determining your rates. Due to the fact that the Nissan Altima is classified as a sedan, insuring your vehicle will cost about the same than the average rate where you live in Austin. Low performance passenger models normally have pretty low rates, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
- Bundling policies can get discounts – Many insurers apply a discount to insureds that have more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. If you currently are using one company, it’s still a good idea to compare other company rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.There is a good possibility that you can save even more than the discount by buying car insurance from a different company.
- Rates increase with driving citations – A bad driving record can have a huge impact on auto insurance premiums. Drivers who don’t get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than bad drivers. Having a single citation may increase your cost by twenty percent. Drivers with serious violations such as DUI or reckless driving are required to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to legally drive a vehicle.
- Discounts for married drivers – Walking down the aisle helps lower the price on your car insurance policy. Marriage is viewed as being more responsible and insurance companies like that drivers who are married file infrequent claims.
Discounts for lower-cost car insurance rates
Auto insurance companies do not advertise their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the list below gives a summary of some of the best known and also the lesser-known credits available to bring down your rates.
- Early Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of monthly or quarterly installments you can avoid the installment charge.
- College Student Discount – who attend college more than 100 miles from home and do not take a car to college may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Options like air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may get savings of 20% or more.
- E-sign Discounts
- Accident Forgiveness – Not necessarily a discount, but a handful of insurance companies will turn a blind eye to one accident before hitting you with a surcharge if you are claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Driver Training Discounts – Taking time to complete a course in defensive driving can save you 5% or more if your company offers it.
- Senior Citizen Rates – Seniors could receive better car insurance rates for Altima insurance.
- Active Military Service – Being on active duty in the military could trigger a small discount.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars and trucks that have anti-lock braking systems can reduce accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Having multiple cars or trucks on the same car insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
It’s important to note that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it just doesn’t work that way.
If you would like to see a list of insurers with the best discounts in Austin, click here to view.
Independent versus captive auto insurance agents
Some people just want to buy from a local agent and that is a smart decision Licensed agents can answer important questions and help submit paperwork. An additional benefit of comparing rate quotes online is that you can find cheap rate quotes and still have a local agent. And providing support for small agencies is especially important in Austin.
Upon completion of this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is submitted to insurance agents in Austin that can give you for your coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to drive around as quotes are delivered immediately to you. If for some reason you want to quote rates from a specific company, you would need to jump over to their website and fill out their quote form.
If you want to view licensed agents near you, please click for a complete selection of car insurance providers in Austin.
Finding the right provider requires you to look at more than just the premium amount. Get answers to these questions too.
- Will vehicle repairs be made with aftermarket parts or OEM replacement parts?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in Austin?
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- Do they prorate repair cost based on vehicle mileage?
More consumer information in Texas
Much more information about car insurance in Texas can be read on the Texas Department of Insurance website. Click here for link. Visitors are able to get help finding coverage, learn about insurance regulations, and view a list of available companies.
The following information may also be useful.
Keep this in mind
Affordable Nissan Altima insurance is possible from both online companies in addition to many Austin insurance agents, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies don’t offer rate quotes online and these small, regional companies prefer to sell through independent agents.
While you’re price shopping online, never buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage only to regret at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your strategy should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.
In this article, we covered some good ideas how to get a better price on Nissan Altima insurance. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even discover the best price on car insurance is with a small mutual company. They may only write in your state and offer lower rates compared to the large companies like State Farm or Progressive.