Pricey car insurance can dry up your bank account and possibly require postponing other expenditures. Comparison shopping is free, only takes a few minutes, and is a good way to lower your monthly bill.
Insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO and Farmers Insurance all claim big savings, bombarding you with advertising and it can be hard to ignore the promise of big savings and find the best price available.
It’s a great practice to shop coverage around once or twice a year because car insurance prices go up and down regularly. Just because you found the best rates for 500 insurance a year ago there may be better deals available now. You can find a lot of misleading information regarding car insurance online, but you can learn some proven techniques to lower your car insurance premiums.
There are several ways you can shop for car insurance and some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can spend your afternoon talking about coverages with insurance agencies in Fort Worth, or you can stay home and use the web to get rates in a matter of minutes.
Many companies belong to an insurance system where prospective buyers submit one quote, and every company returns a rated price based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do quote requests to every company.
To compare rates now click here (opens in new window).
The only downside to comparing rates this way is you are unable to specify the insurers to get quotes from. So if you want to choose from a list of companies to compare prices, we put together a list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Texas. Click here to view list.
Take whichever approach you prefer, but ensure you’re using identical deductibles and coverage limits for every quote you compare. If each company quotes different values for each quote it will be impossible to make a fair comparison for your Fiat 500 in Fort Worth.
More affordable rates with these discounts
Some insurance providers don’t list every available discount very clearly, so the list below contains a few of the more common and the harder-to-find credits available to you.
- Cautious Driver Discount – Insureds without accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates for 500 insurance compared to rates paid by drivers with frequent claims.
- Accident Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories are rewarded with significantly better rates on in comparison to drivers with a long claim history.
- Fort Worth Homeowners Pay Less – Just being a homeowner may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house is proof that your finances are in order.
- Save with More Vehicles Insured – Insuring multiple vehicles with the same company can reduce rates for all insured vehicles.
- 55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a discount up to 10% for 500 insurance.
- College Student – College-age children who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from home and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Sign Online – A few larger online companies may give you up to $50 for completing your application online.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time rather than paying monthly you could save up to 5%.
- Student Driver Training – Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to enroll in driver’s education in high school.
- Defensive Driver – Taking time to complete a driver safety class is a good idea and can lower rates depending on where you live.
Drivers should understand that some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. Most only apply to individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So when the math indicates it’s possible to get free car insurance, you aren’t that lucky.
Companies and their offered discounts are:
- Mercury Insurance offers discounts including annual mileage, age of vehicle, professional/association, multi-car, accident-free, good student, and ease of repair.
- Farmers Insurance has savings for electronic funds transfer, pay in full, early shopping, alternative fuel, teen driver, multi-car, and switch companies.
- Farm Bureau includes discounts for multi-vehicle, renewal discount, 55 and retired, multi-policy, good student, and safe driver.
- State Farm has discounts for good driver, passive restraint, multiple autos, Drive Safe & Save, student away at school, safe vehicle, and good student.
- Allstate may offer discounts for senior citizen, EZ pay plan discount, teenSMART discount, new car, anti-lock brakes, FullPay discount, and good payer.
- GEICO offers discounts for five-year accident-free, anti-lock brakes, seat belt use, federal employee, driver training, anti-theft, and defensive driver.
When getting a coverage quote, ask each insurance company how you can save money. Savings may not apply to policyholders in Fort Worth.
Fiat 500 Insurance Rate Factors
Smart consumers have a good feel for a few of the rating criteria that help calculate your car insurance rates. If you have a feel for what controls the rates you pay, this enables informed choices that may result in lower premium levels. Lots of things are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. A few of the factors are predictable like your driving record, although some other factors are not quite as obvious such as your marital status or how financially stable you are.
- Prevent theft and save money – Purchasing a vehicle that has an advanced theft prevention system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention devices such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can help prevent car theft and help bring rates down.
- Pay less with a high NHTSA crash test rating – Safe vehicles tend to have better insurance rates. The safest vehicles help reduce the chance of injuries in an accident and better occupant protection means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates. If your Fiat 500 is rated at a minimum an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you are probably receiving a discount.
- The type of car makes a difference – The make and model of the car, truck or SUV you are buying insurance for makes a significant difference in your premium level. The lowest rates are generally reserved for lower performance four cylinder passenger vehicles, but your final cost has many other factors. Since the Fiat 500 is a passenger car, rates will be similar in price or lower when compared to the average rates in Fort Worth.
- Driving citations are costly – Drivers who don’t get tickets tend to pay less for car insurance than people who have multiple driving citations. Having a single speeding ticket may cause rates to rise by as much as thirty percent. Drivers who have careless tickets like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may be required to file a SR-22 with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.
- With age comes responsibility – Drivers with little experience are known to get distracted easily when at the wheel of a vehicle so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older, more experienced drivers are proven to be safer behind the wheel, tend to file fewer claims , and usually have better credit.
More detailed Texas car insurance information is located at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to read industry bulletins, find out industry alerts, and get help finding coverage.
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Smaller companies may have the best rates
Texas consumers can’t escape the ads that claim the lowest rates from companies such as 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads seem to make the promise that people will save if you change your car insurance coverage to their company.
How does each company offer drivers better rates? Just pay attention to how they say it.
Companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that will not have excessive claims. An example of this type of driver may be over the age of 45, has a low-risk occupation, and has great credit. Any driver who matches that profile will probably get the lowest auto insurance rates and will most likely save money with a new company.
Consumers who don’t meet these criteria will have to pay more expensive rates which usually ends up with the customer not buying. The trick is to say “drivers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. This is how insurance companies can confidently lure you into getting a quote. This emphasizes why you really need to compare as many as you can. It is impossible to predict the company that will be your best fit.
Lower rates by being persistent
Some car insurance companies may not offer the ability to get a quote online smaller providers prefer to sell through independent insurance agents. More affordable car insurance can be sourced online and also from your neighborhood Fort Worth agents, and you need to comparison shop both to have the best selection.
When getting , make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.