Are you tired of sacrificing other expenses to pay auto insurance each month? Your situation is no different than the majority of other vehicle owners in Texas. Due to the fact that there are so many online and local companies to choose from, it’s difficult to find the lowest cost auto insurance company.
It’s a good habit to quote other rates every six months since prices are constantly changing. Just because you found the best rate for Escape coverage a couple years back you can probably find a lower rate today. Don’t believe everything you read about auto insurance on the internet, but I’m going to show you some solid techniques on how to stop overpaying for insurance.
You Can Change Your Insurance Rates
An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that come into play when calculating auto insurance rates. If you have some idea of what determines premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that can help you get better auto insurance rates. Many different elements are used when you get your auto insurance bill. Some are obvious like an MVR report, but other factors are not quite as obvious like your continuous coverage or your vehicle rating.
- Liability is cheap – Your policy’s liability coverage will provide protection if ever you are determined to be liable for physical damage or personal injury to other. Liability insurance provides legal defense to defend your case. Liability insurance is pretty cheap compared to physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Maintain auto insurance coverage – Driving your car without having proper coverage is not a good idea and you will pay a penalty because you let your insurance expire. In addition to paying higher rates, the inability to provide proof of insurance might get you fines or a revoked license. You may then be required to prove you have insurance by filing a SR-22 with the Texas DMV.
- Safer vehicles save money – Vehicles with high crash test scores tend to have better insurance rates. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and lower rates of occupant injuries means less claims paid passed on to you as lower rates. If your Ford Escape is rated at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you may qualify for a discount.
- Get better rates if married – Having a significant other helps lower the price compared to being single. Marriage means you’re more financially stable and insurance companies like that drivers who are married are more cautious.
- Impacts performance impacts rates – The make and model of the car you are buying insurance for makes a big difference in your premium level. The cheapest insurance rates are usually found on the lowest performance passenger cars, but your final cost has many other factors. Due to the fact that the Ford Escape is classified as a crossover, rates will be slightly more compared to average rates in Houston.
To find the best auto insurance prices, there are several ways of comparing rates from local Houston auto insurance companies. The fastest way to compare rates consists of shopping online. This can be done by using one of the methods below.
- If you are pressed for time, the simplest way to get quotes for comparison would be an industry-wide quote request form (click to open form in new window). This type of form saves time by eliminating separate quotation requests for every auto insurance company. One simple form will return quotes instantly.
- A harder way to shop for auto insurance online requires visiting each individual company website and complete a new quote form. For sake of this example, we’ll assume you are doing a rate comparison from Nationwide, State Farm and GMAC. In order to get each rate, you would have to visit each site and repeatedly type in your coverage information, and that’s why the first method is more popular. To view a list of companies in Houston, click here.
Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using identical coverages and limits for each quote you get. If the quotes have differing limits it will be very difficult to determine which company has the best rates in Houston. Even a minor difference in insurance coverages can make a big difference in price. Just remember that having more price comparisons will improve the odds of getting a lower rate. Not every company allows you to get prices over the internet, so you also need to get prices from those companies as well.
Discount Houston auto insurance rates
Buying auto insurance is not cheap, but you might already qualify for some discounts that could drop your premiums quite a bit. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied when you get a quote, but some must be requested specifically in order for you to get them.
- Discount for Life Insurance – Auto insurance companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy life insurance from them.
- Discount for Good Grades – This discount may save as much as 25% on a . The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
- Seat Belts Save – Drivers who require all occupants to fasten their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks off the medical payments premium.
- Data Collection Discounts – People who choose to allow their insurance company to spy on their driving habits by using a telematics device in their vehicle like In-Drive from State Farm and Progressive’s Snapshot could possibly reduce rates if they show good driving skills.
- Drivers Education – Cut your cost by having your teen driver participate in a local driver’s education class if it’s offered in school.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles could earn cheaper rates.
- Discount for Swiching Early – Some larger companies provide a discount for buying a policy early. This can save 10% or more.
As a footnote on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.
Car insurance companies that may have many of the previously listed discounts include:
When quoting, ask all companies you are considering how you can save money. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be available to policyholders in every state. If you would like to choose from a list of insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Houston, follow this link.
Additional auto insurance information can be found on the Texas Department of Insurance website through this link. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, read consumer alerts, and view a list of available companies.
The articles below may also help you learn more about auto insurance in Houston
- Secret Techniques for Buying Houston Texas Car Insurance for Less Money
- Find the Secrets to Saving Money on Houston Texas Auto Insurance
Leave no stone unturned
We just showed you many ways to lower your Ford Escape insurance premium rates. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. You may even find the best premium rates are with the smaller companies. Smaller companies may only write in your state and offer lower prices than their larger competitors like State Farm or Progressive.
As you , do not buy lower coverage limits just to save a few bucks. There are a lot of situations where someone dropped full coverage only to discover later that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best cost, but do not skimp to save money.
Some insurance companies may not offer internet price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through independent agencies. Budget-conscious Ford Escape insurance is attainable both online and from local insurance agents, so you need to compare both in order to have the best price selection to choose from.