Locating better insurance prices for a Chevy Suburban 1500 in Texas can be an all-consuming task, but you can follow our auto insurance buying tips and make it easy.
There is a right way and a wrong way to buy auto insurance so you’re going to learn the best way to get price quotes for your Chevy and get the best price possible.
It’s a good habit to quote other rates periodically because rates fluctuate regularly. If you had the best premium rates on Suburban insurance a few years ago other companies may now be cheaper. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about auto insurance because you’re about to learn the things you must know in order to save money, get proper deductibles and limits, all at the lowest rate.
Four Tips to Get Cheaper Houston Insurance Prices
Multiple criteria are used in the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Most are fairly basic like a motor vehicle report, but others are more transparent like where you live or your commute time.
- Buy a safe car and pay less – Safer cars are cheaper to insure. These vehicles reduce occupant injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates directly to fewer claims which can result in lower premiums. If your Chevy Suburban 1500 has at least four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you may be receiving a better rate.
- Claim-free discounts can add up – Auto insurance companies in Texas generally give lower rates to drivers who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can definitely plan on higher rates. Insurance coverage is intended to be relied upon for claims that pose a financial burden.
- High premiums for teen drivers – Young drivers in Texas have been known to be more careless when driving with friends so auto insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to file fewer claims , and usually have better credit.
- Protect yourself with liability protection – Liability coverage will protect you if you are found liable for damages from an accident. Your policy’s liability insurance provides you with a defense in court to attempt to prove you were not liable. This coverage is very inexpensive when compared with rates for comp and collision, so buy as much as you can afford.
Discounts can really help to save
Companies that sell car insurance don’t always advertise every discount they offer very well, so the list below contains a few of the more well known and the harder-to-find credits that may apply to you.
- Early Signing – A few companies give discounts for buying a policy early. The savings is around 10%.
- No Charge for an Accident – This one isn’t a discount, but companies like Allstate, State Farm and GEICO will allow you to have one accident without getting socked with a rate hike so long as you haven’t had any claims prior to the accident.
- Distant Student Discount – Children who live away from home at college and do not have access to a covered vehicle could get you a discount.
- Auto/Home Discount – If you combine your auto and homeowners policies with the same insurance company you may earn 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Theft Deterent – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles help deter theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Responsible Driver Discount – Accident-free drivers may save up to 50% more on Suburban insurance than drivers with accident claims.
- Discount for Good Grades – Excelling in school can get you a discount of up to 25%. The good student discount can last well after school through age 25.
- Telematics Data Discounts – Insureds who allow data collection to track when and where they use their vehicle by using a small device installed in their vehicle such as State Farm’s In-Drive could see a rate decrease if they exhibit good driving behavior.
- Multi-line Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
As a footnote on discounts, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Just because it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way.
A list of auto insurance companies and their offered discounts are outlined below.
- 21st Century may offer discounts for driver training, automatic seat belts, teen driver, homeowners, good student, theft prevention, and 55 and older.
- State Farm may have discounts that include good student, good driver, driver’s education, defensive driving training, passive restraint, multiple policy, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
- AAA has savings for education and occupation, good student, pay-in-full, AAA membership discount, and multi-policy.
- Liberty Mutual may include discounts for teen driver discount, preferred payment discount, good student, new graduate, multi-car, and new vehicle discount.
- Progressive offers discounts including multi-policy, continuous coverage, online quote discount, good student, and multi-vehicle.
If you want , ask each company the best way to save money. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not apply in Houston. To locate companies that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Texas, click here to view.
Insurance agencies near you
A small number of people would rather have an agent’s advice and that is OK! Professional insurance agents can help you choose the best coverages and will help you if you have claims. One of the benefits of getting free rate quotes online is that you can obtain the lowest rates and still have a local agent. Buying insurance from local agents is important especially in Houston.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your information is transmitted to local insurance agents who will give competitive quotes for your auto insurance coverage. There is no reason to leave your computer since price quotes are sent to your email. In the event you want to compare prices from a particular provider, you can always visit that company’s website and complete a quote there.
When researching a good Houston insurance agent, you need to know there are two different types of agents and how they are slightly different. Auto insurance agents in Houston can be classified as either independent or captive depending on the company they work for. Either one can write auto insurance policies, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them since it can affect which agent you choose.
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies or Brokers
These agents often have many company appointments so they can insure your vehicles through many different auto insurance companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply switch companies in-house and you don’t have to do anything.
If you are comparing rate quotes, you will want to include multiple independent agents to maximize your price options. Most can insure with smaller mutual companies that may have much lower rates than larger companies.
Captive Auto Insurance Agencies
These type of agents generally can only insure with one company such as Farmers Insurance, State Farm, Allstate, and AAA. They are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so it’s a take it or leave it situation. Captive agents are usually quite knowledgeable on what they offer which helps offset the inability to provide other markets. A lot of people purchase coverage from captives mainly due to the brand legacy rather than having low rates.
Finding the right insurance agent should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. The answers to these questions are important, too.
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- How many years of experience in personal auto insurance do they have?
- Do they offer claims assistance after hours?
- How long has their agency been in business in Houston?
- Are there any extra charges for paying monthly?
- Is auto insurance their primary focus?
- How many companies do they write for?
- Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
After you get answers to your satisfaction to any questions you have and a good coverage price, it’s a good possibility that you have found an insurance agency that meets the requirements to provide auto insurance coverage.
Online resources for education
Additional information is located on the located here. Texas consumers can discover disciplinary actions, read consumer alerts, and find out industry alerts.
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Don’t give up on affordable coverage
When shopping online for auto insurance, you should never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to discover later they didn’t have enough coverage. The goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest cost while not skimping on critical coverages.
Drivers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as high rates after DUI convictions, delays in paying claims, policy cancellation and even high prices. No matter why you want to switch, switching auto insurance companies is pretty easy and you might even save some money in the process.
Cheaper Chevy Suburban 1500 insurance is possible both online in addition to many Houston insurance agents, so you need to with both to get a complete price analysis. Some companies don’t offer rates over the internet and many times these small insurance companies only sell coverage through independent insurance agents.