Being forced to pay for expensive car insurance premiums can deplete your checking account and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Shopping your coverage around can lower your rates and help to lower your monthly bill.
Companies like GEICO, Farmers Insurance and State Farm continually bombard you with fancy advertisements and it is difficult to ignore the flying pigs and cute green geckos and find the best price available.
There are a lot of ways to shop for car insurance, and some are more efficient than others. You can waste a lot of time talking to insurance agencies in Austin, or you could use the web to achieve your goal.
Most of the larger companies belong to an insurance system that allows shoppers to enter their coverage request one time, and each participating company can give them a price based on that data. This eliminates the need for quote requests for each company. To enter your information into the quoting system, click to open in new window.
One minor caviat to pricing coverage this way is you are unable to specify which insurance companies to get quotes from. If you prefer to choose individual companies for rate comparison, we have assembled a list of car insurance companies in Texas. View list of Texas insurance companies.
The approach you take is up to you, just try to use apples-to-apples coverage information on every quote you get. If the quotes have different coverage information it’s not possible to make an equal comparison in Austin.
Texas car insurance discounts
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but you might already qualify for some discounts that you may not know about. Most are applied when you get a quote, but less common discounts must be asked about prior to receiving the credit. If you’re not getting every credit available, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Use Seat Belts – Drivers who always wear seat belts and also require passengers to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more off the medical payments premium.
- Drivers Education – It’s a good idea to have your young drivers enroll and complete driver’s education as it will make them better drivers and lower rates.
- Austin Homeowners Pay Less – Just owning your own home can help you save on car insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Paperwork-free – Many car insurance companies will give you a small discount for signing up on the web.
- Government Employees – Active or former government employment could qualify for a slight premium decrease for 200 coverage depending on your company.
- Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less since newer models have better safety ratings.
- Resident Student – Children who live away from home to go to college and leave their car at home could get you a discount.
- Discount for Passive Restraints – Options like air bags may earn rate discounts of 20 to 30 percent.
- Life Insurance – Larger insurance carriers have a small discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discount credits are not given to the overall cost of the policy. Some only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though the math looks like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
Car insurance companies who might offer these benefits may include but are not limited to:
When comparing rates, check with every prospective company how many discounts you can get. Savings may not be available in every state.
Tailor your car insurance coverage to you
When buying the best car insurance coverage, there is no “perfect” insurance plan. Everyone’s needs are different so this has to be addressed. Here are some questions about coverages that could help you determine whether or not you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- Do all my vehicles need collision coverage?
- Will my rates increase for filing one claim?
- Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
- Is pleasure use cheaper than using my Chrysler 200 to commute?
- Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
- How can I get high-risk coverage after a DUI?
- Is there coverage for injuries to my pets?
- Am I covered when driving a rental car?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and can provide invaluable advice.
More information is located on the . Click here for link. Texas drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, view a list of available companies, and file complaints about a company.
The following articles may also be useful.
- 6 Best Tips to Lower Auto Insurance Costs in Austin Texas
- Get Auto Insurance Comparison Quotes From Austin Texas Insurance Agents
- Expert Advice on Saving Money on Austin Texas Auto Insurance
Insurance advertising tricks
Consumers in Texas constantly see and hear ads for the lowest price car insurance by Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads have a common claim about savings if you just switch your coverage to them.
Is it even possible that every company can sell you cheaper insurance coverage? Just pay attention to how they say it.
Companies give the best rates for the type of customer that earns them the highest profit. For instance, a desirable risk might have to be over the age of 35, has never had a policy lapse, and drives newer vehicles. Any customer who fits those characteristics will get a cheap rate quote and most likely will save quite a bit of money when switching.
People who don’t measure up to these criteria will probably have to pay a higher premium which leads to the customer buying from someone else. The trick is to say “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. This is how companies can truthfully state the savings.
Because of these techniques, drivers must do a rate comparison at every renewal. It’s just too difficult to predict with any certainty which company will provide the lowest rates.
Car insurance coverage basics
Learning about specific coverages of car insurance can help you determine the best coverages and proper limits and deductibles. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. These are typical coverages found on most car insurance policies.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision
This coverage pays for damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as a tree branch falling on your vehicle, hail damage, hitting a bird, theft and a broken windshield. The maximum payout you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the market value of your vehicle, so if the vehicle’s value is low consider dropping full coverage.
UM/UIM Coverage
This coverage provides protection from other drivers when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered claims include injuries to you and your family as well as damage to your Chrysler 200.
Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (Texas limits are 30/60/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.
Coverage for collisions
Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your 200 caused by collision with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage protects against claims like hitting a mailbox, scraping a guard rail, rolling your car and crashing into a building. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Liability coverage
This coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to other’s property or people that is your fault. This insurance protects YOU from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You might see values of 100/300/100 that translate to a limit of $100,000 per injured person, $300,000 for the entire accident, and a total limit of $100,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which provides one coverage limit and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability insurance covers claims like structural damage, emergency aid, legal defense fees, court costs and pain and suffering. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but buy higher limits if possible. Texas state minimum liability requirements are 30,000/60,000/25,000 but drivers should carry more coverage.
Medical costs insurance
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP kick in for short-term medical expenses such as pain medications, funeral costs, EMT expenses and rehabilitation expenses. The coverages can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not available in all states and may carry a deductible
Don’t give up on cheaper rates
We’ve covered many ideas to save on Chrysler 200 insurance. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding . You may even find the lowest priced car insurance comes from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. Some small companies may have significantly lower auto insurance rates on certain market segments as compared to the big name companies such as GEICO and State Farm.
Budget-friendly car insurance is attainable online and from local insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not have price quotes online and usually these small insurance companies prefer to sell through local independent agencies.