Houston shoppers have many options when shopping for affordable Nissan Altima insurance. They can either waste time calling around getting price quotes or utilize the internet to compare rates.
There are both good and bad ways to shop for car insurance and we’ll show you the proper way to price shop coverage on a Nissan and obtain the best price possible either online or from Houston insurance agents.
This article will familiarize you with how to get online quotes. If you have car insurance now, you will be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. Texas consumers only need an understanding of the most effective way to compare price quotes on the web.
Four factors that impact insurance premiums
It’s important that you understand some of the factors that help determine the price you pay for car insurance. If you have some idea of what determines base rates, this enables informed choices that could result in lower premium levels.
Shown below are a few of the things that factor into your premiums.
- Cars with good safety ratings means lower premiums – Safe vehicles can get you lower premiums. Safer cars reduce the chance of injuries and fewer injuries means less money paid by your insurance company and thus lower rates.
- Pay more of a claim out-of-pocket – Deductibles for physical damage tell how much you are willing to pay before a claim is paid by your company. Insurance for physical damage to your car, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of covered claims would be a windshield broken by a bird, fire damage, and damage from wind. The higher the amount you pay before a claim is paid (deductible), the less money you will pay for car insurance on Altima insurance.
- Don’t get traffic citations – A bad driving record has a big impact on rates. Even a single chargable violation can boost insurance rates twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records pay less for auto insurance as compared to careless drivers. People who have license-revoking violations such as DUI, reckless driving or excessive speeding may be required to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with their state motor vehicle department in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Too many policy claims drive up rates – Companies in Texas generally give discounts to people that do not abuse their auto insurance. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can look forward to either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Your car insurance is meant to be used in the event of larger claims.
Discounts can really help to save
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically when you purchase, but less common discounts must be asked about before they will apply.
- Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts could cut 10% or more off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- College Student – Youth drivers who are attending college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
- Theft Prevention System – Cars equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems are stolen with less frequency and that can save you a little bit as well.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Just being a homeowner can save a few bucks because owning a home shows financial diligence.
- Life Insurance Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Early Payment Discounts – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you can avoid the installment charge.
One thing to note about discounts is that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. So despite the fact that it appears it’s possible to get free car insurance, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business. Any amount of discount will lower the premium cost.
Large car insurance companies and a selection of discounts are:
- Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for electronic funds transfer, multi-car, distant student, early shopping, teen driver, bundle discounts, and switch companies.
- Esurance offers discounts including good student, anti-theft, online quote, multi-policy, and defensive driver.
- State Farm has discounts for passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, driver’s education, safe vehicle, multiple policy, and good student.
- GEICO discounts include seat belt use, air bags, multi-vehicle, anti-lock brakes, and good student.
- Allstate may have discounts that include teenSMART discount, anti-lock brakes, multi-policy, EZ pay plan discount, FullPay discount, new car, and good student.
If you need lower rates, check with all the companies how many discounts you can get. Depending on the company, some discounts may not be available in your area. For a list of insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Texas, click here.
More information can be read on the found here. Consumers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, download brochures, and find out industry alerts.
The articles below may also help you learn more about car insurance in Houston
One last thing
When shopping online for car insurance, it’s very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and discovered at claim time they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The goal is to purchase plenty of coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of information how to compare Nissan Altima insurance premium rates online. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better chance you’ll have of finding . You may even find the lowest premium rates are with the smaller companies.
More affordable car insurance is available from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, and you should be comparing both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not offer online price quotes and these smaller providers work with independent agents.