Scraping up a payment for overpriced car insurance can overdraw your savings account and put a big crunch on your finances. Comparing price quotes is a great way to cut your insurance bill.
Drivers have so many car insurance companies to buy insurance from, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates and find the lowest cost car insurance.
Buying the lowest cost car insurance in San Benito can be fairly easy. In a nutshell, every driver who has to buy car insurance most likely will be able to lower their premiums. Although Texas drivers need to have an understanding of the way insurance companies price online insurance and take advantage of how the system works.
Low Cost San Benito Car Insurance
There are several ways to compare rate quotes from local in San Benito, Texascar insurance companies. The easiest way by far to find competitive insurance rates is to use the internet to compare rates. This can be accomplished in several different ways.
- The fastest way to get quotes for comparison is to use a rate comparison form click here to open form in new window. This type of form saves time by eliminating repetitive form submissions for each company. Filling out one form will return price quotes from many national carriers.
- A more time consuming way to compare prices consists of going to each company’s website to complete a price quote. For examples sake, we’ll pretend you want comparison quotes from Progressive, State Farm and Travelers. To find out each rate you need to spend time on each company’s site and enter your policy data, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a handy list of car insurance company links in San Benito, click here.
It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but ensure you’re using exactly the same coverages and limits with every price quote. If the quotes have mixed coverages you can’t possibly find the best deal in San Benito. Just a small difference in limits can result in a big premium difference. Just keep in mind that quoting more will enable you to find better pricing.
Pay less by taking advantage of discounts
Car insurance can cost a lot, but companies offer discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some discounts apply automatically at quote time, but less common discounts must be asked about before they will apply.
- Bundle and Save – When you combine your home and auto insurance with one company you may earn approximately 10% to 15%.
- Low Mileage Discounts – Driving fewer miles can earn better rates on cars that stay parked.
- Homeowners Savings – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Save with a New Car – Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
As a disclaimer on discounts, most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like all those discounts means the company will pay you, you won’t be that lucky. But any discount will help reduce the cost of coverage.
Your coverage should be tailored to you
When choosing adequate coverage, there is no perfect coverage plan. Every situation is different and your policy should reflect that. Here are some questions about coverages that might point out whether your personal situation may require specific advice.
- Can I still get insurance after a DUI?
- Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
- When does my teenage driver need to be added to my policy?
- Can I pay claims out-of-pocket if I buy high deductibles?
- What are the best liability limits?
- Is business property covered if stolen from my car?
- When should I not file a claim?
- Is Texas a no-fault state?
- What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but one or more may apply to you, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates
Smart consumers have a good feel for the rating factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with big savings.
- Where you live is a factor – Being located in a rural area is a positive aspect when insuring your vehicles. Urban drivers regularly have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Lower population means fewer accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft.
- Do you qualify for a multi-policy discount? – Most insurers provide better rates to policyholders who buy several policies from them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even if you’re getting this discount it’s still a good idea to compare rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still be able to find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.
- Having a spouse can save you money – Having a wife or husband helps lower the price on your policy. It translates into being more mature than a single person and it’s proven that drivers who are married are more cautious.
- Your car’s features help determine rates – Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart car theft.
- The more you drive the more you pay – The more miles you rack up on your car in a year’s time the higher your rates will be. The majority of insurers apply a rate determined by how the vehicle is used. Autos left parked in the garage qualify for better rates than vehicles that are driven to work every day. Make sure your car insurance policy properly reflects how each vehicle is driven.
- Your occupation can affect rates – Did you know your car insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Occupations like lawyers, architects and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates because of high stress and long work hours. Conversely, professions such as scientists, engineers and homemakers pay the least.
- Never go without insurance – Driving your car without having proper coverage can get your license suspended and your next policy will cost more because you let your coverage lapse. And not only will your rates increase, but not being able to provide proof of insurance might get you a license revocation or jail time.
- Drive a safer car and pay less – Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and lower injury rates means lower claim amounts passed on to you as lower rates.
Do car insurance companies bend the truth?
Companies like Progressive, Allstate and GEICO constantly bombard you with ads in print and on television. All the ads say the same thing about savings if you switch your coverage to them. How do they all make almost identical claims?
Different companies can use profiling for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For example, a driver they prefer might be a mature driver, has no prior claims, and has a short commute. A propective insured that hits that “sweet spot” is entitled to the best price and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.
Potential insureds who fall outside the requirements will have to pay a higher premium which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “drivers who switch” but not “drivers who get quotes” save that much. That’s why companies can truthfully make those claims.
Because of the profiling, you need to get as many quotes as possible. It’s just too difficult to predict which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Final considerations
While you’re price shopping online, do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There have been many cases where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later they didn’t have enough coverage. Your goal should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.
You just learned a lot of techniques to get a better price on car insurance. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. Drivers may discover the lowest premiums are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These smaller insurers often have lower prices on specific markets as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.
Some additional reading
Much more information about car insurance in Texas can be read on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance located here. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, find a variety of consumer forms, and report car insurance fraud.