Finding low-cost insurance for a new or used Fiat 500 in Texas can be an all-consuming task, but you can learn our car insurance buying tips to find lower rates. There are both good and bad ways to find car insurance online and we’ll show you the proper way to compare rates for your Fiat and locate the cheapest rates either online or from Austin insurance agents.
It is always a good idea to price shop coverage quite often due to the fact that insurance prices change frequently. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rate on 500 insurance two years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower premium rate today. Block out anything you think you know about car insurance because I’m going to let you in on the secrets to the best methods to lower your rates without sacrificing coverage.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will most likely be able to save some money using these methods. Finding more affordable coverage in Austin is easy if you know what you’re doing. Nevertheless, Texas drivers benefit from understanding the methods companies use to determine prices because it can help you find the best coverage.
Comparing car insurance rates can take time and effort if you don’t know the best way to get rate quotes. You could spend your day discussing policy coverages with local insurance agents in Austin, or you can utilize online quoting to get the quickest rates.
Most of the best insurance companies participate in a marketplace that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and every company returns a competitive quote for coverage. This system prevents you from having to do repetitive form submissions to each individual car insurance company.
To find out how much you can save on car insurance click to open in new window.
The one downside to comparing rates this way is you can’t choose which companies to get quotes from. So if you prefer to pick from a list of companies to compare prices, we put together a list of low cost car insurance companies in Texas. Click here for list of insurance companies in Texas.
It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just ensure you’re using identical coverage limits and deductibles on every quote you get. If the quotes have differing limits it’s not possible to truly determine the lowest rate in Austin. Slightly different coverage limits may result in large price differences. And when price shopping your coverage, comparing more rates from different companies increases the change that you will find a lower rate. Some insurance companies are not set up to provide price estimates online, so you also need to get prices from them, too.
Buyer beware of car insurance advertising tricks
Allstate and Progressive endlessly run ads on TV and radio. All the companies say the same thing that you’ll save big just by moving your policy. It sounds good, but how can they all lower your prices? It’s all in how they say it.
Most companies give the cheapest rates for a prospective insured that is profitable for them. For example, a desirable risk could possibly be over age 30, has no tickets, and has great credit. A driver that matches those criteria gets the lowest rates and have a good chance to cut their rates substantially.
Drivers who do not fit those standards may be forced to pay higher premium rates with the end result being business not being written. If you listen closely, the ads state “customers who switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save the amount stated. That’s why insurance companies can advertise the savings. This really illustrates why drivers must quotes as often as possible. You cannot predict with any certainty which company will have the lowest rate quotes.
Cheaper rates with these five discounts
Car insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but you might already qualify for some discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Certain discounts will be applied when you quote, but a few must be manually applied in order for you to get them.
- Bundle and Save – If you can combine your auto and home policy and insure them both with the same insurance company they may give you a discount of over 10 percent off each policy depending on the company.
- No Accidents – Drivers who don’t have accidents are rewarded with significantly better rates on in comparison to policyholders that have many claims.
- Driver Training Discounts – Taking time to complete a defensive driving course could save 5% or more and make you a better driver.
- Sign Early and Save – A few larger companies give discounts for switching policies prior to your current policy expiration. You can save around 10% with this discount.
- Student in College – Youth drivers who attend college more than 100 miles from home and don’t have a car could get you a discount.
Don’t be surprised that most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
Popular car insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts include:
- Progressive offers discounts for multi-policy, good student, online signing, online quote discount, and continuous coverage.
- SAFECO offers premium reductions for homeowner, drive less, multi-car, safe driver, bundle discounts, and anti-theft.
- American Family policyholders can earn discounts including multi-vehicle, accident-free, bundled insurance, mySafetyValet, and defensive driver.
- MetLife has discounts for claim-free, good driver, accident-free, defensive driver, and multi-policy.
- GEICO offers discounts including membership and employees, emergency military deployment, daytime running lights, anti-lock brakes, and multi-policy.
- The Hartford includes discounts for anti-theft, driver training, good student, bundle, and air bag.
When comparing rates, check with all companies you are considering the best way to save money. Savings may not be available in Austin. To locate companies with the best discounts in Texas, click here.
Detailed coverages of your car insurance policy
Learning about specific coverages of your policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement.
UM/UIM Coverage – This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 30/60/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important.
Medical costs insurance – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for bills for things like nursing services, hospital visits and chiropractic care. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. They cover you and your occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
Collision coverages – This coverage pays for damage to your 500 resulting from a collision with another car or object. You will need to pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision insurance covers things such as damaging your car on a curb, hitting a parking meter, backing into a parked car, sideswiping another vehicle and rolling your car. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from older vehicles. It’s also possible to raise the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Liability – Liability insurance provides protection from injuries or damage you cause to other people or property by causing an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see values of 25/50/25 which means $25,000 bodily injury coverage, a total of $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage protects against things such as legal defense fees, emergency aid, court costs, loss of income and repair costs for stationary objects. How much coverage you buy is a decision to put some thought into, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Texas requires drivers to carry at least 30,000/60,000/25,000 but drivers should carry higher limits.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – This covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive can pay for things like damage from a tornado or hurricane, fire damage, falling objects and damage from flooding. The maximum amount your car insurance company will pay is the market value of your vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
More detailed Texas car insurance information can be read at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to learn about insurance regulations, get help finding coverage, learn about specific coverages, and read industry bulletins.
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More comparisons equals lower rates
As you go through the steps to switch your coverage, do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. There have been many situations where an insured cut full coverage and discovered at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at the best cost, not the least amount of coverage.
People who switch companies do it for many reasons like questionable increases in premium, denial of a claim, lack of trust in their agent and an unsatisfactory settlement offer. No matter why you want to switch, finding a new car insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.
We covered some good ideas how to get a better price on Fiat 500 insurance. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers may even find the biggest savings come from a smaller regional carrier.