Nobody that owns a car is fond of buying auto insurance, especially knowing they could find lower prices if they just compared rates. Companies like Progressive, GEICO and Farmers Insurance constantly blast consumers with TV and radio ads and consumers find it hard to sift through the bull and effectively compare rates to find the best deal.
If you are paying for car insurance now, you will most likely be able to reduce your rates substantially using these techniques. Finding the best rates in Houston is easy if you know what you’re doing. But Texas car owners benefit from understanding the way insurance companies price online insurance.
The quickest method to get policy rate comparisons is to realize most insurance companies pay for the opportunity to give rate comparisons. The only thing you need to do is provide information such as whether or not you need a SR-22, how old drivers are, your job, and whether you have decent credit. The data is sent automatically to insurance companies and they return quotes instantly.
To get price quotes for your Toyota Venza now, click here and complete the form.
Use discounts on Houston auto insurance
Some insurers don’t always list all possible discounts in an easy-to-find place, so below is a list both the well known and also the lesser-known discounts that you may qualify for.
- Safety Course Discount – Successfully completing a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more and easily pay for the cost of the class.
- No Claim Discounts – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims have much lower rates as opposed to drivers who are more careless.
- Federal Employees – Active or retired federal employment can save as much as 8% for Venza insurance depending on your auto insurance provider.
- Sign Online – A few larger online companies will provide an incentive for buying your policy digitally online.
- Use Seat Belts – Forcing all vehicle occupants to use their safety belts can save 10% or more on medical payment and PIP coverage.
- Anti-theft Discount – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems help deter theft so companies will give you a small discount.
- Multiple Policy Discount – When you combine your auto and home insurance with one company you could get a discount of up to 20% off your total premium.
- Discount for New Cars – Buying a new car model can be considerably cheaper because new vehicles keep occupants safer.
- ABS Braking Discount – Cars with ABS and/or traction control can stop better under adverse conditions so companies give up to a 10% discount.
Just know that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Some only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So even though you would think all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
A list of auto insurance companies and some of the discounts are shown below.
- State Farm includes discounts for good driver, defensive driving training, anti-theft, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple autos, and multiple policy.
- Progressive offers discounts for multi-vehicle, online quote discount, online signing, continuous coverage, homeowner, and good student.
- Travelers offers premium reductions for payment discounts, hybrid/electric vehicle, good student, multi-policy, and multi-car.
- American Family has savings for TimeAway discount, good driver, air bags, defensive driver, mySafetyValet, and multi-vehicle.
- Liberty Mutual may include discounts for teen driver discount, newly retired, new vehicle discount, hybrid vehicle, multi-car, multi-policy, and new move discount.
When getting , it’s a good idea to every prospective company which discounts you qualify for. A few discounts might not apply in Houston. If you would like to view insurers who offer auto insurance discounts in Texas, click here to view.
Tailor your auto insurance coverage to you
When choosing the best auto insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Everyone’s situation is unique so your insurance needs to address that. For example, these questions may help highlight if your insurance needs may require specific advice.
- Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
- Is my business laptop covered if it gets stolen from my vehicle?
- Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
- Is Texas a no-fault state?
- Do I need rental car coverage?
- Does my personal policy cover me when driving my company car?
- Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my Toyota Venza is totaled?
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, you might consider talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area.
Auto insurance coverage considerations
Having a good grasp of a auto insurance policy can be of help when determining the best coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. These are the normal coverages available from auto insurance companies.
Liability car insurance
Liability coverage will cover injuries or damage you cause to people or other property in an accident. It protects YOU against claims from other people. It does not cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see policy limits of 100/300/100 which stand for a limit of $100,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $300,000, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery. Alternatively, you may have one number which is a combined single limit which combines the three limits into one amount rather than limiting it on a per person basis.
Liability can pay for things such as repair costs for stationary objects, bail bonds and medical services. How much liability should you purchase? That 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 you should consider buying better liability coverage.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision
This covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first then the remaining damage will be covered by your comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as falling objects, hail damage, vandalism, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and damage from flooding. The most a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
UM/UIM Coverage
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection from other motorists when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Toyota Venza.
Since a lot of drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 30/60/25), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage is very important. Usually the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Medical costs insurance
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage kick in for immediate expenses for surgery, ambulance fees and prosthetic devices. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover you and your occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states but can be used in place of medical payments coverage
Collision coverage
This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Venza caused by collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for things like sustaining damage from a pot hole, hitting a mailbox, driving through your garage door and backing into a parked car. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from older vehicles. Another option is to bump up the deductible to bring the cost down.
Additional auto insurance information can be read on the Texas Department of Insurance website through this link. Texas drivers can read enforcement actions against agents and companies, find out industry alerts, and download brochures.
The articles below may also help you learn more about auto insurance in Houston