Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you many Texas consumers feel financially strained by their auto insurance policy.
Insurance companies such as GEICO, 21st Century and Progressive constantly bombard you with fancy advertisements and consumers find it hard to avoid their marketing magic and find the best price available.
It’s a good idea to take a look at other company’s rates every six months due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the best price on Prius V insurance on your last policy there may be better deals available now. Starting right now, forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because you’re going to get a crash course in one of the best ways to find better rates and still maintain coverage.
How to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in Texas
There are multiple methods to shop for auto insurance, but one way is less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can spend your afternoon talking to agents in your area, or you can stay home and use online quoting for quick rates.
Most car insurance companies belong to an insurance system that allows shoppers to submit one quote, and each participating company returns a rated price determined by their information. This saves time by eliminating quotation requests for every auto insurance company. To participate in this free quote system, click to open in new window.
The only drawback to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose which carriers to receive prices from. If you wish to select specific providers to receive pricing from, we have a page of the cheapest auto insurance companies in Texas. Click to view list.
It’s up to you which method you use, but make sure you use identical information for every company. If you are comparing higher or lower deductibles it’s not possible to truly determine the lowest rate. Having just a slight variation in limits may cause a big price difference. Keep in mind that more quotes will improve the odds of getting a better price.
Don’t believe everything you hear
GEICO, State Farm and Progressive regularly use ads in print and on television. All the companies say the same thing that you’ll save big if you move to their company. But how can every company say the same thing? It’s all in the numbers.
All the different companies can use profiling for the driver they prefer to insure. For example, a profitable customer could be a mature driver, has no driving citations, and chooses high deductibles. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” is entitled to the best price and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.
Potential insureds who don’t measure up to the requirements must pay more money which usually ends up with business not being written. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “everyone that quotes” save that much. That’s why companies can claim big savings. This illustrates why you need to compare many company’s rates. Because you never know which insurance companies will provide you with the cheapest rates.
Pay less by taking advantage of discounts
Companies don’t always publicize every available discount very clearly, so we break down some of the best known and the harder-to-find ways to save on auto insurance.
- Lower Rates for Military – Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to take driver’s ed class if offered at their school.
- Accident Waiver – A handful of insurance companies will forgive one accident before raising your premiums if your claims history is clear for a set time period.
- Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for reduced rates on Prius V insurance.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you have multiple policies with the same company you will save up to 20% off your total premium.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the entire cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Just because it seems like you could get a free auto insurance policy, companies don’t profit that way.
To see a list of providers with the best auto insurance discounts in Texas, follow this link.
Your coverage should be tailored to you
When choosing adequate coverage for your vehicles, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique so your insurance should reflect that These are some specific questions can aid in determining whether you could use an agent’s help.
- Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
- What is the minimum liability in Texas?
- Do I have coverage for damage caused while driving under the influence?
- Does my Toyota Prius V qualify for pleasure use?
- Am I covered if I drive in a foreign country?
- Do I pay less if my vehicle is kept in my garage?
- Are there companies who specialize in insuring high-risk drivers?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you think they might apply to your situation then you might want to talk to an insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
Even more information is available at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Consumers can file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, discover disciplinary actions, find a variety of consumer forms, and get help finding coverage.
Online plus local equals savings
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There are too many instances where someone dropped liability coverage limits only to regret at claim time that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price, not the least amount of coverage.
In this article, we covered a lot of tips how to get a better price on Toyota Prius V insurance. The key thing to remember is the more times you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may be surprised to find that the best prices are with a small local company. Smaller companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.