Texas shoppers have a choice when shopping for affordable Toyota Camry insurance. They can either spend hours struggling with agents trying to get quotes or use the internet to get rate quotes.
There is a better way to find auto insurance online and we’ll show you the best way to get price quotes for a Toyota and find the lowest price from Texas insurance agents and online providers.
The purpose of this post is to help educate you on how car insurance quotes work and some tricks to saving. If you are paying for car insurance now, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. But Texas car owners can benefit by having an understanding of how companies price insurance differently and take advantage of how the system works.
Complexity of Toyota Camry insurance rates
It’s important that you understand the factors that come into play when calculating your auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively determines base rates allows you to make educated decisions that could result in better auto insurance rates.
The list below includes a partial list of the pieces companies use to determine premiums.
- Increase deductibles and save – Physical damage deductibles define the amount you are required to spend out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Insurance for physical damage to your car, commonly called comprehensive (or other-than-collision) and collision coverage, protects your car from damage. A few examples of covered claims would be running into the backend of another car, vandalism, or theft. The more expense you have to pay, the bigger discount you will receive on Camry insurance.
- Your credit rating is important – Having a bad credit history is a large factor in your rate calculation. If your credit rating is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your Toyota Camry by improving your credit score. Drivers who have excellent credit tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims than drivers who have lower credit scores.
- Your occupation can affect rates – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Careers like lawyers, social workers and accountants are shown to have higher rates than average because of high stress and lots of time spent at work. On the flip side, jobs such as pilots, athletes and homemakers pay the least on Camry insurance.
- Safer cars are cheaper to insure – Vehicles with good safety scores get lower rates. Safer cars protect occupants better and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and more competitive rates for policyholders. If your Toyota Camry earned at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website it may be receiving lower rates.
- Rate your vehicle for proper use – The higher the mileage driven each year the higher your rate. Most insurance companies price each vehicle’s coverage determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars used primarily for pleasure use get more affordable rates as compared to vehicles used primarily for driving to work. Double check that your auto insurance declarations sheet is showing the correct usage for each vehicle. If your policy improperly rates your Camry can cost quite a bit.
- No coverage gaps is important – Allowing your coverage to lapse will be a fast way to pay more for auto insurance. And not only will your rates increase, but not being able to provide proof of insurance may earn you a steep fine or even jail time.You may have to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the Texas motor vehicle department.
Take advantage of discounts
Car insurance is not cheap, but companies offer discounts to reduce the price significantly. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of purchase, but less common discounts must be specifically requested before they will apply.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay less compared to drivers who are more careless.
- Drive Less and Save – Fewer annual miles on your Toyota can qualify you for a substantially lower rate.
- Discount for Good Grades – Performing well in school can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
- Life Insurance Discount – Some companies give a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Driver Safety – Taking part in a defensive driving course can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Payment Discounts – By paying your policy upfront instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- Accident Forgiveness – Certain companies allow you one accident before your rates go up if you are claim-free for a particular time prior to the accident.
Consumers should know that most credits do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Just because you may think adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies wouldn’t make money that way. Any amount of discount will bring down the cost of coverage.
For a list of insurance companies who offer auto insurance discounts in Texas, click here to view.
Are you falling for claims of savings?
Companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive constantly bombard you with television and radio advertisements. All the ads have a common claim that you can save if you switch to them. How do they all make the same claim?
Different companies can use profiling for the driver they prefer to insure. An example of a profitable customer could be between 30 and 50, has no prior claims, and chooses high deductibles. Any driver who fits that profile will get very good rates and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Potential insureds who don’t qualify for this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate and this can result in business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That’s why insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.
This illustrates why you should get as many comparisons as possible. It is impossible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.
Additional consumer information websites
Additional information can be read on the Texas Department of Insurance website. Click here for link. Texas consumers can discover disciplinary actions, view a list of available companies, find disaster information, and find out industry alerts.
A tidy conclusion
We covered a lot of ways to shop for Toyota Camry insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more price quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the lowest priced auto insurance comes from an unexpected company.
Budget-conscious Toyota Camry insurance is attainable both online and also from your neighborhood Texas agents, and you need to price shop both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some companies may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents.
Insureds leave their current company for many reasons like lack of trust in their agent, poor customer service, not issuing a premium refund or extreme rates for teen drivers. It doesn’t matter why you want to switch choosing a new company is actually quite simple.