Tired of wondering where the money will come from to insure your Fiat every month? You have the same problem as many other drivers in Texas. Insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate, GEICO and Progressive persitently shower you with catchy ads and it is challenging if not impossible to see through the deception and take the time to shop coverage around.
It’s important to compare prices on a regular basis because insurance prices change frequently. Just because you found the best price for 500 insurance on your last policy you can probably find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because you’re about to learn how to use the internet to properly buy coverages while reducing your premium.
If you have a policy now or need new coverage, you can learn to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. Finding the best rates in Dallas is easy if you know what you’re doing. Texas drivers just need to understand the proper way to find the lowest price online.
How Your 500 Insurance Prices are Determined
One of the most helpful ways to save on auto insurance is to to have a grasp of some of the things that go into determining the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this enables informed choices that can help you get lower premium levels.
- Pay less if you’re married – Having a wife or husband can actually save you money on your auto insurance policy. Having a spouse usually means you are more mature and responsible and insurance companies like that married couples file fewer claims.
- High performance vehicles cost more to insure – The make and model of the car or truck you drive makes a big difference in your car insurance bill. Due to the fact that the Fiat 500 is considered a passenger car, insuring your vehicle will cost similar in price or lower as compared to the average rate in Dallas. Economy passenger models generally have the cheapest insurance rates, but that’s not the only thing that factors into the final price.
- Small claims can cost you – Auto insurance companies in Texas award most affordable rates to policyholders who only file infrequent claims. If you file a lot of claims you can definitely plan on higher rates. Insurance coverage is designed for claims that pose a financial burden.
- Premiums can change based on your address – Choosing to live in less populated areas has it’s advantages when talking about auto insurance. Urban drivers tend to have much more traffic and more time behind the wheel. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents in addition to fewer liability claims.
- Costs also based on gender – Over the last 30 years, statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, don’t assume that men are worse drivers. Men and women tend to get into accidents at a similar rate, but the males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. In addition to higher claims, males also get cited for more serious violations like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are the most expensive to insure and therefore pay the highest rates.
Getting a cheaper price on insurance is surprisingly easy. Just invest a little time getting comparison quotes to find the company with . It’s really simple and can be done by using one of the methods below.
- Without a doubt, the easiest way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This style of form saves time by eliminating multiple quote forms for every company. A single, simple form gets insurance cost estimates from multiple companies.
- A more difficult way to find better pricing requires a visit to each company website and request a quote. For sake of this example, let’s say you are doing a rate comparison from State Farm, Esurance and Progressive. In order to compare rates, you need to navigate to each company’s site to enter the same coverage data repeatedly, which is why most consumers use the first method. For a list of links to insurance companies in Dallas, click here.
- The hardest method to find lower rates is physically going to insurance agencies in your area. Comparing rate quotes online reduces the need to sit down with an agent unless you’re the type of person who wants the trained guidance of a local Dallas agent. You can, however, comparison shop online but still have the advice of a local agent.
How you compare quotes is your choice, just try to keep identical coverages with each company. If each company quotes different deductibles it will be impossible to find the best deal for your Fiat 500 in Dallas.
Advertising and auto insurance
Texas drivers can’t ignore all the ads that claim the best rates from the likes of Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. They all advertise claims about savings just by moving your coverage to them.
That’s great but how can every company lower your rates?
Insurance providers look for specific characteristics for the type of insured that will add to their bottom line. A good example of a profitable customer could possibly be a mature driver, has no claims, and drives a car with an anti-theft system. A driver who matches that profile gets the lowest premium rates and will probably save when switching.
Consumers who do not fit these standards may be forced to pay higher premiums and the prospect going elsewhere. The ad wording is “customers that switch” but not “all drivers who get quotes” save that much when switching. That is how companies can truthfully make claims that they all have the best car insurance rates.
This really emphasizes why drivers must do a quote comparison often. It’s impossible to know with any certainty which company will have the best rates for your profile.
Earn discounts to get lower-cost Dallas auto insurance quotes
Companies offering auto insurance do not list all their discounts very clearly, so the following is a list of both well-publicized as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using when you .
- Military Discounts – Being deployed in the military could mean lower rates.
- Drive Safe and Save – Safe drivers can save as much as half off their rates for 500 insurance than less cautious drivers.
- Full Payment Discount – By making one initial payment rather than paying monthly you can avoid the installment charge.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Buying a policy with primary and secondary vehicles on a single policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
- Own a Home and Save – Simply owning a home may trigger a policy discount on auto insurance since owning and maintaining a home demonstrates responsibility.
- Passive Restraint Discount – Options like air bags may get savings of more than 20%.
- Claim Free – Dallas drivers who stay claim-free pay less as compared to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Buy New and Save – Buying a new car model can save up to 30% since new vehicles are generally safer.
Don’t be shocked that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, you aren’t that lucky. Any amount of discount will help lower the premium cost.
Popular auto insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are:
- GEICO offers premium reductions for emergency military deployment, five-year accident-free, military active duty, multi-policy, air bags, and multi-vehicle.
- MetLife offers discounts including claim-free, good student, accident-free, good driver, and defensive driver.
- State Farm includes discounts for Drive Safe & Save, defensive driving training, driver’s education, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple policy, and good driver.
- Progressive may include discounts for online signing, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and good student.
- Mercury Insurance discounts include multi-car, good student, ease of repair, good driver, type of vehicle, and location of vehicle.
- 21st Century has savings for student driver, 55 and older, teen driver, anti-lock brakes, driver training, and air bags.
- Allstate has discounts for farm vehicle, good payer, 55 and retired, anti-theft, and senior citizen.
When comparing rates, check with every insurance company which discounts you qualify for. Savings may not be available in every state. To see a list of companies who offer discounts in Dallas, click here to view.
When should I get advice from an insurance agency?
Many drivers just prefer to have an agent’s advice and that is a smart decision Most agents will help you protect your assets and help file insurance claims. One of the benefits of comparing rate quotes online is the fact that you can find cheaper car insurance rates but still work with a licensed agent. And supporting neighborhood insurance agencies is important especially in Dallas.
After filling out this simple form, your coverage information is transmitted to local insurance agents in Dallas that provide for your coverage. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. If you wish to compare prices from a specific insurance company, you would need to jump over to their website and fill out their quote form.
What types of car insurance agents are in Dallas?
If you want to buy auto insurance from a reliable agent, it’s helpful to know the different agency structures that you can choose from. Auto insurance agents in Dallas are classified as either captive agents or independent agents. Both types of agents can insure your vehicles, but it’s worth mentioning the difference in the companies they write for because it can influence which type of agent you select.
Independent Auto Insurance Agents (or Brokers)
These agents are not employed by any specific company so they have the ability to put coverage with a variety of different insurance companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If you want to switch companies, they can switch companies in-house which is easy for the insured.
When searching for an agent, we highly recommend that you get insurance quotes from a few independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive insurance agents work for only one company like Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. Captive agents are unable to provide other company’s prices so you might not find the best rates. Captive insurance agents are usually quite knowledgeable on their products and sales techniques and that enables them to sell even at higher rates.
Finding the right car insurance agent requires you to look at more than just a cheap quote. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
- What are their preferred companies if they are an independent agency?
- Will the quote change when the policy is issued?
- Where would glass claims be handled in Dallas?
- Do you have coverage for a rental car if your vehicle is in the repair shop?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- Is there a Errors and Omissions policy in force?
Additional auto insurance information is available on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Visitors are able to view a list of available companies, read industry bulletins, find disaster information, and learn about specific coverages.
The articles below may also help you learn more about auto insurance in Dallas
The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest
Cost effective Fiat 500 insurance can be bought from both online companies and from local agencies, so get from both of them so you have a total pricing picture. Some insurance companies don’t offer online rate quotes and many times these smaller companies sell through independent agents.
In this article, we covered many ways to lower your Fiat 500 insurance prices. The key concept to understand is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest prices are with the smaller companies. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost compared to the large companies like Allstate or State Farm.
When trying to cut insurance costs, do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There have been many cases where an insured dropped uninsured motorist or liability limits and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The ultimate goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best possible price and still be able to protect your assets.