No one looks forward to paying for car insurance, especially knowing they are paying too much.
You have so many auto insurance companies to buy insurance from, and although it’s a good thing to be able to choose, it can be more challenging to find the lowest rates.
It’s a good idea to price shop coverage before your policy renews because insurance rates change frequently. Just because you found the best deal two years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. You can find a lot of wrong information about car insurance on the web, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn a lot of great tips on how to find affordable car insurance.
What determines how much you pay?
Smart consumers have a good feel for the different types of things that come into play when calculating the price you pay for car insurance. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that could result in much lower annual insurance costs.
The list below includes some of the factors that factor into premiums.
- Policy add-ons can waste money – There are quite a few extra bells and whistles that you can get tricked into buying on your policy. Coverages like personal injury protection, accidental death and additional equipment coverage are examples of these. They may seem like a good idea when you first buy your policy, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
- Where you reside plays a part – Choosing to live in a rural area has it’s advantages when buying car insurance. Fewer drivers means reduced accidents as well as less vandalism and auto theft. Drivers in populated Texas areas tend to have congested traffic and longer commute times. Longer commute distances translates into higher accident risk.
- Choose a safe vehicle and save – Safer cars are cheaper to insure. The safest vehicles result in less severe injuries and any reduction in injury severity translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and lower rates for you.
- Your stress level may be raising your rates – Occupations like doctors, social workers and stock brokers tend to have the highest rates attributed to high stress and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, jobs such as farmers, students and retirees receive lower rates.
- Do you have enough liability coverage? – Your policy’s liability coverage is the protection when a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. It will provide legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Liability insurance is quite affordable as compared to coverage for physical damage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Do men or women drive better? – Statistics demonstrate that men are more aggressive behind the wheel. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Men and women are in accidents at a similar rate, but the males have costlier accidents. They also get more serious tickets like DUI and reckless driving. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
Are you getting all your discounts?
Companies do not advertise all available discounts very well, so we researched some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts you could be receiving.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
- Passive Restraints – Vehicles equipped with air bags can get savings of more than 20%.
- Life Insurance – Some companies give better rates if you take out life insurance from them.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- College Student – Children who live away from home and do not have a car can receive lower rates.
Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you could get a free car insurance policy, you’re out of luck.
To choose insurance companies with discount car insurance rates in Texas, click here to view.
What about my local Leander agents?
A small number of people would prefer to visit with an insurance agent and that is OK! The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is you may find better rates and still have an agent to talk to.
By using this short form, the coverage information is sent to insurance agents in Leander who will give you bids for your coverage. There is no need to leave your house as quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. It doesn’t get any easier! Get lower rates and an insurance agent to talk to.
Picking a company shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Some important questions to ask are:
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- Does the agency provide any after hours assistance?
- How are claims handled?
- Do they specialize in personal lines coverage?
- If they are an independent agency, which companies do they recommend?
- What insurance companies do they work with?
Different types of insurance agencies in Leander
If you’re trying to find a good insurance agency, there are a couple of different agency structures from which to choose. Leander agents are categorized either independent or captive.
Captive Agents
Captive agents can only place business with one company and some examples include Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They are unable to provide prices from multiple companies so they have no alternatives for high prices. These agents are well schooled on the products they sell and that can be a competitive advantage.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agencies are not employed by any specific company but instead can place your coverage with multiple insurance companies depending on which coverage is best. If you are not satisfied with one company, the business is moved internally without you having to go to a different agency.
When comparison shopping, we recommend you include multiple independent agents to have the most options to choose from.
The following is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Leander that are able to give rate quotes.
Sentry Insurance Co – 1817 Emerald Isle Dr – Leander, TX 78641 – (512) 528-1626
Bluebonnet Pride Insurance Inc – 1901 S Highway 183 # F – Leander, TX 78641 – (512) 515-0333
To view a complete directory of car insurance agents in Leander, please view this page.
Once you have received satisfactory answers to any questions you have and locked in a price quote, it’s possible that you found an insurance agent that meets your needs to insure your vehicles.
When might I need an agent?
When buying proper insurance coverage for your vehicles, there really is no “perfect” insurance plan. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s and your policy should reflect that. These are some specific questions can aid in determining if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.
- At what point should I drop full coverage?
- Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
- Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
- Will I be non-renewed for getting a DUI or other conviction?
- Does my car insurance cover rental cars?
- Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies.
More Texas car insurance resources
More tips and info about car insurance can be read at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Consumers can download brochures, discover disciplinary actions, file complaints about an insurance agent or broker, and report car insurance fraud.
Keep this in mind
When trying to cut insurance costs, you should never reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your aim should be to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford.
You just read a lot of techniques to lower your car insurance rates. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the better your comparison will be. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced car insurance comes from the least-expected company. These smaller insurers can often provide lower rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.
Lower-priced car insurance is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Leander, and you should compare price quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who don’t offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.