Are you tired of paying out the nose to buy car insurance? You’re in the same situation as many other Texas consumers. Because there are so many insurance companies to choose from, it can be impossible to pick the best insurance company.
It’s a great practice to get comparison quotes on a regular basis due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Even if you got the lowest price for Wrangler coverage two years ago a different company probably has better rates today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because you’re about to learn one of the easiest ways to buy cheaper car insurance.
Pricing affordable protection can be fairly easy. If you have a policy now or need a new policy, you can use these techniques to find the best rates while maximizing coverage. Texas consumers just need to know the proper methods to compare price quotes over the internet.
Policy discounts you shouldn’t miss
The price of auto insurance can be rather high, but there are discounts available to reduce the price significantly. Some discounts apply automatically at quote time, but some may not be applied and must be inquired about before being credited. If you aren’t receiving every discount possible, you’re paying more than you need to.
- Defensive Driver – Taking part in a defensive driving course could possibly earn you a 5% discount depending on where you live.
- Early Switch Discount – A few companies offer discounts for switching to them before your current policy expires. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Discounts for Safe Drivers – Insureds without accidents may save up to 50% more for Wrangler coverage than their less cautious counterparts.
- Multiple Vehicles – Insuring multiple vehicles on the same car insurance policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Payment Method – If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.
- Multi-policy Discount – When you have multiple policies with the same company you will save at least 10% off all policies.
- Senior Citizens – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for a discount up to 10% for Wrangler coverage.
- Paperless Signup – Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks simply for signing online.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So when it seems like you can get free auto insurance, it doesn’t quite work that way. But all discounts will help reduce the amount you have to pay.
For a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts in Texas, follow this link.
Buying car insurance locally
A small number of people would prefer to sit down with an agent and that is a personal choice. Educated insurance agents can point out coverage gaps and give you someone to call. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is the fact that you can find better rates but still work with a licensed agent. Supporting small agencies is important particularly in smaller communities.
Once you complete this simple form, the coverage information is emailed to agents in your area who will return price quotes for your coverage. You never need to drive around as quotes are delivered immediately to your email address.
If you prefer to select a specific agent in Texas, click here.
Picking an provider should depend on more than just the price. These questions are important to ask:
- How are they compensated?
- Do they have adequate Errors and Ommissions coverage? This protects you if they make a mistake.
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- Is working in the agency their full-time job?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
- Is the agent and/or agency licensed to do business in Texas?
After receiving good answers to all your questions and locked in a price quote, chances are good that you have found an provider that is a good match to adequately provide car insurance. But remember, consumers can cancel a policy at any time so don’t assume that you are obligated to the car insurance policy with no way to switch.
Can you really save $411 a year?
Texas consumers can’t get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of Progressive, Allstate and GEICO. All the companies make the same claim that you’ll save big if you switch your coverage to them.
How can each company make almost identical claims?
All companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For instance, a desirable insured could possibly be a mature driver, is a homeowner, and has excellent credit. Any driver that hits that “sweet spot” will get very good rates and as a result will probably save a lot of money.
Drivers who don’t measure up to this ideal profile must pay more money which usually ends up with business going elsewhere. The ad wording is “people who switch” not “people who quote” save that much. That’s the way companies can make the claims of big savings.
This illustrates why you need to get quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict which insurance companies will fit your personal profile best.
Car insurance coverages 101
Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy can help you determine the right coverages and proper limits and deductibles. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and coverage can change by endorsement. Shown next are typical coverages found on the average car insurance policy.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage – This coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as damage to your Jeep Wrangler.
Since a lot of drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (Texas limits are 30/60/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Normally these coverages are set the same as your liablity limits.
Coverage for liability – Liability coverage will cover damage or injury you incur to people or other property in an accident. It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. Your policy might show policy limits of 50/100/50 that means you have $50,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, a total of $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property. Occasionally you may see one number which is a combined single limit that pays claims from the same limit without having the split limit caps.
Liability coverage protects against claims like repair costs for stationary objects, medical services, medical expenses, loss of income and legal defense fees. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but you should buy as high a limit as you can afford. Texas requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/25,000 but you should consider buying more coverage.
Collision – Collision insurance pays for damage to your Wrangler resulting from a collision with another car or object. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision coverage pays for claims like sustaining damage from a pot hole, backing into a parked car, scraping a guard rail, crashing into a building and driving through your garage door. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider removing coverage from lower value vehicles. Another option is to increase the deductible to save money on collision insurance.
Coverage for medical payments – Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for expenses like doctor visits, funeral costs, surgery, X-ray expenses and ambulance fees. They are utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you do not have health coverage. They cover all vehicle occupants as well as any family member struck as a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is not an option in every state but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage
Comprehensive coverages – Comprehensive insurance covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as hail damage, a broken windshield and vandalism. The maximum payout your car insurance company will pay is the cash value of the vehicle, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Additional information can be read on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance through this link. Texas consumers can report car insurance fraud, view agent and company licensing information, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and find a variety of consumer forms.
A little work can save a LOT of money
When buying insurance coverage, it’s not a good idea to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced full coverage only to regret at claim time that they should have had better coverage. The aim is to get the best coverage possible at an affordable rate, not the least amount of coverage.
You just read many ideas to reduce Jeep Wrangler insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. Consumers may even find the lowest premiums are with the smaller companies. They may cover specific market segments cheaper than their larger competitors like Allstate, GEICO and Progressive.