Sick and tired of scraping the payment together to pay your auto insurance bill each month? You’re in the same situation as the majority of other people in Texas. Companies like GEICO and Progressive constantly bombard you with ad campaigns and it can be hard to ignore the flashy ads and find the best price available.
It’s smart to quote other rates on a regular basis because insurance prices are usually higher with each renewal. If you had the lowest price on Impreza insurance a couple years back you can probably find a lower rate today. Ignore everything you know about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the fastest and easiest way to find great coverage at a great price.
The quickest way to compare rates is to know the fact all the major auto insurance companies participate in online systems to give free rates quotes. The only thing you need to do is spend a couple of minutes providing details including if it has an anti-theft system, if a SR-22 is required, distance driven, and how much school you completed. That rating information is submitted instantly to many different companies and they respond with quotes quickly.
To check rates for your Subaru Impreza now, click here and complete the quick form.
Smaller companies may have the best rates
Consumers can’t get away from ads that claim the cheapest rates from the likes of Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads seem to make the promise that you can save if you change your coverage.
How is it possible that every company can cost less than your current company? It’s all in the numbers.
Most companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer that will add to their bottom line. A good example of this type of driver could possibly be between the ages of 40 and 55, has a clear driving record, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Anybody who fits those characteristics will get a cheap rate quote and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.
Drivers who do not match those standards will see a higher rate which results in the customer not buying. Company advertisements say “drivers that switch” not “everyone that quotes” can save as much as they claim. That’s why companies can make claims that they all have the best rates. This illustrates why drivers should compare quotes as often as possible. Because without a comparison, you cannot know which company will provide the lowest prices.
Lower rates by qualifying for these eight discounts
Some companies don’t always advertise their entire list of discounts in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the best known as well as some of the hidden credits available to lower your premiums when you . If you check and find you aren’t receiving every discount you deserve, it’s possible you qualify for a lower rate.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you can afford to pay the entire bill instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.
- Accident Forgiveness Coverage – Not a discount per se, but companies like Allstate, Progressive, and GEICO allow you one accident before they charge you more for coverage if your claims history is clear before the accident.
- Braking Control Discount – Cars with ABS braking systems or traction control are safer to drive and earn discounts up to 10%.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Drivers who require all vehicle occupants to wear their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks on the premium charged for medical payments and/or PIP.
- Driver Education Discount – Cut your cost by having your teen driver sucessfully take a driver\s education course in school.
- Theft Deterent Discount – Vehicles that have factory alarm systems and tracking devices are stolen with less frequency so companies will give you a small discount.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags can receive discounts of 20% or more.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for several vehicles with the same company can get a discount for every vehicle.
A quick disclaimer, many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Even though the math looks like adding up those discounts means a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
A few of the larger companies and their possible discounts are shown below.
- Progressive may include discounts for online signing, multi-vehicle, homeowner, continuous coverage, good student, and online quote discount.
- MetLife offers premium reductions for multi-policy, good student, claim-free, good driver, defensive driver, and accident-free.
- Mercury Insurance offers discounts including ease of repair, type of vehicle, location of vehicle, good student, multi-car, multi-policy, and accident-free.
- Nationwide includes discounts for multi-policy, easy pay, business or organization, accident-free, and anti-theft.
- GEICO has discounts for anti-theft, emergency military deployment, anti-lock brakes, membership and employees, five-year accident-free, seat belt use, and military active duty.
- AAA discounts include anti-theft, pay-in-full, AAA membership discount, multi-car, good student, good driver, and multi-policy.
It’s a good idea to ask every insurance company what discounts are available to you. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts might not be offered on policies in San Antonio. If you would like to see a list of providers that have a full spectrum of discounts in San Antonio, click this link.
Buying from insurance agents
Some consumers just want to buy from a local agent and that is a personal choice. Good agents can make sure you are properly covered and help submit paperwork. One of the benefits of getting online price quotes is that you can obtain lower rates and still choose a local agent.
By using this quick form, your insurance data is submitted to local insurance agents that give free quotes for your business. It’s much easier because you don’t need to drive around because prices are sent instantly to you. If you have a need to get a price quote from a specific company, you can always go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Choosing the best provider should depend on more than just the bottom line cost. Before buying a policy, get answers to these questions.
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- How much training do they have in personal risk management?
- Does the agency have a positive business rating?
- Is the agent properly licensed in Texas?
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
If you need to find a local agent, you should know the types of agencies and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agencies in San Antonio are either independent or captive depending on the company they work for. Either type can sell and service auto insurance coverage, but it’s good to learn the difference between them because it can factor into the type of agent you choose.
Captive Insurance Agencies
Captive agents normally can only provide a single company’s rates and examples are AAA, Allstate, State Farm, or Farmers Insurance. Captive agencies are unable to provide rate quotes from other companies so keep that in mind. Captives receive extensive training in insurance sales which can be an advantage.
Independent Insurance Agents
These type of agents do not work for one specific company so they can write business with lots of companies and find the cheapest auto insurance rates. If they find a cheaper price, they simply move your policy to a different company without you having to go to a different agency.
When shopping rates, you absolutely need to include price quotes from independent agents to have the most options to choose from.
Specifics of your auto insurance policy
Understanding the coverages of your auto insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage for your vehicles. The terms used in a policy can be impossible to understand and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Shown next are typical coverages found on most auto insurance policies.
UM/UIM Coverage – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage gives you protection when the “other guys” either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for hospital bills for your injuries and damage to your Subaru Impreza.
Since many Texas drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (30/60/25 in Texas), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
Comprehensive or Other Than Collision – Comprehensive insurance coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible then your comprehensive coverage will pay.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as fire damage, a broken windshield, falling objects and hitting a bird. The most a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Liability coverage – Liability coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to people or other property by causing an accident. It protects YOU from claims by other people. Liability doesn’t cover damage sustained by your vehicle in an accident.
It consists of three limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 100/300/100 that means you have a $100,000 limit per person for injuries, $300,000 for the entire accident, and $100,000 of coverage for damaged propery.
Liability coverage pays for things such as emergency aid, legal defense fees and structural damage. How much coverage you buy is up to you, but you should buy as much as you can afford. Texas requires drivers to carry at least 30,000/60,000/25,000 but it’s recommended drivers buy higher limits.
Collision – This coverage will pay to fix damage to your Impreza resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for things like damaging your car on a curb, crashing into a ditch, hitting a mailbox and backing into a parked car. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to get cheaper collision coverage.
Medical costs insurance – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for immediate expenses such as nursing services, hospital visits and prosthetic devices. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance program or if there is no health insurance coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover all vehicle occupants and also covers getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
A little work can save a LOT of money
The cheapest Subaru Impreza insurance is definitely available from both online companies in addition to many San Antonio insurance agents, so get from both of them in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies do not provide online rate quotes and these small, regional companies provide coverage only through independent agencies.
As you restructure your insurance plan, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In many instances, someone dropped physical damage coverage only to find out that they should have had better coverage. The aim is to find the BEST coverage at the best cost while still protecting your assets.
More tips and info about auto insurance is located at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Consumers can read consumer alerts, find out which companies have the most complaints, and find a variety of consumer forms.
These articles may also be worth reading.