Nobody I know looks forward to buying auto insurance, especially knowing they are paying too much. Drivers have multiple car insurance companies to purchase coverage from and even though it’s nice to be able to choose, it can be more difficult to find the lowest rates.
Shopping for the lowest cost auto insurance coverage in Corpus Christi is easy if you know what you’re doing. If you are insured now or need a new policy, you can learn to find the best rates and the best auto insurance company. Texas vehicle owners just need to learn the proper methods to get comparison quotes on the web.
Auto Insurance Prices in Corpus Christi, Texas
Shopping for lower auto insurance rates is a ton of work if you don’t understand the best way to get rate quotes. You could spend your day talking to agents in Corpus Christi, or you could save time and use online quoting to maximize your effort.
The majority of car insurance companies belong to an insurance system that enables customers to enter their policy data once, and all the companies can give them a price based on that data. This system prevents you from having to do multiple quotation requests for every auto insurance company.
To enter your information into the quoting system, click here to open in new window.
The only drawback to using this type of system is buyers cannot specifically choose which companies to receive prices from. If you would rather choose individual companies to compare we have a page of auto insurance companies in Texas. Click here to view list.
Whichever way you use, be sure to compare identical information with every price quote. If you have different liability limits it’s not possible to make a fair comparison in Corpus Christi.
Can you really save that much by switching?
Texas consumers can’t ignore all the ads for cheaper car insurance by companies like State Farm and Allstate. All the companies make the same claim that you’ll save big if you move to them.
How does each company make almost identical claims? Here’s how they do it.
Different companies have a certain “appetite” for the type of driver that makes them money. For example, a profitable customer could possibly be a mature driver, owns a home, and has excellent credit. Any driver who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.
Consumers who fall outside these standards must pay a more expensive rate which leads to the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is “customers that switch” not “everybody who quotes” save money. That is how companies can claim big savings.
This illustrates why it is so important to get quotes from several different companies. It is impossible to predict which company will give you the biggest savings.
Educated Consumers Know How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper
Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that come into play when calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what controls the rates you pay allows you to make educated decisions that could result in better auto insurance rates.
- Older drivers save more – Teen drivers in Texas tend to get distracted easily behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Having to add a youthful driver to your policy can really hurt. Older drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets.
- Small claims can cost you – Auto insurance companies in Texas give lower rates to people who file claims infrequently. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can expect higher rates. Car insurance is designed for larger claims.
- Where you live – Living in a small town is a positive aspect when insuring your vehicles. Drivers in populated areas regularly have more traffic problems and a longer drive to work. Less people living in that area means fewer accidents.
- Do you have enough liability coverage? – The liability section of your policy is the coverage that protects you if a court rules you are at fault for damages from an accident. Liability provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to insuring for physical damage coverage, so drivers should carry high limits.
- What type of vehicle do you drive? – The type of vehicle you are insuring makes a substantial difference in how high your rates are. The lowest rates tend to be for economy passenger models, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
- Car features impact rates – Owning a car with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Anti-theft devices such as GM’s OnStar, tamper alarm systems and vehicle immobilizers can help prevent your vehicle from being stolen.
- How many coverages with the same company – The majority of auto insurance companies will award you with lower prices to customers who consolidate policies with them in the form of a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, you still need to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal.
Lower rates by qualifying for these eight discounts
Car insurance can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts to reduce the price significantly. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time you complete a quote, but a few need to be asked for prior to receiving the credit. If you’re not getting every credit you qualify for, you are paying more than you should be.
- Homeowners Savings – Owning a home in Corpus Christi may earn you a small savings because of the fact that having a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Accident Forgiveness – Certain companies will forgive one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you haven’t had any claims for a certain period of time.
- Paperless Signup – Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up over the internet.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and will save you 10% or more.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to use their safety belts can save 10% or more on the medical payments or PIP coverage costs.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront instead of making monthly payments you can actually save on your bill.
- Auto/Home Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you may earn 10% to 20% off each policy.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military can result in better rates.
As a disclaimer on discounts, some credits don’t apply to the overall cost of the policy. Some only reduce individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. So even though it sounds like you could get a free auto insurance policy, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous. But all discounts will bring down the cost of coverage.
One last thing about your coverage
Cheap auto insurance is available online and with local Corpus Christi insurance agents, so compare prices from both so you have a total pricing picture. Local independent agents have access to many regional insurance providers that may not offer online price quotes.
We just showed you a lot of techniques to shop for auto insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more rate quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may even find the best prices are with some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers may have significantly lower rates on certain market segments than the large multi-state companies such as GEICO and State Farm.
When buying insurance coverage, don’t be tempted to skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. There have been many cases where consumers will sacrifice liability limits or collision coverage only to regret that they should have had better coverage. The ultimate goal is to buy enough coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.