Tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to buy car insurance? Your situation is no different than millions of other consumers. You have so many auto insurance companies to buy insurance from, and although it’s nice to have a choice, too many choices makes it more difficult to find the best rates.
Smart consumers take time to check car insurance prices periodically since rates are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you think you had the best price on Outback coverage on your last policy you can probably find a better price now. So just forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because I’m going to teach you the easiest way to lower your annual insurance bill.
Your Subaru Outback insurance rate is a complex equation
Consumers need to have an understanding of the factors that go into determining car insurance rates. Understanding what influences your rates allows you to make educated decisions that will entitle you to big savings.
Listed below are some of the items companies use to determine prices.
- Your car’s features help determine rates – Purchasing a vehicle with an alarm system can help bring down rates. Anti-theft devices like vehicle immobilizer systems, General Motors OnStar and LoJack tracking systems all aid in stopping car theft.
- More than one policy can earn a discount – Most companies provide better rates to customers who have multiple policies with them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can add up to anywhere from five to ten percent in most cases. Even with this discount, you still need to comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best deal. You may still be able to find a better deal by splitting coverages up.
- Type of vehicle determines base rates – The type of car you own makes a substantial difference in the rate you pay. The cheapest insurance rates tend to be for economy passenger cars, but other factors influence the final cost greatly. Because the Subaru Outback is a station wagon, rates will be similar in price or lower compared to average rates.
- With age comes lower rates – Teenage drivers in Texas have a tendency to be careless and easily distracted when driving so they pay higher car insurance rates. Having to add a teen driver onto a policy can really hurt. More mature drivers are more cautious drivers, tend to cause fewer accidents and receive fewer citations.
- High deductibles save money – Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, protects your Subaru from damage. A few examples of covered claims could be collision with another vehicle, vandalism, and burglary. Physical damage deductibles are the amount of money you are required to spend in the event of a claim. The more you have to pay, the lower your rates will be on Outback coverage.
How to Lower Your Car Insurance Cost in Texas
Cutting your car insurance rates is not a difficult process. All you need to do is invest a little time to get quotes provided by online insurance companies. This can be done using a couple different methods.
The easiest and least time consuming way to find the lowest comparison rates is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This easy form keeps you from doing separate forms for each company. Just one form will return quotes .
A less efficient way to compare rate quotes requires visiting each company’s website to complete a price quote. For example, let’s assume you want rates from GEICO, Safeco and Liberty Mutual. To get rate quotes you would need to take the time to go to each site and enter your information, which is why the first method is quicker. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in your area, click here.
However you get your quotes, double check that you are using the exact same quote information on every quote you get. If the quotes have higher or lower deductibles it’s impossible to decipher which rate is best.
How can 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm save drivers who switch?
Texas consumers can’t ignore all the ads for the lowest price auto insurance by 21st Century, Allstate and State Farm. All the ads say the same thing that you’ll save big if you switch to their company.
But how can every company make almost identical claims?
Different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer they prefer to insure. A good example of a desirable insured could be over the age of 40, owns a home, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A driver who matches those parameters gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.
Potential customers who don’t measure up to the “perfect” profile will be quoted a more expensive rate and this can result in business not being written. The ads say “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save money. This is how insurance companies can state the savings.
This emphasizes why you need to get quotes from several different companies. It’s not possible to predict which company will have the lowest rates.
Discounts are basically free money
Properly insuring your vehicles can get expensive, but you may find discounts that can drop the cost substantially. Some discounts apply automatically when you complete an application, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked about before you will receive the discount. If you don’t get every credit possible, you’re just leaving money on the table.
- Good Students Pay Less – Getting good grades can get you a discount of up to 25%. This discount can apply up to age 25.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to wear their seat belts can save 10% or more off your PIP or medical payments premium.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can pay as much as 50% less on Outback coverage than less cautious drivers.
- Payment Method – If you pay your bill all at once instead of monthly or quarterly installments you could save 5% or more.
- Service Members Pay Less – Being deployed with a military unit could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Defensive Driving Course – Taking part in a defensive driving course could save 5% or more if your company offers it.
As a disclaimer on discounts, many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only apply to individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like you could get a free car insurance policy, it just doesn’t work that way. But all discounts will cut your premiums.
To see a list of providers with the best car insurance discounts in Texas, click here to view.
Much more information about car insurance in Texas is available on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance. Click here for link. Texas consumers can find out which companies have the most complaints, download brochures, find a variety of consumer forms, and file complaints about an insurance agent or broker.
The best insurance company isn’t always the cheapest
Throughout this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to compare Subaru Outback insurance prices online. It’s most important to understand that the more companies you get rates for, the higher your chance of finding lower rates. You may be surprised to find that the best price on car insurance is with the least-expected company. They often have lower prices on specific markets than the large multi-state companies such as Allstate and Progressive.
Budget-conscious Subaru Outback insurance can be sourced both online and also from your neighborhood Texas agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. A few companies may not provide online quoting and these smaller companies work with independent agents.