Sick and tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to pay your car insurance bill each month? You are no different than the majority of other car owners in Texas.
Because you have many companies to choose from, it can be challenging to choose the most cost effective company.
Shopping for the best auto insurance coverage in Belton is not that difficult. In a nutshell, everyone who has to buy auto insurance will most likely be able to save money. Nevertheless, Texas drivers need to have an understanding of how companies determine prices.
Compare Belton Auto Insurance Costs
There are several ways of comparing rates and find the best price. The best way to find the lowest rates is to use the internet to compare rates. This is very easy and can be done in several different ways.
- The most efficient way consumers can analyze rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This method saves time by eliminating separate quotes for each company you want a rate for. One simple form gets rate comparisons from multiple companies.
- A more time consuming way to obtain and compare quotes online is to manually visit the website for every company you want to comare and request a quote. For instance, let’s assume you want to compare Auto-Owners, Farmers and Progressive. To get rate quotes you would need to take the time to go to each site to enter your coverage information, which is why the first method is more popular. For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Belton, click here.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose, just be sure to compare the exact same coverages and limits with each company. If you compare different limits and deductibles on each one you will not be able to make a fair comparison in Belton. Just a small difference in insurance coverages can make a big difference in price. It’s important to know that getting more free quotes will improve the odds of getting lower pricing.
Buy Cheaper Auto Insurance with These Tips
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the elements that go into determining auto insurance rates. Understanding what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that can help you get lower auto insurance prices.
- More miles equals more premium – The more you drive each year the higher your rates will be. Most insurance companies price each vehicle’s coverage determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars that are left in the garage get more affordable rates compared to those used for work or business. Verify your auto insurance policy shows the correct driver usage.
- Poor driving leads to higher costs – Only having one citation can increase rates by twenty percent. Good drivers get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers with dangerous tickets like DWI, reckless driving or hit and run convictions are required to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
- Optional equipment can affect rates – Owning a car with a theft deterrent system can help lower your rates. Anti-theft devices such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can help prevent car theft.
- Consolidate policies to earn discounts – Most insurers will award you with lower prices to insureds who buy several policies from them. It’s known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can add up to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s still a good idea to comparison shop to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still be able to find a better deal by buying insurance from more than one company.
- Low deductibles can be expensive – Deductibles for physical damage define the amount you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. Physical damage coverage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, insures against damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply are running into the backend of another car, damage from fire, and windstorm damage. The more money you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the lower your rates will be.
- Lower rates come with age – Teenage drivers in Texas tend to be more careless behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Adding a youthful driver to your auto insurance policy can be very expensive. Older drivers are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents and are safer drivers.
- Type of vehicle determines base rates – The performance level of the vehicle you are insuring makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. The most favorable rates are for low performance passenger cars, but other factors influence the final cost greatly.
Take discounts and save
The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but there could be available discounts to cut the cost considerably. Some discounts apply automatically at the time of quoting, but less common discounts must be manually applied before being credited.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
- No Claims – Drivers with accident-free driving histories pay less as compared to frequent claim filers.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for discounted rates on garaged vehicles.
- Pay Upfront and Save – By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you can actually save on your bill.
- Multiple Cars – Buying insurance for all your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy qualifies for this discount.
- Drive Safe and Save – Insureds without accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accident claims.
- Employee of Federal Government – Employees or retirees of the government may qualify you for a discount with certain companies.
- Senior Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may qualify for better auto insurance rates.
- Life Insurance Discount – Larger companies have a discount if you purchase auto and life insurance together.
Keep in mind that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, you won’t be that lucky. But any discount will help reduce your premiums.
To choose companies offering auto insurance discounts in Texas, follow this link.
In the end, you save
Cheap auto insurance is attainable online in addition to many Belton insurance agents, and you should be comparing both in order to have the best chance of saving money. Some insurance providers do not provide online price quotes and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.
Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to reduce auto insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may discover the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies. Some small companies can often provide lower rates in certain areas than their larger competitors like Allstate and Progressive.
As you restructure your insurance plan, never reduce needed coverages to save money. There have been many situations where drivers have reduced physical damage coverage and discovered at claim time that they should have had better coverage. Your strategy should be to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate while not skimping on critical coverages.
Much more information about auto insurance in Texas is available on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance through this link. Consumers can learn about specific coverages, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, read industry bulletins, and get help finding coverage.
Also read more on NAIC.org’s Understanding your Policy and this link where you can make Belton auto insurance comparisons.