Find Low-Cost Austin Auto Insurance

Buying affordable Austin auto insurance on the internet may be challenging for beginners to buying insurance on the web. With dozens of choices, how can consumers have a chance to compare every one to find the best available rates?

Finding the best rates in Austin is easy if you know what you're doing. If you have car insurance now, you stand a good chance to be able to lower your premiums substantially using this strategy. But Texas vehicle owners do need to know the way insurance companies price online insurance and use this information to your advantage.

Austin Auto Insurance Prices Online

Most major insurance companies give insurance quotes online. Getting online quotes doesn't take much effort as you simply type in the coverages you want as detailed in the form. Behind the scenes, their system will obtain your credit score and driving record and returns a price quote based on these and other factors.

This makes it a lot easier to compare rates but the time required to go to several different sites and complete many quote forms can be a bit repetitive. But it's very important to have as many quotes as possible in order to get the best price on auto insurance.

A less time-consuming method to find lower prices requires only one form to obtain quotes from multiple companies. The form is fast, reduces the work, and makes online quotes much more enjoyable. After sending your information, your coverage is rated and you can choose any or none of the returned quotes. If one or more price quotes are lower than your current rates, you can simply submit the application and buy the policy. This process takes less than 15 minutes and you will know how your current rates stack up.

To quickly find out if lower rates are available, click here to open in new window and begin entering your coverage information. To compare your current rates, we recommend you input deductibles and limits just like they are on your policy. This way, you will have rate comparison quotes based on similar coverages.

Understand what determines the rate you pay

It's important that you understand some of the elements that go into determining auto insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to lower auto insurance prices.

Listed below are a few of the "ingredients" that factor into prices.

  • Your job and insurance rates - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Careers like lawyers, architects and stock brokers are shown to have the highest rates in part from stressful work requirements and lengthy work days. On the other hand, occupations such as pilots, students and homemakers pay the least.
  • Battle of the sexes - Statistics have proven women tend to be less risk to insure than men. That doesn't necessarily mean that men are WORSE drivers than women. Women and men are in accidents in similar percentages, but the men cause more damage. Men also statistically get cited for more serious violations like reckless driving and DUI. Teenage male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
  • Clean credit earns discounts - Having a bad credit score is a huge factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. If your credit is lower than you'd like, you could be paying less to insure your by improving your rating. Consumers who have high credit ratings tend to be less risk to insure as compared to drivers with poor credit.
  • Bundling policies can get discounts - Most companies provide better rates to people who consolidate policies with them, otherwise known as a multi-policy discount. Even though this discount sounds good, it's in your best interest to shop around to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.
  • Frequent auto insurance claims increase rates - Companies in Texas provide discounts to people who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can expect either higher rates or even cancellation. Auto insurance is intended to be relied upon for the bigger claims that can't be paid out-of-pocket.
  • Always keep insurance in force - Allowing your auto insurance policy to lapse is a quick way to bump up your auto insurance costs. And not only will your rates increase, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance will get you a steep fine or even jail time.You may need to file a SR-22 with the Texas DMV.

Are you getting all your discounts?

Companies don't necessarily list every discount very well, so we break down some of the best known and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings.

  • No Claims - Drivers who don't have accidents can save substantially when compared to frequent claim filers.
  • Accident Waiver - Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates if your claims history is clear prior to the accident.
  • Anti-lock Brake Discount - Vehicles with anti-lock braking systems are safer to drive and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Anti-theft Discount - Anti-theft and alarm systems are stolen less frequently and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
  • Driver's Ed - Require your teen driver to successfully complete driver's ed class in school.
  • Passive Restraints and Air Bags - Cars that have air bags or automatic seat belts can receive discounts of more than 20%.
  • Government Employees - Simply working for the federal government can save as much as 8% with a few auto insurance companies.
  • Distant Student - Children who attend school more than 100 miles from home and do not have a car can be insured at a reduced rate.
  • New Vehicle Savings - Adding a new car to your policy can save up to 30% since new cars are generally safer.
  • Paperwork-free - Certain companies give back up to $50 for buying a policy and signing up online.

Drivers should understand that most credits do not apply to all coverage premiums. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies wouldn't make money that way.

For a list of insurance companies offering auto insurance discounts in Texas, follow this link.

More detailed Texas auto insurance information can be found at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Texas drivers can read industry bulletins, learn about insurance regulations, and find out industry alerts.

Other useful links include this online resource for auto insurance quotes in Texas and this list of insurance agents in Austin.

Final considerations

Consumers switch companies for any number of reasons including high rates after DUI convictions, denial of a claim, policy cancellation and policy non-renewal. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, switching auto insurance companies is not as hard as you think.

Budget-conscious auto insurance can be found on the web in addition to many Austin insurance agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture. There are still a few companies who do not provide online quoting and these regional insurance providers work with independent agents.

As you prepare to switch companies, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There are too many instances where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your strategy should be to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.