How to Know You're Paying Too Much for Auto Insurance in Lufkin

Nobody I know cherishes buying auto insurance, especially knowing their premiums are too high. Numerous battle for your insurance dollar, and it can be difficult to compare rates to get the lowest price

These discounts can lower your rates

Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, buy you may qualify for discounts that you may not know about. Certain discounts will be applied at the time you complete a quote, but less common discounts must be specifically requested prior to getting the savings. If they aren't giving you every credit you qualify for, you're paying more than you need to.

  • Multiple Cars - Buying coverage for all your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
  • Theft Prevention System - Vehicles with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and will save you 10% or more.
  • Memberships - Affiliation with certain professional organizations may earn a discount when buying auto insurance.
  • Student Driver Training - Have your child enroll in driver's education if offered at their school.
  • Passive Restraint Discount - Vehicles equipped with air bags or motorized seat belts can get savings of 20% or more.
  • Pay Now and Pay Less - By paying your policy upfront instead of paying each month you could save 5% or more.

As a disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to your bottom line cost. Some only reduce individual premiums such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. Just because you may think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, auto insurance companies aren't that generous. Any amount of discount will cut the cost of coverage.

To see a list of insurers with discount auto insurance rates in Lufkin, click here.

Finding Auto Insurance Deals in Lufkin, TX

Most companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive provide coverage price quotes on the web. Getting online quotes doesn't take a lot of time as you just enter your coverage preferences as detailed in the form. Once you submit the form, their system will obtain your driving and credit reports and returns a price based on many factors. Quoting online makes it a lot easier to compare rates but having to visit a lot of sites and fill out multiple forms is repetitive and time-consuming. But it's very important to compare as many rates as possible if you want to find better auto insurance pricing.

The preferred way to get multiple rate quotes requires only one form to get prices from several different companies. The form is fast, eliminates repetitive work, and makes quoting online a little more enjoyable. After your information is entered, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any of the price quotes you receive.

If a lower price is quoted, it's easy to complete the application and purchase coverage. The whole process just takes a couple of minutes and you'll know if lower rates are available.

To quickly find out what other companies charge, click here to open in new window and complete the simple form. If you have coverage now, it's recommended you copy your coverages identical to your current policy. This makes sure you will receive a fair comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the factors that play a part in calculating auto insurance rates. Understanding what impacts premium levels helps enable you to make changes that could result in big savings.

Shown below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into premiums.

  • Lower deductibles cost more - The deductibles represent how much money you are willing to pay out-of-pocket before a claim is paid by your company. Physical damage insurance, also known as collision and other-than-collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some examples of claims that would be covered are colliding with a building, damage from fire, and rolling your vehicle. The more the insured has to pay upfront, the lower your rates will be.
  • How many coverages with the same company - Some insurance companies will award you with lower prices to people who consolidate policies with them. It's known as a multi-policy discount. Discounts can amount to 10 percent or more. Even if you're getting this discount you still need to compare rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible.
  • Liability coverage protects you - Your policy's liability coverage is the coverage that protects you if a jury decides you are liable for damages caused by your negligence. Liability provides legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
  • More claims means more premium - Auto insurance companies in Texas generally give better rates to insureds who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you are a frequent claim filer, you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Insurance coverage is intended to be relied upon for larger claims.

Different people need different coverages

When choosing the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs and your policy should reflect that. For instance, these questions might point out whether you might need an agent's assistance.

  • Am I covered when driving on a suspended license?
  • Do I need special endorsements for business use of my vehicle?
  • Are rental cars covered under my policy?
  • Am I getting all the discounts available?
  • Is my cargo covered for damage or theft?
  • Do I have coverage when using my vehicle for my home business?
  • Should I drop comprehensive coverage on older vehicles?

If you can't answer these questions, you might consider talking to a licensed agent. If you don't have a local agent, fill out this quick form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It only takes a few minutes and can help protect your family.

Are you falling for claims of savings?

Texas drivers can't get away from ads for cheaper car insurance from companies such as Allstate, GEICO and Progressive. All the companies have a common claim about savings if you change your policy.

How do they all say the same thing?

All the different companies have a certain "appetite" for the right customer that is profitable for them. For instance, a profitable customer might be profiled as between the ages of 30 and 50, owns a home, and has excellent credit. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" will get very good rates and as a result will probably cut their rates substantially.

Potential customers who are not a match for the "perfect" profile must pay a more expensive rate and this can result in business not being written. The ads say "customers that switch" not "everybody who quotes" save that kind of money. That is how companies can truthfully make those claims.

This illustrates why drivers must compare as many rates as you can. It's not possible to predict which company will have the lowest rates.

In the end, you save

Cheap auto insurance can be sourced on the web in addition to many Lufkin insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best rate selection. Some companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.

While you're price shopping online, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In too many instances, an insured cut liability coverage limits only to discover later they didn't purchase enough coverage. Your focus should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford while not skimping on critical coverages.

Lufkin auto insurance quote

For more Texas car insurance information

Additional information is located on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance located here. Texas drivers can report car insurance fraud, read consumer alerts, find out which companies have the most complaints, and download brochures.