Tightwads Tips for Saving on Spring Car Insurance

Are you tired of being strong-armed each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than many other Texas drivers. Drivers have so many to buy insurance from, and although it's nice to have a selection, too many choices makes it more difficult to compare rates.

It's important to compare prices once or twice a year due to the fact that insurance rates are constantly changing. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rates a few years ago the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. There is too much inaccurate information about car insurance online, so I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

Locating the cheapest protection in Spring can be fairly easy. If you have a current car insurance policy or need new coverage, you can follow these tips to find the best rates while maintaining coverages. Texas drivers only need an understanding of the proper methods to shop their coverage around over the internet.

More discounts equal less premium

The cost of insuring your cars can be expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to cut the cost considerably. A few discounts will automatically apply when you quote, but some may not be applied and must be manually applied before you get the savings. If you're not getting every credit available, you're paying more than you need to.

Senior Citizens - Mature drivers may be able to get a small decrease in premiums.
Payment Method - If paying your policy premium upfront instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.
College Student - Any of your kids living away from home attending college and do not have access to a covered vehicle may be able to be covered for less.
Multiple Vehicles - Having multiple vehicles on the same car insurance policy can get a discount on all vehicles.
Drive Less and Save - Fewer annual miles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
One Accident Forgiven - Certain companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don't have any claims prior to the accident.
Anti-theft Discount - Vehicles equipped with anti-theft or alarm systems prevent vehicle theft and earn discounts up to 10%.
Drivers Education - Have your child complete a driver education course if it's offered in school.

Consumers should know that many deductions do not apply to the entire cost. Most only reduce specific coverage prices like liability, collision or medical payments. So despite the fact that it appears you can get free auto insurance, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your premiums.

To see a list of companies who offer car insurance discounts in Texas, click this link.

Fast and Easy Spring Car Insurance Quotes

Most companies like Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm quote price estimates online. Obtaining pricing is quite simple as you just type in the amount of coverage you want into the quote form. Once you submit the form, the system will obtain credit information and your driving record and gives you a price quote. Being able to quote online streamlines rate comparisons, but the process of having to visit different websites and type in the same information gets old quite quickly. Unfortunately, it is important to do this if you are searching for a lower rate.

There is an easier way!

The preferred way to find cheaper rates makes use of a single form that gets price quotes from a lot of companies. It's a real time-saver, eliminates form submissions, and makes online price comparison much easier to do. As soon as you send your information, it is quoted and you can select any one of the price quotes you receive.

If you find a better price you can click and sign and purchase the new policy. It can be completed in a matter of minutes and may result in a nice savings.

In order to find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and enter your vehicle and coverage information. If you have your current policy handy, we recommend you replicate the limits and deductibles identical to your current policy. This makes sure you're receiving a price comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

How to Lower your Car Insurance Rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the rating factors that help determine the rates you pay for car insurance. Knowing what determines base rates empowers consumers to make smart changes that may reward you with lower car insurance prices.

Men pay higher rates - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean women are BETTER drivers than men. Women and men cause accidents at a similar rate, but the males have costlier accidents. They also have more aggressive citations like DUI and reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are the most expensive to insure and therefore have the most expensive car insurance rates.
Lower rates with optional equipment - Driving a car with a theft deterrent system can get you a discount on your car insurance. Theft prevention features like LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM's OnStar system all hinder your vehicle from being stolen.
Mature drivers pay less - Youthful drivers in Texas are known to be more careless in a vehicle so they pay higher car insurance rates. Mature drivers are viewed as being more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel.
Low deductibles can be expensive - Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. A few examples of covered claims would be collision with another vehicle, damage caused by hail, and burglary. Physical damage deductibles are how much you are required to spend if you file a covered claim. The more expense you have to pay, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
Do you need the policy add-ons? - There are a ton of extra bells and whistles that you can buy when buying car insurance. Coverages for personal injury protection, towing coverage and additional equipment coverage may be wasting your money. They may seem good initially, but now you might not need them so eliminate them to save money.
Consolidate policies to earn discounts - Many car insurance companies will give a discount to insureds who buy several policies from them in the form of a multi-policy discount. If you currently are using one company, it's still a good idea to compare rates to verify if the discount is saving money. You may still find better rates by buying car insurance from a different company.
Do you know you're credit rating? - Credit history is a big factor in your rate calculation. Therefore, if your credit score is not that good, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit. People with good credit tend to be more responsible than drivers with lower credit scores.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Consumers in Texas can't get away from ads for the lowest price auto insurance from the likes of Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm. They all seem to make the same claim of big savings after switching your coverage to them.

How does each company claim to save you money? It's all in the numbers.

All companies can use profiling for the type of customer that is profitable for them. A good example of a desirable insured might be between 30 and 50, has no tickets, and drives less than 7,500 miles a year. Any driver who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and therefore will save when switching.

Drivers who do not match these standards will have to pay a higher premium which leads to the customer not buying. The ads state "customers who switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much money. That's why insurance companies can confidently advertise the way they do.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get quotes from several different companies. You cannot predict the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

A tidy conclusion

When shopping online for car insurance, it's very important that you do not reduce coverage to reduce premium. There are many occasions where an insured dropped collision coverage and discovered at claim time that a couple dollars of savings turned into a financial nightmare. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price.

Cost effective car insurance can be bought both online as well as from independent agents in Spring, so compare prices from both to have the best selection. Some car insurance companies don't offer the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small insurance companies sell through independent agents.

Additional car insurance information can be read on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance found here. Visitors are able to learn about insurance regulations, view a list of available companies, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and report car insurance fraud.