How to Know You're Wasting Money for Auto Insurance in Fulshear

Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy high-priced auto insurance? Trust us when we tell you there are many people just like you.

Consumers have many to buy insurance from, and though it is a good thing to have a selection, it can be more difficult to compare rates.

It's important to compare rates every six months because prices are constantly changing. Just because you found the lowest price last year the chances are good that you can find a lower rate today. There is a lot of bad information regarding auto insurance online but I'm going to show you some great ways to save money.

More discounts equal less premium

Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there could be available discounts that you may not know about. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of quoting, but a few must be asked for before you will receive the discount.

Sign Online - Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying your policy over the internet.
Memberships - Participating in a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates on auto insurance.
Multiple Cars - Having all your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
Discount for New Cars - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can be considerably cheaper since new cars are generally safer.
Pay Now and Pay Less - If you pay your entire premium ahead of time instead of paying each month you may reduce your total bill.
College Student - Kids in college who are attending college and don't have a car may be able to be covered for less.

A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply to all coverage premiums. Some only apply to individual premiums such as liability, collision or medical payments. Just because it seems like all the discounts add up to a free policy, you won't be that lucky. Any amount of discount will bring down your premiums.

To see a list of companies with discount auto insurance rates in Texas, click here to view.

How to Compare Auto Insurance in Fulshear, Texas

Most companies like State Farm, GEICO and Progressive provide prices online. This process is quite easy as you just type in the coverages you want into the quote form. Once you submit the form, the company's rating system will obtain information on your driving record and credit history and returns pricing information. Quoting online simplifies rate comparisons, but the time it takes to visit a lot of sites and complete many quote forms can be a bit repetitive. Unfortunately, it is important to do this if you want to find a lower rate.

The preferred way to lower your rates uses one form that gets price quotes from a bunch of companies at once. It's a real time-saver, requires much less work on your part, and makes online quotes much more efficient. After sending your information, it gets priced with multiple companies and you can pick any one of the price quotes you receive.

If a lower price is quoted, you simply finish the application and buy the new coverage. The whole process can be completed in a matter of minutes and you will find out if you're overpaying now.

To find out how much you're overpaying now, click here and complete the simple form. If you have coverage now, it's recommended you input as close as possible to your current policy. This makes sure you will have a fair comparison based on the exact same insurance coverage.

You have some control over your rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. Knowing what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.

Shown below are a partial list of the pieces auto insurance companies consider when setting rates.

Pay less after the wedding - Having a wife or husband helps lower the price on your policy. It means you're more responsible and it's proven that being married results in fewer claims.
Liability coverage is cheap - Your policy's liability coverage provides coverage if ever a court rules you are at fault for causing damage or personal injury in an accident. Liability insurance provides legal defense starting from day one. This coverage is very inexpensive as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not cut corners here.
Do you know your deductibles? - Coverage for physical damage, otherwise known as comp (or other than collision) and collision, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply could be a windshield shattered by a rock, damage caused by hail, and burglary. Deductibles for physical damage are how much you are willing to pay out-of-pocket if you file a covered claim. The more you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your auto insurance will be.
Do you work long hours in a high stress job? - Jobs such as judges, business owners and financial analysts tend to have higher average rates because of high stress levels and lengthy work days. Conversely, jobs such as actors, engineers and retirees receive lower rates.
Save money with special equipment - Choosing a vehicle with an alarm system can get you a discount on your auto insurance. Theft prevention devices like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar can thwart car theft.
Mature drivers pay less - Teen drivers in Texas have a tendency to be more careless when behind the wheel so they pay higher auto insurance rates. Older insureds are viewed as being more responsible, tend to file fewer claims and tend to be better behind the wheel.

Switch companies and save? Really?

Auto insurance companies such as State Farm, GEICO and Progressive consistently run ads in print and on television. They all seem to make an identical promise about savings if you change to their company. How does each company make almost identical claims?

All companies are able to cherry pick for the driver that is profitable for them. For instance, a desirable insured could possibly be a mature driver, has no driving citations, and has great credit. A customer getting a price quote who meets those qualifications will qualify for the lowest rates and therefore will save when switching.

Potential insureds who do not match these standards will have to pay more money and ends up with the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ad wording is "customers that switch" not "everyone that quotes" save that much. That's the way companies can truthfully advertise the savings.

Because of the profiling, drivers must get quotes from several different companies. It's impossible to know which auto insurance company will give you the biggest savings.

Shop smart and save

Cheaper auto insurance can be sourced online and also from your neighborhood Fulshear agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best chance of lowering rates. There are still a few companies who may not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these small, regional companies sell through independent agents.

As you prepare to switch companies, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, someone sacrificed collision coverage and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford.

Learn more about Texas auto insurance

Additional information is located on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance located here. Texas consumers can get help finding coverage, find out which companies have the most complaints, report car insurance fraud, and read industry bulletins.