Comparing Low-Cost Katy Car Insurance

Have you had enough of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? You're in the same situation as many other Texas drivers. Since consumers have many companies to choose from, it's nearly impossible to choose the cheapest car insurance company.

Compare Katy Car Insurance Costs

Getting better car insurance pricing doesn't have to be difficult. Just spend a little time to compare rate quotes online with multiple companies. This can be accomplished using a couple different methods.

The first (and easiest) way to compare a lot of rates at once is to use a rate comparison form click to view form in new window. This method eliminates the need for repetitive form entry to each individual car insurance company. In just a few minutes this one form will get you rate comparisons direct from many companies.

Another way to compare rate quotes requires you to visit the website for every company you want to comare to complete their respective quote request forms. For instance, we'll pretend you want rates from , and . To find out each rate you need to go to every website and enter your policy data, and that's why the first method is more popular.

To view a list of companies in Katy, click here.

Which method you use is up to you, but ensure you're using apples-to-apples coverage information on every quote you get. If you use unequal deductibles or liability limits it will be very difficult to determine which rate is truly the best in Katy.

car insurance in Katy

Good Decisions Result in Lower Rates

It's important that you understand some of the elements that help determine your car insurance rates. When you know what positively or negatively impacts premium levels enables informed choices that could result in big savings.

  • Safer cars cost less to insure - Vehicles with good safety scores are cheaper to insure. Safe vehicles reduce injuries and fewer injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates.
  • Your car insurance rates can be influenced by your job - Did you know your job can affect your rates? Occupations such as lawyers, architects and stock brokers tend to have the highest rates in part from high stress levels and lots of time spent at work. On the other hand, professions such as farmers, students and performers receive lower rates.
  • Older drivers save more - Young drivers in Texas are known to get distracted easily in a vehicle so car insurance rates are higher. Mature drivers are more responsible, file fewer claims and receive fewer citations.
  • What type of vehicle do you drive? - The make and model of the vehicle you are insuring makes a big difference in the rate you pay. The cheapest insurance rates are generally reserved for small economy passenger vehicles, but the cost you end up paying is determined by many additional factors.
  • How's your driving record? - Whether or not you get tickets has a big impact on rates. Careful drivers tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Just one moving violation can boost insurance rates by twenty percent. Drivers with flagrant tickets like reckless driving, hit and run or driving under the influence are required to file a SR-22 with their state motor vehicle department in order to keep their license.
  • Men pay higher rates - The statistics show women tend to be less risk to insure than men. However, this does not mean men are worse drivers. They both tend to get into accidents in similar percentages, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to get cited for more serious violations such as reckless driving. Youthful male drivers tend to get in the most accidents and thus pay the highest rates.
  • Bump up deductibles to save - Your deductibles represent how much money you are required to spend in the event of a claim. Coverage for physical damage, termed comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, is used to repair damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply are colliding with a building, damage caused by hail, and windstorm damage. The higher the amount you are required to pay out-of-pocket, the less your company will charge you for insurance.
  • Special features that cut premiums - Driving a car with anti-theft technology or alarm system can help lower your rates. Theft prevention features like tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all hinder your car from being stolen.

Take advantage of discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don't list all available discounts very well, so we took the time to find some of the more common and the harder-to-find car insurance savings. If you don't get every credit available, you're just leaving money on the table.

  • Service Members Pay Less - Having a deployed family member may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Employee of Federal Government - Simply working for the federal government may qualify you for a discount depending on your company.
  • New Car Discount - Buying coverage on a new vehicle can save up to 30% due to better safety requirements for new cars.
  • Early Switch Discount - Select companies give a discount for switching to them before your current policy expires. It's a savings of about 10%.
  • Good Students Pay Less - Getting good grades can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply well after school through age 25.
  • One Accident Forgiven - Some insurance companies will allow you to have one accident without raising rates so long as you haven't had any claims for a particular time prior to the accident.

As a disclaimer on discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates all those discounts means the company will pay you, car insurance companies aren't that generous.

For a list of insurers who offer car insurance discounts in Texas, follow this link.

Even more information can be found at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Consumers can find disaster information, read industry bulletins, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, and learn about specific coverages.

Other useful links include this page for car insurance prices in Texas and this page of Katy insurance agents.

In the end, you save

Cheap car insurance can be bought from both online companies and also from your neighborhood Katy agents, and you need to price shop both to have the best rate selection. Some insurance providers may not provide online quoting and usually these regional insurance providers provide coverage only through local independent agents.

As you shop your coverage around, don't be tempted to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are a lot of situations where an accident victim reduced physical damage coverage only to discover later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to buy enough coverage for the lowest price while not skimping on critical coverages.