How to Know You're Throwing Money Away for Auto Insurance in Santa Anna

Are you tired of not being able to afford each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than the majority of other car owners in Texas. You have so many to pick from, and although it's nice to have multiple companies, lots of choices makes it harder to compare rates.

The purpose of this article is to let you in on how to get online quotes and some tips to save money. If you currently have car insurance, you will be able to lower your premiums substantially using this information. Texas drivers only need an understanding of the most effective way to compare rates over the internet.

Policy discounts you shouldn't miss

Insuring your fleet can be pricey, buy you may qualify for discounts to reduce the price significantly. Larger premium reductions will be automatically applied at the time of purchase, but lesser-known reductions have to be asked for prior to receiving the credit. If you're not getting every credit available, you are throwing money away.

  • Drivers Education - Make teen driver coverage more affordable by requiring them to successfully complete driver's ed class if it's offered in school.
  • Employee of Federal Government - Active or retired federal employment can earn a discount up to 10% with a few auto insurance companies.
  • Life Insurance Discount - Larger companies have a discount if you purchase life insurance from them.
  • New Vehicle Savings - Putting insurance coverage on a new car is cheaper compared to insuring an older model.
  • No Claims - Claim-free drivers can save substantially when compared to drivers who are more careless.
  • Military Discounts - Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
  • Passive Restraint Discount - Cars that have air bags may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
  • Senior Discount - If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may be able to get a discount up to 10%.

Consumers should know that some credits don't apply to the entire cost. Most cut individual premiums such as liability and collision coverage. So even though it sounds like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, companies don't profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.

compare Santa Anna auto insurance rates

Learn How to Buy Auto Insurance Cheaper

Smart consumers have a good feel for the factors that help determine auto insurance rates. Knowing what determines base rates helps enable you to make changes that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates.

The following are a few of the "ingredients" that factor into prices.

  • You might want pay the small claims yourself - Companies in Texas generally give lower rates to policyholders who do not rely on their insurance for small claims. If you file claims often, you can expect either a policy non-renewal or much higher rates. Car insurance is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.
  • Where you live is a factor - Being located in a small town can save you money when buying auto insurance. Urban drivers tend to have traffic congestion and much longer commute distances. Less people living in that area means reduced accidents.
  • Do you have a high stress job? - Did you know your auto insurance rates can be affected by your occupation? Careers like lawyers, social workers and financial analysts are shown to have higher average rates because of job stress and long work hours. Conversely, occupations like farmers, engineers and performers pay the least.
  • High crash test scores lower rates - Safer cars get lower rates. The safest vehicles have better occupant injury protection and better occupant protection translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims and thus lower rates.
  • Better credit scores mean better rates - Having a bad credit history is a important factor in your rate calculation. If your credit is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your by spending a little time repairing your credit. Consumers who have high credit scores tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit scores.
  • Do men or women drive better? - The statistics show that women are safer drivers than men. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women have accidents in similar percentages, but the men have costlier accidents. Men also statistically get more serious tickets like reckless driving and DUI. Male drivers age 16 to 19 are most likely to cause an accident and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
  • A clean driving record saves money - A bad driving record has a lot to do with how much you pay for insurance. Even one moving violation may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records have lower premiums compared to drivers with tickets. If you have flagrant violations like hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find they need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with the DMV in their state in order to keep their license.
  • Rate your vehicle for proper use - Driving more miles every year the higher your rate. The majority of insurers price each vehicle's coverage determined by how the vehicle is used. Cars that are left in the garage qualify for better rates compared to those used for work or business. Verify your auto insurance coverage shows the proper vehicle usage.

Save $429 a year? Really?

Texas drivers get pounded daily by advertisements for the lowest price auto insurance from companies such as State Farm, Allstate and GEICO. They all have a common claim of big savings after switching your policy.

How does each company say the same thing?

Different companies can use profiling for the right customer that earns them a profit. For example, a driver they prefer might be profiled as a mature driver, is a homeowner, and has great credit. A propective insured that hits that "sweet spot" gets the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to save when switching.

Potential customers who don't qualify for these standards will be quoted higher prices and this can result in business not being written. The ads say "customers that switch" but not "drivers who get quotes" save that kind of money. That's why insurance companies can confidently advertise the savings.

This emphasizes why drivers should get a wide range of price quotes. It's not possible to predict the company that will give you the biggest savings.

Additional auto insurance information can be found on the website for the Texas Department of Insurance located here. Texas drivers can download brochures, view agent and company licensing information, read industry bulletins, and find disaster information.

Also read more on this site for auto insurance rates in Texas and this list of insurance agents in Santa Anna, TX.

In the end, you save

As you prepare to switch companies, make sure you don't skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to regret that the small savings ended up costing them much more. The proper strategy is to purchase plenty of coverage at a price you can afford while still protecting your assets.

Throughout this article, we presented a lot of ways to reduce auto insurance prices online. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. You may even discover the best price on auto insurance is with the least-expected company. Regional companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates compared to the large companies like .