How to Know You’re Wasting Money for Car Insurance in Brownsville Texas

Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced car insurance policy? Trust us when we tell you there are many Brownsville consumers feeling the pinch from expensive car insurance.

Insurance companies such as GEICO, 21st Century and Progressive continually bombard you with TV and radio ads and it can be hard to see through the cute green geckos and mayhem and take the time to shop coverage around.

How much can you save with discounts?

Car insurance companies don’t always publicize every discount very well, so we took the time to find both well-publicized and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving.

Student Driver Training – Require your teen driver to take driver’s ed class in high school.
Senior Discount – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you can possibly qualify for reduced rates.
Safe Drivers – Safe drivers may receive a discount up to 45% less than drivers with accidents.
Multiple Policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you may earn approximately 10% to 15%.
Sign Online – Some insurance companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up online.
Homeowners Pay Less – Simply owning a home can help you save on car insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home requires personal responsibility.
Multi-car Discount – Having more than one vehicle on the same car insurance policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.

It’s important to note that many deductions do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like comprehensive or collision. Even though it may seem like you could get a free car insurance policy, you’re out of luck.

For a list of companies with discount car insurance rates in Texas, click here.

Comparison of Car Insurance in Brownsville

There are several ways of comparing rate quotes from local in Brownsvillecar insurance companies. The quickest method to find competitive insurance rates consists of shopping online. This can be done using a couple different methods.

One of the simplest ways to find the lowest comparison rates is an all-inclusive rate comparison (click to open form in new window). This easy form saves time by eliminating a different quote for each company. One form submission will get you rate comparisons from many national carriers.
A slightly less efficient method to find lower rates is going to the website of each company and complete a new quote form. For examples sake, we’ll assume you want to compare rates from Nationwide, Farmers and GEICO. To get rate quotes you would need to spend time on each company’s site and enter your policy data, which is why most consumers use the first method.
For a list of links to companies insuring cars in Brownsville, click here.
The least efficient way of comparing rate quotes is to spend your day driving to different agent offices. The ability to buy insurance online has reduced the need for local agents unless you require the personal advice of a licensed agent. You can, however, comparison shop your insurance online but buy from a local insurance agent. We’ll cover that shortly.

It’s your choice how you get your quotes, but compare apples-to-apples coverages for each price quote. If you are comparing different liability limits you will not be able to determine the best price in Brownsville. Slightly different limits may result in large price differences. Just remember that obtaining a wide range of quotes gives you a better chance of getting the best offered rates.

Components of your insurance rates

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that come into play when calculating the rates you pay for car insurance. Having a good understanding of what impacts premium levels enables informed choices that may reward you with big savings. save money concept

Protect your assets with liability insurance – Your policy’s liability coverage provides coverage in the event that you are found to be at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability provides legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so do not skimp.
Traffic violations increase rates – Just one ticket may increase your cost twenty percent or more. Drivers with clean records get better rates than bad drivers. Drivers who have serious citations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to submit a SR-22 or proof of financial responsibility with the DMV in their state in order to continue driving.
Having a spouse can save you money – Having a wife or husband actually saves money when buying car insurance. Having a spouse is viewed as being more responsible and statistics show being married results in fewer claims.
Older drivers pay less – Older drivers are more responsible, tend to cause fewer accidents and get fewer tickets. Teenage drivers are known to be less responsible behind the wheel therefore car insurance rates are much higher.
Better credit scores mean better rates – Having a bad credit history is a huge factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Therefore, if your credit history is not that good, you could be paying less to insure your by repairing your credit. Drivers who have high credit ratings tend to be better drivers and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit scores.
Performance makes a difference – The performance of the vehicle you are insuring makes a significant difference in the rate you pay. Small economy passenger vehicles receive the most favorable rates, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
Never allow your policy to lapse – Allowing your coverage to lapse will be a sure-fire way to increase your car insurance rates. And not only will insurance be more expensive, but being ticketed for driving with no insurance might get you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.Then you may be required to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the Texas DMV.
Bundling policies can get discounts – Most car insurance companies will award you with lower prices to insureds who carry more than one policy such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to ten or even up to twenty percent in some cases. Even if you’re getting this discount you may still want to compare other company rates to confirm you are receiving the best rates possible. You may still be able to find better rates by insuring with multiple companies.

What if I want to buy from a local Brownsville agent?

Certain consumers just want to sit down with an agent. One of the great benefits of comparing rates online is the fact that you can find lower rates and still have an agent to talk to.

Once you complete this quick form, your information is immediately sent to companies in Brownsville who will battle to get your business. You won’t need to drive around because quoted prices will be sent straight to your inbox. How cool is that?! You’ll get the best rates AND a local agent.

Deciding on a company needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. Agents should be asked these questions:

How long has their agency been in business in Brownsville?
Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Texas?
How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
Which company do they place the most coverage with?
Can they provide you with a list of referrals?

If you want to select a specific agent in Brownsville, please go to this site.

Once you have received satisfactory answers and an affordable coverage quote, you’ve probably found an insurer that will provide car insurance coverage.

Drivers who switch save $493 a year? Really?

Car insurance providers like Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm continually stream ads on TV and radio. They all say the same thing of big savings after switching your policy. How does each company claim to save you money? It’s all in the numbers.

All the different companies have a preferred profile for the type of customer they prefer to insure. An example of a preferred risk might be between the ages of 40 and 55, has no tickets, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. Any new insured that hits that “sweet spot” will qualify for the lowest rates and is almost guaranteed to pay quite a bit less when switching companies.

Drivers who don’t qualify for the requirements will have to pay a more expensive rate and ends up with the customer not buying. The ad wording is “customers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that much. That’s the way companies can truthfully make the claims of big savings. Because of the profiling, you need to get as many comparisons as possible. You cannot predict which insurance companies will have the lowest rates.

Affordable insurance is out there

Low-cost car insurance can be found both online and also from your neighborhood Brownsville agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis. Some insurance companies may not provide you the ability to get quotes online and many times these regional insurance providers only sell through independent insurance agents.

Throughout this article, we presented some good ideas how you can compare car insurance prices online. The key concept to understand is the more you quote, the better likelihood of reducing your rate. You may even find the biggest savings come from the smaller companies. These companies can often insure niche markets at a lower cost as compared to the big name companies such as State Farm or Progressive.

When you buy insurance online, do not sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many situations where an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to find out that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible at the best price, not the least amount of coverage.

Informative consumer insurance sites

More tips and info about car insurance is located at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Visitors are able to find out which companies have the most complaints, find disaster information, learn about insurance regulations, and read enforcement actions against agents and companies.

Additional helpful sites include NAIC.org’s Understanding your Policy and this list of agents in Brownsville, TX.