I can’t think of a single person who enjoys paying for auto insurance, especially knowing their premiums are too high. Because there are so many companies to choose from, it can be hard to locate the right insurer.
Choosing the best insurance company for you in El Paso is not rocket science. If you are insured now or need a new policy, you can use these techniques to shop for the lowest rates and possibly find even better coverage. Texas consumers just need to learn the proper methods to buy auto insurance on the web.
How to Compare Auto Insurance in El Paso, Texas
Comparing cheap El Paso auto insurance rates can take hours if you aren’t aware of the easiest way. You could waste time talking about coverages with local insurance agents in El Paso, or you can utilize online quotes to get pricing more quickly.
All the larger companies take part in a program where insurance shoppers only type in their quote data once, and each participating company returns a rated price based on that data. This saves time by eliminating form submissions to each individual auto insurance company.
To enter your information into the quoting system, click here to start a free quote.
One minor caviat to using this type of form is you are unable to specify the providers you want pricing from. If you wish to select specific insurance companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of companies who write auto insurance in Texas. View list of Texas insurance companies.
However you get your quotes, ensure you’re using apples-to-apples quote information for every company. If you are comparing differing limits you will not be able to decipher which rate is best in El Paso.
Save money by taking advantage of these nine discounts
Companies that sell car insurance don’t necessarily list every available discount very well, so the following is a list of some of the more common and the harder-to-find ways to save on auto insurance. If you don’t get every credit possible, you are paying more than you should be.
- Military Rewards – Having a family member in the military could be rewarded with lower premiums.
- Safe Drivers – Drivers who avoid accidents may receive a discount up to 45% less than their less cautious counterparts.
- Save with a New Car – Insuring a new car can cost up to 25% less because new vehicles have to meet stringent safety requirements.
- Drivers Ed for Students – Have your child enroll in driver’s education in school.
- Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with the same company you could get a discount of approximately 10% to 15%.
- Paperwork-free – Certain companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks just for signing your application online.
- Early Switch Discount – Some insurance companies reward drivers for switching policies before your current expiration date. It’s a savings of about 10%.
- Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Factory air bags or automatic seat belts may earn rate discounts of up to 25% or more.
- Pay Upfront and Save – By paying your policy upfront instead of monthly or quarterly installments you may reduce your total bill.
Keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So despite the fact that it appears you would end up receiving a 100% discount, it doesn’t quite work that way.
To choose insurers offering auto insurance discounts in El Paso, click here.
What about my local El Paso agents?
Some consumers would rather buy from a licensed agent and that is just fine! Licensed agents can help determine the best coverages and help submit paperwork. The best thing about comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain the best rates and still have an agent to talk to.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this simple form, your insurance coverage information is instantly submitted to insurance agents in El Paso who will compete for your business. You don’t have to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent immediately to your email address.
Deciding on an insurance company requires more thought than just the price. Any agent should have no problem answering these questions:
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
- Will their companies depreciate repairs to your car based on the mileage?
- Did they already check your driving record and credit reports?
- Are you getting all the discounts the company offers?
- How much can you save by raising your physical damage deductibles?
El Paso auto insurance agents come in two flavors
When researching a local agent, you need to know there are two types of agencies to choose from. Agents are categorized either captive or independent (non-captive). Either one can write coverage properly, but it’s worth mentioning the difference between them because it can impact your selection of an agent.
Captive Insurance Agents
Captive agents can only place business with one company like Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm and AAA. Captives cannot shop your coverage around so always compare other rates. These agents are usually quite knowledgeable on their company’s products which helps them compete with independent agents.
Shown below are El Paso captive agents who can help you get price quotes.
Farmers Insurance Group – 129 Thunderbird Dr – El Paso, TX 79912 – (915) 584-5464
State Farm Insurance – 3500 N Mesa St # G – El Paso, TX 79902 – (915) 532-1456
Liberty Mutual Insurance – 4120 Rio Bravo St # 115 – El Paso, TX 79902 – (915) 590-2252
Farm Bureau Insurance – 630 N Americas Ave – El Paso, TX 79907 – (915) 858-1026
Allstate Insurance – 5255 Transmountain Dr # A 2 – El Paso, TX 79924 – (915) 755-8888
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agencies do not work for one specific company but rather can write business with many different companies and potentially find a lower price. If you are not satisfied with one company, they simply move the coverage in-house and that require little work on your part. When shopping rates, it’s a good idea to include price quotes from several independent insurance agents for maximum quote selection.
Shown below is a short list of independent agencies in El Paso willing to provide rate quotes.
T L Watrous Agency – 10001 Kellogg St – El Paso, TX 79924 – (915) 759-8575
Continental Insurance – 104 S Little Flower Rd – El Paso, TX 79915 – (915) 772-8806
Ballesteros Insurance – 7012 Alameda Ave – El Paso, TX 79915 – (915) 772-9952
Farrall-Blackwell Agency – 9440 Viscount Blvd # 100 – El Paso, TX 79925 – (915) 598-1800
American Agency – 5959 Gateway Blvd W # 533 – El Paso, TX 79925 – (915) 772-7766
For a complete listing of El Paso insurance agents, please click here.
Once you have received good answers and locked in a price quote, most likely you have located a car insurance agent that is a good match to adequately provide auto insurance. Keep in mind consumers can cancel your coverage whenever you wish so don’t feel you’re contractually obligated to your new company for the full term.
When might I need an agent?
When buying adequate coverage, there really is not a “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s situation is unique so your insurance should reflect that Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if your insurance needs would benefit from professional advice.
- Which companies will insure high-risk drivers?
- Do I benefit by insuring my home with the same company?
- What is the minimum liability in Texas?
- How do I file an SR-22 for a DUI in Texas?
- Are all vehicle passengers covered by medical payments coverage?
- Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
- At what point should I drop full coverage?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Why is insurance for a teen driver so high in El Paso?
- Am I covered when driving in Canada or Mexico?
If you’re not sure about those questions but you know they apply to you, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or you can go here for a list of companies in your area. It only takes a few minutes and you can get the answers you need.
Information about specific coverages
Understanding the coverages of your policy can help you determine the right coverages and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. These are the normal coverages offered by auto insurance companies.
Liability insurance
Liability coverage can cover damage or injury you incur to people or other property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, per person bodily injury, per accident bodily injury, and a property damage limit. You might see policy limits of 50/100/50 that means you have a $50,000 limit per person for injuries, a per accident bodily injury limit of $100,000, and a limit of $50,000 paid for damaged property.
Liability coverage pays for claims like emergency aid, pain and suffering and medical services. How much liability should you purchase? That is up to you, but buy higher limits if possible. Texas requires minimum liability limits of 30,000/60,000/25,000 but you should consider buying more coverage.
Uninsured and underinsured coverage
This gives you protection from other motorists when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Due to the fact that many Texas drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (30/60/25 in Texas), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is a good idea.
Comprehensive coverages
This coverage covers damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You first must pay your deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as hitting a bird, fire damage and damage from getting keyed. The maximum payout a auto insurance company will pay at claim time is the actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Coverage for collisions
This pays for damage to your vehicle from colliding with another car or object. You first must pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision insurance covers things such as crashing into a building, crashing into a ditch, sideswiping another vehicle and colliding with a tree. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. You can also choose a higher deductible in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Coverage for medical payments
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance kick in for short-term medical expenses for things like chiropractic care, pain medications, rehabilitation expenses, dental work and funeral costs. They can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible
Keep this in mind
Cheap auto insurance can be sourced on the web and with local El Paso insurance agents, and you should be comparing both so you have a total pricing picture. Some auto insurance companies do not offer you the ability to get quotes online and usually these small, regional companies provide coverage only through local independent agents.
While you’re price shopping online, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are too many instances where someone sacrificed collision coverage to discover at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your aim should be to find the BEST coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
We just presented many tips how you can shop for auto insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may be surprised to find that the most savings is with the smaller companies. These companies may often insure only within specific states and give getter rates as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or Geico.
For more information
Additional detailed information is located at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Texas drivers can get help finding coverage, file complaints about a company, and learn about insurance regulations.
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