Finding cheap Houston auto insurance can seem to be challenging for people who are new to buying insurance online. With so many options of companies in the marketplace, it can easily turn into a real challenge to compare prices in Mississippi.
If you currently have a car insurance policy, you will be able to reduce your rates substantially using this strategy. The purpose of this post is to instruct you on the best way to quote coverages. But Mississippi vehicle owners should learn the way insurance companies price insurance differently and use this information to your advantage.
Find hidden discounts to get affordable Houston auto insurance quotes
Car insurance can cost a lot, but you might be missing out on some discounts that can help lower your rates. Certain reductions will be credited at the time you complete a quote, but some may not be applied and must be asked about before you get the savings.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – By paying your entire bill at once rather than paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
- More Vehicles More Savings – Purchasing coverage when you have multiple vehicles with the same company can reduce the rates for all insured vehicles.
- Own a Home and Save – Just owning your own home can get you a discount due to the fact that maintaining a home shows financial diligence.
- Military Rewards – Being on active deployment in the military can result in better premium rates.
- Anti-lock Brake System – Cars and trucks that have steering control and anti-lock brakes can avoid accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- Seat Belt Discounts – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle up before driving can save up to 15% off the medical payments premium.
- Driver’s Education for Students – Reduce the cost of insurance for teen drivers by having them complete a driver education course as it can save substantially.
- Professional Organizations – Belonging to a qualifying organization is a good way to get lower rates on your policy.
- Claim-Free Discount – Claim-free drivers can save substantially compared to accident-prone drivers.
- Early Signing – A few auto insurance companies allow discounts for buying a new policy prior to your current policy expiring. You can save around 10% with this discount.
Consumers should know that most discount credits are not given to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, you aren’t that lucky. Any qualifying discounts will definitely lower your overall bill.
A few of the larger companies and a selection of discounts are detailed below.
- Farm Bureau policyholders can earn discounts including safe driver, good student, multi-policy, renewal discount, and 55 and retired.
- MetLife offers premium reductions for good driver, accident-free, defensive driver, multi-policy, claim-free, good student
- Progressive may offer discounts for online quote discount, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, continuous coverage, online signing, good student, and homeowner.
- AAA offers discounts for good student, multi-policy, pay-in-full, multi-car, and education and occupation.
- American Family discounts include bundled insurance, multi-vehicle, good driver, mySafetyValet, good student, and accident-free.
- Geico offers discounts including five-year accident-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, air bags, federal employee, anti-lock brakes, and seat belt use.
- State Farm includes discounts for Drive Safe & Save, good driver, Steer Clear safe driver discount, accident-free, multiple autos, and defensive driving training.
Before buying, ask each insurance company how many discounts you can get. Some credits might not apply in Houston. To choose providers who offer auto insurance discounts in Houston, click this link.
Many insurance companies provide prices from their websites. Comparing rates online is possible for anyone as you just enter your coverage information on the page. Once entered, their quoting system orders your driving record and credit report and quotes a price based on many factors.
Online price estimates simplifies rate comparisons, but having to visit a lot of sites and fill out multiple forms is a waste of time. Unfortunately, it is important to have as many quotes as possible if you want to find the lowest auto insurance rates.
A more efficient way to find lower prices uses one simple form that gets price quotes from more than one company. This type of form saves time, eliminates repetitive work, and makes online price comparison a little more enjoyable. After sending the form, it is quoted with multiple companies and you can pick any or none of the resulting price quotes.
If a lower price is quoted, it’s easy to complete the application and buy the new coverage. This process takes less than 15 minutes and can result in significant savings.
To get comparison pricing now, click here and begin entering your coverage information. If you have coverage now, it’s recommended you type in coverages and limits as close as possible to your current policy. This helps ensure you will receive comparison quotes based on similar coverages.
Buy cheaper auto insurance with these tips
Consumers need to have an understanding of some of the things that help calculate your auto insurance rates. If you know what controls the rates you pay, this allows you to make good choices that will entitle you to better auto insurance rates. Many factors are part of the calculation when pricing auto insurance. Some factors are common sense such as traffic violations, although some other factors are not quite as obvious such as your credit history or how financially stable you are.
The items below are just a few of the factors used by insurance companies to determine premiums.
- Cheaper auto insurance rates using GPS tracking and theft deterrents – Buying a car with a theft deterrent system can save you some money. Theft prevention devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems, OnStar, and tracking devices like LoJack all help prevent your car from being stolen.
- Little extras can really add up – Insurance companies have many add-on coverages that can add up if you aren’t careful. Insurance for things like personal injury protection, death and dismemberment, and motor club memberships could be just wasting money. They may seem like a good idea initially, but if you’ve never needed them in the past remove them and pocket the money.
- Don’t cancel your policy without a new one in place – Letting your insurance expire can be a fast way to pay more for auto insurance. And not only will your rates increase, getting caught without coverage can result in a license revocation or jail time. You will then be forced to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the Mississippi department of motor vehicles.
- Safer cars cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings can get you lower premiums. The safest vehicles protect occupants better and fewer serious injuries means less claims paid passed on to you as lower rates.
When to get professional advice
When it comes to buying the best auto insurance coverage for your personal vehicles, there isn’t really a one size fits all plan. Coverage needs to be tailored to your specific needs.
For example, these questions could help you determine whether you would benefit from an agent’s advice.
- What discounts do I qualify for?
- Does my liability insurance cover pulling a trailer or camper?
- Why am I be forced to buy a membership to get insurance from some companies?
- Is business equipment covered while in my vehicle?
- Can I afford to buy a different vehicle if my vehicle is totaled?
- Should I put collision coverage on all my vehicles?
If it’s difficult to answer those questions but a few of them apply, you may need to chat with an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, complete this form.
Insurance agents near you
Many drivers prefer to have an agent’s advice and we recommend doing that A good thing about comparing rate quotes online is you can get the best rates and still choose a local agent. Buying insurance from local insurance agents is especially important in Houston.
By using this form (opens in new window), your insurance data is transmitted to companies in Houston that provide for your insurance coverage. It simplifies rate comparisons since you won’t have to leave your house since rate quotes are delivered directly to your email. Get lower rates and work with a local agent. In the event you want to quote rates for a specific company, don’t hesitate to go to their quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.
Two different types of car insurance agents
If you want to buy auto insurance from a reputable agency, you should know the types of agencies to choose from. Houston agents may be either captive or independent agents depending on their company appointments.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Independent agents are not required to write business for one company and that is an advantage because they can write policies with an assortment of companies and get you the best rates possible. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they simply move your policy to a different company which makes it simple for you.
If you are comparing rate quotes, you need to contact a couple of independent agencies so that you can do a thorough price comparison. Many write coverage with less well-known companies which could offer lower prices.
Shown below is a short list of independent agencies in Houston that may be able to give you free auto insurance rate quotes.
- Houston Insurance and Rl Est – 113 W Washington St – Houston, MS 38851 – (662) 456-2511
- Wallace Norman Insurance – 101 E Harrington St – Houston, MS 38851 – (662) 456-3338
Captive Auto Insurance Agents
Agents that elect to be captive have only one company to place business with such as State Farm, Allstate, or Farmers Insurance. Captive agencies are unable to give you multiple price quotes so always compare other rates. Captives are well trained on what they offer and that enables them to sell even at higher rates. A lot of people use the same agent primarily because of loyalty to the company rather than low price.
The following are Houston captive insurance agents who can help you get price quotes.
- Farm Bureau Insurance – 312 N Monroe St – Houston, MS 38851 – (662) 456-4209
To help find insurance agencies in your area, you can visit this full listing of insurance agencies in Houston.
Finding the right car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a low price. Here are some questions to ask:
- Is vehicle mileage a factor when determining depreciation for repairs?
- Do they review policy coverages at every renewal?
- What company holds the largest book of business for them?
- How does the company pay claims for a total loss?
- Do they see any coverage gaps in your plan?
Affordable auto insurance is out there
We just showed you some good ideas how to lower your auto insurance prices. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the better chance you’ll have of finding . Consumers may even find the lowest prices are with a smaller regional carrier.
More affordable auto insurance is definitely available on the web in addition to local insurance agencies, so you need to with both to have the best chance of lowering rates. A few companies may not have internet price quotes and usually these regional insurance providers only sell coverage through independent agents.
When buying insurance coverage, never reduce coverage to reduce premium. In many cases, drivers have reduced liability coverage limits and learned later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your goal should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best cost while still protecting your assets.
More Mississippi auto insurance resources
More information can be found on the . Click here for link. Consumers can find out industry alerts, view agent and company licensing information, and discover disciplinary actions.
The following articles may also be useful.