It would sure make life easier if we could simply give you the name of the exact car insurance company that has the cheapest policy rates in Texas. It’s not quite that easy, unfortunately, as there are a whole bunch of unknown elements such as whether you are a man or a woman, what deductibles you want to use, and whether or not you own a home, that all impact the price you pay. This article goes into detail about the best ways to avoid paying too much and will hopefully give you a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance in Texas.
The make and model of vehicle driven is probably the most important factor that determines if you can find the cheapest coverage for retired military. Vehicles with higher performance characteristics, a lack of advanced safety features, or high incidents of liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than safer, lower-performance models.
The list below shows coverage costs for a selection of the most budget-friendly automobiles to buy coverage for.
| Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $1,193 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $1,278 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,291 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,335 |
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,425 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $1,450 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $1,477 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $1,499 |
| GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE Regular Cab 2WD | $1,504 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,575 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $1,580 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $1,590 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,580 |
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Price data assumes single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, multi-policy, safe-driver, homeowner, and claim-free. Estimates do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can influence coverage rates considerably.
Looking at the numbers, vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Prius, Ford Escape, and Honda Accord are likely to be the most affordable vehicles to insure for veterans.
One of the more important considerations that help determine car insurance rates is where you keep your car in Dallas. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends tend to have more expensive auto insurance rates, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims have the benefit of cheaper car insurance.
The table below sorts the highest-priced places in Texas for retired military to buy auto insurance in. Dallas is ranked #3 with the yearly price of $1,893 for the average policyholder, which is approximately $158 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McAllen | $1,996 |
| 2 | Houston | $1,909 |
| 3 | Dallas | $1,893 |
| 4 | Brownsville | $1,870 |
| 5 | Amarillo | $1,840 |
| 6 | Laredo | $1,833 |
| 7 | Pasadena | $1,794 |
| 8 | Garland | $1,778 |
| 9 | Grand Prairie | $1,757 |
| 10 | Mesquite | $1,753 |
| 11 | Beaumont | $1,720 |
| 12 | Irving | $1,719 |
| 13 | San Antonio | $1,688 |
| 14 | Lubbock | $1,682 |
| 15 | Fort Worth | $1,670 |
| 16 | Arlington | $1,658 |
| 17 | Carrollton | $1,647 |
| 18 | Austin | $1,627 |
| 19 | Plano | $1,624 |
| 20 | Corpus Christi | $1,620 |
| 21 | McKinney | $1,609 |
| 22 | El Paso | $1,568 |
| 23 | Abilene | $1,561 |
| 24 | Waco | $1,537 |
| 25 | Killeen | $1,518 |
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Information shown are approximated as specific Dallas garaging address can revise price quotes significantly.
How careless driving impacts insurance rates
The recommended way to earn good insurance premiums in Dallas for veterans is to drive carefully and avoid at-fault accidents and violations. The chart below illustrates how traffic citations and at-fault collisions raise insurance prices for different insured age categories. The data is based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
The chart shows that the average cost of a car insurance policy in Texas per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $1,380. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost increases to $1,610, an increase of $230 each year. Now add in one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of insurance for retired military jumps again to an average of $2,243. That’s an increase of $863, or $72 per month, just for not being a responsible driver!
The diagram below highlights how deductible choice can affect insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for retired military. The rate quotes are based on a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
A 40-year-old driver could cut expenses by $358 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $540 by using a $1,000 deductible. Youthful drivers, such as the Age 20 example, can save $1,206 or more just by choosing higher deductibles. When using a larger deductible, it is necessary to have enough savings set aside to be able to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense that deters many people from opting for higher deductibles.
The benefits of price comparisons
Dallas, TX insurance rates are determined by lots of factors that can increase the price you pay. Simply turning a year older, having a teenage driver, or having an accident may prompt premium changes that may make certain companies cheaper than before.
Not only may your situation change, but companies change prices every year or even multiple times each year in order to protect their financial rating. Higher than normal claim frequency or severity may cause additional price hikes, while a profitable period may cause more affordable Dallas car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the bar chart below shows the cheapest car insurance in Dallas, TX for a 35-year-old male driver with no accidents or violations, and great credit. When quoting prices based on his current risk factors, Travelers quotes the lowest car insurance rates in Dallas at $1,275 per year. This is $629 less than the average rate paid by Texas drivers of $1,904. USAA, Texas Farm Bureau, Germania Mutual, and Esurance are the remaining best Dallas, TX auto insurance companies.
In this next rate comparison, we will give the driver in the first example an accident surcharge, less-than-perfect credit, and a couple of points charged on his driving record. Due to the fact that each insurance company has a different process to determine rates, comparing prices could result in a significantly different list of companies as shown below.
USAA now has the cheapest auto insurance in Dallas, TX with Mercury, State Farm, Safe Auto, and Nationwide now rounding out the top five. This shows why it is important to perform a complete rate comparison to get the cheapest auto insurance quotes for retired military.
Insurance prices are impacted by many risk factors and change frequently, so the best option three years ago may now be quite expensive.