It’s hard to fathom, but the vast majority of consumers have bought car insurance from the same company for well over three years, and 38% of drivers have never compared rate quotes at all. With the average car insurance premium being $2,700, Dallas drivers can cut their rates by as much as 70% a year just by comparing rates, but they just don’t understand the rate savings if they bought a different policy.
It takes a few minutes, but the best way to find cheaper prices for Cadillac XLR insurance in Dallas is to compare prices annually from providers in Texas.
- Step 1: Spend some time learning about how companies price auto insurance and the changes you can make to lower rates. Many rating criteria that are responsible for high rates such as multiple speeding tickets and a lousy credit rating can be remedied by making minor changes to your lifestyle. Later in this article we will cover more information to prevent high rates and find overlooked discounts.
- Step 2: Obtain price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct companies and exclusive agencies can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while independent agencies can provide price quotes for a wide range of insurance providers. Begin your rate comparison
- Step 3: Compare the new quotes to your existing coverage to determine if switching companies saves money. If you can save money, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
An essential thing to point out is to compare the same coverage limits and deductibles on every quote and and to get quotes from every insurance company. Doing this helps ensure a fair rate comparison and a complete price analysis.
All major auto insurance companies give prices on the web. This process is easy for anyone as you simply type in your personal and coverage information on the page. When the form is submitted, the quote system sends out for your credit score and driving record and generates a price based on these factors.
This simplifies rate comparisons, and it’s necessary to compare as many rates as possible if you want to find the lowest payment on auto insurance.
To find out what other companies charge, compare rates from the companies below. If you have a policy now, it’s recommended you enter the limits and deductibles identical to your current policy. This guarantees you will receive an apples-to-apples comparison for similar insurance coverage.
The providers in the list below provide price quotes in Texas. If more than one company is shown, it’s highly recommended you visit several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Insurance is not optional
Despite the high insurance cost for a Cadillac XLR in Dallas, insurance serves several important purposes.
First, most states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires a minimum amount of liability insurance coverage in order to be legal. In Texas these limits are 30/60/25 which means you must have $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
Second, if your XLR has a loan, most lenders will require that you have insurance to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Cadillac for a much higher rate and require you to pay the higher price.
Third, insurance safeguards not only your Cadillac but also your financial assets. Insurance will also pay for medical transport and hospital expenses for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay attorney fees if you are sued as the result of your driving. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, your insurance policy will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of buying enough insurance definitely exceed the cost, especially with large liability claims. Today the average American driver overpays more than $825 a year so it’s very important to do a rate comparison at every renewal to ensure rates are inline.
Score discounts to get cheaper Dallas car insurance quotes
Buying car insurance is not cheap, but you may qualify for discounts that can dramatically reduce your bill. A few discounts will automatically apply at the time you complete a quote, but some discounts are required to be specifically requested before you get the savings.
- Theft Deterrent – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles are stolen with less frequency and that can save you a little bit as well.
- Telematics Data – Policyholders that allow their insurance company to analyze driving manner remotely such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system may get a rate reduction if they have good driving habits.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a family member in the military can result in better premium rates.
- Safety Restraint Discount – Forcing all vehicle occupants to fasten their seat belts can save up to 10 percent (depending on the company) off the personal injury premium cost.
- College Student Discount – Older children living away from Dallas attending college and do not have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
- Auto/Life Discount – Not every insurance company offers life insurance, but if they do you may earn better premium rates if you take out life insurance from them.
- Multi-Vehicle Discounts – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle with one company qualifies for this discount.
- New Vehicle Savings – Adding a new car to your policy can be considerably cheaper because new model year vehicles are generally safer.
- Senior Citizen Rates – Seniors may qualify for reduced rates.
Don’t be surprised that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire policy premium. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, it doesn’t quite work that way.
A few of the larger companies and the discounts they provide are outlined below.
- Farm Bureau includes discounts for multi-vehicle, multi-policy, youthful driver, safe driver, and good student.
- MetLife offers discounts including accident-free, claim-free, multi-policy, good driver, good student, and defensive driver.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including online signing, continuous coverage, online quote discount, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and good student.
- AAA offers discounts for multi-car, good student, AAA membership discount, multi-policy, anti-theft, and pay-in-full.
- American Family offers premium reductions for good student, good driver, TimeAway discount, early bird, defensive driver, multi-vehicle, and mySafetyValet.
- GEICO may include discounts for seat belt use, air bags, anti-lock brakes, multi-vehicle, good student, and emergency military deployment.
- State Farm may offer discounts for Drive Safe & Save, good driver, good student, multiple autos, and accident-free.
Double check with each company what discounts are available to you. Some discounts listed above might not apply in Dallas.
What is the best auto insurance coverage?
When it comes to choosing insurance from an agent or online for your personal vehicles, there really isn’t a single plan that fits everyone. Your needs are not the same as everyone else’s so this has to be addressed.
These are some specific questions can help discover whether your personal situation would benefit from professional advice.
- What are the best liability limits?
- Is my nanny covered when driving my vehicle?
- What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
- When should I remove my kid from my policy?
- Am I covered if I hit my neighbor’s mailbox?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- Am I covered if hit by an uninsured driver?
- Do I need PIP coverage since I have good health insurance?
If you’re not sure about those questions, you might consider talking to an agent. To find an agent in your area, fill out this quick form or click here for a list of auto insurance companies in your area.
When to contact an insurance agent
Some people just prefer to get advice from a local agent and that can be a smart move The biggest benefit of comparing car insurance online is the fact that drivers can get cheap car insurance quotes and still have a local agent. And providing support for neighborhood insurance agencies is still important in Dallas.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information is instantly submitted to local insurance agents who will give you bids and help you find cheaper coverage. There is no need to leave your house as quotes are delivered instantly to you. It’s the lowest rates without a big time investment. If you need to compare rates from one company in particular, feel free to jump over to their website and give them your coverage information.
When looking for a local agent, you must know there are a couple different types of agents to choose from. Agents in Dallas are classified as either independent or exclusive.
Independent Agents (or Brokers)
Agents that elect to be independent do not have single company limitations and that enables them to quote your coverage with any number of different companies and get you the best rates possible. If premiums increase, the business is moved internally and you don’t have to switch agencies. When shopping rates, we recommend you get some free quotes from several independent insurance agents in order to have the best price comparison. Many write coverage with companies that do not advertise much which can save you money.
The following is a short list of independent insurance agencies in Dallas that may be able to provide price quote information.
- JME Insurance
5495 Belt Line Rd #333 – Dallas, TX 75254 – (972) 245-0266 – View Map - Texas Insurance Pro
2695 Villa Creek Dr #175 – Dallas, TX 75234 – (214) 717-4326 – View Map - Northwest Insurance
11722 Marsh Ln # 345 – Dallas, TX 75229 – (214) 352-5656 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents that choose to be exclusive generally can only insure with one company and examples are Allstate, State Farm and Farmers Insurance. They usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies so you need to shop around if the rates are high. They are well schooled on what they offer which helps offset the inability to provide other markets. Consumers frequently buy from exclusive agents primarily because of the brand legacy and solid financial strength.
Below are exclusive agents in Dallas that can give you rate quotes.
- Kelvin Nunley – State Farm Insurance Agent
1441 N Cockrell Hill Rd #100 – Dallas, TX 75211 – (214) 333-0404 – View Map - Mike Baker – State Farm Insurance Agent
3400 Carlisle St Ste 470 – Dallas, TX 75204 – (214) 780-0900 – View Map - Danny Venz – State Farm Insurance Agent
3218 Oak Lawn Ave – Dallas, TX 75219 – (214) 521-1400 – View Map
Finding the right car insurance agent is decision based upon more than just a cheap quote. Get answers to these questions too.
- Is the agent properly licensed in Texas?
- Do you need full coverage on every vehicle?
- Is the coverage adequate for your vehicle?
- Do they get extra compensation for selling add-on coverages?
- Are there any discounts that you might be missing?
- Can they give you a list of client referrals?
- Which companies can they place coverage with?
- Does the agency support the community they serve?
After talking to the agent and getting positive responses to any questions you may have as well as a affordable price, you have narrowed it down to a car insurance agent that is a good match to service your policy.
Auto insurance 101
Knowing the specifics of car insurance can help you determine appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be ambiguous and nobody wants to actually read their policy. Listed below are typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
Your UM/UIM coverage provides protection when other motorists are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered claims include hospital bills for your injuries and also any damage incurred to your Cadillac XLR.
Due to the fact that many Texas drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (Texas limits are 30/60/25), their limits can quickly be used up. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea. Usually your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Comprehensive protection
This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage protects against things such as vandalism, damage from getting keyed, rock chips in glass and fire damage. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the actual cash value, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible it’s not worth carrying full coverage.
Coverage for collisions
Collision coverage will pay to fix damage to your XLR from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You first must pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for things such as sustaining damage from a pot hole, hitting a parking meter, rolling your car, damaging your car on a curb and crashing into a building. This coverage can be expensive, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from vehicles that are older. It’s also possible to increase the deductible on your XLR to get cheaper collision coverage.
Medical expense coverage
Medical payments and Personal Injury Protection insurance reimburse you for bills for pain medications, rehabilitation expenses and funeral costs. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you do not have health coverage. Medical payments and PIP cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants as well as getting struck while a pedestrian. PIP is not an option in every state and may carry a deductible
Liability
This protects you from injuries or damage you cause to other’s property or people in an accident. It protects you from legal claims by others, and doesn’t cover damage to your own property or vehicle.
Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. Your policy might show values of 30/60/25 that translate to a $30,000 limit per person for injuries, a total of $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and a total limit of $25,000 for damage to vehicles and property. Occasionally you may see a combined single limit or CSL which provides one coverage limit with no separate limits for injury or property damage.
Liability coverage protects against claims such as bail bonds, court costs, loss of income, repair costs for stationary objects and pain and suffering. How much coverage you buy is a personal decision, but buy as large an amount as possible. Texas requires minimum liability limits of 30/60/25 but drivers should carry higher limits.
The chart below shows why buying low liability limits may not be enough.
Affordable coverage is out there
The cheapest Cadillac XLR insurance in Dallas is definitely available from both online companies in addition to local insurance agencies, so you need to quote Dallas car insurance with both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies may not have online rate quotes and many times these regional carriers provide coverage only through independent agents.
When you buy Dallas car insurance online, it’s not a good idea to skimp on coverage in order to save money. There have been many situations where an insured dropped collision coverage only to discover later that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your aim should be to buy a smart amount of coverage at a price you can afford, not the least amount of coverage.
You just read a lot of ways to compare Cadillac XLR insurance prices in Dallas. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the better your comparison will be. Consumers may even find the lowest prices are with a lesser-known regional company. These smaller insurers may often insure only within specific states and give better rates than their larger competitors like State Farm and Allstate.
More tips and info about auto insurance is located in the articles below:
- Tools for Teen Driving Safety (State Farm)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for Drivers with Good Credit in Dallas? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for Felons in Dallas? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for a Hyundai Sonata in Dallas? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Car Insurance Quotes for a Jeep Wrangler in Dallas? (FAQ)
- Alcohol Impaired Driving FAQ (iihs.org)
- Teen Driving Statistics (GEICO)
- Rollover Crash FAQ (iihs.org)
- Help Your Teen Be a Better Driver (State Farm)