How to Get Lower Auto Insurance Rates in Irving

It’s an obvious assumption that auto insurance companies don’t want you to compare rates. People who shop around for cheaper prices are highly likely to buy a different policy because the odds are good of finding a lower-priced policy. A study showed that consumers who compared prices regularly saved over $860 a year compared to drivers who never compared prices.

If finding discount rates on auto insurance is your target objective, then learning a little about how to get price quotes and compare auto insurance can save time, money, and frustration.

The most effective way to find the cheapest price for car insurance prices in Irving is to start comparing prices yearly from companies who provide auto insurance in Texas.

• First, learn about the coverage provided by your policy and the things you can control to keep rates down. Many risk factors that are responsible for high rates such as accidents, traffic tickets, and a not-so-good credit rating can be rectified by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.
• Second, compare rates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Direct and exclusive agents can provide rates from one company like Progressive or Allstate, while independent agents can provide prices from many different companies.
• Third, compare the quotes to your current policy premium and determine if cheaper coverage is available in Irving. If you find better rates and switch companies, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
• Fourth, give notification to your agent or company of your decision to cancel your existing policy. Submit the required down payment along with the signed application to your new company or agent. When you receive it, place your new certificate verifying coverage with your registration paperwork.

An important part of this process is to compare the same deductibles and limits on each quote request and and to get rate quotes from as many companies as possible. This helps ensure an apples-to-apples comparison and a good representation of prices.

Discounts can help save money on insurance

Insurance is not inexpensive, but there’s a good chance there are discounts that could help you make your next renewal payment. Some discounts apply automatically when you quote, but some need to be requested specifically before you will receive the discount.

• No Claims – Insureds with no claims or accidents have much lower rates compared to accident-prone drivers.
• Auto/Life Discount – Some insurance companies give a lower rate if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
• Club Memberships – Being a member of a professional or civic organization is a simple method to lower premiums when shopping for insurance.
• Bundle and Save – If you can bundle your auto and homeowners insurance and insure them both with the same insurance company you may earn approximately 10% to 15%.
• One Accident Forgiven – This one is not really a discount per se, but a handful of insurance companies allow you one accident before raising your premiums as long as you don’t have any claims for a set time period.
• Theft Deterrent System – Cars, trucks, and SUVs with anti-theft systems can help prevent theft and that can save you a little bit as well.
• College Student Discount – College-age children who live away from home to go to college and don’t have a car could get you a discount.
• Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking a course that instructs on driving safety can save you 5% or more and make you a better driver.
• Lower Rates for Military – Having an actively deployed family member could mean lower rates.

Keep in mind that many deductions do not apply to the entire policy premium. Most cut the price of certain insurance coverages like collision or personal injury protection. So when it seems like it’s possible to get free car insurance, it just doesn’t work that way. Any amount of discount will positively reduce your overall premium however.

If you would like to choose from a list of insurers who offer online insurance quotes in Texas, follow this link.

Data variables include single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, claim-free, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and multi-policy. Price information does not factor in specific Irving garaging location which can lower or raise premium rates substantially.

The fastest way that we advise to compare insurance rates from multiple companies utilizes the fact auto insurance companies have advanced systems to provide you with free rate quotes. The only thing you need to do is provide the companies a bit of rating information including how many miles driven, your job, your education level, and if you lease or own. The data is automatically sent to multiple companies and you will get price comparisons immediately.

To get price quotes for your car now, click here and find out if lower rates are available in Irving.

The providers in the list below can provide price comparisons in Irving, TX. If the list has multiple companies, we suggest you click on several of them to get the lowest price.

You are unique and your auto insurance should be too

When quoting and comparing the best auto insurance coverage for your vehicles, there is no single plan that fits everyone. Each situation is unique and a cookie cutter policy won’t apply.
For instance, these questions may help you determine whether you might need an agent’s assistance.

• I don’t drive much so do I pay less?
• Is water damage covered by my policy?
• Is my covered if I use it for business?
• Exactly who is provided coverage by my policy?
• Can I afford to pay high deductible claims out of pocket?
• Am I covered when driving a rental car?
• What is UM/UIM insurance?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you might consider talking to an insurance agent. If you don’t have a local agent, take a second and complete this form or go to this page to view a list of companies. It is quick, free and you can get the answers you need.

Exclusive versus independent auto insurance agents

Some consumers still like to talk to a local agent and that is just fine! Good agents are highly skilled in risk management and give you someone to call. An additional benefit of getting online price quotes is that drivers can save money and get cheap car insurance rates and still have a local agent. Buying from local insurance agencies is definitely important in Irving.

After filling out this form (opens in new window), the quote information gets sent to participating agents in Irving who will give competitive quotes for your business. You won’t even need to leave your computer due to the fact that quote results will go immediately to you. If you want to quote rates from a specific company, don’t hesitate to find their quoting web page and complete a quote there.

Listed below is a list of insurance companies in Irving that may be able to provide rate quotes.

• Romero Insurance Agency
  1770 W Irving Blvd # 6 – Irving, TX 75061 – (972) 259-1220 – View Map
• State Farm DFW – Linda DeSpain Agency
  1030 W John Carpenter Fwy #150 – Irving, TX 75039 – (469) 586-4244 – View Map
• Bill Hooten – State Farm Insurance Agent
  400 E Royal Ln Ste 211 – Irving, TX 75039 – (972) 409-9940 – View Map
• Farmers Insurance – Jonathan Russell
  1333 Corporate Dr #270 – Irving, TX 75038 – (972) 756-9090 – View Map

More insurance agents

Choosing an insurance company requires you to look at more than just a low price. Some important questions to ask are:

• Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
• Does the agent have a valid license to sell insurance in Texas?
• Is vehicle damage repaired with OEM or aftermarket parts?
• Will they give you a referral list?
• How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?

Why you need vehicle insurance in Texas

Despite the fact that car insurance is not cheap in Irving, insurance serves an important purpose.

• Just about all states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage if you want to drive legally. 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.
• If you have a loan on your vehicle, almost every bank will have a requirement that you have physical damage coverage to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you let the policy lapse, the bank may insure your vehicle for a lot more money and require you to reimburse them much more than you were paying before.
• Car insurance protects not only your vehicle but also your assets. It will also provide coverage for all forms of medical expenses that are the result of an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance also covers legal expenses if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will cover the repair costs.

The benefits of carrying adequate insurance are without a doubt worth the cost, especially if you ever need it. But the average American driver is overpaying over $800 each year so you should quote and compare rates once a year at a minimum to ensure rates are inline.

Auto insurance coverage breakdown

Having a good grasp of your auto insurance policy aids in choosing which coverages you need and the correct deductibles and limits. Auto insurance terms can be impossible to understand and reading a policy is terribly boring. Shown next are typical coverages offered by auto insurance companies.

Comprehensive or Other Than Collision

Comprehensive insurance coverage pays for damage from a wide range of events other than collision. A deductible will apply and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.

Comprehensive insurance covers things such as hitting a deer, a broken windshield, fire damage and damage from flooding. The highest amount you can receive from a comprehensive claim is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Liability insurance

This protects you from damage or injury you incur to a person or their property by causing an accident. Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You commonly see liability limits of 30/60/25 that means you have a limit of $30,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $60,000, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Another option is a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.

Liability can pay for things such as medical services, legal defense fees, structural damage and loss of income. How much liability should you purchase? That is your choice, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. Texas requires minimum liability limits of 30/60/25 but you should think about purchasing more coverage.

The illustration below demonstrates why buying minimum limits may not be adequate.

Medical costs insurance

Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for expenses such as EMT expenses, X-ray expenses, dental work, pain medications and chiropractic care. They can be used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if there is no health insurance coverage. Coverage applies to all vehicle occupants in addition to getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal injury protection coverage is only offered in select states but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Collision coverage

This coverage covers damage to your vehicle caused by collision with another car or object. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.

Collision coverage protects against claims such as crashing into a ditch, backing into a parked car, damaging your car on a curb and sustaining damage from a pot hole. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. It’s also possible to bump up the deductible to save money on collision insurance.

UM/UIM Coverage

This coverage provides protection from other motorists when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. Covered losses include medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your vehicle.

Since many Texas drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (Texas limits are 30/60/25), their liability coverage can quickly be exhausted. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important. Normally these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.

Be persistent and save

Some insurance companies may not have online quoting and these regional carriers provide coverage only through independent agents. Cheaper insurance in Irving is available both online and from local insurance agents, and you need to price shop both so you have a total pricing picture.

While you’re price shopping online, you should never reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, an insured cut full coverage and learned later that the few dollars in savings costed them thousands. Your goal is to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price and still be able to protect your assets.

We just showed you a lot of information how to shop for insurance online. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. You may even discover the best premium rates are with a smaller regional carrier. Regional companies may cover specific market segments cheaper than the large multi-state companies such as State Farm or Progressive.

To learn more, feel free to browse these articles:

• What to do at the Scene of an Accident (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance for Infrequent Drivers in Dallas? (FAQ)
• Shopping for a Safe Car (Insurance Information Institute)
• Drunk Driving Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)