We don’t have to point out that fact that insurance companies don’t want customers comparing rates. Insureds who shop around once a year will presumably move their business because they have good chances of finding a lower-cost company. A recent car insurance study revealed that people who made a habit of comparing rate quotes saved on average $865 annually compared to other drivers who never shopped around for better prices.
If finding the most affordable insurance in Dallas is why you’re reading this, then having an understanding of how to shop and compare insurance rates can make it easier to shop your coverage around.
Really, the only way to get the cheapest Mercury Montego insurance is to start doing an annual price comparison from different companies who provide car insurance in Dallas. You can compare rates by following these guidelines.
- Get an understanding of what coverages are included in your policy and the measures you can control to prevent rate increases. Many factors that increase rates like traffic citations, accidents, and a less-than-favorable credit history can be rectified by being financially responsible and driving safely.
- Quote rates from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Direct and exclusive agents can only give rate quotes from a single company like Progressive or State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote rates for a wide range of insurance providers. Find a Dallas insurance agent
- Compare the price quotes to the price on your current policy and see if you can save money. If you can save some money, ensure coverage does not lapse between policies.
A good piece of advice is to try to compare similar deductibles and liability limits on every price quote and and to get rates from all possible companies. Doing this enables an apples-to-apples comparison and the best price quote selection.
Locating the best insurance company for you in Dallas is really not that difficult. Nearly every car owner who has to purchase insurance will find better rates. But Texas car owners need to have an understanding of how insurance companies determine prices and use this information to your advantage.
The are a couple different ways to get quotes from many car insurance companies in Texas. The simplest method to find cheaper Mercury Montego rates is to get quotes online.
When price shopping your coverage, comparing more quotes increases the chance that you will find a lower rate.
The auto insurance companies shown below are ready to provide free quotes in Dallas, TX. If the list has multiple companies, it’s a good idea that you click on several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Choosing the best Mercury Montego insurance in Texas is an important decision
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Mercury in Dallas, insuring your vehicle serves several important purposes.
- Just about all states have minimum liability requirements which means the state requires a specific level of liability insurance in order to drive the car. 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 bought your Mercury Montego with a loan, most lenders will have a requirement that you have insurance to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If the policy lapses, the lender may have to buy a policy to insure your Mercury at a more expensive rate and require you to fork over for the much more expensive policy.
- Auto insurance protects both your assets and your car. Insurance will pay for medical expenses that are the result of an accident. Liability coverage also pays for attorney fees and expenses if anyone sues you for causing an accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of having auto insurance definitely exceed the cost, especially when you need to use it. The average driver in Texas overpays more than $869 every year so you should quote and compare rates at every policy renewal to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Discount Dallas car insurance rates
Car insurance is easily one of your largest bills, but you can get discounts that can help lower your rates. A few discounts will automatically apply when you purchase, but occasionally some discounts must be asked about prior to receiving the credit. If you do not double check each discount possible, you are not getting the best rate possible.
- Fewer Miles Equal More Savings – Maintaining low annual mileage could be rewarded with discounted car insurance rates on garaged vehicles.
- Life Insurance – Some companies give a small discount if you purchase some life insurance too.
- Air Bag Discount – Cars that have air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems could see savings of more than 20%.
- Dallas Homeowners Discount – Simply owning a home may earn you a small savings since owning and maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- Claim Free – Insureds who avoid accidents and claims are rewarded with significantly better rates on Dallas auto insurance quote as compared to bad drivers.
- Paperless Signup – Some of the larger companies will give you a small discount for buying a policy and signing up on the internet.
- Active Service Discounts – Being deployed in the military could mean lower car insurance rates.
- Membership in Organizations – Participating in a qualifying organization may earn a discount when shopping for car insurance.
- Discounts for Seat Belt Usage – Drivers who require all occupants to buckle up could save 15% off the PIP or medical payment premium.
- ABS Brakes – Cars with anti-lock braking systems have fewer accidents so you can save 10 percent or more.
A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire policy premium. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Even though it may seem like you can get free auto insurance, that’s just not realistic. But all discounts will definitely lower the cost of coverage.
If you would like to view companies who offer cheap Mercury Montego insurance quotes in Dallas in Dallas, click this link.
What if I want to buy from local Dallas insurance agencies?
Some consumers just prefer to visit with an insurance agent. A good thing about comparing insurance prices online is that you can find cheaper prices but also keep your business local.
After filling out this form (opens in new window), the quote information is immediately sent to agents in your area who will gladly provide quotes for your car insurance coverage. You won’t even need to search for an agent since rate quotes are delivered straight to your inbox. You can find lower rates AND an agent nearby. If for some reason you want to compare rates from a specific insurance company, you can always go to their quote page and complete a quote there.
Finding the right insurer is decision based upon more than just a cheap quote. Some important questions to ask are:
- How much training do they have in personal risk management?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Are they able to provide referrals?
- Can glass repairs be made at your home?
- Do they have 24-hour customer assistance?
If you would like to find a local insurance agency, it’s important to understand the types of agencies that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents in Dallas may be either exclusive or independent (non-exclusive).
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents in the exclusive channel can usually just insure with one company such as Farmers Insurance, State Farm, or Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so keep that in mind. Exclusive agents receive a lot of sales training on their company’s products which can be an advantage. A lot of people choose to use a exclusive agent primarily because of the prominent brand name rather than having low rates.
The following is a short list of exclusive agencies in Dallas who may provide you with rate quotes.
- Mike Baker – State Farm Insurance Agent
3400 Carlisle St Ste 470 – Dallas, TX 75204 – (214) 780-0900 – View Map - Larry Sandlin – State Farm Insurance Agent
4560 W Mockingbird Ln #120 – Dallas, TX 75209 – (214) 526-5227 – View Map - Roxy Brown – State Farm Insurance Agent
12640 E Northwest Hwy, Ste 408 – Dallas, TX 75228 – (972) 681-6128 – View Map
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Independent agents are not employed by any specific company so as a result can place your coverage with any number of different companies and find the cheapest car insurance rates. If your premiums go up, they simply move your policy to a different company and you won’t have to switch agencies.
If you are trying to find cheaper rates, you absolutely need to check rates from independent agents to get the most accurate price comparison. They often place coverage with lesser-known insurance companies that may have much lower rates than larger companies.
Shown below is a list of independent agencies in Dallas that are able to give rate quotes.
- Ross “Pistol” Love – Love Insurance Agency
5400 E Mockingbird Ln #224 – Dallas, TX 75206 – (214) 843-0772 – View Map - The Phoenix Insurance
11615 Forest Central Dr #103 – Dallas, TX 75243 – (214) 253-0570 – View Map - Northwest Insurance
11722 Marsh Ln # 345 – Dallas, TX 75229 – (214) 352-5656 – View Map
Coverage specifics
Knowing the specifics of your insurance policy aids in choosing appropriate coverage at the best deductibles and correct limits. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Comprehensive insurance – Comprehensive insurance will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first have to pay a deductible and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims like fire damage, rock chips in glass, hitting a bird, falling objects and a tree branch falling on your vehicle. The maximum amount your insurance company will pay is the actual cash value, so if the vehicle’s value is low it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Coverage for liability – Liability coverage protects you from damage that occurs to other’s property or people. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 30/60/25 that means you have 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.
Liability coverage protects against things such as loss of income, legal defense fees and bail bonds. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but you should buy as large an amount as possible. Texas requires minimum liability limits of 30/60/25 but drivers should carry more coverage.
The illustration below demonstrates why minimum state limits may not be adequate coverage.
Collision – This covers damage to your Montego resulting from a collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.
Collision can pay for things such as crashing into a building, hitting a mailbox and crashing into a ditch. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from lower value vehicles. You can also bump up the deductible on your Montego in order to get cheaper collision rates.
Med pay and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) – Med pay and PIP coverage reimburse you for short-term medical expenses such as prosthetic devices, surgery, hospital visits and chiropractic care. They can be utilized in addition to your health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and will also cover getting struck while a pedestrian. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) – Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage provides protection from other drivers when they either have no liability insurance or not enough. Covered losses include hospital bills for your injuries as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Because many people only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (which is 30/60/25), their limits can quickly be used up. This is the reason having UM/UIM coverage should not be overlooked.
In Summary
When buying insurance coverage, don’t be tempted to reduce needed coverages to save money. There are many occasions where someone dropped collision coverage only to find out that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage for the lowest cost while still protecting your assets.
Drivers who switch companies do it for a number of reasons such as policy non-renewal, high prices, delays in paying claims and delays in responding to claim requests. No matter why you want to switch, finding the right auto insurance provider is not as hard as you think.
Some companies may not have rates over the internet and many times these regional insurance providers sell through independent agents. Cost effective Mercury Montego insurance is possible both online and from local agencies, so you should be comparing quotes from both so you have a total pricing picture.
Additional auto insurance information can be read on the following sites:
- What is Gap Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has Affordable Dallas Car Insurance Quotes for Veterans? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Car Insurance After a Speeding Ticket in Dallas? (FAQ)
- What Does No-Fault Insurance Cover? (Allstate)
- Auto Insurance for Teen Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)
- Auto Insurance Facts and Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)