Are you regretting the purchase of an expensive car insurance policy? Believe me when I say there are many Austin drivers thinking the same thing.
Amazlingly, a recent NerdWallet.com study showed that nearly 70% of consumers have purchased from the same company for a minimum of four years, and 38% of customers have never even shopped around for cheap coverage. With the average premium in America being $1,847, drivers could save roughly 46.5% every year just by shopping around, but they just don’t understand how easy it is to compare rate quotes online. Insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO and Farmers Insurance promote their brand names with ads and consumers find it hard to separate fact from fiction and take the time to shop coverage around.
If you already have coverage or are looking for a new policy, you can use this information to buy cheaper auto insurance without reducing coverage. Finding the cheapest auto insurance coverage in Austin can be much easier if you know how to start. Drivers just have to understand the proper methods to get comparison rates online.
Getting a more affordable price on Chevy SS insurance is not rocket science. You just have to take a few minutes comparing rates to see which company has affordable Austin car insurance quotes.
Online shopping is fast and free, and it makes it a waste of time to drive around to each insurance agency near you. The ability to get quotes online eliminates the middleman unless you’re the type of person who wants the professional abilities that you can only get from talking to an agent. You can, however, price shop online but have your policy serviced through an agent.
The companies shown below offer quotes in Austin, TX. If multiple companies are shown, it’s highly recommended you visit as many as you can to get a more complete price comparison.
Lower rate quotes by taking advantage of discounts
Some providers do not list their entire list of discounts very well, so the list below gives a summary of a few of the more well known and the more hidden discounts that may be available.
- Low Miles Discount – Fewer annual miles on your Chevy could qualify for lower rates on the low mileage vehicles.
- Multiple Vehicles – Buying insurance for several vehicles on one policy could earn a price break for each car.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles prevent accidents and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
- No Claims – Drivers who don’t have accidents pay much less when compared with accident-prone drivers.
- Payment Method – If you can afford to pay the entire bill rather than spreading payments over time you can actually save on your bill.
- Discount for Multiple Policies – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you could earn a discount of up to 20% and get you inexpensive Chevrolet SS insurance in Austin.
- Good Student Discount – This discount can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply up until you turn 25.
Discounts save money, but please remember that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the whole policy. A few only apply to individual premiums such as comp or med pay. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.
Companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts are detailed below.
- State Farm has discounts for safe vehicle, multiple autos, Steer Clear safe driver discount, passive restraint, good driver, and Drive Safe & Save.
- Progressive may offer discounts for online signing, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, good student, homeowner, online quote discount, and continuous coverage.
- Travelers may include discounts for multi-policy, multi-car, continuous insurance, new car, driver training, good student, and early quote.
- American Family may have discounts that include good driver, Steer into Savings, multi-vehicle, defensive driver, good student, bundled insurance, and early bird.
- Liberty Mutual has savings for new vehicle discount, teen driver discount, newly married, good student, multi-policy, and safety features.
Before purchasing a policy, check with each company which discounts you may be entitled to. All car insurance discounts might not apply in your state. To see a list of car insurance companies that offer multiple discounts in Texas, follow this link.
When to have guidance from an insurance agency
Certain consumers still prefer to get professional advice from a licensed agent and that can be a great decision Licensed agents can help determine the best coverages and help file insurance claims. One of the great benefits of comparing car insurance online is the fact that you can find better rates and also buy local. Buying insurance from local insurance agents is still important in Austin.
After completing this short form, your information is sent to local insurance agents that provide free Austin car insurance quotes for your car insurance coverage. It’s much easier because you don’t need to drive around due to the fact that quote results will go instantly to you. If you have a need to quote rates for a specific company, you just need to search and find their rate quote page and give them your coverage information.
If you prefer to buy car insurance from a local insurance agency, there are a couple of types of insurance agents that you can select. Agents in Austin are categorized either independent or exclusive. Both can insure your vehicles, but it is important to understand the differences since it can affect which agent you choose.
Independent Car Insurance Agents
Agents that elect to be independent often have affiliation with several companies so they have the ability to put coverage with multiple insurance companies and get the cheapest rates. If they quote lower rates, your agent can just switch to a different company and that require little work on your part. If you need cheaper car insurance rates, you absolutely need to get insurance quotes from independent agents for the best price selection.
Featured below is a partial list of independent insurance agencies in Austin that can give you free price quotes.
Greater Austin Insurance Inc
11824 Jollyville Rd # 202 – Austin, TX 78759 – (512) 250-1777 – View Map
Watkins Insurance Group
3834 Spicewood Springs Rd – Austin, TX 78759 – (512) 452-8877 – View Map
Nationwide Insurance: Bill Russell Insurance Agency Inc
9015 Mountain Ridge Dr #350 – Austin, TX 78759 – (512) 343-1106 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agents
Agents that choose to be exclusive can only place business with one company like Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agencies are unable to compare rates from other companies so you might not find the best rates. Exclusive agencies receive a lot of sales training on sales techniques and that enables them to sell even at higher rates.
Listed below are exclusive insurance agents in Austin willing to provide rate quotes.
Karen Easterling – State Farm Insurance Agent
2711 W Anderson Ln #201 – Austin, TX 78757 – (512) 454-4784 – View Map
Tony Reyes – State Farm Insurance Agent
9811 S IH 35 Frontage Rd #120 – Austin, TX 78744 – (512) 851-2539 – View Map
State Farm: Charlie Anderson
12710 Research Blvd #210 – Austin, TX 78759 – (512) 258-2231 – View Map
Deciding on an insurance agency should include more criteria than just a cheap price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:
- Do the agents have professional certifications like CPCU or CIC?
- Are claim adjusters local or do you have to take your car somewhere else?
- Does the company use OEM repair parts?
- Do they have 24-hour customer assistance?
- Who are their largest clients?
- What insurance company do they write the most business with?
How Your SS Insurance Rates are Determined
Part of the insurance buying process is learning some of the things that play a part in calculating insurance rates. If you know what determines base rates, this allows you to make good choices that may result in better insurance rates. Many factors are used when you quote your car insurance policy. Some factors are common sense like your driving record, but some are not as apparent such as your credit history or your financial responsibility.
Shown below are some of the things that factor into prices.
- Choose high IIHS safety ratings and save – Cars with high safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. Vehicles built for safety result in less severe injuries and reduced instances of injuries translates into fewer and smaller insurance claims passed on to you as lower rates. If the Chevy SS scored better than four stars on Safercar.gov or an “acceptable” rating on iihs.org you are probably receiving a discount.
- Improve your credit rating and save – Having a bad credit history can be a huge factor in determining your rates. Drivers who have very good credit scores tend to be more responsible and file fewer claims as compared to drivers with lower credit ratings. So if your credit score is not that good, you could potentially save money when insuring your Chevrolet SS by improving your rating.
- Your car’s features help determine premiums – Selecting a car model with a theft deterrent system can help lower your premiums. Theft deterrent systems such as tamper alarm systems, vehicle immobilizer technology and General Motors OnStar all help prevent car theft and help bring rates down.
- Pay more if you have a long commute – Living in less populated areas has definite advantages if you are looking for the lowest rates. Drivers in populated areas have to deal with more auto accidents and more time behind the wheel. Fewer drivers on the road translates into fewer accident claims and a lower car theft rate.
- Policy add-ons may be wasting money – Insurance companies have many optional add-on coverages that you can get tricked into buying on your SS policy. Coverage for things like vanishing deductibles, high-cost glass coverage, and term life insurance are probably not needed. You may think they are a good idea at first, but if you don’t need them consider taking them off your policy.
- Don’t cut corners with liability – A critical coverage on your policy, liability insurance is the protection in the event that you are determined to be liable for an accident. It will provide legal defense coverage which can be incredibly expensive. Carrying liability coverage is mandatory and cheap compared to comp and collision, so drivers should carry high limits.
- Claims statistics for a Chevy SS – Car insurance companies analyze historical claim data when setting rates for each model. Models that the data shows to have increased claim numbers or amounts will be charged more to insure.
The information below illustrates the historical insurance loss data for Chevy SS vehicles. For each insurance policy coverage type, the claim amount for all vehicles as a whole is a value of 100. Values under 100 suggest losses that are better than average, while percentage values above 100 show a trend for more claims or tendency to have higher losses.
Car Insurance Loss Data for Chevrolet SS Models
Vehicle Make and Model Collision Property Damage Comp Personal Injury Medical Payment Bodily Injury Chevrolet SS 142 75 137 Empty fields indicate not enough data collected
Data Source: iihs.org (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) for 2013-2015 Model Years
Choosing Chevy SS insurance is an important decision
Even though it can be expensive, buying auto insurance serves a purpose in several ways.
- The majority of states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to buy a specific minimum amount of liability protection 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 your SS has a loan, it’s guaranteed your bank will require that you buy full coverage to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank may insure your Chevy at a significantly higher premium and force you to pay for the much more expensive policy.
- Insurance protects both your assets and your car. It will also cover hospital and medical expenses that are the result of an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney if you cause an accident and are sued. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay all costs to repair after the deductible has been paid.
The benefits of buying auto insurance outweigh the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver overpays as much as $810 a year so compare rate quotes at every renewal to be sure current rates are still competitive.
You can find cheap coverage
As you restructure your insurance plan, it’s not a good idea to reduce coverage to reduce premium. Too many times, someone dropped comprehensive coverage or liability limits and discovered at claim time that it was a big mistake. Your focus should be to purchase plenty of coverage at the best price and still be able to protect your assets.
In this article, we covered some good ideas how you can find affordable Chevy SS insurance in Austin. The most important thing to understand is the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding affordable Chevrolet SS insurance quotes. You may even find the most savings is with a lesser-known regional company. They can often provide lower premium rates in certain areas as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive and GEICO.
For more information, link through to these articles:
- Neck Injury FAQ (iihs.org)
- What if I Can’t Find Coverage? (Insurance Information Institute)
- Senior Drivers (Insurance Information Institute)