Cheapest Insurance for a Mercury Mariner in Austin

Feel like you have overpriced Mercury Mariner insurance in Austin? Trust us, there are many people just like you.

Sadly, a large majority of consumers have purchased from the same company for at least the last four years, and approximately 40% of consumers have never even compared rates from other companies. Drivers in Texas can cut their rates by roughly 70% a year by just shopping around, but they don’t want to spend time to do a rate comparison.

Many insurers compete for your insurance dollar, so it’s not easy to compare every company to find the cheapest price on Mercury Mariner insurance in Austin.

You need to quote other rates at least once a year since insurance rates are rarely the same from one policy term to another. Despite the fact that you may have had the best rate on Mercury Mariner insurance in Austin six months ago the chances are good that you can find a lower price today. Block out anything you think you know about auto insurance because you’re about to find out the tricks you need to know to get good coverage on Mercury Mariner insurance in Austin at a lower rate.

If you already have coverage, you will most likely be able to cut your premiums using these tips. Locating the best rates in Austin is actually not that difficult if you follow our advice. But Texas vehicle owners need to learn the methods companies use to sell insurance online and use it to your advantage.

The easiest way to compare insurance rates from multiple companies is to understand car insurance companies provide online access to give free rates quotes. The only thing you need to do is give them rating details such as how much coverage you want, daily mileage, your credit rating estimate, and driver details. That rating data is submitted instantly to insurance companies and you will receive price estimates within a short period of time.

To start a rate quote now, click here and find out if lower rates are available in Austin.

The car insurance companies shown below are our best choices to provide free rate quotes in Texas. If multiple companies are listed, it’s a good idea that you get prices from several of them to find the most affordable car insurance rates.

Cost estimates assume single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Rates do not factor in specific zip code location which can decrease or increase auto insurance rates greatly.

How accidents and violations affect rates in Austin

The diagram below highlights how traffic violations and at-fault collisions can impact Mercury Mariner premium costs for different ages of insureds. Data assumes a single female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no other discounts are factored in.

Deductible comparison

When shopping for auto insurance, a common question is how high should the physical damage deductibles be. The rates below help summarize how much more you’ll pay of buying low and high insurance deductibles. The first rate quote example uses a $250 physical damage coverage deductible and the second price table uses a $1,000 deductible.

Data based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, and safe-driver. Prices do not factor in your specific Austin location which can decrease or increase premiums substantially.

We can derive from the above data that using a $250 deductible would cost the average driver about $27 more each month or $324 every year than buying the higher $1,000 deductible. Since you would pay $750 more to settle a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you normally go at least 28 months between claims, you would come out ahead if you choose the higher deductible.

You may qualify for discounts for Mercury Mariner insurance in Austin

Buying insurance is not cheap, but you might already qualify for some discounts that many people don’t even know exist. Some of these discounts will be visible at the time of quoting, but a few must be specially asked for prior to getting the savings.

• Membership in Organizations – Affiliation with a civic or occupational organization in Austin could trigger savings when shopping for insurance.
• Distant Student Discount – College-age children who are enrolled in a college that is more than 100 miles from Austin and don’t have a car may be insured at a cheaper rate.
• Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags and/or automatic seat belt systems may get savings as much as 30%.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Low annual miles could be rewarded with substantially lower insurance rates.
• Discount for Life Insurance – Not all companies offer life insurance, but some may give you better premium rates if you take out life insurance from them.
• Paper-free Discount – A handful of insurance companies may give you up to $50 shop Austin car insurance on their website.
• Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government may reduce rates when you quote Austin car insurance depending on your insurance provider.

It’s important to note that most of the big mark downs will not be given to your bottom line cost. Most only cut the price of certain insurance coverages like liability and collision coverage. So when the math indicates having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, companies don’t profit that way. Any qualifying discounts will bring down your policy premium.

Larger insurance companies and a partial list of their discounts are:

• Progressive may include discounts for good student, multi-policy, continuous coverage, online signing, multi-vehicle, and online quote discount.
• AAA may offer discounts for education and occupation, good driver, AAA membership discount, multi-car, and anti-theft.
• Farmers Insurance has discounts for homeowner, teen driver, early shopping, bundle discounts, and pay in full.
• GEICO discounts include defensive driver, daytime running lights, emergency military deployment, air bags, and multi-policy.
• Esurance policyholders can earn discounts including good student, Pac-12 alumni, homeowner, anti-theft, and safety device.
• SAFECO offers discounts including anti-theft, homeowner, drive less, safe driver, and anti-lock brakes.
• State Farm may have discounts that include good student, defensive driving training, Steer Clear safe driver discount, accident-free, multiple policy, and anti-theft.

Check with each insurance company how you can save money. Depending on the company, some discounts may not be available in your area. To choose companies that offer discounts in Austin, follow this link.

Buying from car insurance agents

A lot of people just want to buy from a licensed agent and that is a personal choice. A good thing about comparing rate quotes online is you can get the best rates but still work with a licensed agent.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this simple form, your insurance coverage information is instantly submitted to agents in your area who will return price quotes for your business. You won’t need to visit any agencies since rate quotes are delivered to the email address you provide. You can most likely find cheaper rates and work with a local agent. In the event you want to get a price quote from a specific car insurance provider, you just need to find their quoting web page and fill out their quote form.

Deciding on an provider shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

• Do they have advanced training designations such as CPCU, AAI, AIC, or CIC?
• Which family members are covered?
• Does the agent help file claims?
• Is there a local claims center in Austin?
• Does their agency support local causes in Austin?
• Is assistance available after office hours?
• Do they make recommendations based only on price?

If you want to use a reliable agent, you must know there are a couple types of insurance agents and how they differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Agents can be classified as either independent or exclusive.

Exclusive Agents

Agents of this type are contracted to one company such as Allstate, Farmers Insurance or State Farm. They generally cannot provide other company’s prices so you need to shop around if the rates are high. Exclusive agents are well trained in insurance sales and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.

Below are exclusive agencies in Austin that can give you price quote information.

More Austin agents

Independent Car Insurance Agents

Agents that elect to be independent do not have single company limitations so they can write business with many different companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. If they find a cheaper price, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent.

When comparing rates, you absolutely need to get insurance quotes from independent agents to ensure the widest selection of prices.

Below is a list of independent agents in Austin who can help you get comparison quotes.

More Austin agents

Your car insurance coverage should be tailored to you

When it comes to buying coverage online or from an agent, there really is no perfect coverage plan. Each situation is unique.

Here are some questions about coverages that can help discover if your situation may require specific advice.

• Which is better, split liability limits or combined limits?
• When should I drop full coverage on my Mercury Mariner?
• Am I covered when driving someone else’s vehicle?
• Who is covered by my policy?
• Is my custom paint covered by insurance?
• Is my nanny covered when transporting my kids?
• Why are teen drivers so expensive to add on to my policy?
• What policy terms are available?

If it’s difficult to answer those questions but you think they might apply to your situation, you may need to chat with a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, take a second and complete this form.

Car insurance does more than just protect your car

Even though it can be expensive, buying car insurance serves several important purposes.

• Almost all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means state laws require specific limits of liability insurance coverage if you don’t want to risk a ticket. 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 Mercury has a loan, more than likely the lender will force you to have insurance to ensure they get paid if you total the vehicle. If the policy lapses, the lender will be forced to insure your Mercury for a lot more money and require you to reimburse them for the much more expensive policy.
• Car insurance preserves both your vehicle and your personal assets. Insurance will pay for hospital and medical expenses incurred in an accident. As part of your policy, liability insurance will also pay for a defense attorney if you are sued as the result of an accident. If your Mercury gets damaged, comprehensive and collision coverage will pay to have it repaired.

The benefits of insuring your car greatly outweigh the cost, especially for larger claims. According to a survey of 1,000 drivers, the average driver overpays more than $810 a year so compare rates at every renewal to ensure rates are competitive.

Car insurance coverage options for a Mercury Mariner

Knowing the specifics of a car insurance policy can help you determine the best coverages at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.

Auto liability

Liability insurance will cover damages or injuries you inflict on a person or their property that is your fault. It protects YOU against claims from other people. It does not cover your own vehicle damage or injuries.

Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident and property damage. You commonly see values of 30/60/25 that translate to $30,000 in coverage for each person’s injuries, $60,000 for the entire accident, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property.

Liability can pay for claims like repair costs for stationary objects, loss of income, pain and suffering and attorney fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is up to you, but it’s cheap coverage so purchase higher limits if possible. Texas state minimum liability requirements are 30/60/25 but you should think about purchasing better liability coverage.

Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers

This coverage provides protection when the “other guys” do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for injuries to you and your family as well as your vehicle’s damage.

Since a lot of drivers have only the minimum liability required by law (30/60/25 in Texas), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is a good idea.

Medical expense insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills like prosthetic devices, funeral costs, rehabilitation expenses, doctor visits and chiropractic care. They are used to fill the gap from your health insurance policy or if you are not covered by health insurance. Medical payments and PIP cover both the driver and occupants and will also cover being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not universally available but it provides additional coverages not offered by medical payments coverage

Comprehensive (Other than Collision)

Comprehensive insurance coverage will pay to fix damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You need to pay your deductible first and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.

Comprehensive coverage pays for things like hitting a bird, hail damage, vandalism, damage from a tornado or hurricane and damage from flooding. The most a car insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.

Collision insurance

This coverage pays for damage to your Mariner from colliding with an object or car. You have to pay a deductible then the remaining damage will be paid by your insurance company.

Collision coverage pays for claims such as crashing into a building, driving through your garage door, colliding with a tree and hitting a parking meter. This coverage can be expensive, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. You can also increase the deductible on your Mariner to save money on collision insurance.

Quote more and you will save more

Some insurance providers do not provide online rate quotes and these small insurance companies provide coverage only through local independent agents. Budget-friendly car insurance in Austin is available from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Austin, so you need to compare both to get a complete price analysis.

In this article, we presented a lot of tips how to find cheap Mercury Mariner insurance in Austin. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better likelihood of getting the cheapest Mercury Mariner rate quotes. Drivers may even discover the biggest savings come from some of the smallest insurance companies.

When you buy Austin car insurance online, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are too many instances where an accident victim reduced liability limits or collision coverage only to discover later they didn’t have enough coverage. The goal is to buy enough coverage for the lowest cost, but do not sacrifice coverage to save money.

Even more information is available in these articles:

• Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest in Austin, Texas? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Austin Auto Insurance Quotes for a Nissan Sentra? (FAQ)
• Who Has Cheap Austin Auto Insurance for Postal Workers? (FAQ)
• How Much are Austin Car Insurance Quotes for a Toyota Camry? (FAQ)
• What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for First-time Drivers in Austin? (FAQ)
• Teen Driver Licensing Information (iihs.org)
• Eight Auto Insurance Myths (Insurance Information Institute)