Being forced to pay for expensive auto insurance premiums can stress out your family’s budget and put the squeeze on your family’s finances. Shopping your coverage around is recommended to make sure you’re not throwing money away.
Amazlingly, a recent NerdWallet.com study showed that a large majority of drivers have remained with the same auto insurance company for more than four years, and 38% of drivers have never quoted auto insurance rates at all. Austin drivers could pocket almost $1,800 a year by just shopping around, but they just feel it’s too hard to compare rates.
Popular companies such as GEICO, Progressive and Allstate continually hit you with advertising and it is difficult to see past the corporate glitz and find the best price available.
It’s a great practice to compare premium rates once or twice a year because insurance prices go up and down regularly. Even if you think you had the lowest price on Subaru WRX insurance in Austin six months ago there is a good chance you can find better rate quotes now. There is too much inaccurate information about WRX insurance on the internet, but by reading this article, you’re going to learn a lot of great tips on how to slash your auto insurance rates in Austin.
Car insurance providers offering affordable rate quotes in Texas
The providers in the list below are our best choices to provide comparison quotes in Texas. If multiple companies are shown, we suggest you visit several of them in order to get a fair rate comparison.
Affordable Subaru WRX insurance rates in Austin
Car insurance can be pricey, but you may be missing some discounts to help offset the cost. A few discounts will be applied when you quote, but occasionally some discounts must be inquired about before you will receive the discount.
- New Car Discount – Adding a new car to your policy can save you some money since new model year vehicles are generally safer.
- Good Grades Discount – Maintaining excellent grades could provide a savings of up to 20% or more. The good student discount can last until age 25.
- Life Insurance – Companies who offer life insurance give a break if you buy some life insurance too.
- Defensive Driver Discounts – Taking part in a course in safe driver can save you 5% or more and easily recoup the cost of the course.
- Renewal Discounts – A few companies give discounts for switching policies prior to your current WRX insurance policy expiring. You may see this discount when you get Austin car insurance quotes online.
- Government Employees – Employees or retirees of the government could cut as much as 10% off depending on your company.
- Accident Waiver – This one isn’t a discount, but companies like Allstate, Progressive, and GEICO will forgive one accident without getting socked with a rate hike as long as you don’t have any claims for a set time period.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles are stolen with less frequency and can earn a small discount on your policy.
- Pay Upfront and Save – If paying your policy premium upfront as opposed to paying monthly you can avoid monthly service charges.
- No Claims – Drivers with accident-free driving histories can earn big discounts when compared with bad drivers.
A little note about advertised discounts, most credits do not apply to the entire cost. Some only reduce the cost of specific coverages such as physical damage coverage or medical payments. So even though they make it sound like adding up those discounts means a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
Large car insurance companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are:
- Progressive includes discounts for online signing, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and good student.
- AAA has savings for anti-theft, pay-in-full, good driver, multi-car, education and occupation, and AAA membership discount.
- Farmers Insurance may offer discounts for homeowner, teen driver, alternative fuel, pay in full, switch companies, good student, and mature driver.
- GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including membership and employees, multi-policy, driver training, defensive driver, and federal employee.
- Esurance may have discounts that include online shopper, anti-theft, Switch & Save, DriveSense, anti-lock brakes, and renters.
- SAFECO offers premium reductions for teen safety rewards, anti-theft, accident prevention training, teen safe driver, and drive less.
- State Farm has discounts for good student, multiple autos, passive restraint, Drive Safe & Save, safe vehicle, accident-free, and driver’s education.
If you are trying to find affordable Austin car insurance quotes, ask all the companies which discounts you qualify for. Some of the earlier mentioned discounts may not be available in Austin. To choose companies who offer car insurance discounts in Austin, click here to view.
Car insurance is available from local agents
Many people just prefer to buy from a local agent and doing that can be a smart decision A good thing about getting free rate quotes online is that drivers can save money and get cheap car insurance quotes but also keep your business local.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this simple form, your coverage information is submitted to agents in your area who can give free rate quotes and help you find cheaper coverage. You won’t need to search for any insurance agencies because quoted prices will be sent to you. You can find the lowest rates AND an agent nearby. If for some reason you want to quote rates from a specific insurance company, you can always go to their quote page and fill out their quote form.
Deciding on an insurance company shouldn’t rely on just the price. The answers to these questions are important, too.
- Does the company allow you to choose your own collision repair facility?
- Do they have any clout with companies to ensure a fair claim settlement?
- Which companies do they recommend if they are an independent agency?
- Will they give you a referral list?
- Is the agent CPCU or CIC certified?
Types of car insurance agents in Austin
When researching a reliable agent, you need to know there are two types of insurance agents and how they can service your needs differently. Agents in Austin may be either independent or exclusive depending on the company they work for.
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Agents that elect to be exclusive write business for a single company such as American Family, State Farm, and AAA. Exclusive agents cannot place coverage with different providers so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. Exclusive agencies are well schooled on what they offer and that can be a competitive advantage.
Shown below is a list of exclusive agencies in Austin that can give you rate quotes.
Stuart Nalewaik – State Farm Insurance Agent
1717 W 6th St #214 – Austin, TX 78703 – (512) 382-6019 – View Map
Karen Easterling – State Farm Insurance Agent
2711 W Anderson Ln #201 – Austin, TX 78757 – (512) 454-4784 – View Map
Richard Munoz – State Farm Insurance Agent
5446 W US Hwy 290 Service Rd #104 – Austin, TX 78735 – (512) 892-3527 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
These type of agents often have affiliation with several companies and that allows them to write policies through many companies and find the cheapest rate. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house which is easy for the insured.
If you are trying to find cheaper rates, it’s recommended you get several quotes from independent agents in order to compare the most rates.
The following is a short list of independent agencies in Austin willing to provide price quotes.
Eckert Insurance Group
824 W 10th St – Austin, TX 78701 – (512) 472-6969 – View Map
Stanley Insurance Agency
512 W Stassney Ln #113 – Austin, TX 78745 – (512) 445-5555 – View Map
EZ Insurance Agency – Main
4502 S Congress Ave – Austin, TX 78745 – (512) 444-4040 – View Map
After getting positive feedback and a low price estimate, chances are good that you have found an auto insurance agent that can be trusted to properly service your car insurance policy.
Auto insurance can be complex
Keep in mind that when it comes to choosing coverage online or from an agent for your vehicles, there really isn’t a “best” method to buy coverage. Everyone’s situation is a little different.
These are some specific questions might help in determining if your situation will benefit from professional help.
- Why am I required to buy liability insurance?
- Does my insurance cover damage caused when ticketed for reckless driving?
- Should I waive the damage coverage when renting a car?
- What is no-fault insurance?
- Can I cancel at any time?
- Does my policy cover my teen driver if they drive my company car?
- What if I total my Subaru WRX and owe more than it’s worth?
- What is high-risk coverage and where do I buy it?
- Am I covered when pulling a rental trailer?
If you’re not sure about those questions but a few of them apply, then you may want to think about talking to a licensed insurance agent. If you want to speak to an agent in your area, fill out this quick form.
Parts of your car insurance policy
Having a good grasp of your car insurance policy can help you determine which coverages you need and proper limits and deductibles. The terms used in a policy can be confusing and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist coverage protects you and your vehicle when other motorists do not carry enough liability coverage. This coverage pays for medical payments for you and your occupants as well as damage to your Subaru WRX.
Due to the fact that many Texas drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (which is 30/60/25), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. That’s why carrying high Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage is a good idea.
Medical payments coverage and PIP
Coverage for medical payments and/or PIP reimburse you for expenses such as EMT expenses, chiropractic care, doctor visits, funeral costs and nursing services. The coverages can be used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover all vehicle occupants and will also cover any family member struck as a pedestrian. PIP coverage is not an option in every state and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Collision coverage protection
This coverage covers damage to your WRX caused by collision with a stationary object or other vehicle. A deductible applies and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for things such as backing into a parked car, crashing into a ditch, crashing into a building and scraping a guard rail. Collision coverage makes up a good portion of your premium, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. You can also bump up the deductible on your WRX to get cheaper collision coverage.
Comprehensive coverage
This coverage will pay to fix damage caused by mother nature, theft, vandalism and other events. You need to pay your deductible first and the remainder of the damage will be paid by comprehensive coverage.
Comprehensive insurance covers claims such as hail damage, hitting a deer and rock chips in glass. The maximum amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if it’s not worth much more than your deductible consider dropping full coverage.
Liability auto insurance
Liability insurance can cover damage that occurs to people or other property. This coverage protects you from claims by other people, and does not provide coverage for your injuries or vehicle damage.
Split limit liability has three limits of coverage: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see policy limits of 30/60/25 that translate to a limit of $30,000 per injured person, a per accident bodily injury limit of $60,000, and property damage coverage for $25,000.
Liability coverage protects against things like court costs, bail bonds, repair bills for other people’s vehicles and legal defense fees. How much liability coverage do you need? That is your choice, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Texas state law requires minimum liability limits of 30/60/25 but drivers should carry more coverage.
How much can you save?
We just presented some good ideas how to compare Subaru WRX insurance rates in Austin. The key thing to remember is the more companies you get auto insurance rates for, the better chance you’ll have of finding inexpensive Austin car insurance quotes. You may even be surprised to find that the lowest rates are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
Consumers switch companies for any number of reasons including questionable increases in premium, delays in paying claims, policy cancellation or even an unsatisfactory settlement offer. Regardless of your reason, choosing a new insurance company is not as difficult as it may seem.
Some companies do not provide online rate quotes and usually these smaller companies sell through independent agents. The cheapest Subaru WRX insurance in Austin can be bought on the web and with local Austin insurance agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to get a complete price analysis.
Additional information is located at these links:
- Pickups fall short in headlight tests (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has the Cheapest Austin Auto Insurance Rates for Uber Drivers? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest in Austin, Texas? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Austin Auto Insurance Quotes for a School Permit? (FAQ)
- Driving in Bad Weather (Insurance Information Institute)
- Older Driver Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
- Electronic Stability Control FAQ (iihs.org)