What Is the Best Car Insurance in Texas?

Looking for a really great deal on car insurance in Texas? According to U.S. News, the cheapest car insurance companies in Texas are, in this order, USAA, State Farm, Geico, Progressive, Nationwide, Allstate and American Family. So if you are looking for affordable car insurance in Texas these are the companies to check out first. The average car insurance rate in Texas is $1,810 per year, which is almost 27 percent more than the national average. So lots of drivers in Texas will be looking to save money on car insurance. Why is car insurance so expensive in Texas? Car insurance is so expensive in Texas because Texas has three of the top 10 largest U.S. cities as well as growing populations across the state. More people means more cars and more accidents.

State Minimum Liability Requirements

If you ever cause a car crash, liability insurance pays for other people’s injuries and property damage up to your liability limit. All Texas drivers are required to carry liability insurance. In Texas, you must buy $30,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person, $60,000 bodily injury liability coverage per accident and $25,000 property damage liability coverage per accident. Just carrying the minimum liability coverage in Texas may not give you enough protection if you are at fault in a serious accident. And you may need to pay for damages out of your own pocket. How much liability coverage should you carry? Most experts recommend at least $100,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person, $300,000 bodily injury liability coverage per accident and $100,000 property damage liability coverage per accident. That way you don’t risk spending your personal savings to pay for a car accident.

Texas is At-Fault State

In Texas, the person who will pay for an accident is the person who causes an accident. This means Texas is a fault-based state when it comes to car insurance.

Compare Auto Insurance Rates in Texas

Shopping Around For The Best Deal on Car Insurance

Choosing the right car insurance company certainly goes a long way in saving you money on car insurance. So check out the companies listed above and see which one offers you the best deal in Texas. Need a little help? SmartFinancial makes shopping around for car insurance easy to do. Just visit SmartFinancial and you’ll be comparing car insurance rates near you in no time. With SmartFinancial comparing several different car insurance companies is a snap.

Other Ways to Save on Car Insurance

Shopping around is an excellent way to save money on car insurance but there are more things you can do. Here are big and small ways to save money on car insurance. Use as many as you can to get your auto insurance premium as low as it can go.

Be A Safe Driver. If you are a safe and responsible driver and follow the rules of the road, you will save money on your car insurance in Texas. Good drivers pay less for car insurance with the help of good driver discounts. But if you break the rules with a DUI, a speeding ticket or an at-fault accident all these things can raise your auto insurance rates. So follow the rules of the road, no DUIs, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents and your auto insurance rates will stay low.

Pay More, Less Often. Rather than paying monthly auto insurance bills, pay the entire annual amount of six-months amount. Your auto premium is lower when you pay once or twice a year.

Bundle Your Policies. Bundle your auto insurance policy with another insurance policy such as a homeowners insurance policy and save money on your premium.

Choose a High Deductible. A deductible is the amount you need to pay before your insurance company begins to pay for damages to your car or losses. Choosing a high deductible is one way to lower your auto insurance premium. Just be sure to place the deductible amount in a small emergency fund. This way, the money will be there should you need to make an insurance claim.

Build A Good Credit Score. Insurance companies have been using consumer credit data to assign risk pools and set insurance rates since the mid-1990s. Drivers with good or excellent credit pay much less for car insurance than drivers with no or bad credit. So keep a good credit score and save money on your car insurance. Need a little help with your credit? Get all past due accounts current, pay down debt and avoid taking on new debt. All these things will help to boost your credit score.

Get a Multi-Car Discount. Insure more than one car with the same auto insurance company and save money with a multi-car discount.

Be a Married Motorist. If you are married, you will pay less for car insurance. There is a correlation between being married and exhibiting safe driving behavior. Because of this, married motorists pay less for car insurance than singles.

Be A Homeowner. Statistics show that people who own homes drive more safely. So let your insurance company know that you own your home and enjoy savings on your car insurance premium.

Check for Discounts. As mentioned earlier, there is a good driver discount. But there are also discounts for veterans and students. If either of these three things apply to you, be sure to let your car insurance company know. You may save money on your car insurance.

Choose a Safe Neighborhood. If you live in a neighborhood with high accident claims and high auto theft claims, you are going to pay more for your car insurance. If you live in a neighborhood with low accident claims and low crime, you will pay much less for your car insurance. So choose a safe neighborhood and save money on your car insurance.

Check for Safety Features. Having certain safety and anti-theft features on a car will help to lower your car insurance premium. So check with your car insurance company to find out if the safety features and anti-theft features on your car warrant a discount.

Review Memberships. Members of certain professional organizations and affiliates get discounts on their car insurance. Check to see if the memberships in your wallet apply for this savings on your car insurance.

Be A Low-Mileage Driver. A driver who is a heavy commuter and who runs up a lot of miles on their cars will pay more on car insurance than a driver who only drives low miles. So drive less and pay less for car insurance.

Maintain Your Coverage. You’ll pay higher insurance rates if you don’t maintain continuous coverage of your auto insurance. So stick with your auto insurance coverage and save money.

Check Your Age. Drivers who are under 25 and over 65 have more serious accidents. Drivers of the ages in-between pay less on their car insurance.