9 Excellent Ways to Lower Auto Insurance Rates in Corpus Christi, TX

Feel like you’re a prisoner to an underperforming, overpriced auto insurance policy? Believe me when I say you are not the only one feeling buyer’s remorse.

Numerous insurers battle for your insurance dollar, and because of this it can be hard to compare auto insurance companies and uncover the absolute cheapest price

You need to compare rates periodically due to the fact that insurance rates tend to go up over time. Even if you got the lowest price two years ago you can probably find a lower rate today. Forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the quickest way to get good coverage at a lower rate.

Lower rates by qualifying for discounts

Companies that sell car insurance don’t always publicize every available discount in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of some of the more common and the harder-to-find auto insurance savings.

• Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying monthly you can actually save on your bill.
• Multi-car Discount – Buying coverage for more than one vehicle on one policy may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
• Braking Control Discount – Anti-lock brake equipped vehicles can reduce accidents and will save you 10% or more.
• Good Students Pay Less – This discount can be rewarded with saving of up to 25%. This discount can apply up to age 25.
• Low Mileage Discounts – Low mileage vehicles could qualify for better rates on cars that stay parked.
• Government Employees – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
• 55 and Retired – If you’re over the age of 55, you may receive reduced rates.
• Multi-policy Discount – If you insure your home and vehicles with one insurance company you will save 10% to 20% off each policy.

It’s important to note that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comprehensive or collision. So when the math indicates adding up those discounts means a free policy, it just doesn’t work that way.

How to Compare Auto Insurance Quotes in Corpus Christi, Texas

Effectively comparing auto insurance prices can be a daunting task if you aren’t aware of the easiest way. You could spend the better part of a day driving to insurance agencies in Corpus Christi, or you can stay home and use the internet to get rate comparisons in just a few minutes.

Most of the best insurance companies enroll in a system that enables customers to submit their information once, and every company returns a rated price based on the submitted data. This prevents consumers from doing repetitive form submissions to each individual auto insurance company.

To find out how much you can save on auto insurance click here to open in new window.

The only downside to pricing coverage this way is you are unable to specify which carriers to get pricing from. So if you want to choose specific insurance companies for rate comparison, we put together a list of auto insurance companies in Texas. Click here for list of insurance companies in Texas.

It’s up to you how you get prices quotes, just make darn sure you compare the exact same information for every company. If your comparisons have different limits and deductibles on each one it will be impossible to determine the best price in Corpus Christi. Having just a slight variation in coverage limits may cause a big price difference. Just remember that comparing more company’s prices gives you a better chance of getting lower pricing.

Why your price might be higher

It’s important that you understand the factors that play a part in calculating the price you pay for auto insurance. When you know what positively or negatively controls the rates you pay empowers consumers to make smart changes that could result in lower auto insurance prices.

• Better credit means lower rates – A driver’s credit score is a large factor in determining what you pay for auto insurance. Consumers who have excellent credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers with lower credit ratings. Therefore, if your credit history is low, you could pay less to insure your by spending a little time repairing your credit.
• Rural vs Urban Areas – Being located in a rural area can be a good thing when insuring your vehicles. Urban drivers tend to have much more traffic and longer commute times. Lower population translates into fewer accidents and a lower car theft rate.
• Careful drivers pay lower rates – Drivers with clean records get better rates than bad drivers. Only having one moving violation may increase your cost by as much as thirty percent. If you have serious violations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may find they need to file a proof of financial responsibility form (SR-22) to the state department of motor vehicles in order to continue driving.
• Type of vehicle determines base rates – The performance of the car you are insuring makes a huge difference in how high your rates are. The lowest base rates are generally reserved for lower performance four cylinder passenger vehicles, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
• Safe vehicles cost less to insure – Cars with high safety ratings get lower rates. Safer cars have better occupant injury protection and any reduction in injury severity means lower claim amounts and thus lower rates.
• Save money with special equipment – Choosing a vehicle with anti-theft technology or alarm system can save you a little every year. Anti-theft features such as LoJack tracking devices, vehicle tamper alarm systems or GM’s OnStar system can thwart your vehicle from being stolen.
• Always keep insurance in force – Driving your car without having proper coverage is against the law and auto insurance companies will penalize you for letting your insurance expire. Not only will rates go up, getting caught without coverage can result in a revoked license or a big fine.

Buying car insurance locally

A small number of people just want to talk to a local agent and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the great benefits of comparing insurance prices online is the fact that you can find the best rates and still have an agent to talk to.

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), your information is emailed to companies in Corpus Christi who will compete for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to even leave your home due to the fact that quote results will go directly to your email. How’s that for easy! You’ll get the best rates and a licensed agent to work with.

Deciding on an provider needs to be determined by more than just the price. Ask your prospective agent these questions:

• If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
• Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
• What insurance companies do they work with?
• What insurance company do they write the most business with?
• Do they assist clients in filing claims?

Is a captive or independent insurance agency right for you?

When looking for local Corpus Christi agents, you must know there are a couple different types of agents that you can select. Agents are classified as either captive or independent.

Agency Captives

This type of agents work for only one company and examples are AAA, Allstate, State Farm, Farmers Insurance or Liberty Mutual. They generally cannot give you multiple price quotes so they have to upsell other benefits. Captive agencies receive extensive training on their products and sales techniques and that can be a competitive advantage.

Shown below is a short list of captive insurance agencies in Corpus Christi who can help you get comparison quotes.

Farmers Insurance Group – 13330 Leopard St # 1 – Corpus Christi, TX 78410 – (361) 242-2442
Farm Bureau Insurance – 4925 Everhart Rd # 103 – Corpus Christi, TX 78411 – (361) 852-6016
State Farm Insurance – 4506 Corona Dr – Corpus Christi, TX 78411 – (361) 992-9440
Allstate Insurance – 5888 Everhart Rd # B – Corpus Christi, TX 78413 – (361) 985-8602

Independent Agencies or Brokers

These agents are not required to write business for one company but instead can place your coverage with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, they simply move the coverage in-house and that require little work on your part.

When comparison shopping, you should always get quotes from at least one independent agent to get the best comparison.

The following are independent agencies in Corpus Christi that are able to give rate quotes.

Dennis Trevino Agency – 6410 Weber Rd # 11d – Corpus Christi, TX 78413 – (361) 814-0123
Armstrong Agency – 6822 Sahara Dr – Corpus Christi, TX 78412 – (361) 993-1273
C C Insurance Consultants – 4925 Everhart Rd # 101 – Corpus Christi, TX 78411 – (361) 654-5600
ACCC General Agency Svc – 5926 S Staples St # B4 – Corpus Christi, TX 78413 – (361) 906-9060
Randall J Ritter Insurance Inc – 6601 Everhart Rd # H4 – Corpus Christi, TX 78413 – (361) 851-8611

To view a complete directory of auto insurance agents in Corpus Christi, please go to this site.

After receiving reasonable responses to all your questions as well as a affordable price, most likely you have located an insurance agency that is a good match to properly insure your vehicles.

The auto insurance bait and switch

Companies like GEICO, State Farm and Progressive continually stream ads in print and on television. All the ads have a common claim about savings after switching your policy. How do they all claim to save you money? This is how they do it.

Different companies have a preferred profile for the driver that is profitable for them. A good example of a preferred risk might be profiled as over the age of 40, has no tickets, and has a short commute. Any new insured who meets those qualifications receives the best rates and is almost guaranteed to save when they switch companies.

Potential insureds who are not a match for this ideal profile must pay a more expensive rate and this can result in the driver buying from a lower-cost company. The ads state “customers who switch” not “people who quote” save that much money. That’s why companies can claim big savings. This illustrates why it is so important to quote coverage with many companies. Because you never know which auto insurance company will have the lowest rates.

Cheaper insurance is a realistic goal

While you’re price shopping online, it’s very important that you do not buy poor coverage just to save money. There are a lot of situations where an insured dropped liability coverage limits and learned later that they should have had better coverage. Your strategy should be to purchase a proper amount of coverage at the best price while not skimping on critical coverages.

Budget-conscious auto insurance can be purchased on the web in addition to many Corpus Christi insurance agents, so compare prices from both to have the best chance of lowering rates. Some insurance companies do not provide the ability to get a quote online and most of the time these smaller companies sell through independent agents.

Additional resources for Texas consumers

Even more information is located at the Texas Department of Insurance website. Texas consumers can read industry bulletins, read enforcement actions against agents and companies, learn about specific coverages, and find out which companies have the most complaints.

The following articles may also be useful.

• Consumer Information for Searching for a Corpus Christi Auto Insurance Agent