Did you fall for a flashy sales pitch and buy an overpriced car insurance policy? Trust us, there are many Houston consumers feeling the pinch from expensive car insurance.
Unthinkable but true, most car insurance policyholders have remained with the same car insurance company for well over three years, and just under half have never compared rates with other companies. Houston drivers could save $1,770 a year, but they mistakenly think it’s difficult to save money by comparing rate quotes. Many insurers compete for your business, and it can be difficult to compare rates to find the absolute lowest price on Volvo XC60 insurance in Houston.
It’s a good idea to do price comparisons as often as possible due to the fact that insurance prices are variable and change quite frequently. Even if you got the lowest rates on Volvo XC60 insurance in Houston two years ago a different company probably has better rate quotes today. Forget anything you know (or think you know) about car insurance because we’re going to demonstrate the things you must know in order to find the best coverage while lowering your premiums.
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide free quotes in Houston, TX. If multiple providers are shown, we recommend you visit two to three different companies to get a more complete price comparison.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XC60 3.2 2WD | $256 | $504 | $310 | $18 | $94 | $1,182 | $99 |
| XC60 3.2 AWD | $318 | $580 | $366 | $22 | $110 | $1,396 | $116 |
| XC60 T6 AWD AWD | $370 | $698 | $324 | $20 | $96 | $1,508 | $126 |
| XC60 T6-R AWD AWD | $176 | $306 | $304 | $18 | $92 | $896 | $75 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Table data assumes married female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and claim-free. Rates do not factor in vehicle location which can influence premium rates noticeably.
Raise deductibles and save
The example below illustrates how choosing a deductible and can affect Volvo XC60 insurance costs for different age groups. The premium estimates are based on a single male driver, full coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Auto insurance prices based on gender
The example below shows the difference between Volvo XC60 annual premium costs for male and female drivers. The information is based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, single marital status, and no policy discounts are applied.
Three main reasons to buy car insurance
Despite the high insurance cost for a Volvo XC60 in Houston, car insurance may be required for several reasons.
- Most states have mandatory insurance requirements which means the state requires a specific level of liability coverage if you drive a vehicle. 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 you bought your vehicle with a loan, almost every bank will make it mandatory that you buy full coverage to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If you default on your policy, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Volvo at a much higher rate and require you to fork over for it.
- Car insurance preserves both your vehicle and your assets. It will also pay for medical transport and hospital expenses incurred in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, also pays for attorney fees and expenses if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If you have damage to your Volvo as the result of the weather or an accident, your policy will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of having car insurance are definitely more than the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. As of last year, the average driver in Texas is overpaying more than $830 a year so compare quotes from several companies at every policy renewal to ensure rates are competitive.
Big brands don’t always mean big savings
Consumers in Texas can’t avoid all the ads for the lowest price car insurance from the likes of GEICO, State Farm and Progressive. They all make an identical promise about saving some big amount if you get a free Houston auto insurance quote and switch your car insurance policy to them.
How does every car insurance company claim to save you money? It’s all in the numbers.
Insurance providers have underwriting criteria for the type of customer that earns them a profit. For instance, a desirable insured might be described as between the ages of 30 and 45, is a homeowner, and the vehicle is rated for pleasure use. Any customer who matches those parameters will probably get the lowest premium rates and as a result will probably save when they switch companies.
People who are not a match for the “perfect” profile will be quoted higher premiums which results in the customer buying from someone else. If you listen closely, the ads state “people who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save the amount stated. That is how insurance companies can confidently make claims that they all have the best premium rates. Because of this risk profiling, it is so important to get as many free Houston auto insurance quotes as possible. It is just not possible to predict which car insurance company will have the lowest rate quotes.
Discounts mean cheaper rates for Volvo XC60 insurance in Houston
Some companies do not advertise every possible discount in a way that’s easy to find, so the following is a list of both the well known in addition to some of the lesser obvious credits available to bring down your rates.
- Multi-car Discount – Having multiple cars with one company may reduce the rate for each vehicle.
- Drive Less and Save – Low annual miles can qualify you for lower rates due to less chance of an accident.
- Seat Belts Save more than Lives – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle up before driving can save a little off PIP or medical payments premium.
- Theft Prevention Discount – Anti-theft and alarm system equipped vehicles help deter theft and earn discounts up to 10% off your Houston auto insurance quote.
- Accident-Free Discounts – Houston drivers who stay claim-free pay much less in comparison to drivers who are more careless.
- Good Grades Discount – A discount for being a good student may save as much as 25% on a Houston auto insurance quote. The discount lasts well after school through age 25.
A quick disclaimer, most discount credits are not given to all coverage premiums. Most cut the cost of specific coverages such as medical payments or collision. Despite the appearance that all the discounts add up to a free policy, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business.
A few popular companies and their possible discounts can be found below.
- State Farm may include discounts for Drive Safe & Save, defensive driving training, anti-theft, multiple autos, good student, accident-free, and driver’s education.
- Liberty Mutual offers premium reductions for multi-car, exclusive group savings, good student, newly married, multi-policy, hybrid vehicle, and newly retired.
- American Family offers discounts for air bags, good student, bundled insurance, early bird, TimeAway discount, and good driver.
- Progressive may offer discounts for multi-policy, good student, homeowner, continuous coverage, and multi-vehicle.
- Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including multi-car, pay in full, youthful driver, teen driver, and early shopping.
- Auto-Owners Insurance discounts include multiple vehicles, paid in full, teen driver, company car, air bags, student away at school, and group or association.
- SAFECO includes discounts for accident prevention training, homeowner, anti-theft, bundle discounts, teen safe driver, and anti-lock brakes.
Double check with all the companies which credits you are entitled to. Some discounts may not apply to policies in every state.
Local Houston insurance agents and car insurance
A lot of people just prefer to buy from a licensed agent and that can be a great decision Agents can answer important questions and will help you if you have claims. One of the benefits of getting free rate quotes online is the fact that you can find lower rates and still choose a local agent.
To help locate an agent, after submitting this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information is submitted to local insurance agents who will gladly provide quotes for your insurance coverage. It makes it easy because there is no need to visit any agencies because quoted prices will be sent immediately to you. If for some reason you want to compare prices from one company in particular, you can always go to their quote page and fill out their quote form.
Choosing the best insurer requires you to look at more than just a low price. Some important questions to ask are:
- Do they regularly work with personal auto policies in Houston?
- Does the quote include credit and driving reports?
- If you raise deductibles, how much can you save?
- Will you get a loaner vehicle if you car is being repaired?
- If they are an independent agency in Houston, which companies do they recommend?
- What discounts might you be missing?
- Will they make sure you get an adequate claim settlement?
Lower rates by being persistent
As you shop your coverage around, you should never buy poor coverage just to save money. There are a lot of situations where drivers have reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits only to discover later that it was a big error on their part. The goal is to buy the best coverage you can find at the best possible price while not skimping on critical coverages.
We just presented some good ideas how to get a better price on Volvo XC60 insurance in Houston. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the higher the chance of saving money. Drivers may even discover the biggest savings come from a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising. These companies may only write in your state and offer lower rates compared to the large companies like State Farm or Progressive.
Other learning opportunities
- Child Safety FAQ (iihs.org)
- Who Has the Cheapest Houston Auto Insurance for a 20 Year Old Female? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Houston Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers Requiring a SR22? (FAQ)
- What is Full Coverage? (Allstate)
- Auto Insurance Learning Center (State Farm)
- Five Mistakes to Avoid (Insurance Information Institute)