Are you sick and tired of robbing Peter to pay Paul to pay car insurance each month? You’re in the same situation as many other drivers in Texas.
Sadly, nearly 70% of consumers have bought car insurance from the same company for well over three years, and almost half have never even compared quotes to find affordable rates. Texas insurance shoppers could save themselves nearly 70% a year, but they don’t know the benefits if they switched to a more affordable policy.
With so many companies to choose from that have cheaper insurance for a Suzuki Forenza in Houston, it is hard for the average consumer to find the most cost effective car insurance provider.
When price shopping your coverage, comparing more prices will enable you to find the best offered rates.
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide price comparisons in Houston, TX. If multiple companies are shown, we recommend you visit as many as you can in order to find the most affordable rates.
Houston insurance discounts
Some insurance providers don’t always list all their discounts very well, so here is a list both well-publicized as well as the least known discounts that you may qualify for.
- Good Student – A discount for being a good student can get you a discount of up to 25%. Many companies even apply the discount to college students up to age 25.
- Driver Training Discounts – Taking time to complete a course that instructs on driving safety is a good idea and can lower rates depending on where you live.
- Houston Homeowners Pay Less – Just being a homeowner may trigger a policy discount on insurance because of the fact that having a home means you have a higher level of financial diligence.
- E-sign Discounts – A handful of companies provide a small discount simply for signing on the web.
- Payment Discounts – If paying your policy premium upfront rather than spreading payments over time you could save 5% or more.
- Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can pay as much as 50% less than drivers with accident claims.
- Anti-theft System – Vehicles with anti-theft systems are stolen less frequently and that can save you a little bit as well.
- ABS Brakes – Cars and trucks that have anti-lock braking systems can reduce accidents and therefore earn up to a 10% discount.
- Driver Education Discount – Have your child participate in a local driver’s education class in school or through a local driver safety program.
A little note about advertised discounts, most discounts do not apply to the overall cost of the policy. Most only reduce individual premiums such as comp or med pay. Despite the appearance that all the discounts add up to a free policy, it’s just not the way it works. But any discount will cut the cost of your policy.
A list of insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts include:
- American Family offers discounts for bundled insurance, TimeAway discount, air bags, good driver, accident-free, and early bird.
- Nationwide may have discounts that include easy pay, good student, defensive driving, family plan, and Farm Bureau membership.
- MetLife has discounts for claim-free, good driver, multi-policy, accident-free, good student, defensive driver
- 21st Century offers discounts including early bird, homeowners, defensive driver, automatic seat belts, and air bags.
- Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for mature driver, youthful driver, alternative fuel, pay in full, teen driver, and electronic funds transfer.
- Allstate may include discounts for premier discount, defensive driver, resident student, EZ pay plan discount, and good student.
It’s a good idea to ask each company which discounts can lower your rates. Savings may not apply to policies in your state. To find insurers that can offer you the previously mentioned discounts in Texas, click this link.
When do I need to contact an agent?
A small number of people would prefer to buy from a local agent and that is a personal choice. One of the great benefits of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain cheaper premium rates and still have a local agent. Buying from and supporting neighborhood agents is important particularly in Houston.
After completing this form (opens in new window), your insurance coverage information is sent to local insurance agents in Houston that can provide free Houston car insurance quotes for your insurance coverage. You won’t need to find an agent since rate quotes are delivered immediately to your email address. You can find better rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from a specific company, you can always jump over to their website and fill out their quote form.
When narrowing the list to find a reputable insurance agent or broker, it can be helpful to understand the types of agencies and how they differ in how they quote coverages. Insurance policy providers are categorized either independent agents or exclusive agents.
Independent Insurance Agencies or Brokers
These type of agents are not required to write business for one company so they can write business with lots of companies and get the cheapest rates. To transfer your coverage to a different company, your agent can switch companies and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When comparison shopping, you will want to compare quotes from multiple independent agents for the best price selection.
Listed below is a list of independent agents in Houston who can help you get cheap rate quotes.
Dean and Draper Insurance Agency, LP
3131 W Alabama St #150 – Houston, TX 77098 – (713) 527-0444 – View Map
Hispanos Insurance Agency
8624 Long Point Rd – Houston, TX 77055 – (713) 827-1277 – View Map
Allrisc Insurance Agency
6918 Corporate Dr – Houston, TX 77036 – (713) 771-6000 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Exclusive insurance agents can only place business with one company like American Family, State Farm, and Allstate. Exclusive agents cannot provide other company’s prices so always compare other rates. These agents are well schooled on the products they sell and that allows them to sell at a higher price point.
Shown below is a list of exclusive insurance agencies in Houston willing to provide rate quotes.
James Banks – State Farm Insurance Agent
4809 Main St – Houston, TX 77002 – (713) 523-7100 – View Map
Joy Knox State Farm Insurance Agency
1510 Eldridge Pkwy #108 – Houston, TX 77077 – (281) 759-4300 – View Map
Ricky Maique – State Farm Insurance Agent
8811 Westheimer Rd #205 – Houston, TX 77063 – (713) 781-6132 – View Map
Choosing the best insurance agent requires more thought than just the quoted price. The questions below may impact your decision as well.
- Are glass claims handled on-site or do you have to take your vehicle to a repair shop?
- How much training do they have in personal risk management?
- Is coverage determined by price?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- Do they get paid more for recommending certain coverages?
- Will high miles depreciate repair valuations?
- Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?
- Are there any extra charges for paying monthly?
How much auto insurance do I need?
When quoting and comparing insurance from an agent or online for your vehicles, there really isn’t a single plan that fits everyone. Everyone’s situation is unique.
For example, these questions may help highlight whether or not you would benefit from professional advice.
- If my Suzuki Forenza is totaled, can I afford another vehicle?
- Am I covered when delivering products for my home-based business?
- Why am I required to get a high-risk car insurance policy?
- Is pleasure use cheaper than using my Suzuki Forenza to commute?
- Does my medical payments coverage pay my health insurance deductible?
- Is a blown tire covered by insurance?
- Is my camper covered for physical damage?
- Am I covered if I crash into my own garage door?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions but a few of them apply then you might want to talk to a licensed agent. To find lower rates from a local agent, simply complete this short form.
Insurance policy specifics
Knowing the specifics of a insurance policy can be of help when determining appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. The coverage terms in a policy can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording.
Medical expense coverage
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage pay for short-term medical expenses for things like funeral costs, chiropractic care, hospital visits and surgery. They are used in conjunction with a health insurance policy or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal injury protection coverage is not available in all states and may carry a deductible
Uninsured or underinsured coverage
This coverage protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they either are underinsured or have no liability coverage at all. It can pay for medical payments for you and your occupants and also any damage incurred to your Suzuki Forenza.
Since a lot of drivers carry very low liability coverage limits (Texas limits are 30/60/25), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. So UM/UIM coverage is very important. Frequently these coverages are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Coverage for collisions
Collision insurance pays to fix your vehicle from damage resulting from a collision with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. A deductible applies then your collision coverage will kick in.
Collision insurance covers claims such as scraping a guard rail, hitting a mailbox and driving through your garage door. Collision is rather expensive coverage, so you might think about dropping it from vehicles that are 8 years or older. Drivers also have the option to raise the deductible on your Forenza to get cheaper collision coverage.
Comprehensive protection
Comprehensive insurance covers damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive can pay for things such as fire damage, theft and hail damage. The most your insurance company will pay is the ACV or actual cash value, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value consider dropping full coverage.
Liability car insurance
This can cover damage or injury you incur to a person or their property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. Your policy might show liability limits of 30/60/25 which means $30,000 bodily injury coverage, a per accident bodily injury limit of $60,000, and a limit of $25,000 paid for damaged property. Some companies may use a combined single limit or CSL which limits claims to one amount and claims can be made without the split limit restrictions.
Liability coverage protects against claims like medical services, repair costs for stationary objects and court costs. How much liability coverage do you need? That is up to you, but buy as much as you can afford. Texas state minimum liability requirements are 30/60/25 but drivers should carry more liability than the minimum.
Find affordable rates by being thorough
Throughout this article, we presented quite a bit of information on how to shop for Suzuki Forenza insurance online. The most important thing to understand is the more quotes you get, the better chance you’ll have of finding cheaper Houston car insurance quotes. Consumers could even find that the best rates are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
Discount Suzuki Forenza insurance in Houston is possible online and also from your neighborhood Houston agents, and you should compare price quotes from both to have the best selection. There are still a few companies who do not offer price quotes online and usually these smaller providers prefer to sell through independent insurance agents.
Insureds change insurance companies for many reasons like unfair underwriting practices, extreme rates for teen drivers, delays in responding to claim requests or high prices. Regardless of your reason for switching companies, finding a new auto insurance company can be pretty painless.
Even more information can be found by following these links:
- Side Impact Crash Tests (iihs.org)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance Quotes for Low Mileage Drivers in Houston? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Houston Auto Insurance for Homeowners? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for a Hyundai Elantra in Houston? (FAQ)
- What Auto Insurance is Cheapest for Uber Drivers in Houston? (FAQ)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes for High School Students in Houston? (FAQ)
- Understanding your Policy (NAIC.org)
- Air Bags: Potential Dangers to Your Children (Insurance Information Institute)