Toyota Corolla Insurance Quotes in Houston

Have you had enough of trying to scrape together enough money each month for car insurance? Your situation is no different than most other vehicle owners in Texas.

Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that 70% of consumers kept their coverage with the same car insurance company for a minimum of four years, and almost 40% of drivers have never compared quotes from other companies. Most drivers in Texas can save hundreds of dollars each year by just comparing rate quotes, but they won’t spend time to save money by comparing rate quotes.

Many insurance companies vie for your business, and it can be difficult to compare rates to find the lowest price on Toyota Corolla insurance in Houston.

It is always a good idea to compare rates before your next renewal because prices change regularly. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rates on Toyota Corolla insurance in Houston six months ago other companies may now be cheaper. Ignore everything you know about car insurance because you’re going to learn how to use the internet to save money, get proper coverage and the best rates.

To find low cost rates, there are a couple of ways to obtain and compare prices from different companies. The easiest way by far to find affordable Toyota Corolla insurance rates consists of shopping online.

Getting free rates online is quite simple, and it replaces the need to go to all the different Houston insurance agencies. The ability to buy insurance online eliminates this option unless you prefer the peace of mind that you can only get from talking to an agent. If you prefer, some companies allow you to compare the best prices online but purchase the actual policy in an agency. When comparing insurance rates, know that having more price comparisons helps locate the best price.

The companies shown below offer price quotes in Texas. If several companies are displayed, we suggest you visit several of them in order to find the lowest rates.

Prices above based on single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and claim-free. Premium amounts do not factor in your specific Houston location which can influence price quotes significantly.

Do you need full coverage?

The information below illustrates the comparison of Toyota Corolla yearly insurance costs with and without full coverage. Data assumes no claims or driving citations, $1,000 deductibles, married male driver, and no additional discounts are factored in.

When to stop buying comprehensive and collision coverage

There is no clear-cut formula to eliminate full coverage on your policy, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is about 10% or more of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.

For example, let’s say your Toyota Corolla replacement cost is $8,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company would pay you is $7,000 after paying your deductible. If it’s costing you more than $700 annually for physical damage coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.

There are some cases where removing full coverage is not a good idea. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you have to maintain full coverage as part of the loan requirements. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not buy liability only.

Auto insurance deductibles

One common question asked by Houston drivers is the level to set your comp and collision deductibles. The comparisons below summarize the rate fluctuation when you choose different insurance deductibles. The first pricing table uses a $250 comprehensive and collision deductible and the second rate table uses a $1,000 deductible.

Prices above based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in specific location information which can lower or raise insurance rates noticeably.

Based on this data, we can arrive at the conclusion that using a $250 deductible would cost the average driver about $29 more each month or $348 annually than buying the higher $1,000 deductible. Since the policyholder would be required to pay $750 more if you file a claim with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you normally go at least 26 months between claims, you would save more money going with the higher deductible.

One big caveat is that increasing deductibles to save money results in more money out-of-pocket when you have a claim. You need enough money stashed away in the event you need to pay the deductible to have repairs made.

Auto insurance premiums based on gender

The illustration below compares Toyota Corolla car insurance costs for male and female drivers. Data assumes no claims or violations, comp and collision included, $250 deductibles, drivers are single, and no other discounts are factored in.

Earn discounts on Houston insurance

Car insurance companies don’t necessarily list the entire discount list very clearly, so the next list breaks down some of the best known and also the lesser-known discounts that you can inquire about if you buy Houston auto insurance online.

• Driver Safety – Completing a defensive driving course may get you a small discount and make you a better driver.
• Cautious Driver Discounts – Insureds without accidents could pay up to 40% less than drivers with accident claims.
• Houston Homeowners Pay Less – Just owning your own home may earn you a small savings because maintaining a house requires personal responsibility.
• Safety Restraint Discount – Drivers who require all occupants to wear their seat belts can save up to 15% off the medical payments premium.
• Pay Upfront and Save – By making one initial payment instead of paying each month you could save up to 5%.

As a footnote on discounts, most discount credits are not given to the whole policy. Most only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as liability and collision coverage. Even though it appears all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way.

Large insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts include:

• GEICO policyholders can earn discounts including defensive driver, membership and employees, federal employee, driver training, seat belt use, anti-lock brakes, and anti-theft.
• USAA may offer discounts for defensive driver, family discount, driver training, annual mileage, multi-vehicle, new vehicle, and vehicle storage.
• Progressive offers discounts for online signing, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, and good student.
• American Family has discounts for multi-vehicle, good student, mySafetyValet, TimeAway discount, Steer into Savings, defensive driver, and bundled insurance.
• Esurance has savings for multi-policy, DriveSense, emergency road assistance, homeowner, and Switch & Save.
• Farmers Insurance discounts include business and professional, good student, homeowner, bundle discounts, alternative fuel, and multi-car.
• State Farm includes discounts for good driver, multiple policy, good student, passive restraint, and multiple autos.

If you need affordable Houston auto insurance quotes, ask each company or agent which discounts can lower your rates. All car insurance discounts might not be offered on policies in Houston.

When to have guidance from an insurance agent

A small number of people would rather have an agent’s advice and doing that can be a smart decision One of the benefits of comparing insurance prices online is that you can obtain cheap insurance quotes and also buy local.

For easy comparison, once you complete this short form, your insurance coverage information is immediately sent to participating agents in Houston who will give competitive quotes for your business. You won’t even need to contact an agency since price quotes are sent instantly to you. You can find the lowest rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you need to get a comparison quote from one company in particular, you would need to go to their quote page and fill out the quote form the provide.

Picking an company is decision based upon more than just a cheap price. The answers to these questions are important, too.

• Are they properly licensed to sell insurance in Texas?
• Does the agency have a current Errors and Omissions policy?
• How long has their agency been in business in Houston?
• Which companies do they recommend if they are an independent agency?
• Is there any savings for paying the full premium?
• Is assistance available after office hours?

Types of car insurance agents

When searching for a local insurance agency, it can be helpful to understand the different agency structures that you can select. Insurance policy providers can be classified as either independent or exclusive.

Exclusive Insurance Agencies

Agents that elect to be exclusive write business for a single company like State Farm, Allstate and AAA. They generally cannot provide other company’s prices so if the price isn’t competitive there isn’t much they can do. Exclusive insurance agents are usually well trained in insurance sales which helps them sell on service rather than price.

The following is a list of exclusive agents in Houston that can give you rate quotes.

View more agents

Independent Insurance Agents

Agents that elect to be independent are not employed by any specific company so they can quote policies with multiple insurance companies and help determine which has the cheapest rates. To transfer your coverage to a different company, they can switch companies in-house and you won’t have to switch agencies.

If you are comparing insurance prices, we recommend you get insurance quotes from at a minimum one independent agency to get the most accurate price comparison.

Shown below is a short list of independent insurance agents in Houston who can help you get rate quotes.

View more agents

Once you have received answers to your satisfaction to any questions you have and a good coverage price, you may have found a car insurance agent that can be relied on to service your policy.

Seven factors that affect insurance premiums

An important part of buying insurance is that you know the different types of things that help calculate your car insurance rates. When consumers understand what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this helps enable you to make changes that may result in lower rates. Lots of things are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. Most are fairly basic such as your driving record, but others are more obscure such as whether you are married or how financially stable you are.

• Commute or pleasure use – The more you drive your Toyota in a year the more you’ll pay to insure it. Most insurance companies calculate rates partially by how you use the vehicle. Cars and trucks left parked in the garage can get a lower rate compared to those used for work or business. Having an incorrect usage rating on your Corolla may be wasting your money. It’s always a good idea to double check that your vehicle rating is rated on the correct driver usage, because it can save money.
• Does insurance cost less for gals? – Over time, data shows women are more cautious behind the wheel. That doesn’t necessarily mean that women are better drivers. Females and males get in auto accidents at about the same rate, but men cause more damage. In addition to higher claims, males also receive more costly citations like DWI (DUI) or reckless driving.
• Careless drivers pay higher premiums – Getting just one driving citation can increase rates by twenty percent. Drivers with clean records receive lower rates than bad drivers. Drivers who have received dangerous violations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may face state-mandated requirements to file a SR-22 with their state’s licensing department in order to prevent their license from being revoked.
• Drive a fast vehicle and pay more – The type of vehicle you are insuring makes a substantial difference in the rate you pay. The lowest premiums tend to be for the lowest performance passenger cars, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors. Since the Toyota Corolla is a sedan, insurance will be about the same when compared to the average rates in Houston.
• Safer occupants lowers prices – Vehicles with good safety scores tend to be cheaper to insure. These vehicles protect occupants better and fewer serious injuries means your insurance company pays less which can mean better rates for you.
• Excellent credit means lower rates – Credit rating can be an important factor in calculating your car insurance rates. Therefore, if your credit rating is low, you could pay less to insure your Toyota Corolla by spending a little time repairing your credit. People that have high credit ratings tend to file fewer claims and have better driving records than drivers with bad credit.
• Car insurance policy lapses increase prices – Driving without insurance coverage in place is a big no-no and you may have a hard time finding new coverage because you let your coverage have a gap. Not only will rates go up, not being able to provide proof of insurance could earn you a license revocation or jail time. You may need to submit proof of financial responsibility or a SR-22 with the Texas motor vehicle department.
• Toyota Corolla insurance loss probability – Companies take into consideration historical loss data for every vehicle to help set a rate to offset losses. Models that historically have a trend towards higher claims will have higher premium rates. The information below illustrates the insurance loss data used by companies for Toyota Corolla vehicles.

  For each type of coverage, the loss probability for all vehicles combined as an average is a value of 100. Values that are 100 or less suggest a positive loss record, while values that are above 100 point to more claims or a tendency for losses to be larger than average.

  Auto Insurance Loss Data for Toyota Corolla Models

  Vehicle Make and Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Toyota Corolla	133	111	94	156	158	128

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Data Source: iihs.org (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) for 2013-2015 Model Years

Auto insurance is an important decision

Despite the high cost of buying insurance for a Toyota Corolla in Houston, paying for auto insurance serves a purpose in several ways.

• The majority of states have mandatory insurance requirements which means you are required to buy a specific minimum amount 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 your Toyota Corolla has a loan, it’s guaranteed your bank will stipulate that you have comprehensive coverage to guarantee payment of the loan. If you let the policy lapse, the bank will be required to insure your Toyota at a more expensive rate and force you to pay the higher price.
• Auto insurance protects both your Toyota Corolla and your personal assets. It will also reimburse you for many types of medical costs that are the result of an accident. Liability coverage will also pay for a defense attorney if you are sued as the result of an accident. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive and collision coverage will cover the repair costs.

The benefits of having insurance definitely exceed the cost, particularly if you ever have a claim. An average driver in America is currently overpaying as much as $865 each year so you should quote your policy with other companies once a year at a minimum to ensure rates are competitive.

Quote. Compare. Save.

When you buy Houston auto insurance online, it’s very important that you do not skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In too many instances, an insured cut liability limits or collision coverage and learned later they didn’t purchase enough coverage. The aim is to get the best coverage possible at a price you can afford.

There are still a few companies who may not have the ability to get quotes online and many times these regional insurance providers work with local independent agents. Discount Toyota Corolla insurance can be sourced online and also from your neighborhood Houston agents, so compare prices from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from.

Additional information can be found below:

• How to Avoid Common Accidents (State Farm)
• Who Has the Cheapest Houston Auto Insurance for Active Military? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Houston Auto Insurance for Homeowners? (FAQ)
• When is the Right Time to Switch Car Insurance Companies? (Allstate)
• Red Light Cameras (State Farm)