If online auto insurance comparisons are new to you, most likely you are bewildered thanks to the incredible selection of online auto insurance companies and websites that all promise to save you money.
Unbelievable but true according to a study over 70% of drivers have stayed with the same insurance company for over three years, and nearly the majority have never compared rate quotes at all. With the average auto insurance premium being $2,679, Texas drivers could save as much as 70% every year, but most tend to underestimate the benefits if they swap their current policy for a cheaper one.
Smart consumers take time to compare prices every six months because auto insurance prices are adjusted regularly by insurance companies. Despite the fact that you may have had the lowest rate on Ford Freestyle insurance in Houston six months ago there may be better deals available now. Forget all the misinformation about auto insurance because you’re about to learn one of the easiest ways to find lower rates on auto insurance.
To get affordable Houston car insurance quotes, there a variety of ways to compare prices from different companies. The easiest way to find cheaper Ford Freestyle rates is to jump online and get quotes. When comparison shopping, comparing more rates from different companies helps locate the best price. Some smaller insurers do not give Houston Freestyle insurance quotes online, so you need to compare prices from them as well.
The providers in the list below offer price comparisons in Texas. If several companies are displayed, we recommend you compare several of them to get the most affordable price.
Insurance in Texas serves several purposes
Even though it’s not necessarily cheap to insure a Ford in Houston, insurance may not be optional for several reasons.
- Almost all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to buy a minimum amount of liability insurance in order to drive the car. 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 have a lien on your Ford, almost every bank will make it a condition of the loan that you have insurance to guarantee their interest in the vehicle. If you default on your policy, the bank or lender will purchase a policy for your Ford at a significantly higher premium and require you to fork over much more than you were paying before.
- Insurance protects not only your Ford but also your financial assets. It will also reimburse you for medical expenses for yourself as well as anyone injured by you. One policy coverage, liability insurance, will also pay for a defense attorney if you are sued as the result of an accident. If you have damage to your Ford as the result of the weather or an accident, your insurance policy will pay to repair the damage.
The benefits of insuring your Freestyle definitely exceed the price paid, particularly when you have a large claim. Unknowingly, the average driver overpays more than $850 per year so it’s important to compare rates every year to ensure rates are competitive.
Affordable Houston car insurance rates with discounts
Companies offering auto insurance don’t always publicize every policy discount in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list both the well known as well as the least known savings tricks you should be using when you buy Houston car insurance online.
- Multi-line Discount – Select insurance companies reward you with a break if you buy a life insurance policy as well.
- Discounts for New Vehicles – Putting insurance on a new Freestyle can be considerably cheaper since new vehicles have better safety ratings.
- Driver Training Discounts – Taking time to complete a defensive driver course could cut 5% off your bill and also improve your driving technique.
- Multi-policy Discount – If you can combine your home and auto policy with the same insurance company you will save up to 20% and get you cheap Freestyle insurance.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once rather than paying in monthly installments you may reduce your total bill.
- Telematics Discount – Insureds who allow their car insurance company to spy on driving manner by using a telematic data system such as In-Drive from State Farm or Allstate’s Drivewise system could possibly reduce rates if they show good driving skills.
- Drive Safe and Save – Safe drivers may save up to 50% more compared to accident prone drivers.
Keep in mind that most discounts do not apply to your bottom line cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. Even though it appears adding up those discounts means a free policy, company stockholders wouldn’t be very happy.
Larger car insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are outlined below.
- 21st Century may offer discounts for teen driver, defensive driver, homeowners, anti-lock brakes, good student, and 55 and older.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for student away at school, good student, multiple autos, multiple policy, accident-free, safe vehicle, and Drive Safe & Save.
- AAA has savings for education and occupation, good driver, good student, anti-theft, and multi-car.
- Liberty Mutual offers discounts including new vehicle discount, new graduate, newly retired, newly married, new move discount, multi-policy, and exclusive group savings.
- Progressive offers discounts for multi-policy, homeowner, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, and good student.
When comparing rates, check with each company which discounts you may be entitled to. Depending on the company, some discounts may not be available in your state. If you would like to see a list of car insurance companies with the best discounts in Texas, click here to view.
Can’t I compare prices from local Houston insurance agencies?
A small number of people just prefer to have an agent’s advice and that is recommended in a lot of cases The biggest benefit of comparing car insurance online is you can get cheap car insurance quotes but still work with a licensed agent.
To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this form (opens in new window), the quote information is instantly submitted to insurance agents in Houston that give free quotes for your insurance coverage. You don’t have to contact any insurance agencies because quoted prices will be sent to you instantly. You can most likely find cheaper rates without a big time investment. If you have a need to get a comparison quote from a particular provider, just search and find their rate quote page and give them your coverage information.
Picking an company is decision based upon more than just the price. Any agent in Houston should be forthright in answering these questions:
- Does the agent have a valid license to sell insurance in Texas?
- Are they able to influence company decisions when a claim is filed?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- Will your rates increase after a single accident?
- Do the companies they represent have a solid financial rating?
- Will the agent help in case of a claim?
- Are claims handled at the agent’s location?
Pick the best auto insurance agent in Houston for you
If you need to find a good insurance agency, it’s important to understand the different types of agents from which to choose. Agencies in Houston are either exclusive or independent.
Exclusive Agents
Exclusive agents can only provide pricing for a single company like Allstate, Farmers Insurance, State Farm, and AAA. These agents are not able to provide rate quotes from other companies so they really need to provide good service. Exclusive agents receive a lot of sales training on what they offer which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Some insured continue to purchase coverage from exclusives mostly because of loyalty to the company rather than having the cheapest rates.
The following is a short list of exclusive agencies in Houston who may provide you with price quotes.
- Brandon Herndon – State Farm Insurance Agent
10103 Fondren Rd #150 – Houston, TX 77096 – (832) 431-4222 – View Map - Lucrecia Jasminoy – State Farm Insurance Agent
223 Cavalcade St – Houston, TX 77009 – (713) 884-1442 – View Map - James Banks – State Farm Insurance Agent
4809 Main St – Houston, TX 77002 – (713) 523-7100 – View Map
Independent Insurance Agents
Independent insurance agents do not sell for just one brand and that is an advantage because they can write policies with any number of different companies and find the cheapest rate. If prices rise, they can switch companies in-house and you don’t have to find a new agent.
When searching for an agent, you should always compare quotes from a couple of independent agencies so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare. Most independent agents also contract with smaller mutual companies that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
Listed below are Houston independent agents that can give you comparison quotes.
- Pasadena Insurance Agency, Inc.
99 Detering St #280 – Houston, TX 77007 – (713) 869-6991 – View Map - R.Y.A. Insurance Agency, Inc.
12155 Jones Rd #300 – Houston, TX 77070 – (281) 469-6286 – View Map - Oscar’s Insurance Agency
5921 S Gessner Rd – Houston, TX 77036 – (713) 271-8889 – View Map
More effort can pay off
Insureds who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including delays in responding to claim requests, policy non-renewal, not issuing a premium refund or high prices. Whatever your reason, switching auto insurance companies is not as difficult as it may seem.
You just learned a lot of ways to find cheap Ford Freestyle insurance in Houston. The key thing to remember is the more rate comparisons you have, the higher your chance of finding the cheapest Ford Freestyle rate quotes. You may even discover the lowest rates come from the smaller companies.
When trying to cut insurance costs, it’s not a good idea to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There are many occasions where an insured dropped physical damage coverage only to regret at claim time that it was a big mistake. The proper strategy is to find the BEST coverage for the lowest price, but do not skimp to save money.
To read more, link through to these articles:
- Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a Toyota RAV4 in Houston? (FAQ)
- What Car Insurance is Cheapest for 17 Year Olds in Houston? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance for College Graduates in Houston? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Houston Auto Insurance for a Nissan Altima? (FAQ)
- Credit and Insurance Scores (Insurance Information Institute)
- Rearview cameras reduce backing crashes (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Insuring a Leased Car (Insurance Information Institute)
- Driving in Bad Weather (Insurance Information Institute)