Want to know an easy way to compare low-cost Kia Rio insurance in Houston? Purchasing the lowest cost Houston Kia Rio insurance quotes might seem challenging for people new to buying their insurance online. With such a large number of agents and insurers to choose from, how can people effectively compare each option to find the cheapest available price?
It’s hard to fathom, but the majority of drivers have purchased from the same company for well over three years, and roughly 40% of drivers have never quoted rates to find lower-cost coverage. Most drivers in Houston can cut their rates by about 70% a year just by shopping around, but they just assume it’s a time-consuming process to compare rates online.
If you have auto insurance now, you will most likely be able to cut your premiums using the concepts covered in this article. Comparison shopping for more affordable policy in Houston is actually quite simple. But Texas vehicle owners do need to understand how companies market on the web.
Get cheaper rates by taking advantage of discounts
Auto insurance companies don’t always advertise their entire list of discounts very well, so the below list has a few of the more common and also the more inconspicuous discounts that you can inquire about if you buy Houston auto insurance online.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Owning your own home or condo may earn you a small savings since owning and maintaining a home is proof of financial responsibility.
- Multiple Policy Discount – If you can bundle your auto and homeowners insurance with the same insurance company you could save at least 10 to 15 percent or more.
- Anti-theft Discount – Cars, trucks, and SUVs equipped with tracking devices and advanced anti-theft systems are stolen with less frequency and earn discounts up to 10% off your Houston auto insurance quote.
- Discount for Good Grades – Maintaining excellent grades may save you up to 25%. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
- E-sign – Some of the larger companies will discount your bill up to fifty bucks for buying a policy and signing up digitally online.
- Service Members Pay Less – Having a family member in the military could mean lower rates.
- Organization Discounts – Joining a qualifying organization can get you a small discount on your next renewal.
As a sidenote, some credits don’t apply to your bottom line cost. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. If you do the math and it seems like adding up those discounts means a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any amount of discount will cut the amount you pay for coverage.
A few of the larger companies and some of their more popular discounts are outlined below.
- Mercury Insurance may offer discounts for good driver, multi-car, professional/association, annual mileage, and low natural disaster claims.
- Farmers Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including pay in full, alternative fuel, distant student, electronic funds transfer, and good student.
- Farm Bureau offers discounts for safe driver, 55 and retired, multi-vehicle, renewal discount, youthful driver, and good student.
- State Farm includes discounts for multiple policy, defensive driving training, good student, driver’s education, and good driver.
- Allstate discounts include passive restraint, auto/life discount, new car, premier discount, farm vehicle, FullPay discount, and eSmart discount.
- GEICO offers discounts including emergency military deployment, anti-theft, air bags, daytime running lights, and defensive driver.
When getting free Houston auto insurance quotes, it’s a good idea to each company which discounts you qualify for. Some discounts listed above might not be available to policyholders in Houston. If you would like to see a list of providers that offer some of these discounts in Texas, click here.
Compare Kia Rio insurance rates
Just keep in mind that having more price comparisons will increase your chances of finding lower pricing. Not every company allows you to get online Houston Rio insurance quotes, so it’s important to compare rates from them as well.
The companies shown below are ready to provide price comparisons in Texas. If more than one company is shown, we recommend you visit as many as you can to find the most competitive car insurance rates.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio | $246 | $560 | $560 | $34 | $168 | $1,568 | $131 |
| Rio LX | $220 | $512 | $486 | $28 | $146 | $1,392 | $116 |
| Rio SX | $268 | $538 | $444 | $26 | $132 | $1,408 | $117 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Data assumes married male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, homeowner, safe-driver, multi-vehicle, and multi-policy. Rates do not factor in specific Houston garaging location which can raise or lower premium rates noticeably.
Impact of citations and accidents on insurance rates
The example below demonstrates how citations and at-fault collisions impact Kia Rio auto insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The data is based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
Rate comparison of full coverage and liability-only
The illustration below illustrates the comparison of Kia Rio auto insurance rates with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The costs are based on no violations or accidents, $1,000 deductibles, married male driver, and no discounts are applied.
Guidelines for dropping full coverage
There is no set guideline for eliminating physical damage insurance, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.
For example, let’s pretend your Kia Rio claim settlement value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, you would only receive $6,000 after paying your deductible. If it’s costing in excess of $600 a year for physical damage coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.
There are some scenarios where dropping full coverage is not financially feasible. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you have to maintain full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle in case of an accident, you should not remove full coverage.
Lower Your Houston Insurance Premiums
Many things are used in the calculation when quoting car insurance. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving record, although others are less apparent such as your credit history or your vehicle rating.
Consolidate policies and save – Many insurers allow better rates to policyholders who consolidate policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. Discounts can be five, ten or even twenty percent. Even though this discount sounds good, it’s still a good idea to get quotes from other companies to guarantee you are still saving the most. You may still save more without the discount by buying insurance from more than one company.
Avoid tickets and save – Drivers who don’t get tickets receive lower rates compared to drivers with tickets. Having just one speeding ticket can increase the cost of insurance twenty percent or more. Drivers with careless citations such as DUI or reckless driving may be required to submit a SR-22 form to the state department of motor vehicles in order to prevent a license revocation.
No insurance gaps is important – Driving any period of time without insurance is a misdemeanor and you will pay a penalty because you let your insurance coverage expire. In addition to paying higher rates, the inability to provide proof of insurance may earn you fines or a revoked license. You will then be forced to provide proof of insurance in the form of an SR-22 filing with the Texas DMV.
Certain occupations pay higher prices – Did you know your job can affect your rates? Jobs like real estate brokers, social workers and medical professionals usually pay higher premiums than the average policyholder attributed to stressful work requirements and long work days. Conversely, professions such as farmers, historians and performers have lower than average premiums.
Kia Rio claim statistics – Car insurance companies use past loss statistics for each vehicle to calculate a rate that will offset losses. Vehicles that the data shows to have higher number or severity of losses will have a higher cost to insure. The table below shows the historical insurance loss data for Kia Rio vehicles.
For each type of coverage, the claim amount for all vehicles combined as an average is equal to 100. Numbers below 100 indicate a favorable loss history, while numbers above 100 indicate more frequent losses or a tendency for losses to be larger than average.
Kia Rio Insurance Loss Statistics
| Vehicle Make and Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Rio | 90 | 109 | 81 | 141 | 158 | 127 |
Statistics from IIHS.org for 2013-2015 Model Years
When in doubt talk to an agent
When it comes to buying your policy for your personal vehicles, there really isn’t a perfect coverage plan. Your needs are unique to you.
For instance, these questions might help in determining if you would benefit from professional advice.
- Does my Kia Rio need full coverage?
- Are my custom wheels covered?
- Where can I find high-risk insurance?
- How much liability insurance is required?
- Do I have ACV or replacement cost coverage?
- Am I covered by my employer’s commercial auto policy when driving my personal car for business?
- Which companies are cheaper for teen drivers?
- Who does medical payments coverage extend to?
If you can’t answer these questions but you know they apply to you then you might want to talk to a licensed insurance agent. To find an agent in your area, complete this form.
Local Houston insurance agencies
Some consumers still prefer to sit down with an agent. An additional benefit of price shopping on the web is that you can obtain cheap auto insurance quotes and also buy local. Putting coverage with local agencies is important especially in Houston.
To find an agent, once you fill out this simple form, the quote information is submitted to local insurance agents in Houston who can give free rate quotes for your insurance coverage. There is no reason to leave your house since price quotes are sent to the email address you provide. You can find the lowest rates and an insurance agent to talk to. If you need to get a price quote from one company in particular, you just need to go to their quote page to submit a rate quote request.
Best auto insurance agent in Houston
If you’re trying to find a local Houston insurance agent, there are a couple of different types of agents and how they operate. Agents may be either independent or exclusive.
Independent Auto Insurance Agencies or Brokers
Independent agencies are not restricted to one company and that allows them to write policies with lots of companies and find the cheapest rate. If they find a lower price, the agent simply finds a different carrier which makes it simple for you. When searching for an agent, you will want to get quotes from independent agents so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare. Many write coverage with less well-known companies which can save you money.
Shown below is a list of independent insurance agents in Houston that may be able to provide pricing information.
- Duckworth Insurance Agency
3824 Broadway St – Houston, TX 77017 – (713) 645-1500 – View Map - Gem Insurance Agencies
3355 W Alabama St #850 – Houston, TX 77098 – (713) 622-2330 – View Map - Champions Insurance Agency
15327 Gulf Fwy b – Houston, TX 77034 – (281) 484-4870 – View Map
Exclusive Agencies
Exclusive insurance agents can only write with one company and examples are Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. They generally cannot provide rate quotes from other companies so they are skilled at selling on more than just price. These agents are trained well on their products and sales techniques which can be an advantage. Drivers often purchase coverage from exclusives mostly because of the prominent brand name rather than low rates.
Below is a short list of exclusive insurance agencies in Houston willing to provide price quote information.
- Ricky Maique – State Farm Insurance Agent
8811 Westheimer Rd #205 – Houston, TX 77063 – (713) 781-6132 – View Map - State Farm: Jack Wallace
3405 Mercer St – Houston, TX 77027 – (713) 626-7500 – View Map - Joy Knox State Farm Insurance Agency
1510 Eldridge Pkwy #108 – Houston, TX 77077 – (281) 759-4300 – View Map
Choosing an car insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a low price. The following questions are important to ask.
- When do they do a full risk review?
- How many companies do they write for?
- Is there any savings for paying the full premium?
- Will you get a loaner vehicle if you car is being repaired?
- Will they make sure you get an adequate claim settlement?
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
Here’s why insurance is not optional
Even though it can be expensive, paying for insurance is required for several reasons.
First, the majority of states have minimum liability requirements which means state laws require a minimum amount of liability protection 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.
Second, if you took out a loan on your vehicle, it’s guaranteed your bank will make it mandatory that you have insurance to protect their interest in the vehicle. If you cancel or allow the policy to lapse, the bank may insure your Kia at a more expensive rate and require you to reimburse them the higher price.
Third, insurance protects not only your Kia but also your assets. It will also cover many types of medical costs for not only you but also any passengers injured in an accident. One of the most valuable coverages, liability insurance, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if you are named as a defendant in an auto accident. If your car is damaged in a storm or accident, comprehensive (other-than-collision) and collision coverage will pay to have it repaired.
The benefits of carrying enough insurance outweigh the cost, particularly for liability claims. According to a recent study, the average American driver overpays more than $850 per year so you should quote and compare rates at every policy renewal to be sure current rates are still competitive.
How much can you save?
When buying insurance coverage, never skimp on critical coverages to save a buck or two. In many instances, consumers will sacrifice comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret that the small savings ended up costing them much more. Your goal should be to get the best coverage possible for the lowest price while still protecting your assets.
Consumers who switch companies do it for a variety of reasons including not issuing a premium refund, questionable increases in premium, policy non-renewal and poor customer service. Whatever your reason, finding a new insurance company is less work than it seems.
We just showed you a lot of ways to find lower-cost Kia Rio insurance in Houston. It’s most important to understand that the more providers you compare, the higher your chance of finding inexpensive Houston auto insurance quotes. Consumers could even find that the lowest priced insurance comes from a lesser-known regional company.
To learn more, feel free to browse the resources below:
- Vehicle Safety Ratings (iihs.org)
- How Much are Car Insurance Rates for Inexperienced Drivers in Houston? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Houston Auto Insurance for a Jeep Grand Cherokee? (FAQ)
- Who Has Affordable Houston Auto Insurance for Drivers with a Bad Driving Record? (FAQ)
- Car Insurance: When not to Skimp (BankRate.com)
- Hybrid vehicles cost insurers more (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)