Unbelievable but true, most insurance buyers renewed their policy with the same company for at least the last four years, and 38% of customers have never compared rates with other companies. Drivers in Corpus Christi could pocket as much as $1,770 a year just by comparing rates, but most tend to underestimate how much money they would save if they switched.
Truthfully, the best way to get discount car insurance rates in Corpus Christi is to make a habit of comparing prices annually from insurance carriers who sell insurance in Texas. You can shop around by completing these steps.
Step 1: Learn about how companies price auto insurance and the measures you can control to drop your rates. Many things that result in higher rates like accidents, traffic tickets, and an imperfect credit rating can be eliminated by making small lifestyle or driving habit changes.
Step 2: Compare price quotes from direct, independent, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can give quotes from one company like Progressive or State Farm, while agents who are independent can quote rates from many different companies.
Step 3: Compare the new quotes to the premium of your current policy and determine if there is any savings. If you find a better price, make sure there is no coverage gap between policies.
Step 4: Give proper notification to your current agent or company of your decision to cancel your current coverage. Submit a down payment along with a completed application to your new agent or company. Immediately upon receiving it, put the proof of insurance paperwork with your registration paperwork.
One piece of advice is to use similar deductibles and liability limits on every quote and to quote with all possible companies. Doing this provides an accurate price comparison and a thorough selection of prices.
Corpus Christi Insurance Prices are Influenced by These Factors
The best way to find cheaper car insurance is to take a look at a few of the rating criteria that play a part in calculating your policy premiums. If you have a feel for what positively or negatively impacts your premiums, this enables you to make decisions that can earn you lower car insurance prices. Lots of factors are considered when premium rates are determined. Some factors are common sense such as traffic violations, but some are less apparent such as your marital status or how safe your car is.
The itemized list below are some of the major factors used by your company to calculate your rates.
Raise comp and collision deductibles and save – The deductibles are how much the insured will be required to pay if the claim is covered. Coverage for physical damage, also known as collision and other-than-collision, insures against damage to your car. Some instances where coverage would apply are collision with another vehicle, animal collisions, or theft of your vehicle. The more damage repair cost the insured is willing to pay, the less your car insurance will be.
Premiums are high for teenagers – Young drivers in Texas have been known to be inattentive and easily distracted when behind the wheel so they pay higher car insurance rates. Older people are viewed as being more responsible, statistically cause fewer accidents, and are safer drivers.
The data below uses these assumptions: single driver, full coverage with $1000 deductibles, and no discounts or violations.
Never have car insurance policy lapses – Driving without insurance coverage in place can get your license suspended and as a result your rates will increase for letting your coverage have a gap. Not only will you pay higher rates, getting caught without coverage could earn you fines and jail time.
Being married reduces risk – Being married can get you a discount when shopping for car insurance. Marriage generally demonstrates drivers are more financially stable and insurance companies reward insureds because being married results in fewer claims.
Cheaper to insure women? – Over the last 50 years, statistics have shown females are less aggressive when driving. That doesn’t necessarily mean that females are better at driving than males. They both cause accidents at about the same rate, but males get into accidents with more damage. They also receive more major tickets such as DWI and reckless driving.
The information below compares Hyundai Azera annual premium costs for male and female drivers. The costs are based on no violations or accidents, full physical damage coverage, $500 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
More people means more accidents – Having an address in small towns and rural areas can be a good thing when it comes to car insurance. People who live in big cities regularly have much more traffic and much longer commute distances. Fewer people means a lower chance of having an accident and also fewer theft and vandalism claims.
Higher premiums for specific jobs – Occupational choices like military generals, social workers, and dentists generally pay the highest rates attributed to intense work-related stress and long work hours. Other jobs such as actors, students and performers receive lower rates.
Loss statistics for a Hyundai Azera – Companies use claims history when setting premium prices. Vehicles that statistically have higher claim amounts or frequency will be charged more to insure.
The next table illustrates the compiled insurance loss statistics for Hyundai Azera vehicles. For each policy coverage type, the statistical loss for all vehicles, regardless of manufacturer or model, is a value of 100. Numbers under 100 indicate better than average losses, while numbers above 100 point to more frequent losses or an increased likelihood of larger losses.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Azera | 115 | 83 | 101 | 99 | 106 | 91 |
Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
Data for Hyundai Azera insurance
The data table shown below showcases a range of policy rates for Hyundai Azera models. Having a good grasp of how premiums are calculated can be of help when making decisions on the best policy coverages.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azera GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $322 | $802 | $462 | $28 | $138 | $1,752 | $146 |
| Azera Limited 4-Dr Sedan | $362 | $802 | $462 | $28 | $138 | $1,792 | $149 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Prices above based on single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Rate information does not factor in Corpus Christi location which can decrease or increase rates significantly.
Higher deductibles lower rates
One of the more difficult decisions when buying car insurance is how low should you set your deductibles. The comparisons below may aid in understanding the premium difference when you choose different deductibles. The first pricing table uses a $250 comprehensive and collision deductible and the second price chart uses a $500 deductible.
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azera GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $294 | $584 | $382 | $22 | $114 | $1,421 | $118 |
| Azera Limited 4-Dr Sedan | $332 | $584 | $382 | $22 | $114 | $1,459 | $122 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
| Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azera GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $240 | $472 | $382 | $22 | $114 | $1,230 | $103 |
| Azera Limited 4-Dr Sedan | $270 | $472 | $382 | $22 | $114 | $1,260 | $105 |
| Get Your Own Custom Quote Go | |||||||
Prices above based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, multi-policy, safe-driver, and homeowner. Price information does not factor in specific zip code location which can influence price quotes noticeably.
Based on the figures above, using a $250 deductible costs approximately $16 more each month or $192 each year than requesting the higher $500 deductible. Because you would be required to pay $250 more if you turn in a claim with a $500 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you have at least 16 months between claims, you would save more money if you decide on a higher deductible. The numbers below show an example of how you can perform this determination yourself.
| Average monthly premium for $250 deductibles: | $120 |
| Average monthly premium for $500 deductibles (subtract): | – $104 |
| Monthly savings from raising deductible: | $16 |
| Difference between deductibles ($500 – $250): | $250 |
| Divide difference by monthly savings: | $250 / $16 |
| Number of months required between physical damage coverage claims in order to save money by choosing the higher deductible | 16 months |
The diagram below illustrates how choosing a deductible and can impact Hyundai Azera insurance costs for different age groups of insureds. The data is based on a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no other discounts are factored in.
Drive responsibly or pay higher rates
The information below illustrates how speeding tickets and at-fault collisions can impact Hyundai Azera yearly insurance costs for different age groups of insureds. The data assumes a married male driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
Discounts for cheap insurance quotes
Companies do not advertise every discount available in a way that’s easy to find, so here is a list a few of the more well known and the more hidden discounts you could be receiving when you buy Corpus Christi car insurance online.
- Discount for Home Ownership – Owning your own home or condo can earn you a little savings because owning a home requires a higher level of personal finance.
- Military Deployment Discount – Having a deployed family member could trigger a small discount.
- Distant Student Discount – Kids who live away from home to go to college and won’t have access to an insured vehicle could qualify for this discount.
- Accident Waiver – Not a discount per se, but some insurance companies permit an accident before they charge you more for coverage if your claims history is clear for a particular time prior to the accident.
- Federal Employees – Simply working for the federal government could qualify for a slight premium decrease but check with your company.
- Claim Free – Drivers with accident-free driving histories have much lower rates compared to drivers with a long claim history.
- Seat Belts Save – Requiring all passengers to use a seat belt can save up to 10 percent (depending on the company) off the personal injury premium cost.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Select insurance companies reward you with a discount if you purchase life insurance.
- Anti-lock Brakes – Cars with ABS braking systems or traction control are safer to drive so you can save 10 percent or more.
- Switch and Save Discount – A few insurance companies give discounts for switching policies before your current Azera insurance policy expires. Ten percent is about the average savings.
Consumers should know that some credits don’t apply to the entire cost. Most only cut the cost of specific coverages such as collision or personal injury protection. Even though it may seem like you would end up receiving a 100% discount, that’s just not realistic. But all discounts should help reduce the cost of your policy.
The diagram below compares Hyundai Azera insurance rates with and without discounts. The information is based on a male driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, Texas state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-car, homeowner, safe-driver, multi-policy, marriage, and claim-free discounts applied.
Some of the insurance companies that may include most of the discounts above include:
If you are trying to find affordable Corpus Christi car insurance quotes, ask every insurance company how many discounts you can get. Some discounts listed above may not apply to policyholders in Corpus Christi. For a list of providers with discount rates in Corpus Christi, click this link.
Compare. Compare. Compare.
More affordable auto insurance in Corpus Christi is possible both online as well as from insurance agents, and you need to comparison shop both so you have a total pricing picture. A few companies may not offer rate quotes online and many times these smaller providers sell through independent agencies.
While you’re price shopping online, make sure you don’t buy poor coverage just to save money. In too many instances, an insured cut full coverage only to regret that they should have had better coverage. The aim is to buy a smart amount of coverage for the lowest cost and still be able to protect your assets.
More tips and info about auto insurance can be found at these sites:
- Auto Insurance 101 (About.com)
- Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance for High Risk Drivers in Corpus Christi? (FAQ)
- How Much is Auto Insurance for Teachers in Corpus Christi? (FAQ)
- Driving in Bad Weather (Insurance Information Institute)
- Distracted Driving Extends Beyond Texting (State Farm)
- Choosing an Insurance Company (Insurance Information Institute)
- Five Steps to Filing an Auto Insurance Claim (Insurance Information Institute)