Learn How to Cut Costs on Plano Auto Insurance

Consumers not familiar with shopping for insurance online will discover purchasing the lowest-priced Plano auto insurance is not as easy as it seems.

Which Auto Insurance is Cheapest in Plano, TX?

There are a lot of ways to shop for auto insurance, and some are less labor-intensive and much quicker. You can waste a lot of time talking to insurance agencies in Plano, or you can stay home and use the web for quick rates.

The majority of car insurance companies take part in a program that allows shoppers to submit their information once, and each company can provide price quotes determined by their information. This eliminates the need for form submissions to each company.

To enter your information into the quoting system, click to open in new window.

The only downside to comparing rates this way is you don’t know exactly the providers to get quotes from. If you prefer to choose specific providers to compare, we have a listing of companies who write auto insurance in Texas. Click here for list of insurance companies in Texas.

Which method you use is up to you, but double check that you are using the exact same deductibles and coverage limits for every company. If you enter different values for each quote it’s not possible to make an equal comparison in Plano. Having just a slight variation in coverages may result in large price differences. And when comparison shopping, getting more free quotes provides better odds of finding the best offered rates.

Verify you’re getting all your discounts

Insurance can be prohibitively expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available to cut the cost considerably. Some discounts apply automatically when you quote, but less common discounts must be asked for prior to getting the savings.

Safe Driver Discount – Drivers who don’t get into accidents may save up to 50% more than less cautious drivers.
E-sign – Some insurance companies will give a small break just for signing your application online.
Club Memberships – Being a member of a qualifying organization may earn a discount when buying auto insurance.
55 and Retired – If you qualify as a senior citizen, you may receive better auto insurance rates.
Passive Restraints and Air Bags – Vehicles equipped with air bags or automatic seat belts can qualify for discounts up to 30%.
New Vehicle Savings – Insuring a new car can save up to 30% compared to insuring an older model.
Lower Rates for Military – Being deployed with a military unit may qualify for rate reductions.
Anti-theft Discount – Cars that have factory anti-theft systems help deter theft and qualify for as much as a 10% discount.
Sign Early and Save – A few companies offer discounts for signing up prior to your current policy expiration. It can save you around 10%.

A little note about advertised discounts, many deductions do not apply to all coverage premiums. The majority will only reduce individual premiums such as collision or personal injury protection. So even though they make it sound like all the discounts add up to a free policy, companies don’t profit that way. Any amount of discount will cut the amount you have to pay.

To choose providers with the best auto insurance discounts in Plano, click here to view.

Factors that affect insurance rates

Consumers need to have an understanding of the rating factors that go into determining auto insurance rates. Understanding what controls the rates you pay helps enable you to make changes that may reward you with lower auto insurance prices.

Listed below are a partial list of the pieces that factor into rates.

How credit affects auto insurance rates – Credit rating is a large factor in determining your rates. Consumers who have good credit tend to be less risk to insure than drivers who have poor credit. Therefore, if your credit rating can use some improvement, you could save money insuring your by repairing your credit.
Discounts for multiple policies – Most insurers provide better rates to policyholders who consolidate policies with them such as combining an auto and homeowners policy. This can amount to five, ten or even twenty percent. Even with this discount, you may still want to compare other company rates to ensure the best deal.
Liability coverage protects you – Your policy’s liability coverage will protect you in the event that you are found liable for personal injury or accident damage. It provides for a legal defense which can cost thousands of dollars. Liability is cheap as compared to coverage for physical damage, so buy as much as you can afford.
Battle of the sexes – The statistics show women are more cautious behind the wheel. However, this does not mean men are WORSE drivers than women. Men and women cause accidents in similar numbers, but the male of the species have costlier accidents. Men also tend to receive more costly citations like DUI and reckless driving. Youthful male drivers are the most expensive to insure and therefore are the most expensive to insure.
A clean driving record saves money – Just one ticket may increase your cost by twenty percent. Drivers with clean records get better rates than their less careful counterparts. Drivers who have dangerous citations such as hit and run, DWI or reckless driving convictions may need to submit a SR-22 form with the DMV in their state in order to prevent a license revocation.
Small claims can cost you – If you are a frequent claim filer, you can pretty much guarantee higher rates. Car insurance companies in Texas award lower rates to insureds who do not file claims often. Insurance coverage is meant to be used in the event of the large, substantial claims.
Performance level impacts rates – The performance of the vehicle you are insuring makes a big difference in how high your rates are. Small economy passenger vehicles receive the most favorable rates, but the final cost of insurance is determined by many other factors.
Being married is a good thing – Having a wife or husband can actually save you money on your auto insurance policy. It usually means you are more mature than a single person and it’s statistically proven that being married results in fewer claims.

What happened to insurance agents?

Certain consumers just want to visit with an insurance agent and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the best bonuses of getting online price quotes is you can get lower rates and still choose a local agent. Supporting local insurance agencies is definitely important in Plano. auto insurance image

To make it easy to find an agent, after completing this short form, your information is transmitted to companies in Plano who will give you bids for your business. There is no reason to leave your computer because quoted prices will be sent to the email address you provide. How cool is that?! You can find the lowest rates and work with a local agent.

Types of insurance agents

If you’re trying to find a local agent, you must know there are a couple different agency structures that differ in how they can insure your vehicles. Plano agents are categorized either independent (non-captive) or captive.

Independent Agents (or Brokers)

These agents are not required to write business for one company but rather can write business amongst many companies enabling the ability to shop coverage around. To transfer your coverage to a different company, an independent agent can move your coverage and you don’t have to find a new agent.

When comparison shopping, we recommend you contact at a minimum one independent agency for maximum quote selection. They often place coverage with smaller regional carriers who may have lower rates.

Shown below is a list of independent agents in Plano that are able to give price quotes.

Kyle Brown Insurance – 3255 Independence Pkwy – Plano, TX 75075 – (972) 599-9710
Haskins Agency – 8829 Clear Sky Dr – Plano, TX 75025 – (972) 747-0458
Brett Pulaski Agency – 5805 Coit Rd # 401 – Plano, TX 75093 – (972) 964-7888
Blackmon Agency – 3611 14th St # 105 – Plano, TX 75074 – (972) 423-8021
Mark Kinney Insurance – 3209 Premier Dr # 103 – Plano, TX 75075 – (972) 424-7610

Agency Captives

Captive insurance agents work for only one company such as State Farm or Allstate. They usually cannot provide prices from multiple companies so keep that in mind. Captive agencies receive extensive training on their products and sales techniques which helps them sell insurance even at higher premiums. Some people will only choose to use a captive agent primarily because of loyalty to the company and the convenience of having all coverages with one company.

Below is a short list of captive agencies in Plano that are able to give price quotes.

Liberty Mutual Insurance – 3516 Preston Rd # 800 – Plano, TX 75093 – (972) 867-3499
Allstate Insurance – 101 E Park Blvd # 867 – Plano, TX 75074 – (972) 633-0729
State Farm Insurance – 2100 Dallas Pkwy # 110 – Plano, TX 75093 – (972) 403-1060
Farmers Insurance Group – 3209 Premier Dr # 103 – Plano, TX 75075 – (972) 423-2122
Farm Bureau Insurance – 3209 Premier Dr # 130 – Plano, TX 75075 – (972) 881-0044

For a full directory of captive insurance agencies in Plano, simply jump to this page.

Selecting an auto insurance agent needs to be determined by more than just the premium amount. Any agent should be forthright in answering these questions:

How are they compensated?
If your car is in the repair shop, do you have coverage for a rental car?
What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
What insurance companies do they work with?
Which members of your family are coverage by the policy?

After receiving reasonable responses to any questions you have as well as a affordable price, most likely you have located an auto insurance agent that meets your needs to insure your vehicles.

More information can be read on the Texas Department of Insurance website through this link. Visitors are able to find out industry alerts, learn about specific coverages, file complaints about a company, and learn about insurance regulations.

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Best Car Insurance Exclusively for Plano, TX Residents

Save $483 a year? Really?

Auto insurance companies such as Progressive, GEICO, Allstate and State Farm continually stream television and radio advertisements. They all seem to make the same claim that you’ll save big after switching to their company. But how can every company make almost identical claims?

All companies have a preferred profile for the driver that makes them money. An example of a driver they prefer might be profiled as a mature driver, is a homeowner, and drives less than 10,000 miles a year. A customer getting a price quote who matches those parameters will get the preferred rates and is almost guaranteed to cut their rates substantially.

Drivers who do not match the “perfect” profile will have to pay more money which leads to business not being written. The ads say “drivers who switch” not “everybody who quotes” save that kind of money. That’s the way companies can claim big savings.

Because of the profiling, you absolutely need to get a wide range of price quotes. Because you never know the company that will provide you with the cheapest rates.

Buy online or local, you save

When you buy insurance online, it’s very important that you do not buy less coverage just to save a little money. In many cases, someone sacrificed comprehensive coverage or liability limits only to regret at claim time that it was a big error on their part. Your focus should be to buy the best coverage you can find at the best price while still protecting your assets.

We just showed you quite a bit of information on how to save on auto insurance. It’s most important to understand that the more rate comparisons you have, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even discover the lowest rates come from a small mutual company.

Discount auto insurance can be bought from both online companies as well as from independent agents in Plano, and you should compare price quotes from both in order to have the best price selection to choose from. Some insurance companies don’t offer you the ability to get quotes online and these small insurance companies work with independent agents.