My husband keeps on asking me to search the net since we moved here in Houston, Texas. He keeps on asking me about car insurance here in Texas since I grew up here, but I myself don’t know much. What are the different types of car insurance coverage here in Texas and how do they work?

Vanessa

Amarillo, TX

Car insurance companies here in Houston, Texas use the Texas Automobile Policy which is a regulated policy form that offers different types of coverage. The Texas Department of Insurance approves other companies’ alternative policies in advance before they sell it. Since there are many choices, you should read the policy carefully for different coverage may differ in policy and company.

A coverage you should take from the Texas Personal Automobile Policy is the Liability Coverage, where it pays the damages, repair, medical expenses that resulted from the accident. This could also pay for your lawyer if you get sued because of the accident. Another is Medical Payments Coverage whereas it pays the medical expenses of the person whether a pedestrian or bicyclist and it also covers you and your family whoever caused it. The Personal Injury Protection which has the same medical coverage but it also includes the loss of income and payment for the caregiver needed by the injured. Uninsured or underinsured motorist Coverage pays for the damage from a driver who doesn’t have insurance or doesn’t have enough coverage. Collision damage which pays for the replacement or repair of your car after the accident. Comprehensive Coverage replaces or repairs your car at any causes it had been damaged. Choose the right coverage properly that is applicable here in Texas.

It seems like I am paying more and more every year for my auto insurance here in Houston, Texas. Could you give me some helpful tips on how to save on my auto insurance premium?

Harold

Houston, TX

There are a lot of things to be considered when insurers decide on the amount of premium that you will pay for your auto insurance in Houston, Texas. They are:

–the worth of your vehicle
–your driving history
–your age
–your marital status
–your location
–your gender
–the make and model of your vehicle

In case you live in an urban area but you have a property somewhere else, you might want to use the other address to register your car. If the property that you own is in the country, the auto insurance premium would probably be cheaper.

Choosing a higher deductible is a proven way of saving money on your auto insurance premium. You may inquire about the auto insurance premiums for policies with lower and higher deductible. It may be worth it to pick the policy that has higher deductible but cheaper auto insurance premium, especially if you are a good driver. But in case you have already gotten into an accident, you may opt to take defensive driving course for you to have cheaper auto insurance premium. Completing a driver course could give you a discount on your auto insurance.

My teen daughter already got her license and I’m adding her up to our car insurance here in Houston, Texas. What exactly do I need to do to ensure that I won’t have a sky high car insurance rates increase?

Cale

Houston, TX

I have to be frank with you that the car insurance rates for your teen daughter will not exactly be as cheap as you want them to be. However, it is a great idea that you just want to add her up to your existing car insurance policy there in Houston, Texas. You could be able to ask your car insurance provider if they can offer you discount for being a good driver and for having multiple cars under one policy since you are adding up your teen daughter. They can also be able to offer your daughter a good student discount if she has an average of at least 3.0 in school. This kind of discount is intended for teenagers to young adults aged 23-25. So in some instances, it will be a great idea for you to include your daughter in your car insurance policy.

If you are planning to buy a car for your teen daughter, you may opt to get older model cars because they normally cost less to insure since their parts are not too costly. This means lower risk of the car insurance company so you will have lower cost car insurance premiums. So in case you decide to get an older vehicle, you may opt not to get comprehensive and collision coverage so that your car insurance rates would be cheaper.

My friend here in Houston, Texas, occasionally borrows my car. Do you think I should add him under my car insurance policy?

Betty

Houston, TX

It is highly recommended that you do two things: add your friend under your auto insurance policy as an “occasional driver”, or have your friend get a Non-Owner’s insurance policy under his name. In any case, it would not be wise to allow your friend there in Houston (or anyone, for that matter) to drive your vehicle without adequate auto insurance coverage. Also, under the financial responsibility laws of Texas, anyone who drives a vehicle (not necessarily the owner alone) is responsible (and is required to) acquire appropriate financial coverage in the form of auto insurance. The purpose of this law is to make sure that anyone who causes injury or damage to others during a car accident is able to provide the necessary monetary compensation.

In case you’re wondering, a Non-Owners Auto Insurance usually only provides liability protection, meaning that it will only protect you or your friend from having to pay large sums of money when he caused a car accident while driving your vehicle. So if your vehicle is damaged or totaled, it will be under the discretion of your auto insurance provider whether to reimburse you or pay for repairs. Also make sure you have enough collision and comprehensive insurance coverage if you will have someone else you’re your vehicle. You don’t want to regret not taking these steps to protect you if your friend end’s up totaling your vehicle.

It’s my first time to buy car insurance of my own here in Houston, Texas and I need some help to get lower rates. What are the things that I can do to help me lessen the premiums that I would pay for my car insurance?

Lance

Houston, TX

A car insurance company considers a lot of issues to determine your car insurance rates in Houston, Texas. Some of these factors include your age, the state where you reside, your driving history, etc. Even though you couldn’t do so much on these things, that are still some ways to get lower rates on your car insurance. Here are some suggestions of the things that you could do to help you lessen your premiums:

–Get higher deductible.
–Do away with non-compulsory coverage such as rental car insurance, towing and labor, etc.
–Get rid of comprehensive and collision coverage if you have an older vehicle which is worth less than $1,000, especially if you can manage to pay for repairs if needed.
–Make sure that you could get all the discounts that you are entitled to such as discounts for safety features on your vehicle.
–Maintain an unblemished driving history to avoid being in the higher risk category of drivers.
–Keep away from purchasing a car that is more likely to be stolen or would cost too much to repair.
–Always keep in mind that it is very important to shop around for your car insurance coverage. Car insurance rates for the same coverage on the same vehicle could vary greatly among various insurance companies.

I was good enough to get my license here in Houston, Texas suspended and that kind of snow-balled into my car insurance getting canceled as well, what I’m wondering about is I’m told that I will need to maintain an SR-22 form, what is it?

Carla

Houston, TX

An SR-22 is a type of form guaranteeing the state of Texas that you are carrying adequate financial capability (in the form of car insurance coverage) in the event that you cause injury or damage to property resulting from a car accident. This is mandated by the financial responsibility laws of your state and yes, repeat traffic offenders or those at-fault on a vehicular accident will be required to maintain an SR-22 for at least two or three years.

Since your auto insurance got canceled you will need to find another insurance provider there in Houston that will file this form for you, and submit it to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). There may be some administrative fees involved aside from any penalties you may be required to pay to get your license (or a temporary license) back so you can drive again. A good auto insurance agent will be able to give you all the information you need and whatever steps you need to do to file an SR-22 quickly and hassle-free.

It is very important that you maintain continues coverage for the duration of your SR-22. Getting involved in another car accident or managing to get your driver’s license (and much worse, getting caught driving without insurance coverage or while your license is suspended) revoked will only result into significantly heavier fines and penalties and much higher insurance rates.

I’ve been looking around through the web to find the best car insurance for me and I already have a list of several insurance companies. What is the best way for me to choose the right company for my car insurance here in Houston, Texas?

Blake

Houston, TX

Aside from knowing how much auto insurance you need and finding a cheap policy, you have to make sure that the car insurance company in Houston, Texas that you go with is reliable. You need to have a good idea as how this company deals with their customers in terms of filing a claim. To find out for sure, you may visit the Website of Texas Department of Insurance. This Website could publish “consumer complaint ratios” of every insurance provider that sell policies in the state of Texas. Because of this ratio, you’d be able to have an idea as to how many complaints an auto insurance provider got per 1,000 claims filed.

Insurance experts suggest the customers use this complaint ratio to check insurance companies. Since you created a record of various insurers, make a note of the ones with the least complaint ratios. After that, you will see on both records the top insurers and have an advantage as the one that you will go with. In case you can’t find complaint ratios for Texas, an insurance expert suggests that you evaluate the complaint ratios of other states for the same insurance company. If this insurance company gets numerous complaints in various other states, you may not like to go with this company.

Hi, a friend recently got involved in a car crash here in Houston, Texas and although no one got hurt, the other party involved decided to file a lawsuit a month later claiming trauma. Which part of someone’s auto insurance protects you from these?

Gabriel

Houston, TX

Hello Gabriel. Getting sued for negligence and causing a car accident is a lot of people’s worst nightmare. Even if no one got hurt during the accident the trauma of the experience may set in much later and, combined with the litigious nature of our society, anyone who may have been involved in a car crash can choose to file a law suit against you. This is where the liability protection or coverage clause of your insurance policy comes in. Here’s a few recommendations on how to make sure your auto insurance protects you from paying a colossal (we really mean colossal) amount of money if you are at fault in a car accident.

Make sure you have adequate Liability insurance. For Houston, Texas then minimum liability insurance coverage amounts required by your state is 20/40/15. That means in the event you injure someone in a car crash, your insurance will award $20,000 worth of damages to each person injured up to a maximum of $40,000 for all injured people per accident. You will also have $15,000 to cover for property damages. That may sound a lot already but reality is, you can be sued for more than those minimum amounts and anything beyond your liability coverage you’ll have to pay yourself. It is highly recommended that you get as high of a liability coverage as you can comfortably afford.

I am soon to renew my car insurance here in Houston, Texas and I never agreed to the insurance company’s conclusion on my car’s value. In case I switch insurance companies, what can I do if I still don’t agree on how they determine my car’s value?

Nikolai

Houston, TX

If you switch car insurance providers in Houston, Texas and still don’t agree with their conclusion of your car’s value, there are some things that you could do about it. Above all, if you keep records of maintenance that will be a proof that you had changed oil every 3,000 miles and had the vehicle checked regularly by a mechanic, make a duplicate of those records and show them to the insurance provider to prove that your vehicle was in perfect order. In case you have any special parts put in or done some upgrades and you have been paying premiums on for those enhancement, be certain that this will be considered on their assessment.

You may also obtain price quotes for replacement vehicles from at least three car dealers within your area and present these quotes to the car insurance provider. You could ask them to give you a list of car dealers within a certain distance who could sell you a vehicle at the quoted price they say that is the same as your vehicle. If you are still not contented, you may go to arbitration and hand over your case to a neutral party to help attain a negotiation or a binding decision.

Why would Car insurance companies refuse to offer me insurance coverage? I live here in Houston, Texas and I’m surprised that I had a hard time getting car insurance!

Monty

Houston, TX

There are many reasons why car insurance companies may choose to deny you coverage which is a very difficult predicament seeing as the financial responsibility laws there in Houston, Texas (and most other states) would require you to have some level of car insurance coverage when on the road.

Here’s some of the reasons why an auto insurance provider might refuse you coverage:

1. Your city or location has very high crime-rate involving car theft and vehicle vandalism.
2. Your driving record is less than stellar and you may have even been caught or convicted Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or have other charges resulting from moving violations.
3. Your credit rating is really bad. As in really, really bad.
4. You’ve filed too many claims with your previous car insurance company.
5. You lack driving experience or you haven’t had any other kind of insurance in your life before.

So what if you’ve said yes to most of the items listed above? How can you get the car insurance you need? To good news is that there are still car insurance providers out there that are willing to cover you, for a higher price of course. You just have to look for them. You could also participate in the state assigned risk pool. This is a collection of insurance providers who have agreed to provide you coverage regardless of your record but expect higher premiums.