It’s an obvious statement that insurance companies don’t want customers comparing rates. Insureds who rate shop once a year will probably switch to a new company because they have a good chance of finding a policy with better rates. A recent survey discovered that people who regularly shopped around saved on average $865 annually compared to people who never shopped around for cheaper prices.
If finding budget-friendly rates on auto insurance in Lubbock is the reason for your visit, knowing the best ways to shop for insurance premiums can make it easier to shop your coverage around.
To save the most money, the best way to save on Nissan Leaf insurance in Lubbock is to regularly compare price quotes from different companies who sell insurance in Texas. You can shop around by following these steps.
- First, take a little time to learn about how insurance companies determine prices and the measures you can take to drop your rates. Many things that are responsible for high rates such as accidents, traffic tickets, and an unacceptable credit rating can be amended by making minor driving habit or lifestyle changes.
- Second, compare price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only give prices from one company like GEICO and Allstate, while independent agents can give you price quotes from many different companies.
- Third, compare the price quotes to your current policy premium and determine if there is any savings. If you find better rates and switch companies, make sure the effective date of the new policy is the same as the expiration date of the old one.
One piece of advice is to make sure you enter the same physical damage deductibles and liability limits on each quote and to quote with every company you can. This ensures a level playing field and plenty of rates choose from.
There are several ways of comparing rate quotes from insurance companies in your area. The easiest way to lower the rate you pay for Nissan Leaf insurance consists of shopping online.
Getting rates online is very simple and it makes it a waste of time to spend time driving to local Lubbock insurance agencies. The ability to quote Nissan Leaf insurance online eliminates the middleman unless you’re the type of person who wants the trained advice of a licensed agent. Drivers can get the lowest quotes online but buy the policy through an agent. Just keep in mind that comparing a wide range of rates increases the chance that you will find a lower rate than you’re paying now. Not every company allows you to get online price quotes, so it’s important to compare prices from them, too.
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide free quotes in Lubbock, TX. If your goal is to find cheaper auto insurance in Lubbock, TX, we recommend you click on several of them in order to find the most affordable rates.
Protect more than your Nissan vehicle
Despite the potentially high cost of Nissan Leaf insurance, maintaining insurance serves several important purposes.
- Almost all states have compulsory liability insurance requirements which means the state requires specific limits of liability insurance in order to be legal. 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 bought your Leaf with a loan, most banks will require you to carry insurance to guarantee loan repayment. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank may insure your Nissan at a significantly higher premium and force you to reimburse them the higher price.
- Insurance protects both your assets and your car. Insurance will also pay for medical transport and hospital expenses for both you and anyone you injure as the result of an accident. One policy coverage, liability insurance, also covers all legal expenses up to the policy limit if you are sued as the result of an accident. If mother nature or an accident damages your car, your policy will cover the repair costs.
The benefits of buying auto insurance definitely exceed the price paid, especially if you ever need it. Despite what companies tell you, the average driver is overpaying more than $700 annually so compare rates each time the policy renews to make sure the price is not too high.
Get discounts on Lubbock auto insurance
Auto insurance is expensive, but discounts can save money and there are some available that you may not even know about. Certain discounts will be triggered automatically at quote time, but once in a while a discount must be asked for prior to receiving the credit.
- Discounts for Government Workers – Simply working for the federal government can earn a discount up to 10% with certain companies.
- Bundled Policy Discount – If you can bundle your auto and home insurance with the same insurance company you could get a discount of over 10 percent off each policy depending on the company.
- Seat Belt Discounts – Buckling up and requiring all passengers to buckle their seat belts may be able to save a few bucks on medical payment and PIP coverage.
- Pay Now and Pay Less – If you pay your bill all at once as opposed to paying monthly you may reduce your total bill.
- Include Life Insurance and Save – Not all auto insurance companies offer life insurance, but some may give you a break if you buy auto and life insurance together.
- Renewal Discounts – A few companies offer discounts for signing up early. The savings is around 10%.
- Driver Safety – Taking time to complete a defensive driving course could cut 5% off your bill if you qualify.
- Paper-free Discount – Some of the larger companies provide a small discount for buying your policy on the internet.
- Onboard Data Collection – People who choose to allow data collection to look at vehicle usage by using a telematics device in their vehicle such as Progressive’s Snapshot and State Farm’s In-Drive may see discounts if they exhibit good driving behavior.
A little disclaimer on discounts, some of the credits will not apply to the whole policy. A few only apply to the cost of specific coverages such as comp or med pay. So even though you would think all those discounts means the company will pay you, auto insurance companies aren’t that generous.
A list of companies and their offered discounts are shown below.
- Progressive has discounts for multi-vehicle, online quote discount, online signing, multi-policy, and continuous coverage.
- The Hartford may have discounts that include defensive driver, bundle, driver training, good student, and air bag.
- Mercury Insurance offers premium reductions for good driver, good student, annual mileage, multi-car, and age of vehicle.
- GEICO offers discounts for multi-vehicle, membership and employees, military active duty, five-year accident-free, good student, anti-lock brakes, and seat belt use.
- AAA policyholders can earn discounts including anti-theft, pay-in-full, education and occupation, good driver, and multi-car.
- State Farm offers discounts including good student, multiple policy, Steer Clear safe driver discount, good driver, and Drive Safe & Save.
If you are trying to find affordable Nissan Leaf insurance quotes, ask each insurance company which discounts you qualify for. Depending on the company, some discounts might not be offered in Lubbock. To choose insurers that have a full spectrum of discounts in Lubbock, click here.
Don’t I need to get advice from an insurance agency?
Many drivers still prefer to visit with an insurance agent and we recommend doing that One of the great benefits of getting free rate quotes online is that you can find cheap rate quotes and still have a local agent. And buying from neighborhood insurance agencies is especially important in Lubbock.
Once you complete this simple form, your coverage information is sent to agents in your area who will give you bids to get your business. You never need to contact an agency as quotes are delivered to your email. You can get cheaper insurance rates and a licensed agent to talk to. If you have a need to compare prices from a specific company, feel free to search and find their rate quote page and complete a quote there.
Choose an insurance agent wisely
If you want a local insurance agency, it helps to know the two different agency structures and how they can quote your rates. Insurance policy providers are considered either exclusive agents or independent agents.
Independent Insurance Agents (or Brokers)
Agents in the independent channel do not work for one specific company and that gives them the ability to insure through many different insurance companies depending on which coverage is best. To move your coverage to a new company, the business is moved internally and the insured can keep the same agent. When comparing rate quotes, you definitely need to get several quotes from multiple independent agents in order to have the best price comparison.
Below are Lubbock independent insurance agencies that can possibly get you pricing information.
Beadle Insurance Agency
8008 Slide Rd #22 – Lubbock, TX 79424 – (806) 798-7900 – View Map
Cam Fannin Insurance
1810 50th St – Lubbock, TX 79412 – (806) 747-4422 – View Map
Maria Valeriano Insurance Agency
4210 50th St – Lubbock, TX 79413 – (806) 780-6622 – View Map
Exclusive Insurance Agencies
Exclusive agents can usually just insure with one company and some examples include State Farm, Allstate, and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agencies are unable to place coverage with different providers so always compare other rates. Exclusive agencies are very knowledgeable on sales techniques which helps offset the inability to provide other markets.
Below is a short list of exclusive agents in Lubbock willing to provide rate quotes.
Allstate Insurance Agent: Danny Sellers
7302 82nd St Ste 11 – Lubbock, TX 79424 – (806) 866-2702 – View Map
Lisa Caldwell – State Farm Insurance Agent
2418 19th St – Lubbock, TX 79401 – (806) 799-1628 – View Map
Farmers Insurance – Jules Minne
10210 Frankford Ave Ste 220 – Lubbock, TX 79424 – (806) 783-9519 – View Map
Choosing an auto insurance agent shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price. These are valid questions to ask:
- If independent agents, which companies do they recommend?
- Are there any discounts for paying up front?
- Are aftermarket or OEM parts used to repair vehicles?
- In the event of vehicle damage, can you pick the collision repair facility?
- How many years of experience in personal auto insurance do they have?
- Can they help ensure a fair claim settlement?
- How much will you save each year by using a higher deductible?
- Are they full-time agents?
Once you have satisfactory answers to your questions and a good coverage price, you’ve probably found a car insurance agent that can properly service your insurance policy. But remember, you have the power to cancel your coverage whenever you want so don’t think you’re contractually obligated to a policy with no way to switch.
Specific coverages for a Nissan Leaf
Having a good grasp of your insurance policy helps when choosing appropriate coverage and the correct deductibles and limits. Policy terminology can be difficult to understand and even agents have difficulty translating policy wording. Shown next are the usual coverages offered by insurance companies.
Comprehensive coverage – This coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage that is not covered by collision coverage. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for claims such as vandalism, theft, hitting a bird, hail damage and hitting a deer. The maximum payout a insurance company will pay at claim time is the ACV or actual cash value, so if the vehicle is not worth much consider removing comprehensive coverage.
Collision – Collision coverage pays to fix your vehicle from damage from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and then insurance will cover the remainder.
Collision can pay for claims such as hitting a mailbox, sustaining damage from a pot hole and scraping a guard rail. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so consider dropping it from vehicles that are older. Another option is to bump up the deductible on your Leaf to get cheaper collision coverage.
Medical payments coverage and PIP – Med pay and PIP coverage provide coverage for short-term medical expenses for pain medications, surgery, funeral costs and EMT expenses. The coverages can be utilized in addition to your health insurance plan or if you lack health insurance entirely. They cover not only the driver but also the vehicle occupants and also covers being hit by a car walking across the street. Personal Injury Protection is not universally available and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Liability car insurance – Liability insurance can cover injuries or damage you cause to a person or their property in an accident. Liability coverage has three limits: bodily injury for each person, bodily injury for the entire accident, and a limit for property damage. You might see policy limits of 30/60/25 that translate to a limit of $30,000 per injured person, a total of $60,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage for $25,000. Occasionally you may see one limit called combined single limit (CSL) which limits claims to one amount without having the split limit caps.
Liability coverage protects against things like court costs, pain and suffering, medical services, loss of income and repair bills for other people’s vehicles. How much coverage you buy is your choice, but consider buying higher limits if possible. Texas requires drivers to carry at least 30/60/25 but you should consider buying more coverage.
The chart below demonstrates why buying minimum limits may not be high enough to adequately cover claims.
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage – Your UM/UIM coverage gives you protection from other motorists when they do not carry enough liability coverage. Covered losses include injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants as well as your vehicle’s damage.
Since many Texas drivers only purchase the least amount of liability that is required (30/60/25), it doesn’t take a major accident to exceed their coverage limits. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages should not be overlooked. Usually the UM/UIM limits are identical to your policy’s liability coverage.
Affordable insurance premiums are possible
When you buy Lubbock auto insurance online, never buy less coverage just to save a little money. In too many instances, an insured dropped full coverage and found out when filing a claim that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your goal is to buy a smart amount of coverage at the best possible price.
We covered many tips how you can save on Nissan Leaf insurance in Lubbock. It’s most important to understand that the more rate quotes you have, the higher your chance of finding inexpensive Lubbock auto insurance quotes. You may even discover the biggest savings come from a lesser-known regional company. Some small companies may often insure only within specific states and give better rates compared to the large companies like Allstate or State Farm.
More detailed insurance information is located by following these links:
- Winter Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for a Toyota Corolla in Lubbock? (FAQ)
- Teen Driving Statistics (GEICO)
- How Can I Save Money on Auto Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)