For drivers with no prior coverage, one of the largest criteria that are looked at to determine car insurance rates is your address in San Antonio. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends tend to have more expensive car insurance rates, whereas areas with fewer weather claims and lower vehicle theft rates tend to receive cheaper rates.
The illustration below sorts the highest-priced places in Texas for uninsured drivers to purchase car insurance in. San Antonio is listed at #11 with a yearly premium of $1,739 for the average insurance policy, which is approximately $145 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McAllen | $1,936 |
| 2 | Dallas | $1,911 |
| 3 | Houston | $1,909 |
| 4 | Brownsville | $1,870 |
| 5 | Laredo | $1,851 |
| 6 | Pasadena | $1,812 |
| 7 | Garland | $1,796 |
| 8 | Amarillo | $1,786 |
| 9 | Mesquite | $1,771 |
| 10 | Grand Prairie | $1,757 |
| 11 | San Antonio | $1,739 |
| 12 | Irving | $1,736 |
| 13 | Lubbock | $1,733 |
| 14 | Beaumont | $1,720 |
| 15 | Fort Worth | $1,653 |
| 16 | Arlington | $1,642 |
| 17 | Corpus Christi | $1,636 |
| 18 | El Paso | $1,632 |
| 19 | McKinney | $1,625 |
| 20 | Austin | $1,610 |
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Information shown are estimated as the garaging address in San Antonio can modify premium rates considerably.
Deciding which company has the lowest-priced car insurance rates for uninsured drivers involves a bit more work than just picking a company at random. Each auto insurer has a unique formula for setting rates, so let’s take a look at the most budget-friendly car insurance companies in Texas.
It’s important to know that Texas car insurance rates are based on many factors which can substantially decrease or increase the cost of coverage. Simply getting older, buying a different vehicle, or getting a ticket for careless driving can produce rate changes resulting in some rates now being cheaper in comparison to the competition.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates in Texas
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travelers | $1,021 |
| 2 | USAA | $1,084 |
| 3 | Texas Farm Bureau | $1,199 |
| 4 | Germania Mutual | $1,244 |
| 5 | Esurance | $1,379 |
| 6 | California Casualty | $1,396 |
| 7 | State Farm | $1,495 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,506 |
| 9 | Safe Auto | $1,549 |
| 10 | Nationwide | $1,585 |
| 11 | Progressive | $1,715 |
| 12 | Allstate | $1,718 |
| 13 | Amica | $1,775 |
| 14 | GEICO | $2,072 |
| 15 | Home State | $2,092 |
| 16 | MetLife | $2,161 |
| 17 | Encompass | $2,301 |
| 18 | Unitrin | $2,310 |
| 19 | 21st Century | $2,396 |
| 20 | Titan | $2,568 |
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Travelers may offer some of the lowest car insurance rates in San Antonio at around $1,021 a year. USAA, Texas Farm Bureau, Germania Mutual, and Esurance also rank well as some of the cheaper San Antonio, TX car insurance companies.
In the above rates, if you are a customer of USAA and switched to Travelers, you could earn an annual savings of in the neighborhood of $63. Insureds with Texas Farm Bureau might save as much as $178 a year, and Germania Mutual customers might realize rate reductions of up to $223 a year.
To find out how much you can save, click here to start your free quote or click several companies below for low rates.
These prices are averages across all insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration a specific location for uninsured drivers. So the company that has the cheapest rates for you may not even be in the list above. That illustrates why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
Cost difference between full coverage and liability
Finding the cheapest car insurance is the goal of most people, and an effective way to lower the cost of insurance for uninsured drivers is to only buy liability coverage. The chart below illustrates the difference between insurance premiums with full coverage compared to only the Texas minimum liability coverage. The data assumes no violations or claims, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied.
Averaged out for all age groups, full coverage costs an additional $2,000 per year over and above liability only. That touches on the question if physical damage coverage is worth the money. There is no set guideline for phasing out physical damage coverage, but there is a general guideline. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than about 10% of the settlement you would receive from your company, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.
For example, let’s say your vehicle’s book value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most you would get paid by your company is $6,000 after paying your deductible. If you are paying in excess of $600 annually for full coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
There are a few situations where dropping physical damage coverage is not recommended. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should maintain full coverage.
Impact of violations and accidents on rates in San Antonio
The best way to obtain the most affordable car insurance prices in Texas for drivers with no prior coverage is to be a cautious driver and not have accidents or get tickets. The information below highlights how speeding tickets and accident claims can drive up car insurance rates for different age groups. The premiums are based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are factored in.
The data above shows the average cost of a car insurance policy in San Antonio per year with no violations or accidents is $1,793. Receive two speeding tickets and the average cost jumps to $2,369, an increase of $576 each year. Now throw in two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for uninsured drivers jumps again to an average of $4,616. That’s an increase of $2,823, or $235 per month, just for not driving responsibly!
Why you should be shopping around
Texas car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that can increase the price of coverage. Getting older, increasing deductibles, or getting a speeding ticket may generate price changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than competitors. Additionally, insurance companies change prices every year or even multiple times each year in order to remain profitable. Significantly higher losses can cause more expensive prices, while profitable underwriting may result in cheaper San Antonio car insurance rates.
To illustrate this example, the chart below shows a variety of companies that have the cheapest car insurance in San Antonio, TX for a 40-year-old female driver with no prior accidents, a clean driving record, and excellent credit. When comparing rates based on her personal risk profile, Travelers might quote the lowest car insurance rates in San Antonio at $1,193 per year. This is $711 less than the average policy premium paid by Texas drivers of $1,904. USAA, Texas Farm Bureau, Germania Mutual, and California Casualty are also included in the cheapest San Antonio, TX auto insurance companies.
In this next rate comparison, we will give the driver from the first set of rates a claim surcharge, poor credit, and a speeding citation. Because every insurance company has their own guidelines for setting prices, comparing quotes could result in a different set of cheap San Antonio auto insurance companies as shown below.
State Farm now has the best price in San Antonio, TX with Mercury, Nationwide, Safe Auto, and USAA now being in the top five. This illustrates why it is crucial to compare rates when trying to find affordable auto insurance quotes for uninsured drivers.
Auto insurance prices consist of many things and change substantially, so the cheapest rate the last time you checked may now cost much more than other companies.
How to find economical auto insurance for uninsured drivers
Below you’ll find some penny-pinching solutions that can help drivers find more affordable coverage.
- Increase your comprehensive and collision deductibles
- Save money by only buying liability coverage for older vehicles
- Violations like speeding or DUI increase rates
- Prevent price hikes by avoiding at-fault accidents
- Pay for small claims rather than turning them in to your insurance company
- Compare price quotes at least once a year
The last suggestion is especially necessary, as we discussed in the prior article. Coverage prices change constantly, so don’t be hesitant to switch to a new company if a better rate can be found.
We understand brand loyalty, but is isn’t recommended if that inflexibility results in costing you a lot of money every month. In less than five minutes you could compare prices and find cheaper car insurance for uninsured drivers in San Antonio.