For drivers in San Antonio, one of the big factors that help determine the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where your car is garaged. Regions with more people or even just more weather-related claims tend to have higher rates, whereas more rural areas have the benefit of cheaper auto insurance prices.
The information below rates the most expensive places in Texas in which to purchase auto insurance. San Antonio is listed at #12 with an annual cost of $1,722 for coverage, which is around $144 each month.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McAllen | $2,016 |
| 2 | Brownsville | $1,927 |
| 3 | Houston | $1,891 |
| 4 | Dallas | $1,855 |
| 5 | Laredo | $1,851 |
| 6 | Amarillo | $1,840 |
| 7 | Garland | $1,796 |
| 8 | Pasadena | $1,794 |
| 9 | Beaumont | $1,754 |
| 10 | Mesquite | $1,753 |
| 11 | Grand Prairie | $1,740 |
| 12 | San Antonio | $1,722 |
| 13 | Irving | $1,719 |
| 14 | Lubbock | $1,682 |
| 15 | Austin | $1,676 |
| 16 | Fort Worth | $1,670 |
| 17 | Arlington | $1,658 |
| 18 | Carrollton | $1,647 |
| 19 | Corpus Christi | $1,636 |
| 20 | McKinney | $1,625 |
| 21 | Waco | $1,584 |
| 22 | Plano | $1,576 |
| 23 | El Paso | $1,568 |
| 24 | Killeen | $1,533 |
| 25 | Abilene | $1,515 |
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Rates are estimated as specific San Antonio zip code can impact insurance rates substantially.
Now that we see where San Antonio ranks compared to other cities, figuring out which companies have the best auto insurance rates in San Antonio involves a little more sweat in order to find coverage that fits your budget. Each auto insurer uses a slightly different approach for determining rates in each state, so let’s take a look at the most competitive auto insurance companies in Texas.
Cheapest Insurance Rates in San Antonio
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travelers | $1,041 |
| 2 | USAA | $1,128 |
| 3 | Texas Farm Bureau | $1,211 |
| 4 | Germania Mutual | $1,244 |
| 5 | California Casualty | $1,382 |
| 6 | Esurance | $1,421 |
| 7 | State Farm | $1,465 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,506 |
| 9 | Safe Auto | $1,565 |
| 10 | Nationwide | $1,585 |
| 11 | Progressive | $1,647 |
| 12 | Allstate | $1,667 |
| 13 | Amica | $1,757 |
| 14 | Home State | $2,155 |
| 15 | GEICO | $2,156 |
| 16 | MetLife | $2,161 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $2,241 |
| 18 | Encompass | $2,301 |
| 19 | 21st Century | $2,396 |
| 20 | Titan | $2,568 |
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Travelers generally has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Antonio at around $1,041 a year. This is $863 less than the average rate paid by Texas drivers of $1,904. USAA, Texas Farm Bureau, Germania Mutual, and California Casualty also are some of the most economical San Antonio, TX auto insurance companies.
As depicted above, if you currently have coverage with California Casualty and switched to USAA, you may see an annual savings of approximately $254. Drivers with Esurance might save as much as $293 a year, and State Farm customers might lower prices by $337 a year.
Remember that these estimates are averages for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not calculated with a specific vehicle garaging location in San Antonio. So the insurer that fits your needs best may not even be in the list above. That helps illustrate why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
Last year’s bargain might be this year’s rip off
San Antonio auto insurance rates are influenced by many factors that can increase the price you have to pay for coverage. Simply getting older, buying a different vehicle, or getting a few speeding tickets can produce rate changes resulting in some companies being more affordable than the competition.
Additionally, car insurance companies change premium rates without warning to adjust for heavy claims or excess profits. An unexpected high level of claims may result in higher priced premiums, while lower claim levels can cause lower-cost San Antonio car insurance rates.
To illustrate this point, the bar chart below shows which companies have the cheapest car insurance in San Antonio, TX for a 35-year-old female driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and a decent credit rating. If we compare prices based on her personal risk profile, Travelers offers the most affordable car insurance rates in San Antonio at $1,169 per year. This is $735 less than the average rate paid by Texas drivers of $1,904. USAA, Texas Farm Bureau, Germania Mutual, and Esurance are also included in the top five cheapest San Antonio, TX auto insurance companies.
In this next rate comparison, we will give the driver from the first rate comparison an accident surcharge, bad credit, and a speeding citation. Since every car insurance company uses a different method to determine rates, comparing prices may now present a slightly different list of cheap San Antonio auto insurance companies as shown below.
Mercury now has the cheapest car insurance in San Antonio, TX with USAA, State Farm, Safe Auto, and Nationwide also being competitive. This demonstrates why consumers need to take the time to compare rates when trying to find the lowest insurance rates in San Antonio.
Rates are calculated by many things and can increase or decrease at any time, so the most affordable company when you last compared rates may now cost much more than other companies.
The car, truck, or SUV that needs insurance is one of the largest considerations when comparison shopping for cheaper car insurance in San Antonio. Vehicles with high performance, a lack of modern safety features, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost more to insure than more modest models. The list below showcases coverage prices for some of the cheapest automobiles to insure.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $993 |
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $998 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,101 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD | $1,112 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $1,118 |
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $1,121 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $1,152 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $1,175 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $1,183 |
| GMC Sierra SL Extended Cab 2WD | $1,175 |
| Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $1,185 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $1,184 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,217 |
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Table data represents single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-policy. Price estimates do not factor in specific zip code location which can decrease or increase coverage prices noticeably.
Based upon the table data, we can assume that models like the Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, Ford Explorer, and Jeep Wrangler will definitely be a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for drivers in San Antonio.
Should you buy full coverage?
Saving money on insurance is important to the majority of drivers, and a great way to lower the cost of insurance in San Antonio is to buy only liability coverage. The illustration below illustrates the comparison of car insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The data assumes no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $100 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied.
If we average the cost for all age groups, full coverage costs $2,429 per year over and above liability only. That is a significant amount which raises the question if buying full coverage is a good investment. There is no definitive formula of when to drop comp and collision coverage, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of having full coverage is 10% or more of the settlement you would receive from your company, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s say your vehicle’s settlement value is $4,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is severely damaged, the most your company will settle for is $3,000 after paying your deductible. If it’s costing in excess of $300 a year for comprehensive and collision coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
There are some circumstances where eliminating full coverage is not recommended. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest in the vehicle. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not consider dropping full coverage.
Get discounts on San Antonio auto insurance rates
Insurance companies that provide policies in San Antonio may provide premium discounts that could potentially reduce rates by 25% or more if you meet specific criteria. Companies and some of the premium reductions they offer are shown below.
- Farm Bureau offers discounts including good student, youthful driver, safe driver, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, 55 and retired, and driver training.
- Liberty Mutual may have discounts that include new move discount, new vehicle discount, multi-policy, newly retired, and good student.
- State Farm discounts include multiple policy, accident-free, multiple autos, good driver, and good student.
- Auto-Owners Insurance may offer discounts for air bags, paperless, anti-lock brakes, student away at school, and mature driver.
- GEICO offers premium reductions for multi-vehicle, multi-policy, good student, anti-lock brakes, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, and driver training.
- SAFECO has discounts for accident prevention training, multi-car, teen safety rewards, drive less, and homeowner.
The example below compares insurance costs with and without some available policy discounts. The premiums are based on a female driver, no claims or driving violations, Texas state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with anti-theft, safe-driver, passive restraint, accident-free, claim-free, and multiple policy discounts applied. In this example, theaverage amount saved on insurance in San Antonio is 28% or $637.