Paying for overpriced Toyota Rav4 Hybrid insurance in San Antonio can bleed your checking account and make it tough to pay other bills.
It’s amazing but over 70% of drivers have purchased from the same company for at least the last four years, and 38% of customers have never quoted rates to find cheap coverage. With the average auto insurance premium being $2,700, Texas drivers can cut their rates by $1,800 a year just by getting comparison quotes, but they just assume it takes a lot of time to find cheap rates by getting comparison quotes. Multiple insurance companies compete for your insurance dollar, so it can be very hard to choose a insurer and get the definite best rates possible on Toyota Rav4 Hybrid insurance in San Antonio.
The following companies are our best choices to provide quotes in San Antonio, TX. If more than one company is shown, we recommend you compare several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Three reasons to insure your Toyota Rav4 Hybrid
Despite the fact that car insurance is not cheap in San Antonio, buying car insurance may be required and benefits you in several ways.
- Just about all states have mandatory liability insurance requirements which means you are required to carry a specific level of liability coverage in order to drive the car legally. 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 your Toyota has a loan, almost every bank will have a requirement that you buy insurance to guarantee loan repayment. If coverage lapses or is canceled, the bank will be required to insure your Toyota at a more expensive rate and force you to pay the higher premium.
- Insurance protects not only your car but also your financial assets. It will also cover many types of medical costs that are the result of an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, will also pay to defend you if someone files suit against you as the result of an accident. If your vehicle suffers damage from an accident or hail, collision and comprehensive (also known as other-than-collision) coverage will pay to repair the damage minus the deductible amount.
The benefits of insuring your Rav4 Hybrid definitely exceed the cost, particularly when you have a large claim. As of last year, the average driver in Texas is wasting up to $810 a year so shop around once a year at a minimum to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Get cheaper Toyota Rav4 Hybrid insurance rates in San Antonio
Some companies do not list every discount they offer very clearly, so the next list breaks down some of the more common and also the lesser-known discounts that you may qualify for.
- Discounts for Cautious Drivers – Drivers who don’t get into accidents can get discounts for up to 45% lower rates as compared to drivers with claims.
- Drivers Education – Have your child successfully complete driver’s ed class in school or through a local driver safety program.
- Accident Forgiveness – This one isn’t a discount, but a handful of insurance companies will allow you to have one accident before hitting you with a surcharge so long as you are claim-free before the accident.
- Government Employees – Being employed by or retired from a federal job can earn a discount up to 10% with some car insurance companies.
- Discounts for Multiple Vehicles – Insuring several vehicles on one policy can get a discount for every vehicle.
- Distant Student – Youth drivers who are enrolled in higher education away from home and don’t have a car may be able to be covered for less.
Remember that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the entire cost. The majority will only reduce the price of certain insurance coverages like comp or med pay. So even though you would think having all the discounts means you get insurance for free, insurance companies wouldn’t stay in business. But all discounts will bring down the amount you have to pay.
Some of the larger companies that possibly offer some of the above discounts may include but are not limited to:
Before you buy a policy, ask every insurance company how you can save money. Some discounts listed above may not be available in your area. To view insurance companies who offer cheap Toyota Rav4 Hybrid insurance quotes in Texas, click here.
Insurance agencies can help
Certain consumers would prefer to get advice from a local agent and that is a smart decision Good agents can help you choose the best coverages and give you someone to call. A good thing about getting free rate quotes online is that drivers can save money and get the lowest rates and still choose a local agent.
Once you complete this simple form, the coverage information is sent to insurance agents in San Antonio who will give you quotes for your coverage. You never need to do any legwork since rate quotes are delivered directly to you. If you want to get a rate quote from one company in particular, just jump over to their website and submit a quote form there.
Deciding on an company shouldn’t rely on just a cheap price quote. These are some questions your agent should answer.
- What company holds the largest book of business for them?
- Will the agent or a CSR service your policy?
- Does the agent help file claims?
- Who are their largest clients?
- Is the agency involved in supporting local community causes?
- Do the coverages you’re quoting properly cover your vehicle?
- Do they get extra compensation for selling add-on coverages?
Independent or Exclusive: It’s your choice
If you would like to find a reliable agent, you should know the types of agencies and how they are distinctly different. Agents can be classified as either independent or exclusive. Either one can write car insurance policies, but it’s a good idea to understand the difference in how they write coverage because it can impact your agent selection.
Exclusive Car Insurance Agents
Exclusive agents can only write with one company like Farmers Insurance and State Farm. Exclusive agents cannot provide other company’s prices so they have to upsell other benefits. These agents are well schooled on the products they sell which helps them compete with independent agents.
Below is a short list of exclusive agencies in San Antonio that can give you rate quotes.
Paul Wittmaier – State Farm Insurance Agent
16613 Huebner Rd – San Antonio, TX 78248 – (210) 493-3577 – View Map
Allan Meyer – State Farm Insurance Agent
10130 San Pedro Ave #103 – San Antonio, TX 78216 – (210) 349-1317 – View Map
Terry Padilla – State Farm Insurance Agent
6633 S Zarzamora – San Antonio, TX 78211 – (210) 932-3399 – View Map
Independent Agencies or Brokers
Agents in the independent channel often have affiliation with several companies so they can insure your vehicles with any number of different companies and get the cheapest rates. If your agent finds better pricing, an independent agent can move your coverage without you having to go to a different agency.
When comparing car insurance prices, you should always get rate quotes from multiple independent agents so that you have a good selection of quotes to compare.
Listed below is a list of independent agents in San Antonio who can help you get rate quotes.
A.R.M. Insurance Agency
1534 W Contour Dr #101 – San Antonio, TX 78212 – (210) 828-7873 – View Map
IBC Insurance Agency Ltd
5300 Walzem Rd – San Antonio, TX 78218 – (210) 646-9870 – View Map
Grona Boles Martin Bloxsom Insurance Agency
800 Isom Rd # 100 – San Antonio, TX 78216 – (210) 366-5094 – View Map
Car insurance coverages 101
Understanding the coverages of car insurance can be of help when determining which coverages you need at the best deductibles and correct limits. Car insurance terms can be ambiguous and reading a policy is terribly boring. Listed below are typical coverage types found on the average car insurance policy.
Protection from uninsured/underinsured drivers
This protects you and your vehicle’s occupants from other drivers when they are uninsured or don’t have enough coverage. This coverage pays for injuries sustained by your vehicle’s occupants and also any damage incurred to your Toyota Rav4 Hybrid.
Due to the fact that many Texas drivers only carry the minimum required liability limits (30/60/25 in Texas), it only takes a small accident to exceed their coverage. For this reason, having high UM/UIM coverages is very important.
Comprehensive (Other than Collision)
Comprehensive insurance covers damage from a wide range of events other than collision. You first must pay your deductible and then insurance will cover the rest of the damage.
Comprehensive coverage pays for things such as damage from getting keyed, a tree branch falling on your vehicle and damage from flooding. The highest amount you’ll receive from a claim is the cash value of the vehicle, so if your deductible is as high as the vehicle’s value it’s probably time to drop comprehensive insurance.
Medical expense insurance
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and medical payments coverage provide coverage for bills for doctor visits, X-ray expenses, pain medications and nursing services. They are often used in conjunction with a health insurance plan or if there is no health insurance coverage. It covers you and your occupants and also covers if you are hit as a while walking down the street. PIP coverage is only offered in select states and gives slightly broader coverage than med pay
Liability coverages
This coverage can cover damages or injuries you inflict on people or other property that is your fault. Coverage consists of three different limits, bodily injury for each person injured, bodily injury for the entire accident and a property damage limit. You might see liability limits of 30/60/25 which means $30,000 bodily injury coverage, $60,000 for the entire accident, and $25,000 of coverage for damaged property.
Liability can pay for claims like loss of income, medical expenses, medical services and attorney fees. The amount of liability coverage you purchase is a personal decision, but buy as high a limit as you can afford. Texas requires minimum liability limits of 30/60/25 but drivers should carry more coverage.
The next chart shows why buying minimum limits may not be enough coverage.
Collision protection
This pays for damage to your Rav4 Hybrid resulting from colliding with another vehicle or an object, but not an animal. You have to pay a deductible and the rest of the damage will be paid by collision coverage.
Collision coverage pays for claims like hitting a parking meter, crashing into a building, driving through your garage door and crashing into a ditch. Paying for collision coverage can be pricey, so analyze the benefit of dropping coverage from older vehicles. Another option is to choose a higher deductible on your Rav4 Hybrid to get cheaper collision coverage.
Be persistent to save money
Throughout this article, we presented many ideas to shop for Toyota Rav4 Hybrid insurance online. The key concept to understand is the more providers you compare, the more likely it is that you will get a better rate. You may even be surprised to find that the best price on auto insurance is with some of the smallest insurance companies. These smaller insurers can often insure niche markets at a lower cost as compared to the big name companies such as Progressive or GEICO.
Cheap Toyota Rav4 Hybrid insurance in San Antonio is definitely available both online in addition to local insurance agencies, so get free San Antonio car insurance quotes from both of them to get a complete price analysis. A few companies may not provide rate quotes online and these smaller companies only sell coverage through independent insurance agencies.
As you prepare to switch companies, do not reduce needed coverages to save money. There are many occasions where an insured cut collision coverage and found out when filing a claim that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The proper strategy is to purchase a proper amount of coverage at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
Additional learning opportunities
- Teen Driving Statistics (iihs.org)
- How Much is San Antonio Auto Insurance for High School Students? (FAQ)
- Protect Yourself Against Auto Theft (Insurance Information Institute)
- Protecting Teens from Drunk Driving (Insurance Information Institute)
- Safety Belts FAQ (iihs.org)
- Five Tips to Save on Auto Insurance (Insurance Information Institute)