For low mileage drivers, one of the more important components that determine the cost of insurance is where you normally keep your vehicle in San Antonio. Cities with larger populations are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims benefit from lower prices.
The information below sorts the most expensive cities in Texas for infrequent drivers to buy an auto insurance policy in. San Antonio is ranked #15 with a yearly cost of $1,671 for the average insurance policy, which is around $139 monthly.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McAllen | $1,996 |
| 2 | Laredo | $1,907 |
| 3 | Dallas | $1,893 |
| 4 | Houston | $1,891 |
| 5 | Amarillo | $1,858 |
| 6 | Brownsville | $1,851 |
| 7 | Grand Prairie | $1,811 |
| 8 | Irving | $1,789 |
| 9 | Garland | $1,778 |
| 10 | Mesquite | $1,771 |
| 11 | Pasadena | $1,758 |
| 12 | Beaumont | $1,754 |
| 13 | Lubbock | $1,716 |
| 14 | Arlington | $1,692 |
| 15 | San Antonio | $1,671 |
| 16 | Fort Worth | $1,621 |
| 17 | Austin | $1,610 |
| 18 | Plano | $1,608 |
| 19 | Carrollton | $1,598 |
| 20 | Corpus Christi | $1,588 |
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Premium amounts are estimated as the specific geographic location can revise premiums noticeably.
Deciding which company has the most affordable car insurance rates for infrequent drivers involves more time than just picking a company at random.
Each auto insurance company has a unique formula for setting rates, so let’s examine the car insurance companies with the overall best prices in Texas. Keep in mind that Texas car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that can increase the price of coverage. Simply having a birthday, buying a new vehicle, or getting into an accident can trigger price changes that may make certain companies cheaper than others.
Cheapest Insurance Rates in Texas
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| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travelers | $1,010 |
| 2 | USAA | $1,095 |
| 3 | Germania Mutual | $1,244 |
| 4 | Texas Farm Bureau | $1,247 |
| 5 | Esurance | $1,407 |
| 6 | California Casualty | $1,424 |
| 7 | State Farm | $1,510 |
| 8 | Mercury | $1,521 |
| 9 | Nationwide | $1,585 |
| 10 | Safe Auto | $1,613 |
| 11 | Allstate | $1,650 |
| 12 | Progressive | $1,664 |
| 13 | Amica | $1,705 |
| 14 | Home State | $2,092 |
| 15 | GEICO | $2,156 |
| 16 | MetLife | $2,227 |
| 17 | Unitrin | $2,241 |
| 18 | Encompass | $2,324 |
| 19 | 21st Century | $2,494 |
| 20 | Titan | $2,646 |
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Travelers offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates in San Antonio at around $1,010 a year. USAA, Germania Mutual, Texas Farm Bureau, and Esurance are also some of the most economical San Antonio, TX car insurance companies.
In the above example, if you are insured with Esurance and switched to USAA, you could see a yearly price reduction of approximately $312. Insureds with California Casualty could save as much as $329 a year, and State Farm policyholders might lower prices by up to $415 a year.
To compare your rates to other Texas insurance companies, click here to begin a quote or visit several of the following companies.
Be aware that those premium estimates are averages for all types of insureds and vehicles and and are not calculated with a vehicle location for infrequent drivers. So the insurer that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the list above. That helps illustrate why you need to compare rates from multiple companies using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
The type of vehicle you are insuring is one of the largest factors when comparing low-priced coverage for infrequent drivers. Vehicles with high performance features, poor safety features, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than safer, lower-performance models.
The data below illustrates coverage prices for a number of the most economical automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLT 4WD | $1,042 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $1,051 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,130 |
| Ford F-150 XL Super Cab 4WD | $1,143 |
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,168 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Extended Cab 4WD | $1,207 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD | $1,230 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L | $1,269 |
| Ford Edge Sport 2WD | $1,276 |
| Toyota Corolla XRS | $1,292 |
| Nissan Rogue S AWD | $1,300 |
| Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,356 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $1,359 |
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Data based on single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, homeowner, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, and claim-free. Information does not factor in San Antonio, TX location which can affect premiums significantly.
Looking at the rates, we can tell that makes and models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, Ford F-150, and Honda Accord will definitely be a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for low mileage drivers.
Does it make sense to buy full coverage?
Buying cheaper car insurance is the goal of most people, and one of the best ways to reduce the cost of insurance for infrequent drivers is to only buy liability insurance. The chart below illustrates the difference between annual premium costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in Texas. The rates are based on no claims or driving violations, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no other discounts are factored in.
As an overall average, physical damage insurance costs $1,793 per year more than buying just liability insurance. Many of you may wonder if paying for full coverage is a waste of money. There is no clear-cut rule for eliminating full coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than around 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it could be time to drop full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s claim settlement value is $10,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would receive is $9,000 after the deductible is paid. If premiums are more than $900 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
There are some conditions where eliminating full coverage is not in your best interest. If you haven’t satisfied your loan, you have to maintain full coverage in order to prevent the bank from purchasing higher-priced coverage. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should maintain full coverage.
How careless driving impacts car insurance rates
The best way to find low car insurance prices in Texas for low mileage drivers is to pay attention while driving and not have accidents or get tickets. The example below illustrates how violations and at-fault fender-benders increase insurance prices for each age group. The costs are based on a married male driver, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
In the previous example, the average cost of auto insurance in San Antonio per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,358. Add in one speeding ticket and the average cost jumps to $1,564, an increase of $206 each year. Now throw in one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the annual cost of car insurance for infrequent drivers jumps again to an average of $2,130. That’s an increase of $772, or $64 per month, just for not driving carefully!
How to find low-cost insurance for infrequent drivers
The list below details some of the better penny-pinching solutions that can help you get low-cost car insurance.
- Save money by bundling your home and auto policies
- Assess whether full coverage is needed
- Good credit scores may make rates cheaper
- Vehicles with good safety ratings are usually cheaper to insure
- Avoid at-fault accidents and claims
- Compare rate quotes frequently
The last item on the list is highly important, as we discussed in the article above. Auto insurance prices vary greatly, so drivers shouldn’t hesitate to buy from a different company if a cheaper rate is available.
Having a favorite company is fine, but is isn’t recommended if that loyalty results in overpaying thousands of dollars over the life of your policy. If you have a few minutes, now is a great time to compare prices and find cheaper insurance for infrequent drivers in San Antonio.