Affordable Insurance for a Volkswagen Passat in Fort Worth

Unbelievable but true according to a study most Texas auto insurance customers renewed their policy with the same company for well over three years, and just short of a majority have never even compared quotes to find lower-cost rates. With the average auto insurance premium being $1,847, American drivers could save themselves as much as 46.5% a year by just shopping around, but they won’t spend time to do a rate comparison.

It takes a few minutes, but the best way to get more affordable car insurance rates is to start doing an annual price comparison from insurers who sell insurance in Fort Worth. Drivers can shop around by completing these steps.

1. Read about coverages and the factors you can control to prevent expensive coverage. Many rating criteria that cause high rates such as speeding tickets, careless driving and an unacceptable credit rating can be rectified by making lifestyle changes or driving safer.
2. Request rate estimates from direct carriers, independent agents, and exclusive agents. Exclusive and direct companies can only give rate quotes from one company like Progressive or Farmers Insurance, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes from multiple sources.
3. Compare the quotes to your existing policy to see if you can save by switching companies. If you can save some money, verify that coverage does not lapse between policies.
4. Notify your current company to cancel your current coverage and submit payment and a signed application for your new policy. Once received, place the new proof of insurance paperwork somewhere easily accessible.

An essential thing to point out is to use the same amount of coverage on every price quote and and to get quotes from all possible companies. Doing this guarantees a fair price comparison and a better comparison of the market.

Lower Your Fort Worth Insurance Rates

Lots of factors are part of the equation when premium rates are determined. Some of the criteria are obvious such as your driving history, although some other factors are less obvious like your continuous coverage or your commute time. The best way to find cheaper car insurance is to take a look at the different types of things that help calculate car insurance rates. If you have a feel for what controls the rates you pay, this empowers consumers to make smart changes that can earn you cheaper rates.

• Traffic violations inflate rates – Attentive drivers tend to pay less for car insurance as compared to those with violations. Just one speeding ticket or other violation can increase rates twenty percent or more. Drivers who have careless violations like DUI or reckless driving might be required by their state to file a SR-22 with their state in order to keep their license.

  The chart below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault claims can increase Volkswagen Passat insurance prices for different categories of driver ages. The rates are based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, $100 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

• Your address can affect price – Choosing to live in a small town may provide you with better prices when buying car insurance. People who live in big cities have to deal with much more traffic and more time behind the wheel. Lower population means less chance of accidents and lower theft and vandalism rates.
• Annual mileage impacts prices – Driving more miles every year the higher your rate. Most insurance companies charge rates based upon how much you drive. Cars and trucks not used for work or commuting qualify for better rates than those used for commuting. Ask your agent if your declarations sheet is rated on annual mileage. Incorrect rating for your Passat is just wasting money.
• Stay claim-free and reduce premiums – If you’re an insured who likes to file claims you can pretty much guarantee either policy cancellation or increased premiums. Companies in Texas award discounts to policyholders who are claim-free. Your insurance policy is intended to be relied upon for major claims that would cause financial hardship.

• Volkswagen Passat claim data – Insurers analyze the history of losses to help determine costs. Vehicles that have higher losses will be charged more to insure. The table below shows the actual insurance loss data for Volkswagen Passat vehicles.

  For each policy coverage, the claim amount for all vehicles, as an average, is considered to be 100. Numbers below 100 imply a favorable loss record, while values that are 100 or greater point to more losses or larger claims.

  
  

  Volkswagen Passat Insurance Claim Statistics

  Vehicle Model	Collision	Property Damage	Comp	Personal Injury	Medical Payment	Bodily Injury
  Volkswagen Passat	101	99	99	111	113	102

  BETTER

  AVERAGE

  WORSE

  Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years

Premium rates and analysis

The price information displayed below showcases a range of rate quotes for Volkswagen Passat models. Learning as much as possible about how auto insurance prices are formulated is important to be able to make informed purchases.

Cost estimates assume single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Premium costs do not factor in specific location information which can impact rates considerably.

Car insurance deductibles

When shopping for car insurance, a common question is how low should you set your deductibles. The following tables show how much more rates are between high and low coverage deductibles. The first data table uses a $250 deductible for comp and collision and the second price grid uses a $1,000 deductible.

Data based on married male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, claim-free, and homeowner. Rate quotes do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can change coverage prices significantly.

Based on the above data, using a $250 deductible will cost you approximately $31 more each month or $372 every year across all Volkswagen Passat models than quoting the higher $1,000 deductible. Due to the fact that you would have to pay $750 more out-of-pocket with a $1,000 deductible as compared to a $250 deductible, if you tend to go at least 24 months between claim filings, you would save more money if you elect the higher deductible. Here is how this determination is made.

An important thing to remember is that a higher deductible results in a higher out-of-pocket expense when you have to file a claim. You must have some funds available in the event you have to pay more for the deductible.

Age-based car insurance rates by gender in Fort Worth

The chart below illustrates the comparison of Volkswagen Passat premium costs for male and female drivers. The costs are based on no accidents or driving violations, full coverage, $1,000 deductibles, single status, and no discounts are factored in.

Rate difference between full and liability-only coverage

The diagram below compares Volkswagen Passat auto insurance rates with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The premiums are based on a clean driving record, no claims, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied to the premium.

Guidelines for dropping full coverage

There is no set guideline to eliminate full coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of having full coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.

For example, let’s say your Volkswagen Passat book value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most you would get paid by your company is $6,000 after paying the physical damage deductible. If premiums are more than $600 annually for full coverage, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.

There are some cases where dropping physical damage coverage is not in your best interest. If you still have a loan on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should keep full coverage in place.

Get cheaper Volkswagen Passat insurance in Fort Worth with discounts

Companies offering auto insurance don’t always advertise every discount in an easy-to-find place, so here is a list some of the more common as well as some of the hidden credits available to bring down your rates.

• ABS Braking Discount – Cars with ABS braking systems or traction control have fewer accidents and will save you 10% or more on Passat insurance in Fort Worth.
• Drivers Ed for Students – Require your teen driver to take driver’s ed class in school.
• Telematics Data – Fort Worth drivers who agree to allow driving data submission to look at driving patterns by using a telematic data system such as Allstate’s Drivewise and State Farm’s In-Drive system may get a rate reduction if they have good driving habits.
• Include Life Insurance and Save – Larger insurance companies have a discounted auto insurance rate on car insurance if you buy life insurance from them.
• Use Seat Belts – Using a seat belt and requiring all passengers to buckle up before driving can save up to 15% off the PIP or medical payment premium.
• Good Students Pay Less – Performing well in school can earn a discount of 20% or more. The discount lasts up until you turn 25.
• Multi-car Discount – Buying insurance for more than one vehicle with one company can get a discount for every vehicle.
• No Claims – Fort Worth drivers who stay claim-free can earn big discounts as compared to accident-prone drivers.
• Senior Citizens – Older drivers can get reduced rates.
• Discounts for Federal Employees – Having worked for a branch of the government could provide a small rate reduction depending on your company.

Discounts reduce rates, but you should keep in mind that most discount credits are not given to your bottom line cost. Most only cut individual premiums such as comprehensive or collision. So even though you would think all those discounts means the company will pay you, it doesn’t quite work that way.

The information below shows the comparison of Volkswagen Passat annual premium costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The data assumes a female driver, no accidents or driving violations, Texas state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $500 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows premium with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multi-policy, homeowner, multi-car, marriage, claim-free, and safe-driver discounts applied.

If you would like to view auto insurance companies with the best Volkswagen Passat insurance discounts in Fort Worth in Texas, click here to view.

Affordable insurance rates are out there

We just presented some good ideas how to shop for Volkswagen Passat insurance online. The key thing to remember is the more price quotes you have, the higher the chance of saving money. Consumers could even find that the lowest premium rates come from a small local company.

People switch companies for any number of reasons including unfair underwriting practices, policy cancellation, denial of a claim or even delays in responding to claim requests. It doesn’t matter what your reason, finding a new company can be pretty painless.

When trying to cut insurance costs, don’t be tempted to sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. In too many instances, an accident victim reduced uninsured motorist or liability limits to discover at claim time that their decision to reduce coverage ended up costing them more. Your strategy should be to get the best coverage possible at the lowest possible cost, not the least amount of coverage.

More information can be read on the following sites:

• Can I Drive Legally without Insurance? (Insurance Information Institute)
• Who Has the Cheapest Fort Worth Auto Insurance for a Honda Civic? (FAQ)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest in Fort Worth, Texas? (FAQ)
• What Car Insurance is Cheapest for a 20 Year Old Male in Fort Worth? (FAQ)
• Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for a Toyota Highlander in Fort Worth? (FAQ)
• Who Has Affordable Auto Insurance Rates for Felons in Fort Worth? (FAQ)
• How do I File a Claim? (Insurance Information Institute)
• Auto Theft Statistics (Insurance Information Institute)
• Insurance losses by make and model (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)