Best Auto Insurance Rates in Houston, Texas

Compare Auto Insurance in Houston

Thursday, May 31 2018 By Larry Canonica

With a population of around 2.3 million people, Houston, Texas is the fourth largest city in the United States. Now, Houston residents can get car insurance savings that are every bit as big as their city with QuoteWizard.

Average Houston Car Insurance Rates

How much is car insurance in Houston, TX? You can thank bad driving and an extremely high vehicle theft rate for rising car insurance rates in Houston. Average rates here are higher than both the state and national averages. The average cost of auto insurance in Texas is $934.22 per year. The national average cost is $889.01.

Car insurance prices in Houston vary depending on several factors. These include your driving history, your claims history, and where you live.

Houston, TX Average Annual Car Insurance Rates

Coverage	Men	Women
Liability	$915	$1,017
Collision	$417	$400
Comprehensive	$135	$116
Total Cost Per Year	$1,467	$1,533
Price Per Month	$122.25	$127.75
Source: Facts + Statistics: Auto insurance

The graph below shows the change in average Texas auto insurance rates from 2011 to 2015. Car insurance rates in Texas increased from $808 in 2011 to $934 in 2015, a jump of $125, or 15.48 percent.

QuoteWizard helps consumers compare quotes from national insurance companies and local agents. Comparing quotes helps you find cheap car insurance rates near Houston, Texas. You can save up to 40% on your premium by using QuoteWizard.

Last year, 64,413 residents used QuoteWizard to compare auto insurance quotes in Houston, TX from multiple companies and find the cheapest rates.

Best Car Insurance Companies in Houston, TX

These are the most popular car insurance companies reported by QuoteWizard users in Houston, Texas last year. Of these 64,413 drivers using QuoteWizard, 12,915 were uninsured when they requested a quote.

Other popular Houston, Texas car insurance companies: MetLife, Safeco, Country Financial, American Family, 21st Century, Texas Farm Bureau, and Hartford.

Top 10 Vehicles in Houston

These are the most common cars owned by Houston drivers using QuoteWizard.

Best High-Risk Insurance Companies in Houston

Drivers with tickets and accidents on their record may be classified as high-risk. If you're a high-risk driver, you pay significantly higher insurance rates. Some high-risk drivers might be unable to find a company willing to offer them coverage.

Fortunately, high-risk drivers in Houston can find coverage through the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association. TAIPA helps ensure that every driver can get minimum coverage levels. In Texas, that's 30/60/25. We'll discuss what those coverage levels entail in the 'Car Insurance Minimum Coverage' section below.

Regardless, these companies offer insurance policies for Houston's high-risk drivers:

• The General
• State Farm
• GEICO
• Texas Farm Bureau Insurance
• Allstate
• Dairyland
• Esurance
• A-MAX

Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in Houston, TX

Houston, Texas has a minimum liability coverage requirement known as the 30/60/25 rule. This means each policy must include at least:

• Individual Bodily Injury Liability (BIL): $30,000.
  The maximum amount your insurer pays for a person injured in a car accident.
• Total Bodily Injury Liability: $60,000.
  The total your insurance company pays for every person injured in a car accident.
• Property Damage Liability (PDL): $25,000.
  The most your insurance carrier pays for property damage caused by a car accident.

Recommended Coverage Levels

It's not a great idea to buy only legal minimum coverage. While it costs less, minimum coverage becomes more expensive if you file a claim. Why? Minimum coverage does not include comprehensive or collision coverage. Plus, it's easy to exceed minimum coverage levels after an accident.

Minimum coverage only pays for damages to other people, their car, and their property. Minimum coverage does not cover you, your injuries, or your property. If you have minimum coverage and you cause an accident, you're on the hook for your expenses.

Collision coverage pays for damages to your car after an accident. Comprehensive coverage pays for damages that don't involve another car. That includes natural disasters, falling tree branches, theft, and vandalism.

With that in mind, we recommend that Houston drivers buy the following coverage:

• Individual Body Injury Liability: $100,000
• Total Bodily Injury Liability: $300,000
• Property Damage Liability: $100,000

If you can afford it, buy comprehensive and collision coverage. You should choose a reasonable deductible. Also consider uninsured/underinsured coverage. This covers damages caused by drivers who have little or no insurance. Finally, medical payment coverage and personal injury protection covers medical costs after an accident.

Houston Drivers

QuoteWizard releases annual studies on the Best and Worst Drivers by state and city. When it comes to good drivers, Houston and Texas are both above average.

On our city study, Houston drivers ranked 40th best out of 100 cities. On our state study, Texas ranked 22nd best out of every state. 

That's good news for Houston drivers, because living in an area with low-risk drivers lowers your insurance premium.

Driving Conditions

Driving conditions in Houston are a major reason insurance rates in this city are higher than the national average. Severe weather and inadequate road maintenance negatively affect driving conditions.

Weather

Houston weather is warm because it's so close to the Gulf of Mexico. Summers are hot and humid. Winters are mild. Frequent and heavy rainfall and below sea-level elevation creates many problems for local drivers in the form of urban flooding. Most recently, Hurricane Harvey devastated the city, destroying up to one million cars. On the bright side, it almost never snows.

Road Conditions

TRIP reports that 24 percent of Houston's roads are in poor condition. Another 28 percent are mediocre.Records show that Houston road paving has decreased by 53% since 2008. If you think potholes are getting worse, it's not your imagination. Pothole repairs have declined from 19,000 fixes in 2012 to 16,000 in 2014.  Road conditions cost Houston drivers $610 a year in extra vehicle operating costs due to traffic congestion, crashes, and repairs.

Traffic Congestion

TomTom ranks Houston 117th in the world worst traffic. An average commuter spends 121 hours per year stuck in heavy traffic on poorly maintained roads.

Moving Violations

Moving violations like speeding tickets, accidents, and drunk driving will give you a bad driving record. Your insurer will flag you as a high-risk driver with high insurance rates.

Traffic Tickets

The City of Houston Municipal Courts website allows you to pay your traffic tickets. You can also find out how to contest a ticket. If you get a moving violation, you should fight it. Moving violations can raise your insurance rates for three to five years.

SR-22 DWI Insurance

A DWI conviction may require you to obtain an SR-22 form. Filing an SR-22 form is an expensive and time-consuming process. It's almost guaranteed to raise your insurance rates.

Car Accident Statistics

Houston, TX officials reported 67,241 car crashes in 2016 resulting in 32,015 injuries. 1,304 of the injuries were severe.

Traffic Fatalities

Houston reported 245 car accident-related fatalities on its roadways in 2016. According to a state study, 93 of these fatalities involved drunk drivers.

Vehicle Theft Rates

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the Houston area is a hot spot for car theft. The NCIB reports that 25,069 cars were stolen in the Houston area in 2016. That's makes Houston's car theft rate 45^th worst out of 382 metropolitan areas.

Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles in Houston

According to the Houston Police Department, these are the most stolen cars in February 2018, the most recent data available.

1. Chevrolet trucks
2. Ford trucks
3. GMC trucks
4. Dodge trucks
5. Chevrolet cars
6. Toyota cars
7. Ford cars
8. Nissan cars
9. Dodge cars
10. Toyota trucks

Save With Car Insurance Discounts

Are you looking for cheap car insurance in Houston, TX? Discounts are a great way to lower your insurance rates. These are some of the many auto insurance discounts available to Houston, TX drivers. Get a quote and find out which discounts you qualify for.

1. Get good grades. You can earn a good student discount.
2. Get a new car. New car insurance discounts are common. If the car has safety features like electronic stability control or anti-lock brakes, you can score further discounts.
3. Remove full comprehensive coverage from your policy.
4. Have good credit. Bad credit brings high insurance rates. If your credit has recently changed, get a quote. You might get a lower premium.
5. Keep your driving record clean. Drivers without tickets or accidents on their record pay lower rates. Avoid filing claims when possible.
6. If you're 55 or older, you could qualify for either the senior discount or the 55 and retired discount.
7. Live in a safe neighborhood with low crime. People that live in zip codes with high crime and poor driving conditions file more insurance claims.
8. Drive less. Most insurance companies offer low mileage discounts.
9. Bundle your auto insurance with your homeowners, renters, or life policy. Bundling your policies with a single insurer can save you 20%.
10. Take a defensive driving course at an accredited driving school.
11. Shop around and compare cheap Houston car insurance quotes to find every discount.

Car insurance agents near Houston, TX:

Sources:

• City of Houston Municipal Court Court - Traffic Tickets
• City of Houston Texas
• Houston Police Department
• Houston Texas Crime Rates
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• United States Census Bureau - Houston, TX
• Houston, TX Transportation by the Numbers - TRIP

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