It is illegal to drive without car insurance in Texas. The state of Texas requires its drivers to carry appropriate amounts of automobile insurance, in order to legally operate a motor vehicle in Texas. State of Texas applies car insurance as a form of financial responsibility.
insurancemozo.com asks all its readers to comply with Texas Financial Responsibility requirements failure to do so could lead to the suspension of your driver’s license and fines. Under the Texas Driver Responsibility Program, drivers who are convicted of failure to maintain insurance are required to pay a flat surcharge of $250.00 per year. Driving without insurance or with insufficient coverage can result in fines, a suspended license or jail time.
insurancemozo.com understands the value of important information necessary to find the Best Texas Car Insurance for you. The below information will help you find the cheapest auto insurance in Texas.
What are the minimum Texas Car Insurance Requirements?
The statutory minimum limits of liability insurance in Texas are 30,000/60,000/25,000 and that mean:
$30,000 liability coverage per person for injury
$60,000 liability coverage per accident for injury
and $25,000 for property damage liability(damage to buildings, traffic signs or other party vehicles)
It is worth mentioning here that in addition to liability insurance drivers in state of Texas can also opt for additional coverage (called Full Coverage) that increases the cost of the policy but provides the insured with greater protections.
Full Coverage Car Insurance:
Full coverage is when you have enough protection to cover any loss associated with your automobile. From theft, to a hit and run, to an accident that was your own fault, full coverage covers any of these instances. Full Coverage Protection ensures that your vehicle is fixed and made up whatever the circumstances are in an accident. This coverage depends on a variety of factors, such as how much you can afford, what kind of car you drive, where you live, how old your car is etc.
However on the other hand with full coverage your payment will be much higher than that of someone paying for liability only, but the protection that is offered is certainly worth it, especially if your vehicle is valued high or you still owe money on it. As your car gets older, full coverage may not be necessary, as the value may not be that high, and the deductibles can cost a good percentage of what the car is worth. After all its your choice to take this coverage.
Is Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM ) protection required in Texas ?
Even there are laws in all states for insurance coverage, there are still drivers on the roads without coverage or with inadequate coverage. What if you have an accident with someone who does not have enough financial resources? Who will pay for their claims? UM/UIM coverage policy covers all those matters.
Texas does not require licensed drivers to carry UM/UIM. It asks all the insurance companies to pay all the coverage. In other words even if the other party doesn’t have insurance coverage it is not your headache and your insurance company will pay for all the claims of uninsured party.
What are the various discounts I can avail in Texas?
Like all the other states there are various ways in Texas to cut down your premium costs so that they don’t result to be very heavy on your wallet.
There are various discounts available in Texas such as Bundle Discount where person bundles multiple cars, home, life and other insurances from same insurer Safe driver discount, Safety equipment discounts when your car has some security alarm or gps tracking device, new car discount , etc.
Have a look at each discount in detail and ask insurance provider at the time of insurance if you can qualify for one.
How do I get a Texas Car Insurance Quote?
To get a car insurance quote either you start an auto insurance quote search online, visit various companies website and make a decision yourself or on the other hand just enter your zip code above and let insurancemozo.com do rest of the work for you.
Here at insurancemozo.com, we made it our job to find you the most affordable auto insurance quotes for you and your family, so that you won’t have to pay the outrageous insurance prices when you buy auto insurance in Texas.
Official websites link:
Texas Department of Public Safety
State of Texas Government Website
http://www.texas.gov/en/Pages/default.aspx