The words “low-cost” and “insurance” really don’t belong together, specifically when you are looking for the best insurance rates for first-time drivers. Let’s lead off by showing you a few of the things that determine auto insurance rates, and see how we can help you slash the price of the next policy you buy.
The make and model of vehicle driven is one of the primary factors that determines whether or not you find the best car insurance for first-time drivers. Vehicles with lots of speed or power, poor crash test ratings, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost more to insure than more economical and safe models. The list below features auto insurance costs for a number of the most affordable automobiles to buy coverage for.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $3,590 |
| Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $3,599 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $3,840 |
| Toyota Prius | $3,872 |
| Ford Edge SE 2WD | $4,004 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $4,036 |
| Honda Odyssey EX | $4,222 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $4,229 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $4,254 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Hero | $4,259 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Extended Cab 4WD | $4,254 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $4,262 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $4,254 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $4,262 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $4,254 |
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Cost estimates assume single female driver age 16, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Rate information does not factor in vehicle location which can change insurance rates greatly.
Based upon the table data, we can assume that cars like the Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Toyota Prius will definitely be some of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for new drivers. The price of auto insurance will be higher anyway because there is a higher risk for first-time drivers, but generally speaking those vehicles will tend to have the cheapest rates available.
For new drivers, one of the more important criteria that are used to help calculate the cost of insurance is where you live in Corpus Christi. Cities with larger populations tend to pay slightly more, whereas less populated areas profit from lower rates.
The information below ranks the priciest cities in Texas for first-time drivers to purchase a policy in. Corpus Christi is ranked at #19 with the yearly price of $1,636 for the average policyholder, which is around $136 each month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McAllen | $1,936 |
| 2 | Dallas | $1,911 |
| 3 | Brownsville | $1,870 |
| 4 | Houston | $1,853 |
| 5 | Laredo | $1,851 |
| 6 | Mesquite | $1,807 |
| 7 | Amarillo | $1,786 |
| 8 | Garland | $1,778 |
| 9 | Irving | $1,772 |
| 10 | Beaumont | $1,772 |
| 11 | Pasadena | $1,758 |
| 12 | Grand Prairie | $1,757 |
| 13 | Lubbock | $1,682 |
| 14 | San Antonio | $1,671 |
| 15 | Fort Worth | $1,670 |
| 16 | Austin | $1,659 |
| 17 | Arlington | $1,658 |
| 18 | Carrollton | $1,647 |
| 19 | Corpus Christi | $1,636 |
| 20 | Waco | $1,584 |
| 21 | Plano | $1,576 |
| 22 | El Paso | $1,568 |
| 23 | McKinney | $1,561 |
| 24 | Abilene | $1,515 |
| 25 | Killeen | $1,488 |
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Premium amounts are estimated as the specific garaging location can lower or raise premiums greatly.
Finding decent, low-priced car insurance is not the easiest thing to accomplish, and finding out which companies quote the cheapest car insurance rates for first-time drivers involves even more work. Each insurance company uses a different method to set policy rates, so we need to take a look at the car insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in Corpus Christi.
Cheap Insurance Rates for Inexperienced Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travelers | $1,041 |
| 2 | USAA | $1,084 |
| 3 | Germania Mutual | $1,244 |
| 4 | Texas Farm Bureau | $1,247 |
| 5 | Esurance | $1,365 |
| 6 | California Casualty | $1,424 |
| 7 | Mercury | $1,461 |
| 8 | State Farm | $1,465 |
| 9 | Nationwide | $1,538 |
| 10 | Safe Auto | $1,597 |
| 11 | Progressive | $1,664 |
| 12 | Allstate | $1,718 |
| 13 | Amica | $1,723 |
| 14 | GEICO | $2,093 |
| 15 | Home State | $2,134 |
| 16 | MetLife | $2,161 |
| 17 | Encompass | $2,301 |
| 18 | Unitrin | $2,333 |
| 19 | 21st Century | $2,396 |
| 20 | Titan | $2,646 |
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Travelers offers some of the best car insurance rates in Corpus Christi at around $1,041 per year. USAA, Germania Mutual, Texas Farm Bureau, and Esurance also rank well as some of the lowest-priced Corpus Christi, TX insurance companies.
As the rates illustrate above, if you currently have a policy with Germania Mutual and switched to Travelers, you might achieve an annual savings of about $203. Drivers with Texas Farm Bureau may save as much as $206 a year, and Esurance policyholders might cut rates by $324 a year.
These estimates are averages for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not figured with an exact location for first-time drivers. So the car insurance company that can offer the best rates for your situation may not even be in the top 23 companies shown above. That point stresses why you need to quote rates from as many companies as possible using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
Should you buy full coverage?
Buying cheaper car insurance is probably important to the majority of drivers, and one common way to find cheap insurance for first-time drivers is to only buy liability insurance. The illustration below shows the difference between yearly insurance costs with full coverage compared to only the Texas minimum liability coverage. The price estimates are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, single marital status, and no discounts are applied.
As an average for all age groups, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs an extra $1,793 per year over having just liability coverage. At some point, almost every driver questions when is it a good idea to stop buying full coverage. There is no written rule for excluding full coverage on your policy, but there is a broad guideline. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s settlement value is $5,500 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, you would only receive $4,500 after the policy deductible has been paid. If it’s costing you more than $450 annually for your policy with full coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.
There are a few cases 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 your loan from defaulting. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should not remove full coverage.
Choosing the highest-rated insurance provider can be challenging considering how many different companies there are to choose from in Corpus Christi. The information displayed below may help you pick which car insurance companies you want to consider shopping your coverage with.
The ratings below only include large, nationwide insurance companies, so companies that have a smaller presence are not taken into consideration for this list. To compare prices from the insurers below and more, simply click here.
Top 10 Major Auto Insurers in Corpus Christi Ranked by Value
- Mercury Insurance
- Travelers
- American Family
- AAA Insurance
- Safeco Insurance
- Progressive
- The Hartford
- The General
- 21st Century
- Esurance
Top 10 Major Auto Insurers in Corpus Christi Ranked by A.M. Best Rating
- Travelers – A++
- USAA – A++
- GEICO – A++
- State Farm – A++
- Titan Insurance – A+
- Esurance – A+
- Progressive – A+
- The Hartford – A+
- Allstate – A+
- Nationwide – A+
Types of discounts on Corpus Christi car insurance rates
Car insurance companies that offer cheap quotes for first-time drivers may also provide discounts that can lower rates by as much as 35% or more if you can meet the requirements. The best car insurance companies and some of the discounts include:
- GEICO has savings for daytime running lights, multi-policy, federal employee, military active duty, defensive driver, emergency military deployment, and anti-theft.
- MetLife may offer discounts for claim-free, defensive driver, good student, multi-policy, and accident-free.
- State Farm may have discounts that include Steer Clear safe driver discount, accident-free, driver’s education, safe vehicle, good driver, and defensive driving training.
- Progressive offers premium reductions for online signing, multi-policy, good student, online quote discount, and homeowner.
- Mercury Insurance policyholders can earn discounts including ease of repair, age of vehicle, professional/association, good student, and multi-policy.
- 21st Century offers discounts including automatic seat belts, air bags, early bird, 55 and older, student driver, and teen driver.
- Allstate has discounts for safe driver, defensive driver, anti-theft, teenSMART discount, and good student.
The illustration below shows the comparison of car insurance rates with and without discounts applied to the premium. The data assumes a female driver, no accidents, no driving violations, Texas state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with continuous coverage, paid-in-full, paperless filing, good student, vehicle safety, and anti-theft discounts applied. When taking advantage of discounts, theamount saved on car insurance for first-time drivers is 28% or $675.