What Insurance is Cheapest for a GMC Sierra in Austin?

GMC Sierra insurance image courtesy of QuoteInspector.com

Buying competitive auto insurance for a GMC Sierra in Texas is dependent upon a large number of rating criteria such as annual miles driven, the likelihood of your vehicle being stolen, and physical damage deductibles. Drivers pay around $910 a year for Sierra insurance, but that is a projection calculated using a 50-year-old married male driver with full comprehensive and collision coverage and $1,000 deductibles.

There's a good chance you are not 50 years old and maybe not even male, maybe you are single instead of married, and you want different coverage limits than the example. Even a slight difference in rating factors or requested coverage amount can make a large difference in the cost of a policy.

Insurance is an individual thing, so the only way to find cheap insurance prices for your GMC is to compare as many rates as possible.

Compare Rates and Save

The trim level of your vehicle will have an impact the cost of insurance, so the price you will be charged to insure a Sierra SLE Regular Cab 2WD model will be $130 cheaper than the price to insure the higher-end Sierra Denali Crew Cab 4WD model, as shown in the table below.

Data assumes married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and Texas minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-policy, multi-vehicle, homeowner, and claim-free. Price information does not factor in your specific Austin location which can influence prices substantially.

Buying coverage from the right insurer can be a challenge considering how many choices drivers have in Texas. The rank data displayed below could help you choose which car insurance companies to look at purchasing a policy from. The ratings below include the largest companies in the United States, so companies without a large exposure are not taken into consideration for these rankings.

Top 10 Major Auto Insurers Overall in Austin

1. Travelers
2. USAA
3. Mercury Insurance
4. AAA Insurance
5. Nationwide
6. Allstate
7. State Farm
8. The Hartford
9. Safeco Insurance
10. Progressive

Top 10 Major Auto Insurers in Austin Ranked by A.M. Best Rating

1. Travelers - A++
2. USAA - A++
3. GEICO - A++
4. State Farm - A++
5. Titan Insurance - A+
6. Esurance - A+
7. Progressive - A+
8. The Hartford - A+
9. Allstate - A+
10. Nationwide - A+

How accidents and tickets impact rates in Austin

The ideal way to score good insurance rates for a Sierra pickup is to drive attentively and avoid getting tickets or having accidents. The chart below highlights how traffic violations and at-fault collisions can increase premium costs for different age categories. The price estimates are based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.

In the chart above, the average cost of a car insurance policy per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $2,123. Add in one speeding ticket and the average cost hikes up to $2,395, an increase of $271 each year. Now include two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of insurance for a GMC Sierra jumps again to an average of $4,829. That's an increase of $2,705, or $225 per month, just for not being attentive to the road!

Get discounts on Austin insurance rates

Insurers that sell policies for a GMC Sierra may additionally offer rate discounts that can lower rates by as much as 30% if you are eligible. A list of companies and the discounts they provide can be found below.

• GEICO may include discounts for daytime running lights, defensive driver, multi-policy, military active duty, five-year accident-free, and good student.
• SAFECO policyholders can earn discounts including teen safe driver, teen safety rewards, anti-lock brakes, drive less, anti-theft, safe driver, and bundle discounts.
• State Farm has savings for Drive Safe & Save, passive restraint, multiple policy, multiple autos, accident-free, and Steer Clear safe driver discount.
• MetLife may offer discounts for defensive driver, claim-free, multi-policy, good student, accident-free, good driver
• 21st Century offers premium reductions for anti-lock brakes, student driver, homeowners, automatic seat belts, defensive driver, good student, and driver training.
• Progressive has discounts for online signing, homeowner, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and good student.

The chart below visualizes the comparison of car insurance costs with and without policy discounts. The rates are based on a female driver, no accidents, no driving violations, Texas state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with accident-free, defensive driving course, safe-driver, multiple vehicle, marriage, and anti-theft discounts applied. When discounts are factored in, theaverage yearly reduction on insurance for a GMC Sierra is 28% or $677.

Comparison of full coverage and liability-only policies

Reducing premiums for insurance should be important to the majority of people, and one of the easiest ways to pay lower rates for insurance for a GMC Sierra is to buy only liability coverage. The chart below illustrates the difference between insurance rates with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in Texas. The premium estimates are based on no violations or claims, $250 deductibles, drivers are single, and no additional discounts are factored in.

As an average, physical damage coverage on your policy costs $2,581 per year more than just buying liability only. That brings up the question if buying full coverage is a waste of money. There isn't a written rule of when to stop paying for physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general school of thought. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.