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Houston Auto Insurance

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Peace of Mind Wherever You Go

Houston is one of the largest cities in the United States with millions of drivers on the road every day. In the event of a car accident, are you and your family protected? Auto coverage can vary and isn’t always straightforward, but Texan Insurance is here to help you craft an insurance policy that meets all of your needs.

Talk to a Texan Insurance Agent to see what coverages would work best for you and your family.

Dollar Limits:

Some coverages pay only up to the policy’s dollar limits. Coverages with dollar limits include:

  • Liability,
  • personal injury protection,
  • uninsured/underinsured motorist,
  • towing and labor, and
  • rental coverages

Dollar limits are the most the company will pay, even if the cost is higher. If you don’t have enough coverage, you’ll have to pay the difference yourself. Collision and comprehensive coverages don’t have dollar limits.

The first page of your policy is the declaration page. It summarizes your policy and includes your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles. Call a Texan Insurance Agent to make sure you understand your deductible and dollar limits.

Deductibles and Dollar Limits

Deductibles: You must pay a deductible for collision, comprehensive, uninsured/underinsured motorist claims, and property damage. A deductible is the amount of a claim that you must pay yourself before your benefits kick in. For instance, if you have a $1,500 collision claim and your policy has a $500 collision deductible, the insurance company will pay you $1000 and you will pay $500. You don’t have to pay a deductible for claims against another driver’s insurance company.

Types of Auto Coverages
Liability coverage
  1. covers the other driver’s car if you caused the accident. It also pays the other driver’s and their passenger’s medical bills and some other expenses. Texas law requires you to have basic auto liability insurance, 30/60/25 coverage. This includes:
  • $30,000 for each injured person
  • $60,000 for injuries per accident
  • $25,000 for property damage

Keep in mind that state minimums may not be enough to give you peace of mind. Texan Insurance recommends the purchase of higher limits.. The $25,000 minimum property damage coverage probably won’t cover a multi-vehicle accident or an accident with a luxury vehicle, like a Mercedes or a BMW. The damages could easily exceed $25,000 and you could be sued for the excess, putting your personal assets at risk.
Collision coverage

pays to repair or replace your car after an accident
Comprehensive (other than collision) coverage

pays if your car is stolen or damaged by fire, flood, or vandalism. It is also called other than a collision.
Medical payments coverage

coverage is similar to medical payments coverage. It pays you and your passengers’ medical bills. But it also pays for things like lost wages and other nonmedical costs. All auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage. If you don’t want it, you must tell the company in writing.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage

pays if you’re hit by someone who didn’t have insurance or didn’t have enough to pay your medical and car repair bills. It also pays if you’re in a hit-and-run accident. Insurance companies must offer you this coverage. If you don’t want it, you must tell the company in writing.
Towing and labor coverage

pays to tow your car if it can’t be driven. It also pays for labor to change a flat tire or jump-start your battery.
Rental reimbursement coverage

pays for you to rent a car if yours is stolen or being repaired after an accident. Some policies also pay for taxis or ride-sharing services.

Auto Claims

Accidents are scary, follow these step to help make the claim process go smoothly:

  1. Get the other driver’s name, address, phone number, and license plate number. Write down the exact name of the other driver’s insurance company, the company’s phone number, and the policy number. To save time, take a picture of the other driver’s insurance card. If the other driver refuses to tell you the name of his or her insurance company, call the police.
  2. Give the other driver the same information about you.
  3. Get the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of any witnesses to the accident. Give this information to the insurance company. Independent witnesses can help prove fault if you were in an accident caused by another driver. If you don’t have witnesses and the other driver denies fault, his or her insurance company might deny your claim.
  4. Call the police if you were hit by a driver who left the scene. Your uninsured motorist coverage won’t pay for a hit-and-run accident if you didn’t report it to the police.
  5. Call the police if anyone was injured.
  6. Note the time, date, and exact location of the accident. Also, record any special circumstances like weather and road conditions. Take pictures of the accident scene. Give this information to the insurance company.
  7. Tell your insurance company about the accident as soon as possible. Most companies have deadlines for filing claims. You can also call your insurance provider directly. Your insurance card should have a number you can call to report claims. Explain what happened and answer questions as thoroughly as possible.
  8. Send your insurance company copies of the police accident report. It usually takes a few days for the police to file a report. Get the officer’s name and badge number so you can follow up if you need to.
  9. Tell your insurance company if you were injured. If you went to the emergency room or to a doctor, give the company copies of the medical reports and doctors’ bills.

Texan Insurance is here for you every step of the way. Call one of our agents if you need help filing a claim.

I filed my claim, what’s next?

Texas law sets deadlines for insurance companies to act after you file a claim. A company must:

  • Tell you they received your claim within 15 days of getting notice. The company may ask you for a signed proof-of-loss form or for more information. The company may also ask you to have a medical exam.
  • Have an adjuster look at your damage. The adjuster will estimate the cost of repairs. The company will base its payment on the adjuster’s estimate. If the damage turns out to be worse than the adjuster originally thought, you or the repair shop can talk to the adjuster about raising the estimate. If you can drive your car, the company might ask you to take your car to one of its claim centers so an adjuster can look at it. Some companies might ask you to get your own estimates and provide them to the company.
  • Accept or reject your claim within 15 business days of getting all the information it needs from you. A company that needs more time can take 45 days to decide whether to pay your claim. It must tell you the reason for the delay. If it denies your claim, it must tell you why in writing.
  • Send you a check within five business days after it agrees to pay your claim.
  • The prompt payment law doesn’t apply if another driver’s insurance company is paying the claim. But the company must act in good faith and try to settle your claim quickly and fairly.

If you need any assistance during the claim process, don’t hesitate to call a Texan Insurance Agent for help.

Medical claims

If you were injured in an accident caused by another driver, the other driver’s insurance company will offer you a settlement to cover your medical bills related to the accident. The company will also ask you to sign a release promising that you won’t file more claims for the accident. Before signing the release, talk to your doctor about any future medical treatment you might need. Consider this information to decide whether the company’s settlement offer is fair.

We want to protect what matters most to you.

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Settling claims

Replacement claims

Insurance companies will pay for your car’s replacement only up to its actual cash value. Actual cash value is the cost to replace your car, minus depreciation. Depreciation is the decrease in value because of wear and tear or age. For instance, if your car is 10 years old, the company will pay you the value of a 10-year-old used car. It won’t pay to replace your car with a new car that’s the same make and model as your totaled car.

Repair Claims: Some companies might give you a list of preferred repair shops, but they can’t require you to use a shop on its list. The insurance company is only required to pay for parts of like kind and quality to those that were damaged. It doesn’t have to pay for original parts from the manufacturer.

What if the other driver’s insurance company refuses to pay my claim?

If you believe the other driver was at fault, but his or her insurance company won’t pay your claim, file a claim with your own insurance company. You must have collision coverage to do this. Your insurance company will probably try to collect from the other driver’s company. If you file a claim with your own company, you’ll have to pay a deductible.

What if the other driver’s limits aren’t high enough to pay my bills?

If the other driver’s policy limits aren’t high enough to pay for all your car repairs or medical bills, file a claim with your auto and health insurance company. Your auto insurance company will use either your PIP coverage or your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to pay the difference. But, if you file a claim with your insurance company you’ll have to pay a deductible.

What if the insurance company totals my car?

If the cost to repair your car is close to its current value, the company will probably decide to total it. This means the company will pay you to replace your car rather than fix it. If the company totals your car, it will pay your car’s value minus depreciation.

Be prepared to negotiate with the company to get what you think is a fair deal. A company might raise its offer if you can show that your car would sell for a higher price. Get written price quotes for a similar car from used car dealers.

If you still owe money on your car, the amount the company will pay you to total your car might not be enough to pay off your loan. This will happen if the market value of your car is less than what you owe. Auto dealers and lenders usually offer guaranteed auto protection, or gap, insurance for this.

If you want to keep your car, the insurance company will subtract its salvage value from the settlement amount. If your car is issued a non-repairable title, it can’t be retitled or registered.

Will the insurance company pays for a rental car?

If your accident was caused by another driver, the other driver’s insurance company will pay for you to rent a car. You can keep the rental car for the time the company believes is reasonable for your car to be repaired. The company will base the amount of time on the estimated number of hours of labor. Be sure to let the adjuster know about any delays in getting your car fixed. The company might extend the rental if there are delays because the repair shop had to order parts or found more damage.

Your insurance company will pay for a rental car if:

  • You have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and the driver who caused the accident didn’t have insurance or enough insurance.
  • You have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and the accident was a hit-and-run.
  • You have rental reimbursement coverage and were in an accident.
  • You have comprehensive coverage and your car is stolen.

Your insurance company will pay for a rental car only for the time it believes is reasonable to repair or replace your car. It will pay a set amount each day and only up to your policy’s rental

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