Car Insurance in San Antonio, TX [Cheap Rates + Best Coverage]

San Antonio, Texas. Some of you might know the city as the home of The Alamo, the famous Spanish mission. One thing is for certain: San Antonio is a big city.

With a population of 1,492,494,  many people have to navigate the roads and the topic of car insurance. Sometimes, you might get lost along the way.

Never fear. We are here to help.

Remember the Alamo, and also remember the details of not only the fine city of San Antonio but also about car insurance.

Also, remember, there’s no basement in the Alamo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYfjq3ZYZbA

 

The Cost of Car Insurance in San Antonio

There are many different things that can affect your car insurance rates, and it can be a little overwhelming. Things like the exact city or part of the state you live in, your marital status, your driving record, the length of your commute, and so on.

Read on to see the different factors that can affect your car insurance rates in San Antonio, Texas.

– Demographics of San Antonio

Did you know that your gender and age can affect what car insurance rate you are given? Unfortunately, such is the case across most states in the nation.

The median age of people who live in San Antonio is 33.6 years old, according to Data USA.

Males tend to pay more for car insurance yearly than females in San Antonio, with males paying $4,118.50 and females paying $3,893.10.

We further broke this down to see how this is divided by the various car insurance providers.

Age and gender tend to play a large role in the cost of car insurance in San Antonio. If you’re 60 and married, as well as female, you will get off cheap (in the form of $2,434.52).

– Cheapest Zip Codes in San Antonio

Living in one part of San Antonio could mean you pay more, or less, for car insurance. Check the table below to see your rates.

– What’s the Best Car Insurance Company in San Antonio?

Who is the best car insurance company?

The word best can mean different things for different people. In the sections below, it is outlined what is considered the best, by different categories.

– Cheapest Car Insurance Rates by Company

There are several major car insurance companies in the San Antonio area.

For your convenience, we have listed those companies, and the average annual cost, in the table below.

USAA tends to be the cheapest, but that depends on other factors.

– Best Car Insurance for Commute Rates

In the state of Texas, drivers drove an average of 17,099,030. 

That is a lot of miles.

If you drive a lot of miles, commute rates might be important to you. Here are the companies who have the best commute rates in San Antonio.

On average, Allstate charges you more for your commutes. USAA charges less.

– Best Car Insurance for Coverage Level Rates

Perhaps coverage levels, or the amount of coverage, is the most important thing to you.

USAA charges the least amount, on average, no matter the coverage plan. However, it is up to you to do your own research and see who is going to give you the most value for your money.

– Best Car Insurance for Credit History Rates

Your credit history can be the difference between high rates or low rates on car insurance.

USAA tends to be more forgiving on their rates when it comes to poor credit. Allstate, not so much.

– Best Car Insurance for Driving Record Rates

It goes without saying that if you are a good driver, then you will end up paying less for car insurance.

Squeaky clean drivers will pay less for auto insurance with USAA, and they are also the most forgiving when it comes to accidents and speeding violations. GEICO is the most forgiving when it comes to having a DUI on your record.

– Car Insurance Factors in San Antonio

San Antonio, as previously mentioned, is a city of almost 1.5 million. With this comes such things as prosperity, economy, the ability to own a home, and income.

– Metro Report – Growth and Prosperity

Economic growth and prosperity tend to be correlated with the influx of citizens. The better off a city is doing, the more people will come in, and the more money is made and put back into the city’s economy.

Brooking’s Metro Monitor defines prosperity as:

“…changes in the average wealth and income produced by an economy. When a metropolitan area grows by increasing the productivity of its workers, through innovation or by upgrading workers’ skills, for example, the value of those workers’ labor rises. As the value of labor rises, so can wages. Increases in productivity and wages are what ultimately improve living standards for workers and families and the competitiveness of metropolitan economies.”

When it comes to prosperity in San Antonio, here it is by the numbers:

• Productivity: +5.6 percent (8th of 100)
• Standard of Living: +9.6 percent (11th of 100)
• Average Annual Wage: +4.3 percent (50th of 100)

Growth in San Antonio is reflected by the following numbers, which makes San Antonio 8th in the nation:

• Jobs: +14.9 percent (20th of 100)
• Gross Metropolitan Product (GMP): +21.3 percent (7th of 100)
• Jobs at Young Firms: +15.8 percent (13th of 100)

San Antonio is a city that relies heavily on income produced from the military sector, the medical sector, and the tourism sector. This, in turn, produces more jobs, a better annual wage, and attracts more people to the city.

– Median Household Income

The median household income in San Antonio reflects the current economy of the city.

As it stands currently, the median household income in San Antonio if $50,044.

The current median annual income in the nation is $60,336, so San Antonio is still under the national average. However, in 2016, the average median income was $49,268, which is a 1.58 percent increase.

If you want to compare your insurance as a percentage of your income, use the calculator below to get started.

CalculatorPro

– Homeownership in San Antonio

Many factors affect whether citizens of San Antonio either own a home or rent one. Factors such as household income, jobs, and wages all factor into this. These factors also affect the amount and type of insurance owners must buy.

The median property value in San Antonio is $148,200. This is 0.681 times smaller than the national average, which is $217,600.

But good news. Property values are increasing. Between 2016 and 2017, the property value increased from $133, 900 to $148,200, which is a 10.7 percent increase.

More good news:  more property is being occupied by its owner. In 2017, 54.8 of homes in San Antonio are occupied by the homeowner. While this is lower than the national average of 63.9 percent, this means more money is being put back into the home and the property rather than being given to a landlord.

– Education in San Antonio

Several top colleges make their home in San Antonio:

• The University of Texas at San Antonio:  6,149 degrees rewarded in 2016.
• San Antonio College:  3,516 degrees rewarded in 2016.
• Northwest Vista College:  3,331 degrees rewarded in 2016.

It is noteworthy to mention that two of the top three colleges are community colleges.

When it comes to the economy, San Antonio focuses primarily on military, health care, government, civil service, financial services, oil/gas, and tourism. With this in mind, there is a diverse range of public and community colleges. Here are some more of the top community colleges in San Antonio:

• St. Philip’s College.
• Palo Alto College. 
• Northeast Lakeview College. 

– Wage by Race & Ethnicity in Common Jobs

San Antonio’s economy is extremely diverse. The Gross Domestic Product averages almost $96.8 billion. This makes the city the 4th in Texas and the 38th in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

More fast facts about San Antonio’s economy:

• It is the headquarters of six Fortune 500 companies:  Valero-Energy, Andeavor, USAA, iHeartMedia, NuStar Energy, and CST Brands.
• Over 20 million tourists visit San Antonio every year. This is primarily due to the Alamo and the River Walk.
• In 2015, Forbes Magazine listed San Antonio as one of the best places for businesses and careers.

Since the economy is diverse, it stands to reason that wage-earners are just as diverse. Here is the breakdown of wage-earners by race and ethnicity:

Asians were the top earners, with $66,972 earned in 2017. White is second, with $53,020, and two or more races is third, with $45,863.

– Wage by Gender in Common Jobs

The average male makes more than the average female in San Antonio, with males making $65,834 in 2017 and females making $47,183 in 2017. This is 1.4 times more.

– Poverty by Age and Gender

Females 25-34 is the largest demographic living in poverty in San Antonio. Out of 1.44 million people living in San Antonio in 2017, 18.6 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, which is higher than the national average of 13.4 percent. Females 18-24 and Males 18-24 are the second and third age/gender group to be living in poverty.

– Poverty by Race and Ethnicity

The most common racial/ethnic group to be in poverty in San Antonio is White (44.7 percent). Hispanic and Black are second and third (42.6 percent and 5.14 percent, respectively).

– Employment by Occupations

The most common job groups, by the number of people living in San Antonio, are as follows:

• Other Management Occupations Except Farmers, Ranchers, & Other Agricultural Managers (35,220 people).
• Building Cleaning & Pest Control Workers (25,096 people).
• Customer Service Representatives (19,602 people).

Employment has grown in San Antonio, from 690,000 in 2016 to 706,000 in 2017.

Driving in San Antonio

San Antonio has a lot of people, a lot of places, and a lot of roads.

Want to know what to expect and how to navigate those roads? Read on…

– Roads in San Antonio

You will need to know the major roads in San Antonio. Here are the goods on that.

– Major Highways

Texas, you are lucky to have the Texas Highway Man. He knows his stuff when it comes to the highways in Texas.

What about the highways in San Antonio?

He knows about that too.

 

The major interstates are I-10 (East and West), I-35 (North and South), and I-37.

Here are the total miles for each:

• I-10E (11 miles).

• I-10W (16 miles).

• I-35N (20 miles).

• I-35S (16 miles). 

 

• I-37 (11 miles).

 

– Popular Attractions

One of the chief components of San Antonio is tourism. Here are the places you can visit in San Antonio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiiH0OlIrVc

If you are itching for specifics, here are the must-see places in San Antonio:

• The Riverwalk
• The Alamo
• San Antonio Zoo
• Sea World – San Antonio
• Mission San Jose
• Natural Bridge Caverns 

– Road Conditions

If you want to know how the roads are in San Antonio, look below.

• Poor Condition:  29 percent.
• Mediocre Condition:  31 percent.
• Fair Condition:  11 percent.
• Good Condition:  29 percent.

You will probably encounter your fair share of mediocre and poorly-kept roads, but good news:  the roads in good condition equal the roads in poor condition.

What type of roads you will come across these roads is a roll of the dice.

– Does San Antonio use Speeding or Red Light Cameras?

San Antonio does not have red light cameras or speeding cameras, according to the latest research.

Governor Greg Abbot looks to end the cameras statewide, however.

– Vehicles in San Antonio

Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the vehicles.

Read on to find what the most popular vehicle is, the most popular vehicle stolen, and more.

– Most Popular Vehicles Owned

When it comes to the most popular vehicle owned in San Antonio, residents love their cars with V8 Engines. They also love the Chevy Suburban 1500.

The safety features on the Chevy Suburban 1500 consist of airbags (no matter where a person is sitting), four-wheel ABS and disc brakes, brake assist, daytime running lights, traction control, electronic stability control, and child safety locks.

If fuel efficiency is what you are looking for in the Chevy Suburban 1500, you will be sad to know it is one of the biggest gas guzzlers. The Chevy Suburban tops the iSeeCars study at 14 miles per gallon.

– Cars per Household

Most households own two cars. San Antonio is no exception.

– Households Without Cars

In San Antonio, 24,000 households have no vehicle.

This should not be so surprising. With San Antonio being so big, many residents may opt to use public transportation instead of owning a vehicle.

– Speed-traps in San Antonio

If you are thinking of speeding in San Antonio, think again, as San Antonio ranks 6th in the state for the most number of speed traps, with eight total speed traps in the city. 91 percent of these speed traps are well-known for being speed traps.

– Vehicle Theft in San Antonio

Vehicle theft is one of the worst things to experience when it comes to your vehicle. According to a 2013 crime report by the FBI, 6,577 residents had their vehicles stolen.

This is almost 10,000 vehicles.

But do not worry. There are safe places to live in San Antonio. This is no guarantee that your vehicle will not get stolen, but it should give you some relief:

1. Fm Road 2696 / Midnight Dr
2. Route 211 / Route 16
3. American Legion Memorial Hwy / Oakland Bend
4. Smithson Valley Rd / Laurie Michelle
5. E Borgfeld Dr / Dal Cin Dr
6. Mesa Ranch / Mesa Ridge
7. Route 90 Service Road / Ray Ellison Dr
8. E Evans Rd / Angostura Blvd
9. W Fm 471 / Gass Rd
10. Fm 1560 N / W Fm 471

– Traffic

Traffic.

It may conjure up less than desirable images of traffic jams and long commutes.

But how is the traffic in San Antonio?

– Traffic Congestion in San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas, ranks 163 worldwide for cities with the worst traffic congestion, according to the INRIX Traffic Scorecard.

However, good news!

The hours lost in congestion have DRASTICALLY decreased, from 183 in 2017, to 60 in 2018.

Bad news:  it looks to get worse.

And how about that rush hour?

– Transportation

How long can you expect to be in traffic while in San Antonio?

Either way, to and from, the average San Antonio resident spends 23.6 minutes in traffic. Compared to the national average of 25.5 minutes, San Antonians are spending less time in their commutes.

When it comes to “super-commutes” (commutes that are 90 minutes or more each way), 1.92 percent of the San Antonio workforce sits in traffic for a total of three hours per workday.

 

Of those who work, 79.3 percent drive alone, and 10.5 percent carpool.

– Busiest Highways

A lot of the highways in San Antonio are busy, but it looks like none of them made the Office of Highway Policy list.

– How Safe are San Antonio’s Streets and Roads?

How safe is it to drive in San Antonio?

We have collected fatality rates for 2017 in Bexar County, the county San Antonio is in. All data comes from Bexar county data.

– Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report

In 2018, Allstate created a list of the top cities where drivers are least likely to get into a car accident.

The data that supports this came from a variety of factors.

When it comes to safe driving, San Antonio, Texas was listed as the 141st safest city in the United States.

– Ridesharing

In a city like San Antonio, where a good portion of the population does not own a car, public transportation and rideshareing are popular ways to get around.

What are the popular ridesharing services in San Antonio?

• Leep
• Blacklane
• Carmel
• Jayride
• Lyft
• SuperShuttle 
• Taxis
• Talixo
• Uber
• Wingz

– EStar Repair Shops

An annoying situation:  you are driving, and your car breaks down. You have no idea where to take your car.

How about an E-Star Repair shop?

An E-Star Repair Shop is a repair facility labeled as top-quality for repairs and customer service.

For the data below we used the zip code 78201, the exact center of the city of San Antonio. We have included the top 10:

• Service King Ingram
• Service King Southside
• Caliber – San Antonio – San Pedro
• Service King Bandera
• Service King Broadway
• Service King Babcock
• Caliber – San Antonio – Culebra Express
• Caibler – San Antonio – IH-10
• Service King de Zavala
• Service King Perrin Beitel

– Weather

When it comes to weather, people do not consider this a factor when it comes to driving.

They should.

San Antonio is not an area known for snow, but every once in a while, something like this happens. It is rare, though.

When it comes to weather, all y’all in San Antonio seem to enjoy nice weather on average:

• Annual high temperature:  79.8 F
• Annual low temperature:  78.6 F
• Average temperature:  68.7 F
• Average Sunshine:  N/A
• Average annual precipitation:  32.91 inches

On average, San Antonio gets some kind of precipitation 83 days out of the year.

With good weather comes the bad, and it is important to be prepared when it comes to natural disasters.

While San Antonio is not on any major lists for natural disasters, it is important to be prepared, as Texas is part of what is called “Tornado Alley”.

 

– Public Transit

Public transport is popular in San Antonio.

But what are your options?

The most popular in San Antonio is VIA. They offer bus service, express bus service, vanpools, and park and ride (along with some other services).

– Parking in Metro Areas

Parking in downtown seems to be pretty easy. There are an estimated 26,453 parking spots in the urban core of San Antonio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny5dmV9jpfY

When it comes to meters and parking:

• Parking meters are free after 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday, and free all day on Sunday.
• A spot costs $2 and is an 11-minute walk to the Alamo.
• There is free parking during business hours at the Auditorium Circle.
• Downtown Tuesdays:  free parking after 5 p.m. at ANY city lot, garage, and meter.

There are 13 parking garages in San Antonio. All you have to do is look for the City of San Antonio Parking Logo.

There are also the options of riding a bike, a B-Cycle, VIA, taxi, or ridesharing.

– Air Quality in San Antonio

Larger cities tend to have poorer air quality than smaller cities.

According to the Air Quality for the Community Website run by the government of San Antonio:

San Antonio’s air doesn’t look dirty, but the truth is we have surpassed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) health-based clean air standards. We must work together to reduce pollution and clean up our air. Clean air benefits the entire community.

Poor air quality causes health damage such as lung damage (similar to smoking), heart attacks, strokes, bronchitis, lung cancer, and asthma attacks.

It is also costly for the economy.

According to the Alamo Area Council of Government’s Potential Cost of Nonattainment in the San Antonio Metropolitan Area report, Bexar County could face a $2.1 to $28.4 billion loss of gross regional product. Your business can help clean up our air and save money in the long run.

How is San Antonio helping to improve the air quality? According to the Air Quality for the Community Website:

COSA works with area partners to enact policies and programs that mitigate air pollution through regulation and voluntary action. In 2016, San Antonio and Bexar County passed anti-idling legislation for large trucks and buses. The City’s SA Tomorrow Sustainability Plan (adopted in 2016) and SA Climate Ready Plan outline desired Outcomes and Strategies in critical focus areas to keep the city’s natural resources, including clean air, healthy and available for all present and future residents. The award-winning public information campaign entitled “Breathe Today, SA Tomorrow” seeks to encourage all residents of our region to consider ways to reduce harmful emissions by working together.

Data from the Environmental Protection Agency show the following data from San Antonio in 2018, keeping in mind there are 365 days in a year:

• Days with good air quality:  251
• Days with moderate air quality:  103
• Days with unhealthy air for sensitive groups:  10
• Days with unhealthy air:  1

Military/Veterans in San Antonio

In this section, we will talk about the military and veteran population in the San Antonio area.

The three most common service periods for veterans in the San Antonio area are:

• Gulf War (2001 – present):  29,275
• Vietnam:  27,622
• Gulf War (1990s):  19,481

 

Here are the bases located in the city of San Antonio.

• Joint Base San Antonio
• Lackland Air Force Base
• Randolph Air Force Base
• Brooks City-Base
• Camp Bullis
• Martindale Army Air Field

If you are current or former military in San Antonio, good news. There are several insurance providers who have military discounts:

• Allstate
• Farmers
• Geico
• Liberty Mutual (you must be active duty)
• MetLife
• Safeco (for both active and retired)
• USAA (you, your spouse or your parents must be active or retired military to get USAA auto insurance)

Thank you for your service.

Unique City Laws

If you live in San Antonio, then you know it is illegal to urinate on the Alamo.

But what about other city laws?

– Hands-Free Laws

San Antonio law states that using a cell phone in ANY manner while driving is illegal. This took place on January 1, 2015, so it has been in effect for four years now.

State legislation already banned cell phone usage for those under the age of 18 and if you are driving through school zones.

– Food Trucks

Food trucks are only allowed at certain spots in San Antonio known as the Downtown Central Business District. To register your food truck with the city of San Antonio, you need to fill out an application.

– Tiny Homes

Want to live in a tiny home in San Antonio without breaking the law?

Here are the regulations:

• To qualify as tiny, the home needs to be 400 square feet or less.
• To see where you can park your tiny home, call the San Antonio planning and zoning department to ask about local ordinances.
• Your home needs to be up to code (plumbing, stairs, minimum ceiling height of 6 feet, 8 inches, emergency exits, and windows).

– Parking Restrictions and Laws

It is illegal to park in the following areas in San Antonio, according to the City of San Antonio website:

• in an intersection, on a sidewalk, crosswalk (marked or unmarked), or railroad track;
• in front of any driveway;
• within 15 ft of a fire hydrant;
• within 20 ft of a crosswalk (marked or unmarked);
• within 30 ft of a yield sign, stop sign, or traffic signal;
• double parking on a street.

There are also additional “No Parking Anytime Zones”:

• where traffic safety and/or traffic mobility goals make it necessary to prohibit parking;
• on residential streets where nearby commercial properties create a condition that leads motorists to park adjacent to nearby residential properties;
• in the immediate vicinity of intersections where parked vehicles have limited, to an unsafe degree, motorists’ visibility of approaching traffic;
• on residential streets where a petition has been received, signed by representatives of contiguous properties, including at least one corner lot.

San Antonio Car Insurance FAQ’s

Here are some of the car insurance questions that San Antonio citizens may have.

– How difficult is it to get around by car in San Antonio?

Remember the average commute in San Antonio is about 23 minutes. There are a lot of drivers, which equals a lot of traffic. But it is not as bad as New York City traffic.

– Do I even need a car in San Antonio?

No. If you do not want a car, there are alternate modes of transport, such as the VIA, B-Cycle, taxi, bicycles, or even walking.

– What is the minimum amount of car insurance I need in San Antonio?

You need at the very least the state requirements of 30/60/25. This translates to:

• $30,000 of bodily injury liability.
• $60,000 per accident.
• $25,000 of property damage.

– What if I want to travel to Mexico?

Your car insurance policy you purchased in San Antonio will NOT work in Mexico. Check with your insurance agent to see about coverage for your car while you are in Mexico.

– How does the weather affect driving in San Antonio?

The climate in San Antonio is humid and sub-tropical, with hot summers, wet springs and falls, and mild winters.

Thunderstorms are common in San Antonio, and rain-slicked roads can make driving treacherous.

We hope that this comprehensive guide for drivers in San Antonio, Texas, will help make your life easier.

Everything is bigger in Texas, true, but make sure you keep your driving in small limits. Stay safe.

Do you want to start comparing car insurance rates today? Use our FREE online tool now, all you need is your zip code to get started.