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

If you live in Garland or are thinking of moving to Garland, you need to be aware of what car insurance providers are available. Knowing who the best providers are can save you hundreds every year, letting you spend money on something you actually want.

Searching through car insurance providers can be confusing, though, which is where we come in. From rates to the best companies, we will break down important car insurance information for you, so that you can feel confident that you made the best choice possible.

You should also be aware of what the city is like. What is the crime rate? What are the best places to visit? Are there special driving laws in Garland?

Luckily, we cover all this and much more. So keep reading to learn everything you need to about living in and driving around Garland.

Want to start comparison shopping today? Enter your zip code in our FREE online tool above.

The Cost of Car Insurance in Garland

Car insurance is a legal requirement if you live in Texas, which means you will have to set aside money each month for car insurance if you own a vehicle.

Making these payments can be expensive, especially if you are paying more than you need to. The good news is that knowing what your car insurance options are can save you money.

To show you what car insurance costs in Garland and what your options are, we are going to go through everything from demographics to car insurance factors.

– Male vs. Female vs. Age

Gender and age play a bigger role in determining insurers’ rates than most people think. Let’s take a look at age first. Because insurers consider younger drivers to be inexperienced, insurers charge younger drivers more.

Elderly drivers will also see increases in rates, as insurers take factors like eyesight and decreased reaction time into consideration.

The median age in Garland is 34.5, which means that most drivers are recieving normal rates that aren’t increased because of age.

Let’s take a look at Quadrant’s data on how age impacts car insurance rates in Garland.

Drivers who are 60 years of age have the cheapest rates in Garland, whereas teenagers pay the most. Let’s now take a look at how gender influences rates in Garland.

• Male Average Premium: $4,435
• Female Average Premium: $4,189

Females receive slightly cheaper rates in Garland, which is a discrepancy present in most cities. Insurers consider males to be higher risk drivers, especially younger males.

Below, you can see how gender and age combine to determine rates.

As drivers age, their rates go down. You may have also noticed that females pay a few hundred less than males in all of the age groups.

– Cheapest Zip Codes in Garland

The area you live in is another factor that influences rates. Some areas in cities have higher crime rates, meaning insurers are taking more of a risk by insuring people in these areas.

Higher crime rates can lead to multiple stolen or vandalized vehicles, meaning insurers will have to pay out more claims.

Below are the cheapest zip codes in Garland.

The good news is that the difference between the most and least expensive zip codes on the list is less than a thousand dollars.

Since the cost differences between areas in Garland aren’t terrible, you can move around Garland without worrying too much about your rates.

– What’s the Best Car Insurance Company in Garland?

Finding the best car insurance company is difficult. Drivers all want to make sure that they aren’t paying more than they have to, but drivers also want to make sure that they are getting the best coverage for their money.

With this in mind, we are going to look at everything from the companies with the cheapest rates to factors that change rates (such as commute distances or driving records).

Let’s jump right into it.

– Cheapest Car Insurance Rate by Company

Below are the companies with the cheapest rates in Garland.

Don’t just pick the company with the cheapest overall rate. Take a look at each demographic to see how much you or others on your policy would pay, as the cheapest company’s costs for your demographic may be higher than other companies’ costs (even if the overall rate is lower).

– Best Car Insurance for Commute Rates

Commute distance can increase rates, though usually, the increase is under $200. Since we spend a lot of time driving each year, we want to make sure we aren’t paying too much more for insurance based on commute.

The average driver in Texas drives 15,533 miles a year, meaning most drivers will be categorized under a longer commute.

Take a look at the table below to see how much insurers increase rates based on a longer commute.

Allstate has an increase of over $300, which is much higher than other companies’ increases.

– Best Car Insurance for Coverage Level Rates

Upgrading to high coverage can sometimes seem like an unnecessary expense, but high coverage doesn’t have to strain your budget.

Below you will see a list of insurers’ coverage prices.

Most companies have economical price increases, which means you could upgrade to high coverage without overly straining your wallet.

– Best Car Insurance for Credit History Rates

Credit history is just as important to insurers as your driving history. A bad credit score tells insurers that the person is probably not going to be reliable about making monthly insurance payments.

Below, you can see that bad credit can significantly raise rates.

If you have a bad credit score, make sure to find a company where the rate changes aren’t as expensive.

– Best Car Insurance for Driving Record Rates

Driving record is another factor all insurance companies look at when determining rates. Your driving record tells insurers how risky you are to insure.

DUIs, speeding violations and accidents are all guaranteed to raise your rates. While speeding violations may not increase your rates with the first ticket, consecutive tickets will definitely make insurers consider you a higher risk driver.

– Car Insurance Factors in Garland

In addition to the factors we looked at above, factors like income and employment can also influence rates. Let’s jump right into other significant factors, such as incomes and poverty rates.

– Median Household Income

Let’s take a look at what percentage of average Garland residents’ income goes to car insurance by looking at Data USA’s information on income.

In Garland, the median household income is $55,637, which is just slightly less than Texas’s or the U.S.’s average incomes.

Since average Garland car insurance costs $6,282, most residents are spending 11.3 percent of their income on car insurance.

Of course, this number is just for the average income. Your percentage of income going to insurance could be higher or lower than this number based on how much you earn.

Want to find out what percentage of income you are paying towards car insurance? Check out our simple and free calculator below.

– Homeownership in Garland

Owning a home can help lower your insurance costs. Insurers generally consider homeowners to be more responsible (and therefore more reliable when making monthly payments).

Let’s take a look at the number of homeowners to renters in Garland.

 61.9 percent of Garland’s residents own a home. This percentage is slightly less than the national average of 63.9 percent homeownership.

Garland’s homeownership is a little low compared to the national average. Below, we’ve also included the median value of homes in Garland (Garland’s values are in red, the U.S.’s in gray).

The median value of a home in Garland is $132,600, which is less than most Texas homes. The good news, though, is that the value of Garland homes has gone up since 2016 (when the median value was $121,400).

– Education in Garland

Much as most of us don’t enjoy tests and studying, education is usually critical to success. That’s why we want to take a look at what higher education Garland has to offer.

Garland has the following universities and colleges (we’ve also included the numbers of degrees awarded in 2016).

Males consistently earn more than females, even if they have the same job. Below are the average salaries for males versus females in Garland.

• Male Average Salary: $64,953
• Female Average Salary: $45,959

The large difference in salaries means females are paying a greater percentage of their income to car insurance. While males are paying 9.6 percent of their income to car insurance, females are paying 13.6 percent.

Hopefully, this gap will level out over time.

– Poverty by Age and Gender

Just like the wage gap, poverty shows patterns in regard to age and gender.

The data shows that more adult females than adult males are in poverty in Garland. The largest demographic living in poverty is females age 25-34.

15.7 percent of Garland’s poverty-stricken residents also live below the poverty line, which is higher than the national average of 13.4 percent.

– Poverty by Race and Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity also have patterns in poverty in Garland.

The poorest race or ethnicity in Garland is Hispanics (20,967 people), followed by whites (18,744 people).

– Employment by Occupations

Every city features different job specialties. Below are Garland’s most common job groups.

1. Office and Administrative Support Occupations (16,392 people)
2. Sales and Related Occupations (12,516 people)
3. Construction and Extraction Occupations (9,704 people)

Driving in Garland

If you are new to a city, it can take you a while to learn all the routes and shortcuts. Until you are comfortable with driving around your home roads, navigating cities can be a little overwhelming.

Not only do you have to deal with traffic jams, but you may have to contend with construction and other annoyances.

That’s why we are going to go through everything from roads to traffic so you can feel prepared before hitting the roads.

– Roads in Garland

The state of the roads around you is important. Nobody wants to drive on highways riddled with potholes or pay tolls every time they cross a bridge on their way to work.

To see what state Garland’s roads are in, we are going to go through everything from major highways to red light cameras.

Keep reading to learn what to watch out for on Garland’s streets.

– Major Highways

The sprawling state of Texas has 25 active routes that contribute to 3,500 miles of roadway in Texas. The major interstates that run through Garland are listed below.

• I-635
• I-30

There are also other minor highways running through Garland, which make it easy to jump onto a route to get around or out of the city.

If you are driving on these main interstates, the unfortunate news is that you will likely run into toll roads. In fact, Texas is considering adding more toll roads to I-635 on the section of the highway near Garland.

This means Garland residents could be stuck paying more tolls to fund road renovations in the Garland area. The video below shows the plans for I-635 renovations.

https://youtu.be/xrfjYc-Ubr0

If you want an easier way to pay tolls than digging through the change in your cupholder, you can opt to purchase a TollTag. Drivers who buy a TollTag will have to pay an initial purchasing fee but will then only pay for tolls.

The good news is that TollTag users pay up to 50 percent less at toll roads, meaning they will save money in the long run.

– Popular Road Trips/Sites

Need something to do over the weekend? Garland has some fun places to visit if you are looking for a quick trip around the city.

If you are looking for something to do that will take you out of Garland for longer, there are plenty of fun trips to take.

• Haunted Road Trip — Enjoy a good spooky story? This haunted road trip will take you through battlegrounds and urban legends guaranteed to raise the hair on the back of your neck.
• Ghost Town Trip — Another spooky experience, this road trip will take you through Texas’s forgotten ghost towns.
• Small Town Road Trip — If you want to get out of the bustling city for a bit, check out this small town road trip.

Hopefully, you now have some ideas of fun trips to take around Garland.

– Garland Speeding and Red Light Cameras

While Garland doesn’t use speeding cameras, the city does have red light cameras. Red light cameras automatically record when drivers run a red light so that they can be ticketed.

The purpose behind this is to try and decrease intersection accidents, as drivers will be more likely to stop after they receive a few tickets.

Currently, though, Texas is reconsidering its red light cameras, which means Garland could get rid of its cameras in the future.

– Vehicles in Garland

Vehicles are vital to transportation today, which is why we are going to go through everything from car ownership to vehicle theft. So stick with us as we jump right into it.

– Household Cars in Garland

We’ve come a long way from when only the wealthiest and elite owned the newfangled contraption called a car. Today, most households own two cars, and Garland is no exception.

The next most popular number in Garland is ownership of three cars, though a surprising amount of households own five or more.

– Households Without a Car

We know that most households own two cars, but what percentage of households go without cars altogether?

The good news is that the percentage of households without cars actually decreased from 2015 to 2016. This means more households purchased cars during that time period.

– Speed traps in Garland

Nothing is worse than when you speed (even though you know you really shouldn’t) and see flashing lights behind you from a police officer that was tucked out of view of the road.

The good news is that Garland isn’t on the list for the top 10 worst speed traps in Texas.

This doesn’t mean that speed traps don’t exist in Garland, it just means that there won’t be a cop around every corner. Still, the best policy is to not speed in the first place to avoid an expensive ticket.

– Vehicle Theft in Garland

With so multiple Garland homes owning two or more cars, there is always the risk of vehicle theft.

According to the FBI’s 2013 report, 647 vehicles were stolen in Garland city.

Neighborhood Scout reported higher numbers years later, with 811 vehicles stolen in 2017. So what neighborhood is the safest place to be in Garland?

According to Neighborhood Scout, the safest neighborhood in Garland is Naaman.

Other safe neighborhoods include the following.

• W Brand Rd/Queenswood Ln
• E Centerville Rd/S Country Hill Rd
• N Shiloh Rd/Lookout Dr
• Callejo Rd/Collins Blvd
• Castle Dr/Northeast Pky
• Bobtown Rd/Lyons Rd
• Zion Rd/Waterhouse Blvd
• O Banion Rd/W Centerville Rd
• Route 66/E Centerville Rd

Neighborhood Scout determined these neighborhoods to be the safest in Garland, which means you have less of a chance of your car being stolen or vandalized.

In Garland, though, you do have a one in 318 chance of being the victim of a violent crime. The good news is that this chance is lower than in overall Texas, where your chance is one in 288.

Garland does have a crime index rating of 14, though, meaning that Garland is only safer than 14 percent of U.S. cities. Considering the high number of cities in the U.S., this number isn’t fantastic.

To give us a better idea of Garland’s crime rates, let’s take a look at Garland’s annual crimes.

Overall, Garland had 7,945 crimes happen in 2017.

– Traffic

Traffic can be a nightmare, especially in cities. To see what Garland’s traffic is like, we are going to go through everything from traffic congestion to road safety.

– Traffic Congestion in Garland

The good news is that Garland didn’t make it onto any major traffic scorecards. This means that compared to other cities in Texas, such as Austin or Dallas, Garland has significantly less traffic.

This doesn’t mean traffic isn’t still a problem, but you won’t spend hours sitting in traffic in Garland.

– Transportation

The first aspect of transportation we want to look at is commute time. The average resident in Garland spends 27.6 minutes traveling to or from work, meaning they spend almost an hour a day commuting.

This is more than the U.S. average commute time, which is 25.1 minutes. This may not seem like a terrible time increase, but a few minutes saved every day can add up.

So how are most people getting to work each day?

Most people in Garland drive alone, though a number do commute or use public transit.

– How Safe are Garland’s Streets and Roads?

Safety should always be a concern when getting behind a wheel. To see how safe Garland’s roads are, we are going to look at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) data on fatalities on Garland’s streets.

Below are Garland’s total fatal crashes over the years in the counties it is located in (Garland is mostly in Dallas County, with a small portion in Collin County and Rockwall County).

Dallas County, which contains most of Garland, also has the most fatal crashes out of all the counties. Up next, we want to include fatalities that are caused by some of the biggest accident factors (drinking, speeding, etc.).

Collin County’s fatalities and the major causes are listed below.

Below is Dallas County’s fatality data, which once again is much higher than the other counties Garland occupies.

Finally, we have Rockwall County’s fatality data, which is lower than both Dallas County and Collin County’s rates.

Combined, the three counties make up an alarming number of fatalities for the Garland area. Below you will also see the data on fatalities for both vehicle occupants and pedestrians.

So which highways are the most dangerous to drive on? According to NHTSA, the following highways see the most crashes in Texas.

An arterial road is simply a high traffic highway and can be a main or minor arterial depending on the amount of traffic. A collector arterial takes local traffic and deposits it near a main or minor arterial road.

Finally, we want to take a look at US DOT’s data on railroad and highway crash incidents.

All of Garland’s railroad and highway crashes occurred in the Dallas County area, as shown by the table above.

– Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report

Let’s take a look at Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report to see how well Garland residents drive.

The average time between claims is 6.4 to 8.4 years, which means the average driver gets into an accident every six to eight years. Of course, claims could also be because of damages caused outside of an accident (such as vandalism).

– Ridesharing

If you don’t want to deal with parking or taking public transit, a ridesharing option may be for you. Below are the multiple rideshare options in Garland, in order from least to most expensive.

• Uber — If you chose a rideshare option like Uber X, you will receive cheaper rates. We should note, though, that luxury Uber rides will cost more with each upgrade.
• Lyft — Like Uber, Lyft has cheaper rates as long as you don’t upgrade to premium options. If you do, it will end up costing more than a taxi or cab ride.
• Taxi — A taxi in Garland will cost less than premium Uber and Lyft options, though the rates are more expensive than other basic ridesharers.
• Curb — A traditional taxi system, Curb costs more than other rideshare options in Garland.

By shopping around for rates, you can lower your transportation costs the next time you go out with friends.

– EStar Repair Shops

Esurance rates repair shops through their EStar program in order to help people find a quality repair shop. Below is a list of the main EStar repair shops near Garland.

So the next time you need a repair, check out EStar shops to make sure you are getting the best service possible.

– Weather

Winter blues are practically non-existent in Texas, where it rarely snows and most days see sunshine. To see how the weather in Garland compares, we are going to look at Garland’s general weather data.

Even in the dead of winter, Garland’s average temperature is 35 Farainehiet. While Garland does see a bit of rain throughout the year, average annual snowfall is one inch (which amounts to just a small dusting of snow on your car a few times a year).

Natural disasters in Garland are another important part of weather analysis. Garland’s total number of natural disasters is 19, which is higher than the US average of 13.

Some of the natural disasters Garland has experienced include storms, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and fires.

Since Garland is more prone to natural disasters, if you own a car in Garland you may want to consider purchasing comprehensive coverage. This coverage will help pay for damages caused by natural disasters as well as damages from theft or vandalism.

– Public Transit

The downtown area of Garland has DART, a public bus transit system. Prices are listed below.

• Single Ride — $2.50
• AM/PM Pass (less than all day) — $3
• Day Pass — $6 (local) or $12 (regional)

DART no longer offers monthly passes, but customers can purchase a GoPass tap card instead for ease of payment.

– Alternate Transportation

Currently, Garland does not offer Lime (a popular bike and scooter rental) or Bird (a scooter rental). These companies charge a small fee for the rental and then charge by the minute.

Because these companies are expanding to other cities in Texas (such as Dallas), though, there is a possibility they could come to Garland in the future.

– Parking in Metro Areas

Parking in cities can be a hassle, which is why we are going to go through everything from street parking to satellite parking. Garland has plenty of free parking lots and spots in the city, but drivers must follow the rules in city areas by NOT parking in the following areas.

• In front of postal service mailboxes
• On sidewalks
• In an intersection
• On a crosswalk
• In front of a public/private driveway
• Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
• Within 20 feet of a crosswalk
• Within 30 feet of a stop sign

Parking in these areas will likely result in a ticket.

Rather than trying to illegally squeeze into a street parking area, you could also check out parking decks in Garland. While some are free (usually with a time limit), you will probably have to pay a parking fee at most garages.

Do you have an electric vehicle or are thinking or buying one? If so, you will need to be aware of where charging stations are in the city. The good news is that Garland has a total of 125 charging stations within 15km of the city.

Almost half of these charging stations are free, meaning you’ll save money on charging.

As for satellite parking, this type of parking is usually offered at airports and hotels near the airports. Since Garland doesn’t have an airport, you will most likely find satellite parking only at the Dallas airport area.

– Air Quality in Garland

Scientists invented electric vehicles for a reason. Electric vehicles produce fewer emissions that contribute to smog and other harmful air pollutants, unlike your standard gas-run car.

Bad air quality can lead to significant health problems, as pollutants negatively impact the organs in the body.

That’s why we are going to look at EPA’s air quality study to see how Garland’s cars have impacted the air that residents breath every day. Because Garland is mainly situated in Dallas County, we’ve excluded Rockwall and Collin Counties (where only a tiny portion of Garland resides).

Unfortunately, Garland’s air quality declined over the years. In 2017, there were three days labeled as unhealthy (compared to zero the years before).

Military/Veterans

Car insurance can be confusing. Even more so for military and veterans, who are eligible for discounts at most providers but may not be aware of it.

That’s why we are going to go through everything you need to know about military personnel and veterans in Garland, from service periods to USAA’s rates.

Hopefully, we can make military car insurance in Garland less confusing, so stick with us because we are going to jump right into it.

– Veterans by Service Period

Do you know where most Garland veterans served?

Most Garland veterans served in Vietnam, with 3,496 Vietnam veterans living in Garland. The Gulf Wars are also common service periods in Garland.

– Military Bases Within an Hour

There are multiple military bases around Garland, but only one base is within an hour of Garland.

The Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth is a large air force base that employees over 11,000 people.

While this is the closest base to Garland, there are additional military bases within five hours of Garland.

– Military Discounts by Providers

Most providers will offer military personnel and their families discounts on car insurance. To see what companies offer military discounts, check out the list below.

*USAA also offers a military garaging discount.

Remember that these are a list of providers who have known discounts. Other providers in Texas may also offer military discounts, so make sure to ask around at local providers.

– USAA in Garland

USAA provides insurance only to military personnel and their families. USAA is known for its great discounted rates, which are much cheaper than other providers.

Below is USAA’s rates in Texas compared to other competitors.

USAA is almost 60 percent less than the national average, which is a significant amount. While other companies’ rates are also below the national average, USAA is by far the cheapest.

If you aren’t military personnel, make sure to check out insurers that are below the national average, as well as insurers with the lowest rates for your demographic.

Unique City Laws

Do you know all the city laws you need to? City laws can be confusing, and sometimes people don’t learn of a city-specific parking or driving law until they’ve broken it.

We are going to go through all of Garland’s unique city laws to help you avoid a ticket and be confident on Garland’s roads.

So stay with us, because we are going to cover everything from distracted driving laws to parking laws in Garland.

– Hands-Free Law

In the state of Texas, there is a law against cellphone use while driving.

Hand-Held Ban	Young Drivers All Cellphone Ban	Texting Ban	Enforcement
Drivers in school crossing zones/on public school property (during the time the reduced speed limit applies)	Drivers younger than 18	All drivers	Primary

Primary enforcement means that an officer can pull you over and ticket you for being on your cellphone. Garland doesn’t have stricter laws on this, which means it is following Texas’s overall law on cellphone use.

As well, texting doesn’t just mean sending a quick text. Anything that requires sending a body of words (such as an email) counts as texting and will result in a ticket.

– Food Trucks

If you want to run a food truck in Garland, you will need to make sure you have all the proper food permits. Garland has different levels of standards for food preparation (such as vendors who sell prepackaged food versus food prepared on site).

Before selling out of your food truck, you will need to make sure you file all the proper permits and follow the rules for your level.

You will also need to make sure you park in the proper areas (such as not blocking intersections or fire hydrants).

– Tiny Home

The tiny home trend has become so popular that TV shows are now dedicated to tiny home shopping. If you own a tiny home in Garland, you will have to follow the same rules for mobile homes.

This means that if you want to permanently park somewhere, you will have to either park in a mobile home park or get the proper permits if you want to live on private land.

For example, you will have to provide proof of utilities if you park in a backyard (as well as follow local zoning ordinances).

– Parking Laws

While it may be tempting to snatch up a spot on the street before someone else does, you need to make sure you are still following the parking laws.

Basically, this means you can’t pull into a spot on the other side of the street, or you will be charged with wrong direction parking. Why?

Because if you park in the wrong direction, you will have to pull out into ONCOMING traffic to exit the spot. This is dangerous for both you and other drivers.

You also can’t reserve spots on streets, as street parking is on a first come, first served basis. Some parking garages may allow you to reserve a spot ahead of time, though.

Garland Car Insurance FAQs

If you still have questions about car insurance in Garland, stick with us. It can be confusing when moving to a new city, and the last thing you want is to run into issues when driving around the city.

That’s why we are going to take you through some of the main questions people have about Garland car insurance, as well as questions about living in the city.

Let’s jump right into it.

• What happens if I get into an accident in Garland? Texas is an at-fault state. This means that if you get into an accident in Garland, whoever caused the accident will be responsible for paying all the accident costs. If you caused the accident, you will have to pay the other driver’s expenses and vice versa.
• What insurance should I have in Garland? You will need to have Texas’s minimum liability insurance, but you should also consider having comprehensive coverage because of Garland’s natural disasters. You may also want Medpay, which will cover the costs of your medical bills in an accident.
• What is there to do in Garland? Garland is known for manufacturing, meaning you could visit a cowboy hat factory and get a hat straight from the source! There are also plenty of beautiful parks and city attractions to visit on your day off.
• How safe is Garland? Any city has risks. Neighborhood Scout’s data (collected from the FBI) says that Garland has a similar crime rate to cities of the SAME size, but when compared to all sizes of cities, Garland has more crime than 86 percent of Texas’s cities. This means that in Garland, you have a slightly above average rate of being a crime victim.
• What are the main foreign languages spoken in Garland? The most popular foreign languages spoken in Garland are Spanish or Spanish Creole (76,193 speakers), Vietnamese (10,775 speakers), and African languages (2,920 speakers).
• What do I need to do for my car when moving to Garland, Tx? If you are new to Texas, you will need to register your car and get a new driver’s license. You will also need to make sure you have Texas’s required insurance.

Now that this comprehensive guide has shown you what driving and living in Garland is like, you are ready to hit the streets.

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