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

Where Freedom Grows.

It’s the motto of Killeen, a small city in the central, semi-arid plains of Texas, where daily life goes hand-in-hand with one of the largest military outposts in the world: Fort Hood.

Driven by Fort Hood’s economy, its soldiers, and the weather and wanes of military conflicts, Killeen grew from a small farming outpost to a city with over 100,000 people.

Today, K-Town (as Killeen is referred to by residents) has some unique features:

• Beautiful cliff jumping off the Stillhouse Hollow Lake Cliffs
• Short driving distance to the Central Texas State Fair
• A get drunk on wine and paint studio

However, there is one thing Killeen residents have experienced just like the rest of us: The confusing nature of car insurance.

Premiums, hard braking incidents, add-ons, riders…

Killeen residents have experienced it all.

If you’re here, you are probably looking for insurance for yourself or a family member.

And you may know: There’s a lot of conflicting information.

It is very technical.

You may have gotten a headache from research, or wanted to punch a hole in the wall.

We get it.

We understand your pain.

Here, in this car insurance guide for Killeen, TX, we aim to take the nomenclature of car insurance—all those technical terms—and boil it down.

We want this guide to be simple and thorough—your one-stop shop for all your car insurance needs in Killeen, TX.

Covered topics include coverages, companies, driving, traffic, theft, and much more.

By the end, you’ll have a wealth of information about car insurance.

Start your engines.

Here we go.

Ready to compare rates? Try our FREE online tool!

The Cost of Car Insurance in Killeen

Have you ever opened your car insurance bill and gone—how did my company get that rate?

We understand.

The factors that go into an insurance company’s decision when they set your rates are numerous and confusing.

• How does my age fit into my car insurance rate?
• What about my gender?
• Does my zip code make a difference?

In this section, we strive to answer those while providing a little background: Why insurance companies look at these factors, and even what the current climate is surrounding them.

– Male vs Female vs Age

Whether you are male or female or a certain age affects your rates.

Everyone knows the story of the 17-year-old male whose rates are near $10,000 and the big drops he experiences as he ages.

Here, there’s nearly a $6,000 drop from 17-year-olds to 25-year-olds.

There’s a $600 drop from 25-year-olds to 35-year-olds.

Insurance companies believe that as you get older, you are less inclined to take risks, such as speeding or cutting people off.

They also take into account experience, believing you drive better as you get older.

This is true for whether you are a man or a woman, though women generally receive less costly rates.

• Male average premium: $3,375.97
• Female average premium: $3,190.31

In Killeen, men pay about $180 for car insurance on average.

Men are generally seen as riskier drivers, and there is some evidence to back this up.

In its 2017 Gender Fatalities study, the IIHS said:

Men typically drive more miles than women and more often engage in risky driving practices including not using safety belts, driving while impaired by alcohol, and speeding.

Men certainly may be more dangerous drivers, but ironically women pay more for car insurance in 25 states.

However, some states are banning the practice of using gender to set rates altogether.

Your marital status also plays a role.

Insurance companies believe that someone being married makes them more stable financially, more responsible, more likely to make payments.

When all factors are combined, a married 60-year-old woman has the lowest rates

There, however, is not much of a difference in rates between her and her male counterpart.

Or between the 35-year-old married males or females either.

– Cheapest Zip Codes in Killeen

When insurance companies look at setting rates, what zip code you’re in plays a role.

The reason is that where you live might be associated with an increased number of claims, accidents, or tickets.

This will drive your rates up as you have a statistically higher likelihood of dealing with these issues compared to if you lived in a safer location.

This is true even if you’re not at-fault in the accident or other situation.

It’s difficult, as sometimes a move down the street will result in $400 more dollars to your premium.

Fortunately, in Killeen, that’s not the case.

The car insurance rates per zip code stay within $200 of each other.

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

Of course, much of this depends on the company you’re going with.

USAA. Allstate. GEICO. State Farm. Progressive. American Family. Nationwide.

In this section, we cover everything from the cheapest car insurance rates by company, to how your rates look according to:

• Commute
• Coverage level
• Credit history
• Driving record

How they vary can sometimes be tricky, which is why we explain each section in detail.

– Cheapest Car Insurance Rates by Company

Insurance companies are more expensive or less expensive depending on numerous factors.

These include the cost of doing business and the projected number of claims they anticipate, among other factors.

Scroll here horizontally to see the full chart.

USAA ($2,202.42) is the lowest cost insurance company, while State Farm ($2,678.96) and Geico ($2,718.86) aren’t far behind.

Nationwide ($3,039.60) and Progressive ($3,734.42) are in the middle.

American Family ($4,281.63) and Allstate ($4,975.95) are the most expensive.

There isn’t much of a difference—$2,700—from the lowest (USAA) to the highest (Allstate) compared to other cities.

Some cities see a $4,000 to $5,000 difference between the highest and the lowest.

– Best Car Insurance for Commute Rates

Some insurance companies factor in commute rate (or annual mileage) to set rates.

The reason is that the longer you drive, the more likely you are to get into an accident, get a ticket, file a claim.

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However, some companies don’t.

Of our seven major insurance companies in Killeen, only Allstate, GEICO, and USAA adjust rates by commute distance.

The largest difference is Allstate ($200) while GEICO and USAA are around $100 or lower.

Four companies—American Family, Progressive, Nationwide, and State Farm—don’t adjust rates.

– Best Car Insurance for Coverage Level Rates

How much coverage you decide to get also plays a role in rates.

This is because coverage levels often determine how much an insurance company will pay in the advent of an accident.

To get an idea:

The minimum insurance required in Texas to drive is 30/60/25:

• $30,000 for the injuries of one person
• $60,000 for the injuries of more than one person
• $25,000 for property damage

This is called liability insurance.

As the Texas Department of Insurance writes:

[This] Automobile insurance protects you financially by paying the other driver’s car repair and medical bills if you cause an accident.

It doesn’t cover damage to your car.

Essentially, the more coverage you have, the more protected you are.

In these cases, there isn’t a huge price difference between high coverage and low coverage.

The biggest difference is for American Family, with a change of about $600 between the high and low coverages.

The difference between the high coverage and the low coverage could be how much (in terms of dollars) your plan will cover.

It could also be due to additional insurances:

• Collision insurance
• Comprehensive insurance
• Underinsured/Uninsured motorist insurance
• Emergency roadside assistance
• Classic car insurance

And there are many more.

– Best Car Insurance for Credit History Rates

Insurance companies use credit history as a way to determine if you will pay your premiums, hence the higher rates for people with poor credit histories.

The difference between poor credit history and good credit history is often over $2,500, a steep price to pay.

For those with a poor credit history, Progressive has the smallest difference, about $800.

– Best Car Insurance for Driving Record Rates

Getting a speeding ticket, DUI, or into an accident can increase your rates significantly.

Insurance companies not only look at that specific incident but also calculate the likelihood that that incident will happen again.

There’s a spread between the lowest average company (USAA) and the highest (Allstate) of about $3,000.

Here are the most forgiving companies according to infraction:

• Speeding tickets: State Farm, American Family, and Allstate (no change in customer rates)
• Accidents: Nationwide (no change in customer rates)
• DUIs: GEICO (+$200) and American Family (+500)

In general, a speeding ticket is the least expensive transaction—$240 jump on average.

A DUI is the most expensive infraction but not by much—just $130 over an accident.

These are all for one offense, from a clean record perspective.

It is possible to go higher in the number of offenses or have combined expenses (a DUI with a speeding and accident charge).

However, if you have a charge already on your record and want to go with the cheapest, USAA, State Farm, and American Family are the most forgiving.

– Car Insurance Factors in Killeen

Age, gender, marital status, commute rates…

These all impact insurance.

But there are other factors as well.

Where we live, what our city’s prosperity is like, whether we’re a homeowner, and more all affect insurance rates.

This section covers those topics and more.

Rev it up.

– Median Household Income

One of the signs of a city’s prosperity is the median household income of its residents.

A higher median household income leads to more disposable income.

This can be used to put back into the local economy.

Further, we here at texaxcarinsurance.com look at household income for an important statistic: premium as a percentage of income.

This statistic shows how much you spend on car insurance as a percentage of what you make.

The median household income for residents of Killeen is $48,898, with the largest categories between $50,000 and $100,000.

Because the average car insurance premium is $4,973.93, percentage of income Killeen residents are spending on car insurance is 10.17 percent.

That’s average, as seen compared to other cities.

Killeen residents pay on average:

• A lower premium as a percentage of income compared to nearby Fort Hood
• A higher premium as a percentage of income compared to nearby Temple.

McAllen is somewhat of an outlier; It is similar in size to Killeen but much further south, near the Texas-Mexico border.

They pay a much higher percentage of their income on premiums.

Keeping in mind all of this when we look at poverty statistics and different wages:

Premiums as a percentage of income fluctuate dramatically depending on the level of income.

To determine yours, plug your income and premium into this calculator:

CalculatorPro

– Homeownership in Killeen

Homeownership can influence your rates, lowering them.

Homeownership, to insurance companies, makes a person seem:

• More responsible
• More financially secure
• More likely to make payments
• Less likely to engage in risky driving behavior.

Using homeownership, however, to factor rates is somewhat controversial and can lead to bloating of rates in places like Detroit.

Says Rashida Tlaib (U.S. Representative):

Auto insurance rates should be determined by your driving record, not your credit score, gender, marital status, education, residence, or any other non-driving factor that has nothing to do with your safety on the roads

But for now, it stands.

Not owning a home hurts: You’re seen as less responsible and less financially secure.

The median property value for 2017 in Killeen was $121,900, up from $118,400 in 2016.

That’s lower than:

• Bell County ($137,100)
• Texas ($151,500)
• The United States ($193,500)

A sign of the strength of the economy in a city is also rent-to-own: The more owners there are, the more equity is built into a city.

In 2017, 45.1 percent of houses were occupied by their owners, down from 46.4 percent in 2016.

That’s lower than:

• Bell County (54.8 percent)
• Texas (62 percent)
• The United States (63.8 percent)

This low number may be due to Fort Hood, which likely has more people in transition than a typical area.

– Education in Killeen

There are two main post-secondary schools in Killeen:

• Texas A&M University-Central Texas (founded 1999)
• Central Texas College (founded 1965)

DataUSA.io took a look at the statistics from Texas A&M Central and broke them down by concentration and degrees awarded.

In Killeen, Texas A&M Central awarded 771 degrees in 2016.

The bachelor’s concentrations were spread out significantly:

• General business administration and management (13 percent)
• Other multidisciplinary studies (12.6 percent)
• Liberal arts and sciences (11.4 percent)
• General psychology (10.3 percent)

Computer science, criminal justice, and social work follow next.

The master’s concentrations are not as spread out but still contain considerable variety:

• General business administration and management (32.3 percent)
• Mental health counseling (11.9 percent)
• General educational leadership and administration (9.6 percent)
• Information science (9 percent)

There is a strong focus on administration and management, whether business or educational in Killeen.

When it comes to education, there is an easy reason:

Killeen is home to the largest school district between Round Rock and Dallas, with 32 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, and four high schools.

– Wage by Race and Ethnicity in Common Jobs

Wages influence how much a person pays per premium as a percentage of income (PaPI).

And wages can vary widely, even within the same position.

And it is known that wage disparities between races continue to exist.

Here, there is a large difference between the leading moneymakers (miscellaneous managers) and the trailing moneymakers (cashiers).

But even within miscellaneous managers, there is a large difference at the top (Asians; $107,939) and the bottom (Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander; $46,959).

The difference in their premiums as percentages of income are significant:

• Asians (as miscellaneous managers): 4.61 percent
• Native Hawaiian: 10.59 percent

The gap between the most earning and the least earning races narrows a bit for the second category—driver/sales workers & truck drivers.

There, the difference in income is about $14,000 and the difference in PaPI is 5 percent.

For elementary and middle school teachers, the difference between the highest-earning race and lowest-earning race is $8,000.

The difference between those PaPIs is 2.5 percent.

– Wage by Gender in Common Jobs

Gender is another category where there are known wage disparities. For instance:

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research showed that women made only 80.5 cents to every dollar the men made in 2017.

In Killeen, this is no different.

Males lead in every category, including for elementary and middle school teachers, which is a female-dominated profession.

• The average male salary (all categories): $64,953
• The average female salary: $45,959

Taking a look at three categories, the disparity, both in terms of pay and PaPI, is large.

There is a $30,000 discrepancy for miscellaneous managers, $5,000 for elementary and middle school teachers, and $17,000 for retail salespersons.

The largest difference in PaPI comes from retail salespersons, with 5.5 percent difference in the amount of income each gender pays for their premiums.

– Poverty by Age and Gender

13.9 percent of people in Killeen live below the poverty line (as of 2017), which is right near the national average of 13.4 percent.

In terms of cars and car insurance, people living below the poverty line often struggle with mobility, not owning cars and needing to take public transport.

They also struggle against circumstantial factors that influence car insurance rates, such as:

• Employment status
• Credit history
• Residence

These can cause an uptick in insurance rates, especially when all combined.

The largest group living in poverty in Killeen are women between the ages of 25 and 34, followed by two groups of children:

• Females under five years of age
• Males between six and eleven years of age

In most categories before 18 years of age, more males are in poverty than females.

After, females have the largest poverty share at any age, including sizeable disparities between age 18 and age 44.

– Poverty by Race and Ethnicity

When it comes to looking at poverty by race and ethnicity, it’s important to know the racial background of the city.

According to the World Population Review, the population breakdown is:

• White: 44.42 percent
• Black or African American: 37.05 percent
• Two or more races: 6.49 percent
• Other race: 5.49 percent
• Asian: 3.99 percent
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 1.49 percent
• Native American: 1.06 percent

Between whites and blacks, the city is fairly close together compared to others.

There are some minorities (other than black) but their population sizes aren’t large.

Blacks are disproportionately represented in the poverty graph compared to whites, which is not surprising:

Blacks have one of the highest poverty rates among races.

The others are near or below 5 percent (Hispanic is an ethnicity, meaning they can identify with races like white or black as well).

– Employment by Occupations

From 2016 to 2017, employment in Killeen grew 5.76 percent from 52,400 employees to 55,400 employees.

Some of the most common jobs were:

• Office and Administrative Support Occupations (10,188 people)
• Sales and Related Occupations (5,611)
• Management Occupations (4,165)

Some of the most specialized were:

• Law Enforcement Workers (including Supervisors) (1,342)
• Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (3,043)
• Transportation Occupations (2,725)

The highest-paying jobs were the medical, computer, or engineering occupations for an average salary of around $52,000.

Driving in Killeen

Now, we’ve gone over coverages, companies, and factors insurance companies use to determine rates.

But you may be wondering: What about all the nuts and bolts—the highways, the red light cameras, the vehicle theft?

That information can be tough to find.

It may be confusing when you do find it.

We understand—and got you covered.

In Driving in Killeen, we’ll cover everything from those three topics mentioned above to road conditions, traffic fatalities, ridesharing, and more.

We’re going around bend number two.

– Roads in Killeen

There are four parts to every successful road trip:

• What roads you’re taking
• Where you’re going to
• What the conditions of the roads are
• And are there any cameras that can make your post-road trip less pleasant

But all that planning can give someone a headache.

That’s why we’ve put together the next four sections—to cover all that and make sure your road trip (or any trip) is successful.

– Major Highways

For your next road trip, learning the interstates is important.

There are four that run directly through Killeen.

Total, they amass more than 935 miles in the United States.

Fortunately, none of these are toll roads.

However, Texas has 25 toll roads through the state, the largest amount for a state in the country. You may encounter one as you’re traveling.

So, what do you do when you do?

You have four total options:

• Three tags
• One license plate reader

The first is called TxTag.

As they write on their website:

TxTag works like a prepaid phone card or gift card. With a TxTag account, you prepay your tolls. You can easily check your toll expenses and account balance or make payments to your account online or by phone.

They send you a tag, which is placed on the windshield behind the rearview mirror.

When you pass through the toll, an electronic reader scans the tag, then deducts the payment out of your prepaid account.

TxTag works for select toll roads in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.

The second is called TollTag.

It is given by the North Texas Highway Authority. It works just like the TxTag—a tag connected to an account preloaded with money.

You drive through the toll and the payment is deducted.

The third is EZ Tag, which works the same way as the other two.

It works in Harris County and everywhere the others are used.

Lastly, if this is too complicated or confusing (and it can be), you can just use ZipCash,

In this case, there is no tag. The reader just takes a picture of your license plate at the toll section and sends you a bill.

– Popular Road Trips/Sites

Here are four popular road trip destinations for your next trip:

• Waco, Texas: Known for the Dr. Pepper Museum and the hometown of the stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper, Waco has a lot more to offer than intrigue and oddities. Whether it’s touring Baylor University, visiting the Waco Mammoth National Monument, or browsing the items in the Magnolia Market, there is a little something for everyone.

• Galveston, Texas: A coastal resort town on the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston has 32 miles of beaches and a temperature climate—perfect for year-round beach activities. It also has a great deal of history, as the first European settlement of Galveston came from a French pirate. With a burgeoning arts scene and historic districts, Galveston brings the party, day and night.

• McKinley Falls State Park: Opened in 1976, McKinley Falls State Park is just a little outside of Austin and good for anyone who wants to get away from the city life. With 641 acres, 80 campsites, and the Onion Creek, McKinley has opportunities for every outdoors person, including bird watching, fishing, hiking, and biking.

• Enchanted Rock State Natural Area: Located near Fredericksburg, Texas, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is one of the largest rock formations in the United States and features a massive pink granite dome. Climb it, and you’ll have a pristine view of the countryside. The other rocks are worth checking out too and it’s a good spot for bird-watching.

– Road Conditions

If you’ve ever driven down a city road and gotten a flat tire, you know how costly poor road conditions can be.

And while it is a $200 bill for a flat tire, it could be an accident in the future.

While the majority of roads in Killeen are good, 42 percent are either mediocre or poor.

Often good roads can deteriorate into poor roads due to weather or wear and tear.

A poor road is defined as a road:

• With clear zone issues (such as an object, like a fallen utility pole, obstructing part of the roadway)
• Shoulder drop-off (where the drop-off from the shoulder is two inches from the white line or less)
• Wheel ruts (places in the asphalt where your car’s tires will jam into a rut, causing imbalance)
• Positive guidance (poorly painted lines or broken or missing signs on the side of the road)

Often, a road that is in poor condition can lead to serious accidents, resulting in lawsuits.

Fortunately, 42 percent of Killeen’s roads are good.

– Does Your City Use Speeding or Red Light Cameras?

The short answer: No.

In late June of 2019, the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed into law a ban on red-light cameras.

Most of the cities and municipalities in Texas discontinued them.

However, Killeen was ahead of the game.

Struck by a lawsuit in 2017 over the red light cameras, the city of Killeen declined to renew their contract with Redflex, the company that operated the cameras.

This, even though the city had earned a reported $1.4 million between 2010 and 2014 from tickets.

Why might they have done so?

There are many issues regarding the efficacy of red light cameras.

Red-light cameras have been known across the US for generating bogus tickets, and some even believe they are unconstitutional.

For Killeen, the answer was more basic:

Citizens were upset because they were getting ticketed for red light violations when someone else was driving their vehicle.

– Vehicles in Killeen

Vehicles get us around, help us commute to work, go to the gym, hit up the grocery store, and more.

They are indispensable in many cities in the country, where there is limited public transport and urban sprawl has increased the size of cities.

But you may have trouble finding the statistics for important questions:

• How many cars are there per household?
• How many households are without a car?
• How likely is my car to be stolen?

We’ve got you covered. We have answers to those questions and more.

– How Many Cars Per Household

The statistics breakdown:

• 47.6 percent of households in Killeen own two cars
• 25.5 percent own one car
• 17.4 percent own three cars.

Overall, car ownership has been rising across the country ever since the end of the Great Recession.

In 2018, the average household had an average of nearly two cars, with each person averaging about .766.

– Households Without a Car

6.2 percent of households in Killeen were without cars in 2016, down from 6.3 percent in 2015.

The rate of vehicles per household in Killeen for 2016 (1.79) was significantly less than the national average (1.97).

There may be situational reasons for this number, including:

How many households are under the poverty line, the relatively youthful age of Killeen residents, and the low median household income.

These all can be factors in the number of vehicles owned per household.

– Speed Traps in Your City

Is there anything worse than driving down a street, humming along to music, putting your foot on the gas, only to see a cop with a radar gun lurking in a ditch?

Speed traps are annoying and cost you money.

How do you find them?

SpeedTrap.org is a site that allows users to submit speed traps, then have them verified or discredited by other users.

The good news: Killeen is not listed in their top 10 worst cities for speed traps in Texas.

The bad news: There are still four pages worth of speed traps on the site.

Some include:

• Southbound on N. 38 Street, Killeen, TX
• W. S. young exit West bound 190
• 190 W exit for Sleuter.
• Eastbound 190 1/2 mile before Harker Heights

These speed traps are a little bit dated.

However, cities generally don’t change.

And neither do the speed traps.

– Vehicle Theft in Killeen

Getting your vehicle stolen can be a stressful experience, even if you’re not in the car.

Knowing what areas of town are safe and what the statistics behind motor vehicle theft (and crime in general) can help.

These numbers come from Neighborhood Scout, which uses FBI data from the 2017 calendar year.

Killeen had 567 motor vehicle thefts in 2017, with a rate (3.9) much higher than the national average (2.37).

The safest neighborhoods are:

• Hood Rd / Central Ave
• Kiowa Ct / Tonkawa Ct
• Santee Ct / Shawnee Ct
• Reese Creek Rd / Yates Rd
• McNair Village
• Maxdale / Youngsport
• Schwald Rd / Polk St
• Chaffee Village
• E Stagecoach Rd / Mountain Lion Rd
• Hughes St / Cutler St

Overall, there were nearly 5,300 crimes committed in Killeen in 2017, with a 4:1 ratio from property crimes to violent crimes.

In Killeen, you have an 8 in 1000 chance of being a victim of violent crime and (roughly) 29 in 1000 chance of being a victim of property crime.

Across the board, Killeen has much higher violent crime rates than the United States at large.

That includes a more than double rate for murder and robbery and a significant rise in the assault rate.

– Traffic

Getting stuck in traffic leads to frustration, headaches, missed meetings, and lost time.

What is traffic like in Killeen?

– Traffic Congestion in Texas

The good news: Killeen has such little traffic that it is not listed in the major traffic websites.

A quote from a Killeen resident (as of 2018)

The traffic is really not bad in Killeen. W S Young can get congested around the Killeen mall, and you’ll want to avoid the military hot hours of PT (5:30–9), lunch (11:30–1) and when work gets off (5), but even then the traffic is relatively manageable in most places….

Congestion has some interesting causes, including delayed turning and hard braking.

– Transportation

If there is little to no traffic, that bodes well for the commute times of Killeen residents.

The average commute time for Killeen residents is 20.7 minutes, significantly lower than the national average of 25.1 minutes.

The majority of Killeen residents have commute times less than 19 minutes.

The biggest block over that amount is between 20 and 24 minutes.

81.4 percent drive to work alone, with 12.2 percent carpooling, and 2.74 percent working from home.

Just .744 percent take public transit to work.

– How Safe Are Killeen’s Streets and Roads?

These numbers are taken from the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHSTA) reports for cities and states:

There is one jarring part of the chart that is easy to see:

The fatalities for every single category increased from 2016 to 2017, sometimes more than doubling or near doubling the amount.

• Pedestrian deaths alone went from two deaths in 2016 to 12 deaths in 2017.
• Roadway departures doubled from 16 to 32, and single-vehicle fatalities rose from 17 to 32.
• Overall, deaths in 2017 rose from 42 to 57.

For almost all categories (speeding being the exception), deaths in 2017 were the highest for the five years.

These numbers were taken from NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

The highest number of fatalities occurred on minor arterial roads, which are roads that are smaller and act as connectors for highways and interstates.

There was just one railroad incident in Killeen, occurring in 2012 at a railroad stop on Gilmer Street.

– Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report

Every year, Allstate does a report that analyzes driving behavior in 200 cities across the country.

Killeen has consistently ranked between 50-100 for the past three years.

Its 2019 ranking is 54, with 10.2 years on average between claims for an individual driver and a claim likelihood of 15.3 percent.

Its ranking was 73 in 2018, making this year a big increase.

– Ridesharing

If you’re without a car, you may wonder how to get around. Fortunately, rideshare services have grown in popularity.

What are some options in Killeen?

Take this hypothetical scenario, from Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport to Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q.

Your options are:

• Lyft: Basic ($17) | Plus ($28)
• Uber: X ($20) | XL ($28)

There are also a few taxi services in town.

– E-star Repair Shops

When you purchase insurance through Esurance.com, you can get enrolled in their E-star Repair Facility program.

This gives you access to high-quality repair facilities around the country.

When you bring your vehicle in for repairs, you can get a day-by-day look through photos about how the repairs are going.

In Killeen, there are three E-star Repair Shops within 30 miles:

– Weather

Killeen has a climate where the winters are short and mild, the summers are long and hot, and the springs and falls are warm and pleasant.

The average temperature is a mild 65.75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Weather Facts	Details
Average Sunshine	223 days
Average Annual Rainfall	32.83 inch

Over half of all days in Killeen are sunny, with the city just having 33 inches of precipitation all year.

However, there have been 16 natural disasters in Bell County, more than the national average of 13.

A sitting president declared five of the natural disasters major disasters, with eight being declared emergencies.

The causes of them were:

• Fires: 7
• Hurricanes: 4
• Storms: 4
• Floods: 3
• Tornadoes: 2
• Other: 1

It’s important to note that each disaster can be assigned to more than one category.

Fires are the leading category, and they can be deadly.

– Public Transit

Getting around without a car is difficult, especially if you want to avoid the possible expense of the ridesharing services or taxis.

So what options do you have in Killeen if you need to get around without using ridesharing or taxis?

The answer: The HOP.

The HOP is a regional public transit system started in the 1960s.

Today, it covers a nine-county area and over 9,000 square miles.

The HOP has three divisions:

…the nine-county Rural Division, the Killeen Urban Division consisting of Copperas Cove, Harker Heights, and Killeen; and the Temple Urban Division consisting of Belton and Temple.

Its fixed-route service has nine routes through different areas in the metro.

In Killeen, there are four routes:

• Texas A&M North / Lake Rd. / Rancier Ave.
• Killeen Mall / Wal-Mart / Scott & White Clinic
• Metroplex / CTC / Copperas Cove.
• Harker Heights / Nolanville / Belton / Temple Connector

Fares are:

• $1 for regular passengers
• 50 cents for children under the age of 12, those over 60 years old, those on Medicare, students, and people with disabilities
• Free for children under two years of age
• $25 for a monthly pass, with unlimited rides

There are rural routes that service the counties; however, their fares are based on mileage.

– Parking in Metro Areas

There isn’t much information available about metered and street parking in Killeen (their entire parking code is about a quarter page long).

But there is available information about an important place, if you want to travel: the Killeen-Fort Hood Regional Airport (GRK).

The GRK offers two options for parking—short-term and long-term—and Republic Park manages them both.

The fees are:

• For both: First thirty minutes free
• For both: 31 minutes – 1 hour ($1)
• For both: each additional hour ($1)
• Short term: Daily max ($9) | Weekly max ($54)
• Long term: Daily max ($7) | Weekly max ($42)

There are various parking lots throughout the city if you’re inclined to find them.

– Air Quality in Cities

Air quality is important, as rampant air pollution can lead to smog overhanging a city, damaging the lungs and bodies of its residents.

There are numerous air pollutants, the most notable being:

• Carbon monoxide: Occurs when there’s incomplete combustion of natural gas, coal, or wood
• Ozone: Formed through a chain reaction of chemicals; too heavy an ozone layer can lead to overheating of the earth
• Nitrogen oxides: The principal acidifying components in the air

The EPA does a report each year detailing the air quality in various metros around the country.

The Killeen-Temple metro area generally has good air quality days, though there are 34 and 57 each year that are labeled as moderate.

There are ten total unhealthy days: five in 2017 and five in 2018.

Overall, not bad, at least compared to certain cities like Hengshui (China), Patna (India), and Bamenda (Cameroon).

Military/Veterans

Being a military servicemember can be difficult. The hours, the training, the possibility of deployment…

These things can be tasking, mentally and physically.

But you know what shouldn’t be difficult?

Finding car insurance.

That’s why we have this section: To give you and your family a clear look at car insurance.

From a look at Fort Hood to USAA rates, here is Military/Veterans in Killeen.

– Veterans by Service Period

Unlike many other cities, where most veterans served in Vietnam, Killeen has a high concentration of Gulf War veterans, mostly from the second conflict.

There are 16,125 second Gulf War vets living in Killeen, with 5,039 first Gulf War vets, and 2,731 Vietnam Vets.

The preponderance of second Gulf War vets is most likely due to the proximity of Fort Hood.

– Military Bases Within an Hour

Killeen is considered a military boomtown, one that has risen and fallen, both economically and with its population, with Fort Hood.

Killeen has, in fact, fallen into recessions due to the cutback in troops.

Fort Hood itself was built in 1942, during the Second World War and:

…is the Army’s premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces. A 214,968-acre installation, Fort Hood is the only post in the United States capable of stationing and training two armored divisions.

There are seven units/tenants in Fort Hood, including the 1st Calvary Division, the 1st Medical Brigade, and the 11th Signal Brigade.

– Military Discounts by Providers

Military discounts are important. In Killeen, there is just one company that offers it:

GEICO, at 15 percent, for active and retired personnel.

– USAA Available in Texas

We’ve seen how USAA is the cheapest of the seven leading car insurance companies in Killeen.

Its rates are often thousands of dollars lower than the most expensive companies.

Here, USAA’s average rates are 38 percent lower than the average by about $1,500.

It’s lower than Allstate, the most expensive company, by almost $3,000.

It’s certainly an economical option for those who are in the military or who have retired.

USAA is also available to the immediate family of service members, including spouses and children.

Unique City Laws

Every city has unique laws that are sometimes weird, dated, or particular to the needs of the city’s citizens. Here are four.

– Hands-Free Laws

Laws limiting distracted driving are important, as distracted driving causes thousands of deaths each year.

Hands-Free Laws do just that.

Killeen’s laws are the same as Texas’s: No texting and driving, and no operating of handheld devices while in school zones.

As this Texas law firm writes:

It’s important to note that this new law only addresses “reading, writing, or sending electronic messages” via a “wireless communication device.”

Texas was fairly late to the game with this, as three bills had failed before Governor Abbott signed HB 62 into law on May 2017.

– Food Trucks

Killeen’s food truck laws are a little of a mystery.

The only thing gleaned is that you need:

• A general seller’s permit
• Tax information for employees
• Must pass a health inspection

They certainly are popular:

Killeen has hosted a major event—The Battle of the Food Trucks—for five years annually.

With Killeen’s regulations being a little bit of a mystery, it’s easier to turn to an institution where food trucks probably do quite a bit of business:

Texas A&M University-Central.

The University has a general food truck policy, which includes items like:

• All food trucks are required to complete a Request for a Use Permit for Concessions.
• Food trucks must maintain a state of mobile readiness at all times.
• Food trucks can remain in one location no longer than four hours.
• Food trucks may not sell alcoholic beverages.

There are 18 total items in the general policy and a long list for insurance requirements.

– Tiny Homes

For tiny homes, Killeen has adopted the International Residential Code as part of its ordinances.

In the IRC, there are different rules and regulations for tiny homes, including:

• Habitable space and hallways in tiny houses shall have a ceiling height of not less than six feet, eight inches
• Lofts shall not be less than five feet in any horizontal dimension
• Tiny houses shall meet the requirements of Section R310 for emergency escape and rescue openings

When planning to build a tiny home, it’s important to look into the zoning regulations for the property you want to build on.

Whether you can build the tiny home and what fees you might have to pay are likely going to depend on two things:

• The zone of the property
• What you want to use the home for the zone of the property

You may have to submit for a land-use permit, as well.

– Parking Laws

Killeen, like any city, has numerous parking ordinances, including those aimed at mobile homes, bicycles, and peddlers.

For disability parking:

A person commits an offense if the person…is neither temporarily or permanently disabled nor transporting a temporarily or permanently disabled person and parks a vehicle with disabled person identification in a parking space designated specifically for the disabled

For angle parking:

It shall be lawful to park vehicles at an angle not greater than forty-five (45) degrees to the line of traffic at such places in the city as the city council shall by resolution determine that angle parking shall be permitted and shall cause the same to be marked or signed

For parking in downtown alleys:

No person shall park a vehicle within any alley in the downtown district of the city in such a manner or under such conditions as to block the alley or leave an insufficient width of the roadway available for the free movement of vehicular traffic.

And there are at least 15 more.

Killeen Car Insurance FAQs

What happens if I get into an accident in Killeen?

Texas is considered an at-fault state, meaning that the person who is determined to be at-fault (caused the accident) is liable for all the damages, whether to property or people. Generally, this means your insurance company will pay for the damages; however, if your coverage is low and the damage exceeds it, you’ll pay out of your pocket.

What is the minimum insurance I need in Killeen?

In Texas, the minimum insurance necessary to drive is 30/60/25 liability insurance: $30,000 to cover the cost of one person’s injuries, $60,000 to cover the cost of injuries to more than one person, $25,000 for property damage. While this is the minimum, many choose to get higher levels of coverage in case of a serious accident.

I’m a high-risk driver. What kind of insurance can I get?

If you’re labeled a high-risk driver, you’ve likely committed a fairly serious driving crime. You might be required to get an SR-22, which is a certificate of insurance (proof) from an insurance company. However, you might be denied in the marketplace.

In this case, you can apply directly to the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association. They are the last resort for high-risk drivers looking for insurance.

What is the cost of living in Killeen?

Killeen is seen as a cheaper city to live in, both when compared to Texas and the United States as a whole. Housing is 34 percent cheaper than the average, and groceries are about 20 percent cheaper. For everyday items, a loaf of bread will cost you $2.68, while a hamburger will cost you $3.41.

Are there any languages I need to know when living in Killeen?

People often see Texas as a place where Spanish is spoken frequently, given the state’s proximity to Mexico. In Killeen, Spanish is the second most-spoken language, after English. 15.6 percent of residents (or 19,120 people) speak Spanish, making it a useful to language to learn even if you probably won’t need to use it in everyday situations.

Now, you should have enough information to be a well-informed decision about car insurance. Clear eyes, full hearts. Happy driving.

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