Esurance vs. Houston General: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• In general, Houston General offers significantly less expensive premiums than Esurance
• Esurance may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Houston General Insurance Exchange
• Houston General tends to be a much more affordable option for policyholders whose driving record contains an at-fault collision

Esurance or Houston General: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're considering switching to a new insurance policy. With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering pretty big savings, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You might have narrowed it down to Esurance or Houston General, but between the two, which one will save you the most?

Looking at the national average rates for both carriers, Esurance is quite a bit more expensive than Houston General, with prices averaging $299 a month compared to just $160 with Houston General.

Even so, that doesn't necessarily mean Houston General will be the cheaper option for every single driver. After all, car insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to every driver depending on rating factors like where you call home, your driving record, your age, or even your credit score (among other things). So, at the end of the day, rates from each company will differ quite a bit from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of Esurance or Houston General is really the best for you, keep reading to see average prices for each carrier broken down by a bunch of different rate factors.

Esurance vs. Houston General: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Esurance and Houston General only compete against each other in Texas, where Houston General offers the cheaper average premiums. Houston General drivers tend to pay about $24 per month less on average compared to drivers who use Esurance for their insurance.

That being said, there are plenty of other factors that go into your car insurance bill than just the state you live in. Continue reading to see how other variables will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- generally pay a lot for auto insurance compared to older drivers. That's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

That being said, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high insurance prices. As you can see above, teens who use Houston General save 55% a month compared to those who use Esurance. It's worth noting that Esurance offers car insurance in 11 different states compared to Houston General's one, which can skew the average premiums a bit, but the difference here is still considerable.

But both carriers will drop rates by the time drivers turn 25. Houston General offers the steepest reduction, with 25-year-olds paying less than half what 18-year-old drivers are charged. Esurance's average prices decrease over 65% during that same period.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Once you approach retirement age, you'll usually enjoy the most affordable auto insurance rates you can find. You've been on the road for years, and all that experience pays off when it comes to your monthly premiums for car insurance.

When looking at Esurance and Houston General specifically, which company is best for retired drivers? Houston General gets the edge, with prices for drivers 65 and older almost 55% less expensive than the national average for Esurance.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married policyholders tend to get slightly cheaper auto insurance rates than those who are single. That's because policies for married drivers normally cover more than one vehicle, which a lot of companies will give you a discount for.

For single policyholders, the difference in average premiums between these two carriers is significant, with Houston General prices coming in at around half of Esurance's. For married couples, the advantage is clear again - Houston General has the edge when it comes to average premiums.

Esurance or Houston General: Average Rates by Gender

Men typically pay more for insurance than women. That's because men are more likely to get into accidents and get tickets, which increases the chances of filing a claim with insurance.

Men generally pay about $20 per month more than women with Esurance, and more than $10 with Houston General.

Looking at overall affordability, Houston General comes out on top for both men and women, with average rates $143 less for men and $134 cheaper for women.

Esurance vs. Houston General: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

For most people, car insurance can be pretty complicated. Everyone needs auto insurance, but there are so many different terms and coverages that it can be hard to find the right policy for you.

The two most common policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- collision and comprehensive -- in addition to what you get with liability coverage).

Looking specifically at state minimum limits for liability insurance, Houston General has the significant edge, with average monthly premiums coming in at $83. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Houston General again has the edge, with policies averaging around $236 a month to Esurance's $396.

Is Esurance or Houston General Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no secret -- drivers with good records end up getting the best deals on their insurance. But that's not to say you can't save money if you don't have the best driving record, either.

Speeding tickets and collisions will most likely raise your prices, but is Esurance or Houston General more affordable for drivers with spotty records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders who use Esurance for their car insurance can usually expect their monthly bill to go up about 16% after getting a speeding ticket. Houston General policyholders can expect a bit more drastic of an increase of around 25%.

However, Houston General tends to offer the best prices for drivers both with clean records and with a ticket. With Houston General Insurance Exchange, drivers with a clean record can save about $131 per month and drivers with a speeding ticket can save around $139 a month.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both companies will raise rates pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault accident with Houston General climbing by about 52%. Esurance has a less extreme climb, but you can still expect to pay nearly 35% more than you were prior to your first collision.

At the end of the day, Houston General offers the cheapest prices for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records, with average premiums coming in at $233 compared to Esurance's $364.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge on your record, it's probably going to cost you more than a simple ticket or even an accident. Esurance drivers usually see a 20% climb in their insurance rates after a DUI charge, while Houston General will typically increase prices by around 24%.

Houston General has the overall lowest rates for drivers with a DUI on their records at $147 per month, but it's worth noting that Esurance's average rates come from 11 states compared to just one for Houston General, so the data may be skewed slightly.

How does Credit Score Impact Esurance and Houston General Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can come into play when carriers determine your monthly bill. This isn't true for everyone (California, for example, has banned the use of credit score as an insurance factor) but it will come into play for many drivers.

Auto insurance companies argue that those with poor credit scores are less likely to pay their bills on time every month, which raises the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with good credit.

Looking at Esurance and Houston General specifically, which carrier has the best premiums for policyholders at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, Houston General will normally reward you the most. For drivers with "excellent" credit scores, Houston General comes in more than 46.73 less expensive. Drivers with "good" credit scores usually save about 45% with Houston General compared to average prices from Esurance.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Houston General typically offers lower rates than Esurance when it comes to drivers with less-than-stellar credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay around 44% per month less with Houston General compared to Esurance, and those with "poor" scores generally save an average of about 50% a month.

Is Esurance or Houston General Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

The amount of time you spend behind the wheel of your car plays a big role in your monthly insurance cost. Normally, those who drive less will end up with cheaper premiums since there's less of a chance of causing a collision and filing an insurance claim.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much Houston General charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly rates for Esurance, with policyholders who drive the least paying around $1 less each month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles yearly. Still, for drivers in both categories, Houston General is the more affordable carrier.

Esurance or Houston General: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

We've already mentioned how your home state can play a role in how much you pay for auto insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a considerable impact as well. Typically, policyholders who live in less densely populated rural areas will pay quite a bit less than urban drivers because of the small number of cars that are on the roads where they live.

Houston General boasts the lowest average prices for drivers in all areas, regardless of if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to save about 22% with Houston General compared to Esurance. People who live in suburban areas pay around 48% less with Houston General compared to Esurance. For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, Houston General Insurance Exchange's average rates are about 58% less than Esurance.

Esurance vs. Houston General Discounts

No matter why you might be in the market for a new car insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as you can, and the best way to do that is by taking advantage of as many insurance discounts as possible.

But where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be challenging to find all the ones you can take advantage of.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and compared all of the different discounts offered by Esurance and Houston General so that you can find the company that has the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Esurance knocks Houston General out of the park when it comes to the sheer number of discounts available, offering 24 different discounts to Houston General's eight.

A couple of those are overlapping for things like ABS discounts, advance quote discounts, and discounts for being a good student. Esurance also offers discounts for agency transfer, defensive driver, DRL, and more.

On the other hand, Houston General has a few proprietary discounts of their own like distant student discounts and excess vehicle discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Esurance or Houston General Best for You?

You've seen the effect certain factors have on your car insurance and the different discounts carriers offer. That's all well and good, but at the end of the day, which insurance carrier is the best one for you and your specific driver profile?

Houston General might be best for you if....

• You want to save money on your auto insurance after an accident.
• You're looking for the best premiums on liability only coverage.
• You're married and plan to have both of your names on the vehicle's insurance policy.

Esurance might be best for you if...

• You already have plans to move to another state -- Houston General Insurance Exchange only offers policies to Texas residents.
• You're looking for discounts -- Esurance has the most.

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare Esurance and Houston General. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your car insurance.

But, at the end of the day, there's only one way to know for sure that you're getting the best possible deal on auto insurance -- comparing quotes from a handful of companies, not just Esurance and Houston General. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Simply enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Esurance vs. Houston General FAQs

Is Esurance or Houston General cheaper?

Houston General is the cheaper of the two companies when looking at national average prices, with policies averaging $160 a month with Houston General and $299 for Esurance. Even so, that doesn't mean Houston General will be the most affordable company for every policyholder, since there are several different variables that come into play when it comes to your auto insurance payment.

Who is better, Esurance or Houston General?

Sadly, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". No single carrier is "better" for each policyholder -- it all comes down to what your unique car insurance profile looks like.

Why do Esurance and Houston General offer me different rates?

Auto insurance carriers use several different factors when determining the rates they charge. Things like gender, your driving record, where you park your vehicle, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all be used. Both Esurance and Houston General calculate prices using different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different premiums. The best way to determine which company is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from multiple different companies.

How do I know if Esurance or Houston General is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance carrier that's right for you is by getting quotes from several carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your information once and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top car insurance companies for free. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the lowest price. And maybe you'll find that the best company for you isn't Esurance or Houston General at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.