Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published August 4, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

How to get car insurance in Texas

This guide covers getting car insurance in Texas in order: what the state requires, what to gather before asking for a price, coverage choices, pricing, comparing companies, buying a car, and what to do if companies turn you down.

The short version. To get car insurance in Texas, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says in its Auto insurance guide that Texas law requires liability coverage of at least $30,000 for injuries per person, up to $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. TDI's shopping checklist says to get quotes from several companies and not to cancel your policy until you get the new policy or written proof of coverage.

Step 1: know what TDI says Texas requires

The coverage TDI describes as required for Texas drivers is liability coverage, which pays for damage and injuries you cause to other people. TDI's Auto insurance guide, last updated 12/11/2025, says Texas law requires drivers to show proof they can pay for the accidents they cause, and that most drivers do this by buying auto liability insurance. The same guide gives the amounts:

"Texas law requires you to have at least $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 of coverage for property damage. This is called 30/60/25 coverage."

The guide then suggests thinking about buying more liability coverage, and gives its reason: "The minimum liability limits might be too low if you cause a multi-vehicle accident or the other driver's car is totaled." The guide adds that liability coverage has a dollar limit, that the limit is the most the company will pay even if the cost is higher, and that if you don't have enough coverage you'll have to pay the difference yourself.

In plain terms, a liability limit works as a ceiling on what the policy pays for one accident. The 30/60/25 figures are the lowest ceiling TDI's guide describes, and you can ask for quotes at higher limits to see the difference in premium for your own household.

Liability coverage is also separate from coverage for your own car. In TDI's guide, liability coverage pays to repair the other driver's car if you caused the accident, while collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car after an accident. The guide also says that if you still owe money on your car, your lender will require you to have collision and comprehensive coverage.

Step 2: have these in front of you before you ask for a price

Before you ask for a Texas car insurance quote, it helps to gather the details about your drivers, your vehicles and your current policy. This list is Credify's own suggestion; the TDI material cited inside it supports only the facts attributed to TDI. A quote built on estimated details may change once the actual details are supplied.

• Every driver in the household. Have full names, dates of birth and driver's license numbers ready. According to TDI's Auto insurance guide, some companies require you to put everyone who lives with you and is of driving age on your policy.
• Every vehicle. Have the VIN, the year, make and model, and whether the car is financed. If you still owe money on your car, the guide says, your lender will require collision and comprehensive coverage.
• Where you keep the car. This appears in the guide among the things most companies consider when deciding your premium, and says rates can vary between ZIP codes in the same city.
• How the car is used. In the same list of things most companies consider, the guide notes that your rates will be higher if you drive your car to and from work or use it for business.
• Your current declarations page, if you have one. The guide calls the first page of your policy the declaration page, with a summary of your policy, including your coverages, dollar limits and deductibles. Having it in hand lets you compare a new quote against the limits you carry now.

Step 3: the coverage decisions, and what TDI says about PIP and uninsured motorist coverage

Choosing car insurance coverage in Texas means deciding which coverages to buy beyond liability. TDI's Auto insurance guide describes eight basic coverages: liability, collision, comprehensive, medical payments, personal injury protection (PIP), uninsured/underinsured motorist, towing and labor, and rental reimbursement. The guide says coverages vary by policy and depend on the types of coverages you choose.

For two of these coverages, PIP and uninsured/underinsured motorist, the guide says declining takes a written request to the company.

Personal injury protection. As the guide describes it, PIP pays your and your passengers' medical bills, and also pays for things like lost wages and other nonmedical costs. On how it gets onto a policy, the guide says: "All auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage. If you don't want it, you must tell the company in writing."

Uninsured/underinsured motorist. Per the guide, this coverage pays if you're hit by someone who didn't have insurance or didn't have enough to pay your medical and car repair bills, and that it also pays if you're in a hit-and-run accident. The guide then says: "Insurance companies must offer you this coverage. If you don't want it, you must tell the company in writing."

As Credify's own suggestion, when you compare two quotes, check whether each one includes PIP and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

The remaining coverages are described this way:

The table gives TDI's general descriptions. The guide's advice is to read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages.

Step 4: understand what TDI says goes into your price

For Texas car insurance, TDI's Auto insurance guide says insurance companies use a process called underwriting to decide whether to sell you a policy and how much to charge you. It says most companies consider these things when deciding your auto insurance premium:

• Your driving record and claims history. According to the guide, insurance companies will charge you more if you've had accidents or gotten tickets, and that some companies might refuse to sell you a policy.
• Where you keep your car. Per the guide, rates are higher if you live in a city and can also vary between ZIP codes in the same city.
• The kind of car you have. The guide says collision and comprehensive rates are highest for luxury, high-performance and sports cars, and that rates are also higher for cars that cost more to repair.
• How you use your car. In the guide, rates will be higher if you drive to and from work or use the car for business.
• Your credit score. The guide notes that some companies use your credit score to decide what to charge you, and that HelpInsure.com shows which companies do.

The same guide also lists things an insurance company may not do. One item on that list concerns credit, and it reads: "Turn you down or charge you more only because of your credit score." Read together with the factor list above, TDI's guide describes credit score as something some companies use and that a company may not use as its only reason.

Claims history has its own record. According to the guide, most companies use the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) to learn your claims history, that a company can charge you more or refuse to sell you a policy based on the information in your CLUE report, and that you can get a free copy of your report each year. If you want to see what is in that report, how car insurance claim history works in Texas covers it.

Step 5: ask about discounts — but ask, don't assume

Car insurance discounts in Texas differ from one company to the next, so they are worth asking about on every quote. TDI's Auto insurance guide puts it this way: "Each company decides what discounts to offer and the amount of the discount."

According to the guide, you might be able to get a discount if you have:

• Airbags, antilock brakes and antitheft devices in your car
• Completed a defensive driving or a driver education course
• More than one car on a policy
• Other policies with the same insurance company
• No claims and a good driving record

TDI's checklist, How to shop smart for auto insurance, lists safe driver, low mileage, defensive driving class, good student, and automatic payments and going paperless as discounts to ask about. Both TDI lists are prompts for a question. Neither says that a particular company offers a particular discount.

The same checklist suggests asking what your deductible should be, whether you can get a policy with a cheaper premium if you don't drive much, and whether the price is different if you pay in advance. On deductibles, TDI's tip sheet What to know about deductibles, last updated 10/14/2024 and covering home, auto and health deductibles together, says that in general, the higher the deductible, the lower the cost for the policy, and advises thinking about how much you can afford to pay if your property is damaged. A higher deductible is a trade between premium and what you pay yourself on a claim.

Step 6: compare, then buy — in that order

Comparing car insurance companies in Texas works as a sequence, and TDI's checklist, How to shop smart for auto insurance, lists five shopping tips, paraphrased here except where quoted:

1. Use HelpInsure to get price quotes from several companies.
2. Contact the companies you prefer and ask each for a price quote.
3. Check each company's complaint record.
4. Confirm that the company is licensed.
5. Keep your current policy until the new coverage is confirmed. TDI's wording is: "Don't cancel your current policy until you get your new policy or a written statement that proves you have coverage."

The same TDI page says you can call TDI's Help Line at 800-252-3439 to see if a company is licensed, check its complaint history, or ask questions.

The fifth tip is about timing. If you cancel the old policy before the new one is in place, there can be a period with no coverage. Waiting for the new policy, or for written proof of coverage, before you cancel the old one closes that gap.

What happens when you buy a car

If you already have a Texas car insurance policy and you get another car, TDI's guide says your existing policy covers it for a short time. The wording in TDI's Auto insurance guide is: "If you get a new car, your current insurance will automatically cover it for about 20 days."

Per the guide, the type of coverage depends on whether the car is an additional car or a replacement car:

The guide's advice is to tell your company about a new car as soon as you can to avoid a lapse in coverage.

TDI's statement is about your current insurance, so it describes someone who already has a policy. Credify's own observation, which TDI does not make, is that the replacement-car row may matter if the old car carried liability only and the new one is financed. The guide says a replacement car gets the coverage of the car it replaces, and it separately says a lender will require collision and comprehensive coverage if you still owe money on the car.

If you can't find anyone to sell you a policy

For Texas drivers who can't find car insurance, TDI's page Other ways to get auto, home, and wind insurance in Texas, last updated 10/6/2025, says drivers turned down for auto liability coverage by at least two insurance companies in the past 60 days can apply through the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association (TAIPA). Its wording is:

"You can apply for coverage through the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association (TAIPA) if you've been turned down for auto liability coverage by at least two insurance companies in the past 60 days."

TDI's Auto insurance guide states the condition more briefly. It says you can get TAIPA coverage if two insurance companies have turned you down, and it does not mention the 60-day period.

On what TAIPA provides, the two TDI pages cover different details:

• Coverage. TDI's Other ways to get auto, home, and wind insurance in Texas says TAIPA policies offer the minimum amount of liability coverage, which it gives as $30,000 for each injured person (up to $60,000 per accident) and $25,000 for property damage per accident, and that you can also get uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and $2,500 of personal injury protection.
• What it doesn't sell. TDI's Auto insurance guide says TAIPA doesn't sell collision or comprehensive coverage, or liability limits higher than the state minimum.
• Cost. According to the Auto insurance guide, TAIPA coverage is more expensive than coverage from other insurance companies.
• How to apply. Per the Other ways page, an insurance agent can apply for you, and TAIPA will assign your application to an insurance company that will issue the policy and handle any claims.

Put together, TDI's guide describes TAIPA as a way to get basic coverage after companies have turned you down, and says it doesn't sell collision or comprehensive coverage, the two coverages the guide describes as paying for damage to your own car.

Where to take questions before you buy

Questions about buying car insurance in Texas can go to the company or agent you're getting a quote from, or to TDI. TDI's checklist, How to shop smart for auto insurance, is itself written as a list of questions, and it says you can call the TDI Help Line at 800-252-3439 to see if a company is licensed, check its complaint history, or ask questions.

The checklist's questions include how much liability coverage to get, whether you need other coverages, and whether the policy covers how you use your car or has any exclusions. Writing your own answers down before you ask for quotes makes it easier to give each company the same request.

What to do with this

These are steps you can take when you shop for car insurance in Texas. The steps are Credify's summary; TDI is cited only for the facts inside each one.

• Decide your liability limit before you look at prices. TDI's Auto insurance guide gives 30/60/25 as the minimum and suggests thinking about buying more liability coverage.
• Check every quote for PIP and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. According to the guide, all auto policies in Texas include PIP unless you tell the company in writing that you don't want it, and that companies must offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage unless you decline it in writing.
• Give every company the same information. Quotes built on the same drivers, vehicles and coverages are easier to compare.
• Ask each company which discounts apply to you. Per the guide, each company decides what discounts to offer and the amount.
• Look at each company's complaint record and license. TDI's shopping checklist lists both, and says TDI's Help Line at 800-252-3439 can check them.
• Keep your current policy until the new one is in place. The checklist's tip is not to cancel until you get your new policy or a written statement that proves you have coverage.
• Tell your company about a new car as soon as you can. In the guide, your current insurance covers a new car for about 20 days.
• Ask an agent about TAIPA if companies have turned you down. TDI's Other ways page says you can apply if at least two insurance companies have turned you down for auto liability coverage in the past 60 days.

Key facts

• TDI's Auto insurance guide, last updated 12/11/2025, says Texas law requires at least $30,000 of coverage for injuries per person, up to $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage, and that the minimum limits might be too low if you cause a multi-vehicle accident or the other driver's car is totaled.
• The same TDI guide says all auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage unless you tell the company in writing that you don't want it, and that insurance companies must offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage unless you decline it in writing.
• TDI's Auto insurance guide says some companies use your credit score to decide what to charge you, and lists turning you down or charging you more only because of your credit score among the things an insurance company may not do.
• TDI's How to shop smart for auto insurance says to get price quotes from several companies and not to cancel your current policy until you get your new policy or a written statement that proves you have coverage.
• TDI's Auto insurance guide says that if you get a new car, your current insurance will automatically cover it for about 20 days, with an additional car getting the same coverage as the car with the most coverage on your policy and a replacement car getting the same coverage as the car it replaces.
• TDI's Other ways to get auto, home, and wind insurance in Texas, last updated 10/6/2025, says you can apply to TAIPA if at least two insurance companies have turned you down for auto liability coverage in the past 60 days, and that TAIPA policies offer minimum liability coverage, with uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and $2,500 of personal injury protection also available.
• TDI's Auto insurance guide says TAIPA doesn't sell collision or comprehensive coverage and that TAIPA coverage is more expensive than coverage from other insurance companies.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Auto insurance guide, How to shop smart for auto insurance, Other ways to get auto, home, and wind insurance in Texas and What to know about deductibles. This page is general information, not legal advice, and coverage in any specific situation depends on the policy actually issued.

Take the next step

Once you know your liability limit, the coverages you want and the details of your drivers and vehicles, you can ask several companies for the same quote and compare the answers. If you want more detail on any step, what car insurance is required in Texas covers the minimum, how to compare auto insurance in Texas is a checklist for comparing quotes, how car insurance quotes work in Texas explains what goes into a quote, and what counts as proof of insurance in Texas covers what to show once you're covered.

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