Cox Automotive’s Auto Market Weekly Summary for September 14, 2026 notes that motor vehicle insurance costs fell 0.8% month over month in August—the fourth consecutive monthly decline—and were down 5.1% year over year. In the same report, Cox also flags that new-vehicle loan APRs have risen 35 basis points since July and used-vehicle loan rates are up 11 basis points over the same stretch.
Those two trends can pull a Texas shopper in opposite directions. A softer insurance line on the budget helps. A higher contract rate on the car can erase that help before the first payment posts.
TX Auto Approval is built for Texans who want a fast pre-approval path. The site’s own process notes that a soft credit inquiry may be used as part of matching financing options, that bad credit and no credit are welcome lanes to discuss, and that many customers see a decision path in minutes—not days. Starting the form does not require an SSN on the first screen.
That is not a guaranteed approval, a promised APR, or a claim that every file funds the same day. It is a structured way to see where you stand before you fall in love with a sticker price.
When insurance is easing and loan rates are firming, the mistake is treating the monthly as “whatever the desk prints.” Ask for:
Cox’s same weekly also reported used-car and truck prices up 0.4% month over month in August and new-vehicle prices up 0.3%. Price drift plus rate drift is why prep beats browsing first and structuring later.
Takeaway: August’s insurance CPI relief is real in Cox’s summary—but loan costs have been moving the other way since July. Get a clear pre-approval conversation so the payment you plan is built from the loan, not from hope that cheaper insurance will cover a stretch rate.