You have probably seen the captivating ads from companies like Liberty Mutual and Nationwide that say if you switch you’ll get huge savings, so you should just choose any of them, right?
That is not the case, however, as there are a whole bunch of unknown aspects like the amount of liability insurance you need, the crash test ratings of your vehicle, and when you were born, that all go into determining the rate you pay. The information below will cover the causes of high insurance rates and also should give you a good beginning to your search for cheaper coverage.
Finding dependable, budget auto insurance is not always easy, and determining which company offers the lowest-priced insurance rates for safe drivers will take even more diligence.
Every auto insurer uses different criteria to set premium rates, so first let’s look at the rankings for the most affordable insurance companies in Cincinnati.
Best Auto Insurance Prices for Safe Drivers
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Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Utica National | $628 |
2 | Erie | $667 |
3 | Frankenmuth | $687 |
4 | Allied | $697 |
5 | Travelers | $712 |
6 | USAA | $733 |
7 | Cincinnati Insurance | $756 |
8 | Merchants Insurance Group | $771 |
9 | Motorists Mutual | $792 |
10 | Grange Mutual | $804 |
11 | General Casualty | $805 |
12 | Hastings Mutual | $866 |
13 | Central Mutual | $866 |
14 | State Farm | $885 |
15 | Atlantic States | $913 |
16 | Western Reserve | $932 |
17 | Westfield | $946 |
18 | Nationwide | $988 |
19 | Progressive | $991 |
20 | Farmers | $995 |
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Utica National normally has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Cincinnati at around $628 a year. Erie, Frankenmuth, Allied, and Travelers also qualify as some of the more affordable Cincinnati, OH car insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you are a policyholder with Frankenmuth and switched to Utica National, you might see yearly savings of upwards of $59. Policyholders with Allied may save as much as $69 a year, and Travelers policyholders might reduce rates by $84 a year.
Bear in mind that those policy prices are averaged for all drivers and vehicles in Ohio and and are not figured with an exact vehicle garaging location for safe drivers. So the car insurance company that fits your age and vehicle best may not even be in the list above. That is why you need to get rate quotes using your own personal information and vehicle type.
The type of vehicle needing coverage is one of the main factors that determines whether or not you find the best coverage for safe drivers. Vehicles with lots of horsepower, poor passenger safety features, or high incidents of liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than safer, lower-performance models. The next table shows auto insurance premiums for a selection of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure in Ohio.
Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $1,215 |
Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4WD 2-Dr | $1,362 |
Toyota Tacoma 2WD | $1,409 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $1,437 |
Nissan Altima 2.5 4-Dr Sedan | $1,442 |
Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 4WD | $1,464 |
Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $1,487 |
Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,492 |
Honda Odyssey LX | $1,524 |
Nissan Rogue SL 2WD | $1,542 |
Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $1,557 |
Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LT Crew Cab 2WD | $1,564 |
Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $1,642 |
Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,648 |
Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,642 |
Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,648 |
Volkswagen Jetta S 4-Dr Sedan | $1,642 |
Toyota Prius | $1,652 |
Ford Edge Limited AWD | $1,729 |
Chevrolet Equinox LTZ AWD | $1,759 |
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Table data represents single female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, safe-driver, homeowner, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in specific location information which can influence premiums greatly.
Looking at the rates, you can expect cars like the Ford Escape, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Tacoma, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Nissan Altima will be a few of the cheapest vehicles to insure for good drivers.
For good drivers, one of the largest considerations that are looked at to help calculate car insurance rates is the neighborhood you call home in Cincinnati. Larger areas likely pay more, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents can boast about having cheaper rates.
The information below shows the highest-priced areas in Ohio for safe drivers to buy auto insurance in. Cincinnati is listed at #5 with a yearly premium of $1,186 on average, which is approximately $99 monthly.
Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Toledo | $1,267 |
2 | Columbus | $1,247 |
3 | Youngstown | $1,235 |
4 | Cleveland | $1,222 |
5 | Cincinnati | $1,186 |
6 | Cleveland Heights | $1,178 |
7 | Euclid | $1,175 |
8 | Akron | $1,135 |
9 | Dayton | $1,120 |
10 | Hamilton | $1,113 |
11 | Springfield | $1,072 |
12 | Fairfield | $1,063 |
13 | Newark | $1,063 |
14 | Canton | $1,058 |
15 | Lakewood | $1,041 |
16 | Strongsville | $1,031 |
17 | Middletown | $1,024 |
18 | Beavercreek | $1,016 |
19 | Kettering | $1,009 |
20 | Mentor | $1,008 |
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Table data uses comparative as the specific geographic location can impact premium rates significantly.
Illustration showing the impact of accidents and violations
The common sense way to obtain the best insurance premiums for good drivers is to drive carefully and not have accidents or get tickets. The example below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault claims can impact auto insurance rates for each age group. The premiums are based on a single female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
The data above shows the average cost of car insurance per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,547. Get written up for one speeding ticket and the average cost swells to $1,752, an increase of $205 each year. Now include two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the annual cost of insurance for safe drivers jumps again to an average of $3,518. That’s an increase of $1,972, or $164 per month, just for not maintaining a clean driving record!
Liability rates compared to full coverage
Paying a lower price for insurance is the goal of most drivers, and an easy way to pay lower rates for insurance for safe drivers is to not insure for full coverage. The example below illustrates the comparison of car insurance rates with full coverage and liability only. The costs are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied.
If we average the cost for all age groups, full coverage costs $961 per year over liability only. That is a large expense which might make you wonder if it’s worth it to buy full coverage. There is no exact formula of when to eliminate full coverage, but there is a guideline you can use. If the annual cost of having full coverage is 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then it could be time to drop full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s replacement cost is $12,000 and you have $1,000 deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would get paid by your company is $11,000 after the policy deductible has been paid. If it’s costing in excess of $1,100 annually for comprehensive and collision coverage, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
There are a few situations where eliminating full coverage is not financially feasible. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if you can’t afford to buy a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should keep full coverage.
You are probably paying too much for car insurance
Ohio insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can substantially change the policy price. Simply turning a year older, increasing deductibles, or getting a ticket for careless driving may prompt premium changes resulting in some rates now being more affordable than others.
Not only may your situation change, but auto insurance companies amend pricing every year or even multiple times each year to adjust for gains or losses. Larger than normal claims can cause rate hikes, while lower claim expenses can result in lower-cost Cincinnati car insurance rates.
For instance, the data below shows rates for the cheapest car insurance in Cincinnati, OH for a 35-year-old female driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and great credit. If we estimate rates based on her personal profile, Utica National has the lowest car insurance rates in Cincinnati at $817 per year. This is $223 less than the average price paid by Ohio drivers of $1,040. Erie, Allied, Frankenmuth, and Travelers are the rest of the cheapest Cincinnati, OH auto insurance companies.
Now we will pretend the driver from the above example a chargeable accident, a lower credit rating, and a blemish on her driving record. Due to the fact that every insurance company has their own formula to set policy rates, comparing rates may now show a completely different list of the cheapest Cincinnati car insurance companies as shown below.
Cincinnati Insurance now has the cheapest car insurance in Cincinnati with Merchants Insurance Group, General Casualty, Grange Mutual, and Motorists Mutual now being in the top five. This example illustrates why it is critical to shop around when trying to get cheap auto insurance quotes for safe drivers. Rates consist of many things and can change substantially, so the most economical option two years ago may now be quite expensive.