To save the most money, the best way to save money on car insurance rates is to start comparing rates regularly from companies who provide auto insurance in Cincinnati. You can compare prices by following these guidelines.
Step 1: Try to learn about how companies set rates and the measures you can take to prevent expensive coverage. Many policy risk factors that result in higher rates such as accidents, careless driving, and a lousy credit rating can be amended by being financially responsible and driving safely.
Step 2: Compare price quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies. Exclusive agents and direct companies can only provide price estimates from a single company like GEICO and State Farm, while agents who are independent can give you price quotes for many different companies.
Step 3: Compare the new rates to the premium of your current policy and see if you can save money. If you find better rates and make a switch, make sure there is no lapse between the expiration of your current policy and the new one.
Step 4: Notify your agent or company of your intention to cancel your existing policy and submit the required down payment along with the signed application to your new insurance company. As soon as you have the new policy, keep the new proof of insurance certificate in an accessible location in your vehicle.
One thing to point out is that you’ll want to make sure you compare the same deductibles and limits on every quote request and and to get prices from every insurance company. This guarantees a level playing field and a thorough price selection.
Surprisingly, a recent survey revealed that almost 70% of insureds have bought auto insurance from the same company for at least four years, and almost 40% of drivers have never compared rates with other companies. Ohio insurance shoppers could save an average of almost 55% each year by just shopping around, but they don’t understand how simple it is to find cheap auto insurance rates.
Eight Things That Impact Your Insurance Rates
Part of the auto insurance buying process is learning some of the things that aid in calculating your premiums. If you know what determines premiums, this allows you to make good choices that may reward you with much lower annual insurance costs.
Women tend to take less risk – Statistics demonstrate females are less aggressive when driving. It does not mean men are worse drivers. Males and females cause auto accidents at a similar rate, but males cause more damage and cost insurance companies more money. Men also receive more costly citations such as reckless driving. Male drivers age 16 to 19 generally have the highest accident percentage and therefore pay the highest rates.
Better premiums on safer vehicles – Cars with five star safety ratings tend to have better insurance rates. Vehicles engineered for safety reduce occupant injuries and reduced instances of injuries translates into savings for insurance companies and thus lower rates. If your Jeep Cherokee has at least an “acceptable” rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website you may be receiving a better rate.
Single drivers take more risk – Being married may save some money on your auto insurance policy. Having a significant other generally demonstrates drivers are more stable financially and insurance companies like that married drivers tend to file fewer claims.
Protect yourself with liability protection – A critical coverage on your policy, liability insurance is the coverage that protects you if ever a court rules you are at fault for personal injury or accident damage. Liability insurance provides for a legal defense up to the limits shown on your policy. It is affordable coverage when compared to the cost of physical damage coverage, so insureds should have plenty of protection for their assets.
Drive a fast car and pay more – The performance of the car you own makes a substantial difference in your premium level. The lowest base rates are for low performance passenger cars, but many other things help determine your insurance rates.
Accidents inflate premiums – Good drivers tend to pay less for car insurance compared to drivers with tickets. Having a single moving violation can increase rates by twenty percent. Drivers with serious violations such as DUI or willful reckless driving may face state-mandated requirements to submit a SR-22 form with their state DMV in order to drive a vehicle legally.
Save money by eliminating add-on coverages – There are a lot of add-on coverages you can purchase but may not be useful. Coverage for things like rental car reimbursement, high-cost glass coverage, and Farm Bureau memberships may not be needed and are just wasting money. They may sound like good ideas when discussing your needs, but now you might not need them so get rid of them and save.
Never have policy lapses – Allowing your auto insurance policy to lapse is a guaranteed way to increase your rates. In addition to paying higher rates, failure to provide proof of insurance could earn you a hefty fine and possibly a revoked license.
Jeep Cherokee historical loss data – Insurance companies factor in insurance loss information to calculate a price that will offset losses. Models that tend to have increased claim numbers or amounts will have higher premium rates. The table below illustrates the actual insurance loss data for Jeep Cherokee vehicles.
For each insurance policy coverage type, the claim amount for all vehicles averaged together equals 100. Values that are 100 or less mean the vehicle has better than average losses, while percentage numbers above 100 indicate more frequent losses or an increased chance of a larger loss.
| Make and Model | Collision | Property Damage | Comp | Personal Injury | Medical Payment | Bodily Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeep Cherokee 4dr 2WD | 76 | 105 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 109 |
| Jeep Cherokee 4dr 4WD | 78 | 115 | 82 | 75 | 79 | 103 |
Statistics Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for 2013-2015 Model Years
The companies shown below are our best choices to provide quotes in Ohio. To get cheaper auto insurance in Cincinnati, we suggest you compare several of them to get a more complete price comparison.
Why you need vehicle insurance in Ohio
Even though it can be expensive, insurance may be required for several reasons.
First, the majority of states have minimum mandated liability insurance limits which means state laws require specific limits of liability insurance coverage in order to drive the car legally. In Ohio these limits are 25/50/25 which means you must have $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 of property damage coverage.
Second, if you have a loan on your vehicle, almost every bank will force you to buy insurance to ensure loan repayment if the vehicle is totaled. If you do not pay your insurance premiums, the bank may insure your Jeep at a much higher premium rate and require you to pay for the much more expensive policy.
Third, insurance protects both your vehicle and your personal assets. It will also reimburse you for medical transport and hospital expenses for you, any passengers, and anyone injured in an accident. Liability coverage, the one required by state law, also pays expenses related to your legal defense in the event you are sued. If damage is caused by hail or an accident, comprehensive and/or collision insurance will pay to restore your vehicle to like-new condition.
The benefits of insuring your Cherokee more than offset the price you pay, especially with large liability claims. Today the average American driver is overpaying over $850 per year so smart consumers compare quotes once a year at a minimum to help ensure money is not being wasted.
Cut your auto insurance rates with discounts
Insuring your vehicles can cost a lot, but there may be some discounts to help bring down the price. A few discounts will be applied at the time of quoting, but some must be specifically requested before you will receive the discount.
- No Claim Discounts – Drivers who don’t have accidents have much lower rates when compared to insureds who have frequent claims or accidents.
- Telematics Data Discounts – Cincinnati drivers who agree to allow data collection to monitor driving manner by installing a telematics device like Allstate’s Drivewise might get better premium rates as long as the data is positive.
- Homeowners Savings – Just owning your own home may trigger a policy discount on auto insurance due to the fact that maintaining a home is proof that your finances are in order.
- 55 and Retired – Mature drivers may qualify for a discount up to 10%.
- Defensive Driver Discount – Taking part in a course in defensive driver could possibly earn you a 5% discount and also improve your driving technique.
- Cautious Driver Discount – Safe drivers could pay up to 40% less than drivers with accident claims.
While discounts sound great, it’s important to understand that most of the big mark downs will not be given to the overall cost of the policy. Most only apply to the price of certain insurance coverages like liability, collision or medical payments. Even though the math looks like it’s possible to get free car insurance, companies wouldn’t make money that way.
Large auto insurance companies and some of their more popular discounts are outlined below.
- American Family offers premium reductions for multi-vehicle, defensive driver, Steer into Savings, air bags, good driver, and bundled insurance.
- Farm Bureau may include discounts for multi-policy, safe driver, 55 and retired, youthful driver, and good student.
- State Farm offers discounts including defensive driving training, safe vehicle, good student, student away at school, and passive restraint.
- Travelers has discounts for driver training, student away at school, early quote, IntelliDrive, and save driver.
- The Hartford discounts include vehicle fuel type, good student, air bag, anti-theft, and bundle.
- GEICO offers discounts for membership and employees, seat belt use, federal employee, emergency military deployment, and air bags.
- Progressive may have discounts that include multi-policy, online quote discount, homeowner, good student, online signing, and continuous coverage.
When comparing rates, check with all companies you are considering which discounts can lower your rates. A few discounts may not apply to policyholders in your state. If you would like to see a list of companies who offer cheap Jeep Cherokee insurance quotes in Ohio, click this link.
When to have guidance from an insurance agent
Certain consumers still prefer to visit with an insurance agent and that can be a smart move Insurance agents can help you build your policy and help you file claims. One of the best bonuses of getting free rate quotes online is you can get the lowest rates and still have an agent to talk to.
By using this quick form, your insurance coverage information gets sent to participating agents in Cincinnati who will give competitive quotes for your business. You never need to leave your computer since price quotes are sent to you. If for some reason you want to get a price quote from a specific insurance provider, feel free to search and find their rate quote page and fill out their quote form.
Selecting an company needs to be determined by more than just a cheap price quote. Here are some questions you should ask.
- What will you get paid if your car is a total loss? How is that amount determined?
- What insurance companies do they recommend if they are an independent agent?
- Will you work with the agent or an assistant?
- How will an accident affect your rates?
- What kind of financial rating does the company have?
If you would like to find a local Cincinnati insurance agent, it helps to know the two different types of agents and how they can service your needs differently. Insurance agents in Cincinnati can be categorized as either independent agents or exclusive agents. Both can sell insurance policies, but it’s worth mentioning the difference in the companies they write for since it could factor into which type of agent you select.
Exclusive Insurance Agents
These agents can only quote rates from one company and some examples include Allstate, State Farm and Farm Bureau. Exclusive agents are unable to shop your coverage around so it’s a take it or leave it situation. They are trained well on sales techniques which helps overcome the inability to quote other rates. Some consumers prefer to use the same exclusive agent mainly due to the prominence of the brand rather than low rates.
The following are exclusive agents in Cincinnati who may provide you with price quote information.
- Dennis Howard – State Farm Insurance Agent
309 W Kemper Rd – Cincinnati, OH 45246 – (513) 771-1436 – View Map - Connor Smith – State Farm Insurance Agent
9620 Colerain Ave #25 – Cincinnati, OH 45251 – (513) 385-3385 – View Map - Deatria Walker – State Farm Insurance Agent
3252 N Bend Rd – Cincinnati, OH 45239 – (513) 661-0400 – View Map
Independent Agents
These agents often have affiliation with several companies so they can insure your vehicles with lots of companies depending on which coverage is best. If you want to switch companies, your agent can just switch to a different company and you can keep the same agent. When comparison shopping, you need to compare quotes from a few independent agents for maximum quote selection. Many can place coverage with smaller mutual companies that can offer cheaper rates than bigger companies.
The following is a list of independent agencies in Cincinnati that can give you price quotes.
- Dillhoff Insurance
120 E 4th St # 1000 – Cincinnati, OH 45202 – (513) 621-2020 – View Map - Zimmer Insurance Agency
2148 Gilbert Ave – Cincinnati, OH 45206 – (513) 381-1919 – View Map - Henry Insurance Agency LLC
2757 Observatory Ave #22 – Cincinnati, OH 45208 – (513) 871-7700 – View Map
Cincinnati car insurance companies
Buying coverage from a good quality car insurance company can be challenging considering how many companies there are in Ohio. The company rank data displayed below could help you choose which providers to look at comparing rates from.
Top 10 Cincinnati Car Insurance Companies Ranked by Customer Satisfaction
- USAA – 92%
- Erie Insurance – 88%
- American Family – 88%
- State Farm – 88%
- Nationwide – 88%
- 21st Century – 88%
- AAA Insurance – 87%
- Liberty Mutual – 87%
- Farmers Insurance – 87%
- The Hartford – 87%
Persistence is the key to cheaper rates
You just read some good ideas how to get a better price on Jeep Cherokee insurance in Cincinnati. The key concept to understand is the more quotes you get, the better your chances of lowering your rates. You may even find the best prices are with a company that doesn’t do a lot of advertising.
People who switch companies do it for any number of reasons including high prices, poor customer service, policy cancellation or even lack of trust in their agent. Regardless of your reason, finding the right car insurance provider is not as difficult as it may seem.
While you’re price shopping online, make sure you don’t sacrifice coverage to reduce premiums. There have been many cases where someone sacrificed collision coverage and learned later that saving that couple of dollars actually costed them tens of thousands. The aim is to find the BEST coverage at an affordable rate but still have enough coverage for asset protection.
To learn more, take a look at the resources below:
- New vehicle ratings focus on headlights (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
- Who Has Cheap Auto Insurance Rates for a Nissan Rogue in Cincinnati? (FAQ)
- What Insurance is Cheapest for College Students in Cincinnati? (FAQ)
- Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for a Honda Accord in Cincinnati? (FAQ)
- State Car Insurance Guides (GEICO)
- Uninsured Motorists: Threats on the Road (Insurance Information Institute)