Who Has the Cheapest Car Insurance Rates for Drivers with a Bad Driving Record in Columbus?

Establishing which company offers the lowest-priced insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record will take more time in order to find the most economical policy.

Each company has their own formula to set policy rates, so let’s take a look at the insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in Columbus, OH. It’s important to understand that Ohio insurance rates are influenced by many factors that will increase or decrease your annual premium. Simply turning a year older, buying higher coverage limits, or getting a driving violation can trigger price changes resulting in some companies being cheaper than before.

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Utica National normally has some of the lowest car insurance rates in Columbus at around $628 annually. This is $412 less than the average rate paid by Ohio drivers of $1,040. Erie, Allied, Frankenmuth, and USAA also make the cut as some of the most economical Columbus, OH insurance companies.

In this example, if you buy coverage from Allied and switched to Utica National, you might achieve an annual premium reduction of about $48. Customers with Frankenmuth may save as much as $80 a year, and USAA insureds might lower prices by $83 a year.

These prices are averaged across all insureds and vehicles and are not factoring in a specific vehicle garaging location for drivers with a bad driving record. So the auto insurance company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the list above. That underscores the importance of why you need to get auto insurance quotes using your own driver data and vehicle information.

The type of vehicle you are buying coverage for is one of the main factors when shopping for the best cheap coverage for drivers with a bad driving record. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, good crash test ratings, or a track record of few liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than higher performance models.

The list below estimates car insurance rates for the most affordable automobiles to insure in Ohio.

Price data assumes single male driver age 30, two speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, and multi-policy. Estimates do not factor in your specific Columbus, OH location which can decrease or increase coverage prices noticeably.

Based upon the table data, you can expect makes and models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Elantra, and Toyota Prius are most likely to be some of the cheapest vehicles to insure for bad drivers. Car insurance rates will tend to be more expensive anyway because there is more inherent risk for drivers with a bad driving record, but overall those particular models will tend to have the lowest insurance rates compared to all other vehicles.

Cost of full coverage in Columbus

Saving money when shopping for insurance is important to most drivers, and a good way to reduce the cost of insurance for drivers with a bad driving record is to not buy full coverage. The illustration below shows the difference between car insurance rates with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in Ohio. The data assumes no driving violations, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

If we average the cost for all age groups, comp and collision coverage costs an extra $1,436 per year over liability only. Many people question when is it safe to stop buying full coverage. There is no exact formula to eliminate physical damage insurance, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is about 10% or more of any settlement you would receive from your insurance company, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.

There are some conditions where eliminating full coverage is not a good idea. If you still have a lienholder on your title, you have to maintain full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if your savings is not enough to buy a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should not consider dropping full coverage.

Types of discounts on Columbus insurance rates

Insurance companies that sell policies for drivers with a bad driving record may additionally offer special discounts that may potentially lower prices by 25% or more if you are eligible to receive them. Popular insurance companies and their possible discounts can be found below.

• Progressive discounts include online quote discount, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-policy, good student, and online signing.
• The Hartford offers discounts for defensive driver, good student, bundle, air bag, vehicle fuel type, driver training, and anti-theft.
• Mercury Insurance may include discounts for age of vehicle, multi-car, ease of repair, professional/association, anti-theft, and low natural disaster claims.
• GEICO includes discounts for good student, five-year accident-free, seat belt use, membership and employees, anti-lock brakes, and daytime running lights.
• AAA has discounts for AAA membership discount, multi-policy, good student, anti-theft, and multi-car.
• State Farm may have discounts that include good driver, anti-theft, accident-free, good student, multiple policy, student away at school, and driver’s education.

The example below visualizes the comparison of yearly insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the premium. The premium estimates are based on a female driver, two accidents and one traffic ticket, Ohio state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $100 deductibles.

The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with paperless filing, continuous coverage, paid-in-full, marriage, passive restraint, and anti-theft discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, theamount saved on insurance for drivers with a bad driving record is 28% or $1,077.

Can you find cheaper Columbus car insurance?

Columbus insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can substantially decrease or increase the price you have to pay for coverage. Simply having another birthday, having a teenage driver, or getting a driving violation can trigger changes in premium resulting in some companies being more affordable than the competition. In addition, insurance companies modify pricing every year or even multiple times each year in order to be able to pay unexpected claims. Higher than normal claims can result in high rates, while lower claims can result in more affordable Columbus car insurance rates.

To illustrate this example, the chart below shows the company with the cheapest car insurance in Columbus, OH for a 35-year-old male driver with a clear driving record, no claims, and solid credit. When quoting prices based on his current risk factors, Utica National might offer the cheapest car insurance rates in Columbus at $793 annually. This is $247 less than the average policy premium paid by Ohio drivers of $1,040. Frankenmuth, Erie, Allied, and USAA also make the list of the cheapest Columbus, OH auto insurance companies.

Let’s now give the driver from the first example an accident claim, a lower credit rating, and a speeding ticket. Since each auto insurer has a proprietary formula to set premium rates, comparing prices could now result in a slightly different list of companies as shown below.

Merchants Insurance Group now has the cheapest auto insurance in Columbus with Cincinnati Insurance, Motorists Mutual, Grange Mutual, and General Casualty also having competitive pricing. This example proves why Columbus drivers need to compare rates to get the most budget-friendly auto insurance quotes for drivers with a bad driving record.

Car insurance prices can be determined by many factors and can increase or decrease at any time, so the best company two years ago may now cost much more than other companies.