I’m sure you’ve seen the catchy advertisements from insurers like GEICO, The General, and Farmers that promise the cheapest price, so you just need to pick one at random, right?
Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy, as there are a ton of unknown factors like what coverage limits you want, your financial stability, and if you own or rent your home, that all influence how much you pay for auto insurance. In this article, we will teach you about these topics and hopefully give you enough understanding to have a good start in finding the cheapest car insurance in Ohio.
Finding reliable, reasonably-priced car insurance is not the easiest thing to do, and deciding which company quotes the cheapest car insurance rates for used cars will take even more work. Every auto insurer has a different formula to establish rates, so let’s rank the car insurance companies with the most affordable rates in Columbus, OH.
It’s important to know that Columbus car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that can increase the price you pay. Improving your credit score, buying another vehicle, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can cause premium changes that may make certain companies more affordable than the competition.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Used Cars
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utica National | $654 |
| 2 | Erie | $661 |
| 3 | Allied | $697 |
| 4 | Frankenmuth | $708 |
| 5 | Travelers | $726 |
| 6 | USAA | $733 |
| 7 | Merchants Insurance Group | $771 |
| 8 | Cincinnati Insurance | $772 |
| 9 | Motorists Mutual | $824 |
| 10 | General Casualty | $829 |
| 11 | Grange Mutual | $836 |
| 12 | Central Mutual | $874 |
| 13 | Hastings Mutual | $884 |
| 14 | State Farm | $894 |
| 15 | Atlantic States | $904 |
| 16 | Western Reserve | $941 |
| 17 | Westfield | $946 |
| 18 | Progressive | $953 |
| 19 | Auto-Owners | $988 |
| 20 | Farmers | $1,025 |
| View More Rates Go | ||
Utica National offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Columbus at around $654 each year. Erie, Allied, Frankenmuth, and Travelers also are some of the lowest-priced Columbus, OH car insurance companies.
In this example, if you have coverage with Travelers and switched to Erie, you could see an annual savings of around $65. Customers with USAA might save as much as $72 a year, and Merchants Insurance Group insureds might reduce rates by $110 a year.
These estimates are averages across all drivers and vehicles and do not factor in an exact zip code location for used cars. So the auto insurance company that can offer the best rates for your situation may not even be in the list above. That underscores the importance of why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own individual information.
The type of vehicle on the policy is one of the largest considerations when comparing quotes for the lowest-priced car insurance for used cars. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, good crash test ratings, or a positive history of liability claims will cost substantially less to insure than high performance models.
The next list estimates insurance costs for the most budget-friendly automobiles to buy coverage for.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $1,286 |
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $1,374 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport 4WD 2-Dr | $1,414 |
| Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,417 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon | $1,425 |
| Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $1,455 |
| Ford Edge SE AWD | $1,460 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | $1,485 |
| Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $1,493 |
| Ford Explorer Limited 2WD | $1,513 |
| Ford F-150 FX4 Super Cab 4WD | $1,521 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,528 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Regular Cab 4WD | $1,594 |
| Nissan Rogue S 2WD | $1,600 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,594 |
| Toyota RAV4 Sport 4WD | $1,626 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,632 |
| Compare Cheap Rates Go | |
Premium data assumes single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, claim-free, safe-driver, and multi-vehicle. Rates do not factor in specific location which can influence rates noticeably.
Based upon these rates, makes and models like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Jeep Wrangler, and Honda Accord should be a few of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for pre-owned vehicles.
Types of discounts on Columbus insurance
Insurers that offer coverage for used cars may also give you special discounts that could reduce prices by 35% or more if you are eligible for them. A few of the larger companies and their possible discounts are:
- GEICO offers discounts for defensive driver, membership and employees, air bags, multi-vehicle, driver training, anti-lock brakes, and anti-theft.
- Travelers has discounts for home ownership, driver training, payment discounts, multi-car, and save driver.
- Farm Bureau includes discounts for good student, safe driver, multi-policy, driver training, multi-vehicle, renewal discount, and youthful driver.
- Liberty Mutual discounts include exclusive group savings, good student, newly retired, teen driver discount, multi-car, new graduate, and preferred payment discount.
- American Family offers discounts including early bird, good student, defensive driver, multi-vehicle, TimeAway discount, and good driver.
- Progressive may include discounts for online quote discount, online signing, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, multi-policy, good student, and homeowner.
The diagram below shows the difference between insurance rates with and without discounts. The rates are based on a female driver, no tickets, no at-fault accidents, Ohio state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the average rate with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with homeowner, anti-theft, claim-free, accident-free, multiple policy, and vehicle safety discounts applied. When taking advantage of discounts, theamount saved on car insurance for used cars is 27% or $282.
The diagram below demonstrates how choosing different deductibles can increase or decrease insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for used cars. The rate quotes are based on a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
A 40-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $178 a year by switching from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $272 by using a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, such as the 20-year-old example, can cut $456 or more just by choosing larger deductibles. When choosing a higher deductible, it is necessary to have plenty of discretionary funds to satisfy the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one shortcoming of high deductibles.
Ohio car insurance companies ranked
Buying coverage from a high-quality car insurance company can be a challenge considering how many different companies there are to choose from in Columbus. The information shown next could help you analyze which car insurance companies you want to consider when trying to find cheaper insurance for used cars. These rankings only include companies that insure vehicles across America, so companies that only write business in Ohio or surrounding areas will not be included in these rankings.
Top 10 Major Auto Insurance Companies in Columbus Ranked by Customer Service
- Nationwide
- State Farm
- Safeco Insurance
- American Family
- Titan Insurance
- Travelers
- Liberty Mutual
- GEICO
- Erie Insurance
- Allstate
Top 10 Major Auto Insurance Companies Overall in Columbus
- USAA
- 21st Century
- GEICO
- Nationwide
- AAA Insurance
- Liberty Mutual
- Safeco Insurance
- State Farm
- Travelers
- American Family
Low rates can quickly become overpriced
Columbus car insurance rates are influenced by many factors which can substantially change the price you pay. Simply having a birthday, having a teenage driver, or getting into an accident can produce rate changes that can cause some rates to be more affordable than competitors. Additionally, insurers file new Ohio car insurance rates as needed to reflect underwriting profits or losses. Significantly higher claims can cause increased policy costs, while profitable underwriting may result in lower-priced Columbus car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the graph below demonstrates which company has the cheapest car insurance in Columbus, OH for a 40-year-old female driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and a good credit history. Based on her current situation, Utica National quotes the most affordable car insurance rates in Columbus at $793 annually. This is $247 less than the average rate paid by Ohio drivers of $1,040. Erie, Allied, Travelers, and Frankenmuth are the remainder of the best Columbus, OH auto insurance companies.
In this next rate comparison, we will give the driver in the first example some claims, poor credit, and a speeding ticket. Since every insurance provider uses their own formula to determining premium rates, analyzing rates most likely will result in a different set of affordable companies as shown below.
Cincinnati Insurance now has the cheapest rate in Columbus with Merchants Insurance Group, General Casualty, Motorists Mutual, and Grange Mutual now rounding out the top five. This example demonstrates why it is crucial to spend some time comparing rates to find the cheapest insurance rates for used cars. Car insurance prices are influenced by many different factors and change substantially, so the cheapest option the last time you shopped your coverage around may now be wasting a lot of money.
If you would rather have a professional recommendation when shopping for cheaper insurance for used cars, the agents listed below can help you make a decision which auto insurance policy fits you best.
To locate a Columbus car insurance agency close to you, click the link at the bottom or click here to compare price quotes.
- Bruce Rothermund – State Farm Insurance Agent
50 Northwoods Blvd – Columbus, OH 43235 – (614) 888-5830 - Ted Briggs – State Farm Insurance Agent
2545 Petzinger Rd L – Columbus, OH 43209 – (614) 235-6667 - Andrea Taylor – State Farm Insurance Agent
5540 N Hamilton Rd – Columbus, OH 43230 – (614) 855-9421