Best Ohio Car Insurance Quotes – Cheap Car Insurance in the Buckeye State
With over 7.5 million licensed drivers, Ohio has plenty of people out on the roads. At Insurance Geek, we want you safe and covered – so we’re committed to getting you matched with the cheapest car insurance policy in Ohio that will cover you and your entire family.
Let’s dig a little deeper into the minimum requirements in Ohio, the best ways to shop for Ohio auto insurance that meets your needs, and what Insurance Geek has to offer.
Ohio Car Insurance Minimum Required Coverage Car Insurance
Every state in the USA has some minimum amounts that drivers are required to have to be legally on the road. Pretty much every state requires BODILY and INJURY liability insurance coverage, as well as property damage liability coverage.
Here are your minimum insurance coverages in Ohio, with a breakdown of how much protection you can expect from each part of your policy.
Bodily injury liability – $25,000/person; $50,000/accident minimum coverage
This type of coverage protects you if you are responsible for injuring someone else while driving in an at-fault accident. This could be someone in another car, a pedestrian, etc. This type of coverage in your Ohio auto insurance will also protect you if you or a named person on your insurance policy cause bodily injury while driving someone else’s car, as long as the owner gave you permission to drive.
Property damage liability – $25,000/accident minimum coverage
Damaging someone else’s car during a collision can be costly, so property damage liability will protect you in the event of such an occurrence. $25,000 for coverage in Ohio may not be enough depending on the accident – we’ll address this a little more below.
How Much Will I Pay for Auto Insurance in Ohio?
Average rates Ohio drivers pay for auto insurance are around $1030 annually, but car insurance rates depend on many factors, from whether you’ve been involved in a car accident recently to the insurance company you choose and your vehicle.
Here are the most significant factors that dictate how much you will pay for Ohio auto insurance:
Age Groups
Young drivers in Ohio get higher average rates from the insurance companies than other drivers. Why is this so? For the sole reason of them being inexperienced on the road. Therefore, drivers who have recently obtained their driver’s license – regardless of their age – will also get slightly higher insurance rates based on the inexperience factor.
Driving Records
Good drivers in Ohio (that is, those with a clean driving record) can get a “good driver” discount and lower average rates than other drivers.
Keep in mind that if you have an accident or you get a ticket, this can greatly affect your insurance rates.
Carriers want to know that you’re a safe driver behind the wheel, and any type of accident – sometimes even ones that you don’t cause – can affect your premium. It’s very likely that you’ll get better rates or to get accident forgiveness if you’ve had only one speeding ticket or one at-fault accident over a long period of time, so make sure to talk to your agent about this if it’s something you would be interested in.
Credit Score
An insurance company will also be interested in your financial responsibility, which is reflected in your credit score.
Therefore, Ohio drivers who maintain a positive credit score will get lower rates for their auto policy. Similarly, drivers with a poor credit rating might get a higher premium.
With that being said, we help you find cheap car insurance in Ohio even if you have a poor credit rating because we can get you free quotes from multiple insurance companies.
Location
You’ll find that whether or not you’re living in the suburbs makes a difference. Metro areas have a higher potential for accidents and collisions, so the average rate for drivers in Ohio who reside in metro areas is often steeper there.
Here are some major cities in which we write an auto policy in Ohio:
- Columbus
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Toledo
- Akron
- Dayton
- Parma
- Canton
Car Insurance Company
Of course, different insurers will offer different car insurance rates.
We’ve found a way to the cheapest auto insurance and right insurance company for our customers who are drivers in Ohio: comparing quotes via our free quote calculator. If you use it, you’ll instantly generate quotes from multiple insurance companies and decide which one has the best deal for you.
Discounts
There’s plenty of ways to save money when buying auto insurance in Ohio.
Insurers offer premium reductions if you have a great driving record or you are willing to take a defensive driving course.
But the best and most frequent way to obtain a discount is through bundling policies with the same insurer: you can either insure multiple vehicles from the same household or combine policies (for instance, home or life insurance with auto insurance).
Get Cheap Car Insurance Quotes in Ohio
With so many factors you have to consider, it seems impossible to calculate how much you’ll pay for your insurance policy in Ohio.
At Insurance Geek, we realize that, and we want to make it easier for you:
If you use our quote calculator on this page, you can compare quotes from multiple insurers to calculate how much you’d pay.
Mind you – these are free quotes, and it won’t take more than a few minutes to generate them because these insurance companies are all carriers we are partnered with. They are comprised of over 20 companies, including Nationwide and Safeco, that are most commonly chosen by our clients.
When you see the quotes, if you decide to continue with car insurance shopping (no obligations!), an Insurance Geek agent will gladly assist you.
Can I Get a Discount?
No matter your carrier, it’s possible to get some kind of discount when insuring your motor vehicle.
Carriers like to reward you for being loyal to the brand, which means if your parents have had a long-standing relationship with the insurance company, there will be discounts for you. If there are multiple cars in the household, all covered under the same policy, there will be a discount.
Payment habits also affect discounts. If you’re willing to pay the entire policy cost upfront in full, you will typically receive a percentage discount off the total amount of the cost. If you sign up for paperless billing, you can usually get a discount, and we also recommend taking a defensive driving course to bring down your cost slightly. Anything you can do to get that cost down will be helpful in terms of saving on the month-to-month.
Another thing many clients like to do is bundle, which means you get several different lines of insurance from the same carrier. Whether we’re talking about life, health, car, boat, or whatever types of insurance you can get, the more motor vehicles you insure under the same roof or the more policies you get with the same carrier, the more you can save.
What Does Car Insurance in Ohio Include?
You’ll find that your auto insurance options aren’t only the minimum coverages required by the state of Ohio. Quite the contrary; drivers should consider other coverages to get fully protected.
Other coverage examples include:
Medical Liability/PIP (Personal Injury Protection)
If you or your passengers are injured in your own auto, the PIP portion of the policy will cover you. It is optional in Ohio, but it’s very useful because the bodily injury (obligatory minimum) will not pay for your expenses, but only for the other party. Plus, PIP can cover the lost wages of you and your passengers.
Uninsured and underinsured
If you’re the victim of a hit and run, if you’re hit as a pedestrian or if a person without insurance or too low liability limits hits your car, your medical and property expenses will be compensated up to the coverage amount.
Collision coverage
Collision is very useful, and you should consider it for your full coverage policy. What is it? Well, if you hit another car or a pothole, road sign, guard rail, etc., collision protection can help you repair your vehicle. Not every accident is the one where someone else or you are at fault. Things like this happen all the time, even to the best drivers!
Comprehensive
Comprehensive is also recommended for your full coverage, and it isn’t necessarily connected to an at-fault accident. Basically, comprehensive provides protection for incidents that occur outside of your driving routine. For example, a broken or cracked windshield, property stolen from your vehicle, etc. – all this is covered under your comprehensive portion.
Bodily injury liability coverage
In an at-fault accident, BI liability will pay for the medical bills of the other driver and their passengers.
Property damage liability insurance
Property damage is obligatory and will pay for the damage caused to another driver’s vehicle in an at-fault accident. It’s recommended to get higher property damage liability limits than the state minimum because these repairs (or even replacement) can get quite costly.
Deductibles
Higher deductibles can help you save on premiums, but then you’ll end up paying more out of pocket in the event of an accident or occurrence. Typically, deductibles are $250, $500, or $1000, but can be higher in some cases. We find deductibles for comprehensive coverage claims rings right around $500 for most customers.
How much Coverage Car Insurance Should I Get in Ohio?
Minimum coverage stated above will be enough to get you on the road legally, but this is nowhere near enough coverage or the full coverage policy that would adequately protect you.
We recommend $100,000 BI (bodily injury), $300,000 BI/accident, and property damage coverage up to $100,000. This is a common metric for the best coverage you can get, though we may recommend more or less based on your personal situation or circumstances.
You should plan on purchasing at least enough coverage to meet state minimums and more if you can afford it. For bodily injury and property damage liability, you’re looking for enough to cover at least $25,000 in protection for both, with up to $50,000 for an accident.
FAQ: Ohio Car Insurance
Q: What car insurance companies have the cheapest car insurance in Ohio?
A: Car insurance companies that have the most affordable car insurance coverage in Ohio are Safeco and Nationwide. In addition to low prices, these insurers often give discounts to their customers, which allows you to save more. We can get you the quotes from these companies for free if you use our quote tool on this page. And if you prefer some other carriers, we can get you insurance from them, too!
Q: What is the average cost of car insurance in Ohio?
A: The average cost of auto insurance in Ohio is around $1037 for an annual premium, higher than the national average. However, many factors go into what determines premiums for auto insurance in Ohio. Some things to consider include: the driver’s age, any kind of theft deterrent installed, including etched glass or safety alarms, safe driving records, bundle offerings, the color, make model and age of the vehicle, whether or not you have any previous accidents or citations in your driving record, and so on.
Ohio Auto Insurance Rates Calculator
We hope that this guide was informative and that you are ready to get your free online Ohio auto insurance quotes.
Insurance Geek carries a variety of quotes from multiple carriers, and we can get you to set up with the best quote based on your budget and your situation.
Take a look at our free quote tool and get yourself and your vehicle protected with the best possible cheap car insurance in Ohio today!