Are you looking for a website where you can compare different car insurance quotes? Most of us will face this decision when buying a new car or when renewing our auto insurance yearly.
Auto insurance companies should really make it easy for us to find their pesky terms and conditions, but they don’t. Many fancy commercials and shiny ads can sway you away from reading the obnoxious fine print in your insurance contract.
After hours of countless research, and reading tons of comments and reviews, I came up with the following list of companies where you can find the best place for car insurance quotes.
Without further ado, here is the top 10 companies to buy auto insurance from in 2018. Hope you find something that is cheap and valuable to you and your car.
#10 GEICO
geico best car insurance company
“15 MINUTES COULD SAVE YOU 15% OR MORE ON CAR INSURANCE.”
Gosh. Isn’t that ad ingrained into all of our minds already?
You gotta give it to the GEICO Marketing team, they really now how to make a statement. And they definitely have some of the best insurance rates that I’ve seen.
GEICO is a powerful household name with a very good reason: they have excellent customer support and know a thing or two about car insurance.
I, The Insurance Nerd, calculated an average premium of $1,356 for a regular car nationwide. That price comes among the cheapest insurance quotes found in the US. The monthly premium comes to $113.
Moreover, GEICO also gives several discounts to reduce that premium based on eligibility. For example, motorist who haven’t had an accident in 5 years are eligible for the “good driver” discount of up to 26%. If you bundle up and insured more than just one car, you can also save up on your premium. Even getting good grades in school can score you up to 15% off on certain coverages.
#9 USAA
usaa insurance company
This one is a great choice if you are a member or former member of the military.
With an stellar customer service rating, USAA has won the hearts of many Americans over the years. At just $943 per year, USAA offers one of the most inexpensive car insurance rates in the country.
USAA serves anyone in the military and their relatives. They have coverage in every one of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Similarly as with the other providers, you can shave up some dollars out of your insurance quote by having a clean 5-year record and also passing a defensive driving course.
#8 Progressive
progressive insurance company
Progressive is another highly rated insurance company.
The rates quoted by Progressive were an average of $2,930 per car per year, which is more than GEICO, State Farm and USAA.
But you shouldn’t be deterred from quoting from Progressive just by their relatively higher insurance premium. My favorite perk of Progressive is that everything can be managed through their online portal. That means bye to all the printed paperwork and long agent calls. Yes, you can even sign all the documents digitally.
#7 Allstate
insurance company allstate
Not a popular choice among drivers, Allstate does have a higher premium coming in at $3,307 (or $275 monthly). However, the company is entitled to that higher cost given that their service according to various rating websites is A+ with a very low complain ratio.
The top discounts offered by Allstate are: safe driver discount, accident-free history discounts that can go as long as five years.
#6 Amica Car Insurance
amica auto insurance
Amica is one of the leading insurance companies in the US.
The price average I got from their website was about $2,795 which comes out to about $232/mo. Not too bad, but still not the cheapest rate out there.
You can save if you have Anti-theft protection in your car, if you drive defensively and if you get more than one line of insurance with them. They also offer loyalty incentives if you stay with them for more than 2 years.
#5 State Farm
jake from state farm auto insurance
Ahh, Jake from State Farm. What would we do without him.
State Farm is another powerhouse when it comes to nationwide car insurance. Established in 1922, this insurance company has passed the test of time and still delivers solid value for your money. They also hold the largest market share in the US, serving every single state from California to Florida and even Washington.
With an average quote of $2,192 annually, it’s a bit pricier than GEICO but still relatively cheap compared to other providers. Similarly to GEICO, policyholders can significantly reduce their costs by doing many qualifying activities, one of them being having no points in their license.
The State Farm website shows 4 different discounts that you can take advantage of.
#4 Mercury
mercury auto insurance firm
Mercury is a popular car insurer in California, coming in at 4th place in terms of market size. The company also offers insurance in 10 other states including Nevada, Texas, Arizona and New York.
The reviews online say mixed comments so it seems more like a toss up, but at $1,860 per year it may not be too bad after all. Just look at how badass those agents in all black look.
#3 New Jersey Manufacturers NJM
njm car insurance company
NJM serves only two states: Pennsylvania and New Jersey. If you are lucky enough to be located there, then this insurance company might be a good option for you.
With a quote of just $1,560, the New Jersey Manufacturers insurance company certainly offers a good deal when it comes to getting your auto insured. The monthly premium of just $130 covers accident damages, car theft and a slew of other inconveniences.
They also offer business, condo and home renters insurance.
#2 Ameriprise Financial
AMERIPRISE-insurance-car-company
A spin-out of American Express, Ameriprise became an independent company to better serve its customers. They have been in business for over a century and have more than 2M clients.
Ameriprise’s auto insurance products are in only 14 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Tennessee.
If you complete the online form for car insurance, you will see a quote around the $2,201 figure. A big plus with this company is that they offer one of the best discounts when it comes to being loyal and having tenure with them.
#1 Erie Insurance
ERIE INSURANCE LOGO
Erie Indemnity Company is a very sound choice when it comes to protecting your auto. The average quote amount is $2,405 per year. They offer some extra perks that are not offered by many other companies such as: pet injury coverage, accident forgiveness, and diminishing deductibles (a deductible that reduces each year by $100 if you don’t file a claim).
Erie operates in the following 12 states: North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee.
How to save money while shopping for car insurance
Find multiple insurance quotes
The single best way to get a lower rate on your car insurance is to shop around. The more quotes that you get the more bargaining power you can have over the insurance agent on the other side of the phone. You may also opt to work with an insurance broker to help you with getting multiple quotes. Since they are more experienced, they can speed up the process much quickly. Often times, they also might have access to exclusive deals.
Actively look for discounts
The next tip is to ask for discounts. Tell your broker your exact needs and ask for any potential discounts you may qualify, you will be surprised but more often than not you can score at least 5% of your policy very easily. You can also install the chrome extension Honey to search for discount codes and coupons on all the popular sites listed above.
Here’s a short list of common qualifying discounts that most firms will offer:
Multiple policies with the same company
Anti-theft security devices
Defensive driving lessons
Low annual mileage
College students living away from home
Drivers ed courses
Long-time customer (Loyalty)
More than one car
No accidents in three/five years
No moving violations in three/five years
Student drivers with good grades (usually B grade or above)
Pick a higher deductible for a lower rate
While this option might not make sense for everyone, if you are comfortable with paying more out-of-pocket should any accident occur then you can lower your rate that way. Make sure that you can cover the deductible before you agree to it.
Bundle up and save across
Most of the companies listed above offer not just car insurance but also home insurance and life insurance. If you end up purchasing more than one service from them, you will most likely get a bundle discount.
If your life changed, so should your insurance rate
Many insurance companies offer discount for major events in your life. If you just got married, ask for any married couple discounts. If you just moved into a more urban city with public transportation and as a result you will drive less, mention this to your insurance firm.
Know if you should stop paying for comprehensive and collision
Comprehensive and Collision coverages are there to repair or replace your auto if it is stolen or damaged in an accident, regardless of who is at fault.
The rule of thumb when it comes to comp and collision is that if you are paying more than 10% of your vehicle’s value then you should just assume the liability coverage. (Here’s a handy website to determine the value of your car).
If your car is worth $8,000 and you are paying more than $800 on comp and collision coverages then you should not accept that charge. The exception being in the case that you can’t financially cover the loss of your vehicle, in which case you should still get comp and collision.
Conclusion
Hope you found this list of best car insurance companies useful. I hope that you make the best decision and that you drive safely and relieved knowing that you are insured with a policy that satisfies your needs.
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Which insurance company do you use to protect your auto?
