You have probably watched the captivating ads from car insurance companies like Allstate and State Farm that claim huge savings. So drivers should just pick the company with the best ad, right?
It’s just not that simple, as there are a ton of unknown elements like whether you are married or single, how old you are, if you currently have coverage, and your gender, that all impact the price you pay. We will touch on the best ways to compare rates and will hopefully give the reader a jump start in finding the best auto insurance in Atlanta.
For people with poor credit, one of the more important components that are used to help calculate car insurance rates is where you call home. More populated areas tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents have the luxury of lower rates.
The following table lists the priciest cities in Georgia for drivers with bad credit in which to purchase auto insurance. Atlanta comes in at #2 with an annual cost of $1,363 for the average insured, which is approximately $114 per month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Point | $1,450 |
| 2 | Atlanta | $1,363 |
| 3 | Dunwoody | $1,320 |
| 4 | North Atlanta | $1,310 |
| 5 | Macon | $1,279 |
| 6 | Roswell | $1,272 |
| 7 | Mableton | $1,267 |
| 8 | Marietta | $1,253 |
| 9 | Columbus | $1,243 |
| 10 | Smyrna | $1,242 |
| 11 | Sandy Springs | $1,242 |
| 12 | Alpharetta | $1,234 |
| 13 | Gainesville | $1,232 |
| 14 | Savannah | $1,227 |
| 15 | Augusta | $1,221 |
| 16 | Rome | $1,218 |
| 17 | Peachtree City | $1,168 |
| 18 | Martinez | $1,152 |
| 19 | Warner Robins | $1,149 |
| 20 | Athens | $1,124 |
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Price information shown is comparative as the specific Atlanta residence address can decrease or increase rates substantially.
Determining which insurers offer the best car insurance rates for drivers with bad credit may require more time than just getting one or two price quotes. Every car insurance company has their own formula for setting prices, so we will examine the lowest cost car insurance companies in Atlanta.
Keep in mind that Atlanta car insurance rates are based on many factors which can significantly increase or decrease the cost of having a policy. Simply improving your credit, marrying your spouse, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can produce rate changes resulting in some companies being more affordable than others.
Cheap Insurance Rates with Bad Credit
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auto-Owners | $855 |
| 2 | The Hartford | $886 |
| 3 | USAA | $968 |
| 4 | Central Mutual | $1,169 |
| 5 | MetLife | $1,264 |
| 6 | Travelers | $1,279 |
| 7 | Georgia Farm Bureau | $1,312 |
| 8 | Safeco | $1,369 |
| 9 | Mercury | $1,369 |
| 10 | Country | $1,377 |
| 11 | State Farm | $1,390 |
| 12 | Allied | $1,409 |
| 13 | California Casualty | $1,577 |
| 14 | Encompass | $1,673 |
| 15 | Progressive | $1,721 |
| 16 | Nationwide | $1,901 |
| 17 | Liberty Mutual | $2,004 |
| 18 | Allstate | $2,202 |
| 19 | GEICO | $2,209 |
| 20 | Victoria | $2,483 |
| Quote Your Rates Go | ||
Auto-Owners generally has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Atlanta at around $855 annually. This is $674 less than the average premium paid by Georgia drivers of $1,529. The Hartford, USAA, Central Mutual, and MetLife would also be considered some of the best Atlanta, GA insurance companies.
In the above example, if you are a customer of The Hartford and switched to Auto-Owners, you could realize an annual premium reduction of around $31. Policyholders with USAA might save as much as $113 a year, and Central Mutual customers might lower prices by $314 a year.
If you want to find out if you’re overpaying, click here or quote rates from the companies below.
Bear in mind that those policy prices are averages across all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not figured with a vehicle location for drivers with bad credit. So the car insurance company that fits your needs best may not even be in the list above. That is why you need to get rate quotes from many companies using your own specific driver and vehicle information.
The make and model of vehicle that is being insured is a significant factor in finding low-priced insurance for drivers with bad credit. Vehicles with limited speed and performance, good safety features, or a low likelihood of liability claims will cost much less to insure than high performance models. The list below shows coverage premiums for the more affordable vehicles to insure.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $1,342 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,484 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 2WD | $1,505 |
| Chevrolet Impala LS | $1,558 |
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $1,650 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $1,671 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sport Islander Package 4WD 2-Dr | $1,695 |
| Ford Fusion SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,702 |
| Nissan Altima Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $1,711 |
| Toyota Corolla XRS | $1,702 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $1,709 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Extended Cab 2WD | $1,705 |
| GMC Sierra 3500HD SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $1,731 |
| Honda Civic EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $1,752 |
| Honda Accord LX-S 2-Dr Coupe | $1,789 |
| Toyota Camry Hybrid | $1,821 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $1,823 |
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Data assumes single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Georgia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, homeowner, multi-policy, and claim-free. Information does not factor in garaging location in Atlanta, GA which can influence auto insurance rates significantly.
Based on these rates, you can figure that vehicles like the Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Impala, and Ford Escape should be the more affordable vehicles to insure for people with poor credit. Prices will tend to be more expensive just due to the fact that there is more liability exposure for drivers with bad credit, but in general those specific models will most likely have the cheapest car insurance rates possible.
Insuring your vehicle with a good quality auto insurance company can be challenging considering how many choices there are in Georgia. The company information displayed below may help you pick which auto insurance companies you want to consider when trying to find cheaper insurance for drivers with bad credit.
The rankings below only include companies that write coverage in many states, so smaller companies that only insure vehicles in Georgia are not taken into consideration for these rankings. To compare rates from many more Georgia auto insurance companies, simply click here.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travelers | 93 | 98 | 99 | 88% | A++ | 95.1 |
| USAA | 83 | 99 | 100 | 91% | A++ | 94.1 |
| Mercury Insurance | 97 | 96 | 88 | 89% | A+ | 93.4 |
| AAA Insurance | 91 | 95 | 92 | 90% | A | 93.3 |
| Nationwide | 85 | 95 | 97 | 89% | A+ | 92.4 |
| Allstate | 77 | 100 | 97 | 88% | A+ | 90.7 |
| State Farm | 80 | 94 | 96 | 88% | A++ | 90.6 |
| The Hartford | 88 | 93 | 91 | 87% | A+ | 90.4 |
| Safeco Insurance | 91 | 95 | 85 | 88% | A | 90.2 |
| Progressive | 88 | 94 | 83 | 88% | A+ | 90.1 |
| American Family | 91 | 86 | 95 | 83% | A | 89.7 |
| Esurance | 86 | 90 | 94 | 90% | A+ | 89.5 |
| The General | 86 | 93 | 89 | 84% | A- | 88.2 |
| GEICO | 79 | 89 | 95 | 87% | A++ | 87.8 |
| Titan Insurance | 86 | 82 | 92 | 86% | A+ | 86.5 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Full coverage versus liability only rates
Paying a lower price for car insurance is the goal of most people, and a great way to lower the cost of insurance for drivers with bad credit is to not buy comprehensive and collision coverage. The information below shows the difference between insurance costs with full physical damage coverage compared to only buying the minimum liability limits required in Georgia. The premiums assume no claims or driving citations, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are single, and no policy discounts are applied.
If we average the cost for all age groups, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs $2,199 per year more than just insuring for liability. Many drivers may wonder when is it a good idea to stop buying full coverage. There is no exact formula to drop physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.
Get discounts on Atlanta car insurance
Insurance companies that provide coverage for drivers with bad credit may have policy discounts that can reduce rates by as much as 35% or more if you meet eligibility requirements. Companies and a partial list of their discounts are shown below.
- State Farm has savings for good student, passive restraint, good driver, Drive Safe & Save, and accident-free.
- Esurance offers discounts including paid-in-full, online quote, multi-policy, safety device, DriveSense, renters, and anti-theft.
- Progressive policyholders can earn discounts including continuous coverage, homeowner, multi-vehicle, online signing, multi-policy, and online quote discount.
- Liberty Mutual has discounts for new graduate, hybrid vehicle, newly retired, multi-car, safety features, preferred payment discount, and newly married.
- Auto-Owners Insurance includes discounts for student away at school, anti-theft, air bags, mature driver, teen driver, and multiple vehicles.
- GEICO may include discounts for military active duty, five-year accident-free, emergency military deployment, membership and employees, anti-lock brakes, and multi-policy.
The chart below compares premium costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The data assumes a male driver, no violations or accidents, Georgia state minimum liability limits, comprehensive and collision coverage, and $1,000 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows insurance cost with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with vehicle safety, marriage, defensive driving course, multiple vehicle, safe-driver, and claim-free discounts applied. When drivers take advantage of discounts, theamount saved on car insurance for drivers with bad credit is 28% or $625.
The Atlanta car insurance agencies listed below can most likely help you determine which car insurance policy is best, as some people prefer to have a consultation when shopping for cheaper insurance for people with poor credit. It can be difficult to find the cheapest rates, so a licensed agent can give you comfort knowing your coverage gives you enough coverage when you need it. To locate an Atlanta auto insurance agent close to where you live, click the button at the bottom of the list.
- Mark Pritchard – State Farm Insurance Agent
3280 Howell Mill Rd NW #107 – Atlanta, GA 30327 – (404) 856-4950 - Snellings Walters Insurance Agency
1117 Perimeter Center W – Atlanta, GA 30338 – (770) 396-9600 - Aaron Frazier – State Farm Insurance Agent
NE, 4246 Peachtree Rd NE #7 – Atlanta, GA 30319 – (404) 233-4847 - DeWayne Hrabowski – State Farm Insurance Agent
1120 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW #4 – Atlanta, GA 30310 – (404) 758-5400
More Atlanta, GA insurance agents
How to find cheaper insurance for drivers with bad credit
The list below summarizes many penny-pinching suggestions that can help you buy low-cost coverage.
- Drive a car with a high safety rating
- Don’t waste money on full coverage for older vehicles
- Clean up your credit rating
- Having at-fault accidents will increase rates
- Increase deductibles to save money
- Violations like speeding or DUI increase rates
- Compare rate quotes often
The final tip is very crucial, as was emphasized in the article above. Auto insurance prices in Atlanta change a lot, so don’t be hesitant to buy a different policy if you can save money. Sticking with a specific company is fine, but it isn’t a good idea if that dedication is costing a lot of money. If you have a few minutes, compare rates and find cheaper insurance for drivers with bad credit.