It’s hard to avoid all the commercials from companies like Progressive and Farmers that make promises of big savings, so you should just pick the company with the best ad, right?
It’s not that simple, unfortunately, as there are a whole bunch of unknown aspects such as your credit rating, whether you are a man or a woman, and what level of deductibles you need, that all impact the cost of your policy. If you keep reading, we will teach you about the best ways to find cheap car insurance and educate you enough to have a good start to your coverage search.
For drivers with at-fault accidents, one of the big factors that are used to help calculate car insurance rates is where you keep your vehicle. Areas with a lot of weather claims or more people tend to have higher rates, whereas areas with fewer weather claims and lower vehicle theft rates have the benefit of cheaper car insurance.
The table below lists the priciest cities in Georgia for drivers with accidents in which to buy car insurance. Atlanta is listed at #2 having an annual price of $1,405 for the average policy, which is about $117 each month.
| Rank | City | Annual Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Point | $1,436 |
| 2 | Atlanta | $1,405 |
| 3 | North Atlanta | $1,310 |
| 4 | Alpharetta | $1,272 |
| 5 | Dunwoody | $1,268 |
| 6 | Roswell | $1,259 |
| 7 | Smyrna | $1,254 |
| 8 | Mableton | $1,254 |
| 9 | Macon | $1,253 |
| 10 | Marietta | $1,241 |
| 11 | Gainesville | $1,232 |
| 12 | Sandy Springs | $1,230 |
| 13 | Savannah | $1,227 |
| 14 | Columbus | $1,219 |
| 15 | Rome | $1,218 |
| 16 | Peachtree City | $1,192 |
| 17 | Augusta | $1,173 |
| 18 | Martinez | $1,164 |
| 19 | Athens | $1,158 |
| 20 | Hinesville | $1,157 |
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Premium amounts are estimated as zip code location can modify rates greatly.
The vehicle model requiring coverage is one of the largest considerations when comparing low-cost car insurance for drivers with accidents. Vehicles with more horsepower, poor safety ratings, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost more to insure than more economical and safe models. The list below outlines car insurance premiums for the cheaper vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $3,448 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $3,491 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $3,833 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $3,876 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $3,881 |
| Toyota Prius | $3,985 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $4,047 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $4,056 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $4,090 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 2WD | $4,097 |
| Ford F-150 XLT Crew Cab 4WD | $4,134 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LT AWD | $4,275 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $4,340 |
| Nissan Altima 3.5 SR 4-Dr Sedan | $4,348 |
| Kia Optima LX | $4,421 |
| Hyundai Elantra Blue 4-Dr Sedan | $4,451 |
| Toyota Corolla XRS | $4,548 |
| Chevrolet Impala LTZ | $4,554 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LTZ | $4,548 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T 4-Dr Sedan | $4,603 |
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Above prices assume single male driver age 30, no speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Georgia minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Price estimates do not factor in specific location which can increase or decrease premium rates greatly.
Looking at the rates, you can presume that vehicles like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Honda Odyssey will be a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for drivers with at-fault accidents. The cost of a car insurance policy will tend to be more expensive anyway because of the fact that there is more claim risk for drivers with accidents, but generally speaking those makes and models will tend to have the best insurance prices compared to all other vehicles.
Figuring out which company quotes the cheapest insurance rates for drivers with accidents involves a bit more work in order to find coverage that fits your budget.
Each insurer uses a little different formula for determining rates, so let’s look at the rankings for the overall cheapest insurance companies in Atlanta.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Accident Prone Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auto-Owners | $839 |
| 2 | The Hartford | $886 |
| 3 | USAA | $968 |
| 4 | Central Mutual | $1,193 |
| 5 | MetLife | $1,226 |
| 6 | Georgia Farm Bureau | $1,273 |
| 7 | Travelers | $1,331 |
| 8 | Safeco | $1,369 |
| 9 | Country | $1,377 |
| 10 | Mercury | $1,397 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,409 |
| 12 | State Farm | $1,446 |
| 13 | California Casualty | $1,577 |
| 14 | Encompass | $1,673 |
| 15 | Progressive | $1,774 |
| 16 | Nationwide | $1,883 |
| 17 | Liberty Mutual | $2,004 |
| 18 | GEICO | $2,231 |
| 19 | Allstate | $2,268 |
| 20 | Victoria | $2,559 |
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Auto-Owners may have some of the lowest car insurance rates in Atlanta at around $839 per year. The Hartford, USAA, Central Mutual, and MetLife also are some of the most economical Atlanta, GA car insurance companies.
As shown in the table above, if you are currently insured with Central Mutual and switched to Auto-Owners, you could realize savings of around $354. Drivers with MetLife might save as much as $387 a year, and Georgia Farm Bureau insureds might lower prices by up to $434 a year.
Be aware that those policy rates are averages for all drivers and vehicles in Georgia and do not take into consideration a specific vehicle garaging location for drivers with accidents. So the auto insurance company that can offer you the best rate may not even be in the top 20 companies in the list above. That’s why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own specific driver and vehicle information.
How to get discounts on Atlanta insurance
Insurance companies that provide coverage for drivers with accidents may additionally offer policy discounts that may potentially lower prices by 25% or more if you meet certain criteria. Large insurance companies and their possible discounts are detailed below.
- State Farm offers premium reductions for good driver, good student, anti-theft, student away at school, passive restraint, accident-free, and multiple policy.
- GEICO may offer discounts for good student, federal employee, five-year accident-free, anti-theft, daytime running lights, military active duty, and air bags.
- Liberty Mutual discounts include multi-policy, multi-car, new graduate, preferred payment discount, new move discount, exclusive group savings, and newly married.
- The Hartford offers discounts for defensive driver, vehicle fuel type, anti-theft, air bag, and good student.
- MetLife may include discounts for good driver, claim-free, good student, multi-policy, accident-free, defensive driver
- Progressive includes discounts for homeowner, online signing, multi-policy, online quote discount, multi-vehicle, and good student.
The example below compares insurance prices with and without discounts applied to the policy premium. The information is based on a male driver, one accident and no traffic tickets, Georgia state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $1,000 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with multiple vehicle, paperless filing, continuous coverage, homeowner, multiple policy, and marriage discounts applied. When drivers take advantage of discounts, theaverage amount saved on insurance for drivers with accidents is 28% or $839.
The example below highlights how deductible selection can affect insurance prices when researching cheap insurance for drivers with accidents. The data assumes a married male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
The chart above illustrates that a 40-year-old driver could reduce rates by $274 a year by switching from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $414 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, such as the 20-year-old chart data, can cut as much as $912 or even more by using higher deductibles when buying full coverage. When using a larger deductible, it will be required to have enough savings to be able to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the main disadvantage of using high deductibles.
Tips to find budget-friendly car insurance for drivers with accidents
Here are some thrifty ideas that can help drivers quote cheaper coverage.
- Higher deductibles save money
- Tickets and violations raise rates
- Do not get into accidents
- Claim-free drivers earn discounts
- Full coverage may not be needed on older vehicles
- Keep rates low by shopping around frequently
The final tip is extraordinarily critical, as we noted in this piece. Prices charged by companies in Atlanta fluctuate constantly, so don’t be tentative to switch companies if a more affordable price is available.
Having brand loyalty is commendable, but is isn’t recommended if your bullheadedness ends up costing you lots of hard earned cash every month. In less than five minutes you could compare prices to find cheaper insurance for drivers with accidents.