Ohio Auto Insurance (2023)

Car insurance is a necessary purchase in order to drive legally in Ohio, but Ohio auto insurance can be expensive. If you are looking to find better car insurance rates in Ohio, it is necessary to do some research into different auto insurance companies.

Insurance companies in Ohio are all different in what driving offenses they view as the most serious infractions and charge the most for. For example, a company that advertises cheap rates may not actually be the cheapest for drivers with poor credit scores. 

This guide will help you see which car insurance companies in Ohio offer cheap auto insurance based on major driving record incidents and other factors. 

We’ve compiled lists of everything you need to know about Ohio auto insurance, from the cheapest companies for DUI drivers to the cheapest companies for young drivers. We will also go over additional saving tips for getting cheap insurance in Ohio and important Ohio insurance laws. 

Cheapest Car Insurance in Ohio 

With so many auto insurance companies to choose from, it can be overwhelming to sort through them to find which ones are best for you. 

The best way to approach this is to see which few companies are the cheapest based on your driving record factors and then get quotes from these companies. For example, if you have caused an accident before, you should see which companies offer the cheapest rates for drivers with an at-fault accident. 

Scroll down to see how coverage limits, driving record, and even your age affect how much you pay for auto insurance in Ohio.

Cheapest Insurance Company for Minimum Liability Coverage

Every driver in Ohio must carry minimum liability insurance coverage. If you cause a car accident, liability insurance will pay for the other drivers’ accident bills. Not carrying Ohio’s required coverage could result in fines, loss of driving privileges, and more. 

If the cost of car insurance is more daunting to you than these penalties, however, don’t worry. Cheaper rates for minimum liability insurance may be found at a different auto insurance company than the one you are currently with. 

Take a look at the table below to see which auto insurance companies have the cheapest base rates for minimum liability coverage. 

Some of your cheaper options for a basic liability insurance policy will be Geico, American Family, State Farm, and Travelers. Their rates tend to fall below Ohio’s average liability insurance rates, which are $31 per month or $372 per year. 

Companies to avoid when looking for cheap car insurance in Ohio include Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Travelers. You will find that the base rates for liability insurance at these companies are higher than average, making them a more expensive choice for the majority of drivers. 

Cheapest Insurance Company for Full Coverage 

Full coverage car insurance policies are often the better choice for most drivers in Ohio. If you are in an accident, full coverage car insurance will pay for your car repairs, not just the other drivers. 

However, the better financial protection that comes with full coverage also means your rates will be higher than if you just purchase minimum liability insurance. 

The good news is that the cost of better protection doesn’t have to break the bank. The table below shows how some companies offer significantly cheaper rates for full coverage insurance in Ohio. 

A few of the insurance companies that offer the cheapest average rates are State Farm, American Family, Geico, and Travelers. Their rates tend to fall below the Ohio state average for full coverage, which is $90 per month or $1,080 per year. 

On the other hand, companies with average rates well above Ohio’s average rates are Allstate and Farmers. If you have a clean driving record, you should avoid these companies and get quotes from the cheapest companies instead.  

Cheapest Insurance Company For Young Drivers 

Young drivers are inexperienced, which means they are at a greater risk of crashing and filing a claim. Because of this, insurance companies often charge young drivers the highest insurance rates out of all types of drivers. 

Auto insurance rates for young drivers in Ohio can often be hundreds of dollars per month. Many young drivers will be unable to afford these extremely high rates, although shopping around and comparing companies may help them find a more affordable policy. 

Below, you can see how rates change for young drivers among different insurance companies. 

Farmers, Progressive, and Allstate all have high average rates for young drivers, so these auto insurance companies should be avoided. The best auto insurance for young drivers in Ohio includes Geico and State Farm. 

We want to mention that the car insurance rates we show are for young drivers purchasing their own auto insurance policies. 

It is often much more cost-effective when young drivers join a parent’s policy as a driver instead of purchasing their own separate coverage. As long as the young driver still lives at home or is merely away at school without a car, they can join a parent’s insurance policy. 

There may also be discounts offered at insurance companies for young drivers, such as a good student discount or a student away discount, that can help parents find savings when insuring young drivers. 

Cheapest Insurance Company for Drivers With Poor Credit Scores 

Poor credit scores may seem to have little to do with your auto insurance rates, especially when the biggest factors that usually affect rates have to do with your driving history.

However, the majority of insurance companies will charge drivers with poor credit scores more than drivers with good credit scores. 

Insurance companies upcharge drivers with poor credit because these drivers are more likely to miss payments on their insurance plans. Missed payments result in late fees or cancellations, and a driver whose insurance is going to be canceled also runs the risk of illegally going without insurance coverage. 

If you have a poor credit score, the following insurance companies in Ohio will offer some of the better rates. 

Some of the companies that are normally cheaper, such as State Farm, become more expensive for drivers with poor credit scores. These changes in rates among normally cheap companies show the importance of shopping around for auto insurance quotes when you have bad credit. 

Cheapest Insurance Company for Drivers With Speeding Tickets

Traffic tickets are a red flag to insurance companies. Any moving violations, such as speeding or reckless driving, will increase your insurance rates because the company now assumes you are more likely to participate in risky behaviors that can lead to a claim. So, while a parking ticket won’t affect your auto insurance rates, a failure to yield ticket will. And a speeding ticket affects your car insurance rates, as well.

The table below shows how much insurance companies charge on average for drivers with a traffic ticket on their record. 

Geico, State Farm, and Travelers have some of the better average insurance rates for drivers with a traffic ticket. Some of the more expensive companies will be Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, and similar companies. 

If you have more than one traffic ticket on your record, it is worth shopping around to see if another company will offer a cheaper auto insurance rate for your driving record. 

Cheapest Insurance Company for Drivers With At-Fault Accidents 

At-fault accidents are another red flag to insurance companies. Drivers with a history of causing accidents are considered to be at a higher risk of causing another accident in the future. 

Insurance rates will stay high for a few years after the at-fault accident at most insurance companies. Therefore, it is beneficial to shop around after an at-fault accident and see if a different auto insurance company in Ohio will offer a cheaper rate. 

Take a look at the average insurance rates below for drivers with at-fault accidents. 

Some of the more expensive companies for drivers who caused an accident are Allstate, and Progressive. State Farm is among the companies that offer some of the cheapest rates after an at-fault accident. 

We want to note, too, that some insurance companies in Ohio may offer accident forgiveness. This can save you a lot of money after an at-fault accident, as your first accident with the company will be forgiven. 

A few insurance companies that offer these accident forgiveness programs will require drivers to pay an additional fee to join the program. Other companies offer this perk for free if drivers have been accident-free for a few years. 

Cheapest Insurance Company for Drivers With DUIs 

A DUI changes auto insurance rates significantly, often more than an at-fault accident or traffic ticket. If you have a recent DUI conviction, it is important to shop around for insurance quotes to see if a different auto insurance company offers cheaper rates. 

Below, you can see the average insurance rates for DUI drivers at different Ohio insurance companies. 

Nationwide and Allstate have some of the most expensive rates for drivers with DUIs. It is better to start getting quotes from the cheaper companies on the list, such as State Farm, before checking out the most expensive companies for insurance rates. 

Cheapest Ohio Cities For Car Insurance 

If you move around Ohio, you will likely see a change in your insurance rates, even if you stay with the same auto insurance company you were with before relocating. This is because auto insurance companies use a driver’s home address as part of their pricing process. 

Some of the location factors insurance companies will look at include the following:

• Crime. Comprehensive insurance will cost more in areas with higher rates of stolen vehicles and vandalism. 
• Crashes. Insurance will cost more in areas that have a history of multiple crashes in the area. For example, there may be more dangerous roads in your area that lead to multiple crashes each year. 
• Traffic. If there is heavier traffic in your area, insurance companies may charge more as you are more likely to get into accidents with other drivers, even if it’s just a minor denting of someone’s back bumper. 
• Weather. Insurance will cost more in areas with poor weather conditions that can cause accidents. For instance, if you live in a state with colder weather, there is a higher chance you will be driving on icy roads or in snowy conditions. 

As you can see from the examples above, location factors all have an impact on what your insurance company will charge you. For example, one of the more expensive cities in Ohio for auto insurance is Cleveland. 

As one of the largest cities in Ohio, Cleveland’s higher insurance rates make sense. More drivers on the road mean a higher likelihood of running into another car and filing a claim. 

However, no matter what city you move to, you should always look into different companies’ quotes to see if a cheaper rate can be found in your new city. 

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Other Tips For Saving On Ohio Car Insurance 

We’ve covered a lot of ground about which companies are the best choices for many different types of drivers. If you have gotten quotes from the cheapest companies but still want to find additional savings, you can try a few other tricks to reduce your Ohio car insurance rates further.

Take a look at our tips below:

• Apply for auto insurance discounts. Sometimes auto insurance discounts aren’t automatically applied to your rates, as you have to apply for them. Examples include safe driving program discounts, good student discounts, and more. 
• Choose a car that is cheap to insure. Picking a car that is cheaper to insure will save you money in the long run. Look for cars with good safety and crash ratings, as well as inexpensive parts that are easy to find. 
• Drive safely and keep a clean driving record. Being a safe driver will go a long way to reducing your auto insurance costs. Even if you have an accident or ticket on your record, avoiding any more infractions for a few years will help reduce rates. 
• Increase your insurance deductible. Raising your auto insurance deductible will decrease your rates. We caution, however, not to raise it beyond an amount you can pay out of pocket, or you may be stuck without a car until you can afford to pay the deductible for repairs. 
• Reduce your auto insurance coverage. If you have any optional insurance coverages, such as roadside assistance, dropping them will reduce your rates. You can also consider carrying just liability insurance if your car is older and significantly depreciated in value. 

Following the tips above, in addition to shopping around for quotes from companies in Ohio, will help you reduce your auto insurance rates. 

Ohio Insurance Laws and DUI Penalties 

Ohio’s laws and DUI penalties will have an effect on how much you pay for auto insurance and related expenses, so we want to go over both of these factors in detail.

Minimum Insurance Coverage Required in Ohio 

How much you will have to pay for a bare minimum auto insurance policy depends upon what coverages and limits your state requires. In Ohio, all drivers must carry bodily injury liability insurance and property damage liability insurance. 

Proof of insurance must be shown at vehicle inspections, traffic stops, and accidents in Ohio. Failure to carry these coverages will lead to fines, loss of driving privileges, and more if caught driving without insurance. 

In Ohio, drivers must carry the following limits of these two liability insurance coverages:

• Bodily injury liability insurance limits. $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident 
• Property damage liability insurance limit. $25,000 per accident 

These limits simply refer to the maximum amount that insurance will pay if you cause an accident that injures other people or damages their property. You will be responsible for any costs that exceed your insurance limits. 

This is why we highly recommend carrying a higher limit of liability insurance if you can afford to do so, as you will be better protected financially if you cause an accident. 

Optional Insurance Coverages in Ohio 

Ohio doesn’t require any other auto insurance coverages besides bodily injury and property damage liability insurance to drive legally. However, lenders often put in their contracts that you must carry collision and comprehensive insurance on your car with a lease or loan. In those cases, you are legally required to carry those additional coverages for a full coverage insurance policy. 

Besides those two coverages, however, in most cases, you can choose which of the following auto insurance coverages you want to carry on your vehicle:

• Collision insurance 
• Comprehensive insurance 
• GAP insurance 
• Medical payments (MedPay)
• Modified car insurance 
• New car insurance 
• Personal injury protection (PIP) 
• Rental car reimbursement insurance 
• Roadside assistance insurance 
• Umbrella insurance 

While staple insurance coverages like collision and comprehensive insurance will be offered at all insurance companies, other insurance coverages on this list may not be available.

If coverages like roadside assistance insurance or rental reimbursement insurance are important to you, you should shop around to see which insurance companies offer these add-on auto insurance coverages. 

DUI Penalties in Ohio 

As in any state, DUIs come with a host of penalties in Ohio. The financial cost of paying off fines and following Ohio’s requirements after a DUI can quickly add up to thousands of dollars for drivers. 

Penalties vary depending on what number of DUI a driver is being convicted for and if anyone was injured from the DUI, so drivers may face some of all of the following in Ohio after a DUI:

• Drug/Alcohol assessment or treatment 
• Driver’s license points 
• Fines 
• Ignition interlock device (IID)
• Jail time 
• Probation 
• Restricted license plates 
• Suspended license 
• SR-22 certificate 
• Vehicle forfeiture 

In addition to the possible penalties listed above, drivers will also find that they have much higher auto insurance rates than before their DUI. They will also have to pay to fulfill some of the court’s requirements, such as paying to install an ignition interlock device (IID) on their vehicles. 

All of these costs can make it difficult for drivers to afford their auto insurance once they can drive again, so it’s imperative to get quotes if drivers have a DUI on their record in Ohio. 

SR-22 Certificates in Ohio 

Usually, drivers will need an SR-22 certificate if they are applying to get their license back after a suspension. SR-22 certificates prove that high-risk drivers are abiding by Ohio’s auto insurance laws and carrying minimum liability on their vehicles. 

Some of the reasons a driver would need to show proof of insurance would be:

• Too many points amassed on a driving license 
• Caught driving under the influence 
• Caught driving without insurance 
• Caught driving with a suspended or expired license 

To get an SR-22 certificate, you will have to reach out to your insurance company. Some insurance companies may charge small fees for filing an SR-22 certificate. They may also choose to drop you as a high-risk driver, although they are required to give you plenty of notice so that you are able to find a new insurance company. 

When shopping for a new auto insurance company, make sure you let companies know you need an SR-22 certificate. Attempting to conceal this information could result in you being dropped as a customer. Insurance companies always look through driver records, so high-risk drivers will have to be honest about their driving records anyways. 

We want to note that if you don’t have a car, you will need to purchase non-owner car insurance in order to qualify for an SR-22 certificate. Non-owner car insurance offers liability insurance that meets the amounts required by the state of Ohio, so if you cause an accident, you’ll be covered by your personal liability policy. 

The Final Word on Cheap Car Insurance in Ohio 

Car insurance is expensive, but it is a necessary expense. Not carrying it could result in fines, license suspension, and more. Luckily, there are methods drivers can follow to find cheap auto insurance in Ohio, from applying for discounts to choosing a car that is cheaper to insure. 

The best way to reduce auto insurance costs is to shop around at the cheapest companies and car insurance quotes in Ohio. If you want to find the cheapest rates in Ohio for you, use our free quote comparison tool to see which companies in your area have the best rates.

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