It’s impossible to miss the commercials from auto insurance companies like State Farm, Nationwide, and Allstate guaranteeing enormous savings, so drivers just need to pick one randomly, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple as there are a whole bunch of unknown factors such as your age, what coverage limits you want, if you are married or single, and the area where you live, that help determine the price you have to pay. Car insurance is kind of a dry topic, but this article will explain the best ways to pay less and educate you enough to have a good start in finding the cheapest car insurance.
One of the more important things that aid in calculating the cost of insurance is where you normally keep your vehicle in Cleveland. More populated areas tend to have higher rates, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims profit from lower rates.
The next table rates the most expensive areas in Ohio for a school permit to purchase car insurance in. Cleveland is ranked #3 with a yearly premium of $1,272 for the average policyholder, which is approximately $106 per month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Youngstown | $1,285 |
| 2 | Toledo | $1,279 |
| 3 | Cleveland | $1,272 |
| 4 | Cleveland Heights | $1,214 |
| 5 | Columbus | $1,211 |
| 6 | Cincinnati | $1,210 |
| 7 | Hamilton | $1,146 |
| 8 | Dayton | $1,142 |
| 9 | Euclid | $1,129 |
| 10 | Akron | $1,123 |
| 11 | Fairfield | $1,095 |
| 12 | Lakewood | $1,073 |
| 13 | Canton | $1,069 |
| 14 | Middletown | $1,066 |
| 15 | Newark | $1,063 |
| 16 | Springfield | $1,061 |
| 17 | Beavercreek | $1,047 |
| 18 | Strongsville | $1,041 |
| 19 | Kettering | $1,040 |
| 20 | Cuyahoga Falls | $1,027 |
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Rate information is approximated as the garaging address in Cleveland can increase or decrease price quotes noticeably.
Establishing which companies offer the cheapest car insurance rates for a school permit takes a little more effort in order to find a policy that fits your budget. Every auto insurer has a unique formula to determine premium rates, so we will examine the car insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in Cleveland.
We do need to point out that Cleveland, OH car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that may substantially change the price you pay. Simply getting older, increasing deductibles, or having an at-fault accident can cause premium changes that can now make some companies much cheaper than others.
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Utica National offers some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Cleveland at around $647 annually. Erie, Allied, Frankenmuth, and USAA also rank well as some of the more affordable Cleveland, OH car insurance companies.
As the rates illustrate above, if you buy coverage from Allied and switched to Utica National, you could earn an annual savings of around $29. Drivers with Frankenmuth may save as much as $54 a year, and USAA customers might cut rates by $72 a year.
Understand that those policy rates are averaged across all drivers and vehicles in Ohio and and are not calculated with an exact zip code location for a school permit. So the car insurance company that fits your needs best may not even be in the list above. That points out the importance of why you need to get auto insurance quotes using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
Liability rates compared to full coverage
Reducing premiums for car insurance should be important to the majority of people, and an easy way to buy cheap insurance for a school permit is to only pay for liability coverage. The diagram below illustrates the comparison of annual premium costs with full coverage compared to only the Ohio minimum liability coverage. The costs are based on no violations or claims, $100 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are applied.
If we average the cost for ages 20 through 70, full coverage on your policy costs an extra $1,308 per year over liability only. A very common question is when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no definitive formula for phasing out physical damage insurance, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than about 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, then it might be time to buy liability only.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s replacement value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled, you would only receive $6,000 after paying your deductible. If premiums are more than $600 a year for full coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.
How to get discounts on Cleveland insurance
Insurance providers that offer cheap quotes for a school permit may additionally offer policy discounts that can lower rates by 25% or more if you meet eligibility requirements. Larger car insurance companies and a summarized list of policyholder discounts can be read below.
- American Family may include discounts for Steer into Savings, air bags, early bird, good driver, and defensive driver.
- Farm Bureau may have discounts that include youthful driver, driver training, multi-policy, renewal discount, safe driver, and multi-vehicle.
- State Farm offers discounts for good student, passive restraint, good driver, defensive driving training, Steer Clear safe driver discount, accident-free, and multiple policy.
- Travelers includes discounts for new car, continuous insurance, IntelliDrive, multi-policy, save driver, and student away at school.
- The Hartford has savings for air bag, driver training, defensive driver, vehicle fuel type, and good student.
- GEICO has discounts for defensive driver, emergency military deployment, good student, driver training, seat belt use, anti-lock brakes, and multi-vehicle.
- Progressive discounts include online signing, multi-vehicle, continuous coverage, online quote discount, and multi-policy.
The example below illustrates the comparison of annual premium costs with and without discounts applied to the rates. The costs are based on a female driver, no claims or driving citations, Ohio state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the price with no discounts. The lower bar shows the rates with vehicle safety, paperless filing, paid-in-full, continuous coverage, anti-theft, and good student discounts applied. With discounts applied, the average savings per year on car insurance for a school permit is 28% or $402.
Buying coverage from the top auto insurance company is hard considering how many companies there are to choose from in Cleveland. The company ratings shown below can help you analyze which coverage providers you want to consider buying from. The ratings below include companies with a national presence, so smaller companies will not be included in these rankings.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 99 | 100 | 90 | 92% | A++ | 97.4 |
| 21st Century | 89 | 86 | 100 | 88% | A | 92.7 |
| GEICO | 97 | 91 | 88 | 85% | A++ | 92.5 |
| Nationwide | 88 | 94 | 91 | 88% | A+ | 91.3 |
| AAA Insurance | 93 | 87 | 88 | 87% | A | 90.8 |
| Liberty Mutual | 91 | 91 | 92 | 87% | A | 90.7 |
| Safeco Insurance | 90 | 93 | 88 | 86% | A | 90.2 |
| State Farm | 91 | 94 | 80 | 88% | A++ | 90.2 |
| Travelers | 89 | 91 | 94 | 79% | A++ | 90.1 |
| American Family | 88 | 92 | 83 | 88% | A | 89.4 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies