You have probably seen the ads from car insurance companies like State Farm and GEICO that promise the cheapest price, so drivers just need to pick the company with the cutest commercial, right?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple as there are a lot of unknown elements such as if you are married or single, your annual mileage driven, whether or not you are currently insured, and citations or tickets, that all go into determining the rate you pay. If you keep reading, we will teach you about the best ways to avoid high prices and will hopefully give you a jump start in finding the best auto insurance.
For military personnel, one of the big considerations that are looked at to determine auto insurance rates is where you normally keep your vehicle. Cities with more crime and/or more people are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims tend to receive cheaper rates.
The information below ranks the highest-priced areas in Ohio for active military in which to buy car insurance. Cleveland ranks #3 with an annual cost of $1,235 for the average insurance policy, which is about $103 each month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toledo | $1,267 |
| 2 | Youngstown | $1,247 |
| 3 | Cleveland | $1,235 |
| 4 | Cincinnati | $1,210 |
| 5 | Columbus | $1,199 |
| 6 | Cleveland Heights | $1,166 |
| 7 | Dayton | $1,154 |
| 8 | Hamilton | $1,146 |
| 9 | Akron | $1,135 |
| 10 | Euclid | $1,129 |
| 11 | Fairfield | $1,095 |
| 12 | Lakewood | $1,073 |
| 13 | Canton | $1,069 |
| 14 | Newark | $1,063 |
| 15 | Springfield | $1,061 |
| 16 | Middletown | $1,055 |
| 17 | Mansfield | $1,032 |
| 18 | Parma | $1,027 |
| 19 | Cuyahoga Falls | $1,027 |
| 20 | Beavercreek | $1,027 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
Information shown are estimated as the specific Cleveland residence address can lower or raise coverage prices greatly.
Deciding which insurers offer the best car insurance rates for active military calls for a little more work in order to find the best policy. Each auto insurance company has a unique formula to determine premium rates, so let’s look at the rankings for the car insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in Cleveland.
It’s important that readers know that Cleveland, OH car insurance rates are influenced by many factors which can significantly increase or decrease the price of coverage. Simply improving your credit, buying higher coverage limits, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign may cause policy rate changes that may make certain companies cheaper than others.
Find Cheaper Car Insurance for Military
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utica National | $628 |
| 2 | Allied | $676 |
| 3 | Erie | $687 |
| 4 | Frankenmuth | $701 |
| 5 | Travelers | $733 |
| 6 | USAA | $741 |
| 7 | Merchants Insurance Group | $748 |
| 8 | Cincinnati Insurance | $749 |
| 9 | General Casualty | $813 |
| 10 | Motorists Mutual | $816 |
| 11 | Grange Mutual | $828 |
| 12 | Central Mutual | $840 |
| 13 | State Farm | $858 |
| 14 | Hastings Mutual | $866 |
| 15 | Westfield | $908 |
| 16 | Atlantic States | $913 |
| 17 | Western Reserve | $970 |
| 18 | Auto-Owners | $988 |
| 19 | Progressive | $991 |
| 20 | Nationwide | $1,018 |
| Find Cheaper Rates Go | ||
Utica National may have some of the best car insurance rates in Cleveland at around $628 a year. Allied, Erie, Frankenmuth, and Travelers would also be considered some of the more affordable Cleveland, OH car insurance companies.
As shown above, if you currently have coverage with Erie and switched to Utica National, you might see an annual savings of roughly $59. Ohio drivers with Frankenmuth may save as much as $73 a year, and Travelers insureds might lower prices by up to $105 a year.
To get a quick, customized rate comparison, click here to start your free quote or feel free to get quotes from the companies below.
Understand that those rates are averages for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not factor in an exact location for active military. So the auto insurance company that is best for you may not even be in the top 33 companies shown above. That’s why you need to compare prices as often as possible using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
Irresponsible driving raises your rates
The best way to get the cheapest car insurance rates for military personnel is to be an attentive driver and not receive tickets or have accidents. The illustration below illustrates how violations and accidents can drive up auto insurance rates for different age categories. The premiums are based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, $500 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
The data in the chart shows the average cost of car insurance per year with no accidents or violations is $1,102. Add in one speeding ticket and the average cost surges to $1,285, an increase of $183 each year. Then add one accident along with the one speeding ticket and the 12-month cost of car insurance for active military jumps again to an average of $1,798. That’s an increase of $696, or $58 per month, just for being a less-than-perfect driver!
Get discounts on Cleveland insurance rates
Insurers that sell policies for active military may additionally offer premium discounts that can lower rates by as much as 35% if you are eligible to receive them. Large car insurance companies and their offered discounts are detailed below.
- State Farm has savings for driver’s education, student away at school, Drive Safe & Save, multiple autos, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and anti-theft.
- Farmers Insurance offers premium reductions for teen driver, youthful driver, business and professional, alternative fuel, early shopping, and multi-car.
- GEICO has discounts for daytime running lights, seat belt use, anti-theft, five-year accident-free, and multi-vehicle.
- American Family offers discounts including TimeAway discount, Steer into Savings, air bags, mySafetyValet, early bird, and multi-vehicle.
- Nationwide policyholders can earn discounts including family plan, accident-free, multi-policy, business or organization, easy pay, and Farm Bureau membership.
- Progressive offers discounts for online signing, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, good student, and multi-policy.
The example below shows the comparison of yearly insurance costs with and without discounts being applied to the rates. The rate quotes are based on a female driver, no claims or driving violations, Ohio state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $250 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the average rate with no discounts. The second shows the rates with multiple policy, multiple vehicle, claim-free, accident-free, passive restraint, and anti-theft discounts applied. When drivers take advantage of discounts, theaverage amount saved on car insurance for active military is 27% or $312.
The illustration below illustrates how your deductible choice can influence insurance rates when searching for cheap insurance for active military. The rate quotes are based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
The data above shows that a 50-year-old driver could pocket $216 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $326 by changing to a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, such as the Age 20 example, could possibly save as much as $536 each year by choosing larger deductibles on their policy.
When using a larger deductible, it’s a good idea to have plenty of savings on hand to offset the extra out-of-pocket expense, which deters some people from using high deductibles.
Compare quotes and save
Ohio car insurance rates are calculated based on many things that will increase or decrease the cost of a policy. Simply turning a year older, moving across town, or getting into an accident can cause premium changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper in comparison to the competition. Not only may your risk profile change, but companies file new Ohio auto insurance rates as often as every quarter in order to be able to pay unexpected claims. Higher than normal claims can cause increased rates, while lower claim levels can result in lower-cost Cleveland car insurance rates.
As an example, the graph below shows which company has the cheapest car insurance in Cleveland, OH for a 35-year-old female driver with no violations or accidents, and excellent credit. When comparing rates based on her personal risk profile, Utica National might offer the best car insurance rates in Cleveland at $787 annually. This is $253 less than the average premium paid by Ohio drivers of $1,040. Allied, Frankenmuth, Erie, and USAA are the remainder of the top five cheapest Cleveland, OH auto insurance companies.
Now let’s give the driver in the first example an accident surcharge, poor credit, and a stop sign violation. Due to the fact that each insurance company uses their own method to determine rates, comparing rates may now present a different set of cheap Cleveland auto insurance companies as shown below.
Merchants Insurance Group now has the best insurance rate in Cleveland with Cincinnati Insurance, Grange Mutual, Motorists Mutual, and General Casualty now being in the top five. This demonstrates why consumers need to perform an extensive rate comparison when trying to get the most economical car insurance rates for active military.
Prices are influenced by many different factors and change substantially, so the lowest-price company the last time you shopped around may now be one of the more expensive options.