The words “low-priced” and “insurance” really don’t belong together, specifically when you are looking for the best price on coverage for drivers with a bad driving record. Because it’s not cheap, let’s get started by showing you a few of the things that help determine car insurance premiums, and find out if we can help you take a little off the next policy you buy.
The vehicle model that needs insurance is a large factor that determines whether or not you can buy the lowest-priced car insurance for drivers with a bad driving record. Vehicles with reasonable performance levels, modern passenger safety features, or a low likelihood of having liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than higher performance models.
The list below features car insurance prices for the most budget-friendly vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Vehicle Insured | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda Accord LX-P 4-Dr Sedan | $4,400 |
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $4,410 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $4,455 |
| Toyota Prius | $4,703 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $4,937 |
| Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD | $5,086 |
| Honda Odyssey EX | $5,157 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | $5,170 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $5,177 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $5,213 |
| GMC Sierra SLE Crew Cab 2WD | $5,220 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $5,268 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $5,273 |
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Table data assumes married male driver age 30, two speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Ohio minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, and multi-policy. Rate information does not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can raise or lower prices significantly.
By looking at the data, we can conclude that cars like the Honda Accord, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota Prius are most likely going to be the cheaper vehicles to insure for bad drivers. Car insurance rates will be higher anyway because of the fact that there is more claim exposure for drivers with a bad driving record, but overall those particular vehicles will probably have the cheapest car insurance rates that you’ll find.
For bad drivers, one of the big components that are looked at to determine insurance cost is where you keep your car. Areas with increased crime or more people are more likely to have higher rates, whereas less populated areas get the luxury of paying less.
The following table shows the most expensive areas in Ohio for drivers with a bad driving record to purchase auto insurance in. Cleveland is ranked #3 with the annual price of $1,222 for the average policy, which is around $102 per month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Youngstown | $1,273 |
| 2 | Toledo | $1,229 |
| 3 | Cleveland | $1,222 |
| 4 | Cleveland Heights | $1,214 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | $1,210 |
| 6 | Columbus | $1,199 |
| 7 | Euclid | $1,164 |
| 8 | Dayton | $1,142 |
| 9 | Akron | $1,135 |
| 10 | Hamilton | $1,135 |
| 11 | Newark | $1,095 |
| 12 | Canton | $1,091 |
| 13 | Fairfield | $1,085 |
| 14 | Lakewood | $1,073 |
| 15 | Springfield | $1,072 |
| 16 | Beavercreek | $1,058 |
| 17 | Kettering | $1,051 |
| 18 | Cuyahoga Falls | $1,037 |
| 19 | Middletown | $1,024 |
| 20 | Mentor | $1,018 |
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Rate quotes are comparative as the vehicle garaging location can influence premiums considerably.
Finding reliable, affordable insurance is not the easiest thing to accomplish, and finding out which company offers the cheapest insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record takes even more diligence. Every auto insurer uses a slightly different approach to set premium rates, so we’ll take a look at the insurance companies with the overall best prices in Ohio.
It’s important that you understand Cleveland insurance rates are calculated based on many things that will increase or decrease the cost of having a policy. Simply improving your credit, buying a newer car, or getting caught speeding may cause policy rate changes that may make certain companies much cheaper than others.
Lowest Insurance Price Quotes for Imperfect Drivers
Utica National generally has some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Cleveland at around $647 annually. Erie, Frankenmuth, Allied, and USAA also are some of the more affordable Cleveland, OH insurance companies.
As the example above demonstrates, if you are a policyholder with Allied and switched to Utica National, you might achieve annual savings of about $50. Drivers with USAA might save as much as $86 a year, and Travelers customers might realize rate reductions of up to $86 a year.
Bear in mind that those premium estimates are averaged across all types of insureds and vehicles and and are not figured with an exact vehicle garaging location for drivers with a bad driving record. So the company that can offer the best rates for your situation may not even be in the top 33 companies in the list above. That illustrates why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own driver data and vehicle information.
The chart below shows how choosing a deductible can influence insurance premiums when quoting cheap insurance for drivers with a bad driving record. The information is based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no discounts are factored in.
A 30-year-old driver could lower rates by $294 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $440 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the 20-year-old category, could potentially save as much as $860 or more by choosing larger deductibles on their policy.
When raising deductibles, it is a good idea to have enough savings to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the primary disadvantage of high deductibles.
Comparison of full coverage and liability-only policies
Lowering the price of insurance is important to most drivers, and one great way to save on the cost of insurance for drivers with a bad driving record is to only buy liability coverage. The chart below visualizes the comparison of yearly insurance costs with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The prices are based on no claims, a clean driving record, $1,000 deductibles, single marital status, and no other discounts are factored in.
As an overall average, physical damage coverage costs $961 per year over liability only. That is a big expense that brings up the question if buying full coverage is a waste of money. There is no set guideline for excluding full coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is about 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
For example, let’s say your vehicle’s claim settlement value is $6,000 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, you would only receive $5,000 after paying your deductible. If you are paying over $500 a year for your policy with full coverage, then you might consider buying liability only.
There are some situations where eliminating full coverage is not in your best interest. If you still owe money on your vehicle, you are required to maintain full coverage to satisfy the loan requirements. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should not buy liability only.
Tickets and at-fault accidents raise rates
The easiest method to enjoy the most affordable insurance prices in Cleveland for bad drivers is to drive safely and not receive tickets or have accidents. The example below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault collisions can raise car insurance costs for each different age group. The data is based on a married female driver, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
In the previous example, the average cost of a car insurance policy in Cleveland per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $741. Add in two speeding tickets and the average cost increases to $1,041, an increase of $300 each year. Then add one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of insurance for drivers with a bad driving record increases to an average of $1,346. That’s an increase of $605, or $50 per month, just for not driving safely!