In an ideal world, we could just tell you the one car insurance company that has the cheapest policy rates in Florida. It’s just not that simple, as there are a lot of unknown elements such as how well you maintain your credit, if you own or rent your home, and the level of liability coverage you want. In this article, we will cover the causes of high insurance rates and educate you enough to have a good start in finding the cheapest car insurance.
Deciphering which companies offer the cheapest car insurance rates for drivers requiring a SR22 calls for a bit more effort than just picking a company at random. Every insurance company uses their own formula for filing rates in each state, so let’s take a look at the car insurance companies with the overall cheapest rates in Florida.
It’s important to know that Florida car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that can increase the cost of having a policy. Improving your credit score, buying a home instead of renting, or having an accident may cause policy rate changes that can cause some rates to be much cheaper than others.
Compare Cheap Insurance Quotes for SR22 Drivers
Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | USAA | $957 |
2 | Amica | $1,712 |
3 | Electric | $1,746 |
4 | Progressive | $1,829 |
5 | Mercury | $1,914 |
6 | Travelers | $1,926 |
7 | Allied | $1,926 |
8 | Esurance | $2,040 |
9 | State Farm | $2,047 |
10 | Auto-Owners | $2,107 |
11 | GEICO | $2,150 |
12 | Allstate | $2,317 |
13 | 21st Century | $2,445 |
14 | Windhaven Insurance | $2,627 |
15 | Safeco | $2,898 |
16 | MetLife | $2,900 |
17 | Hanover | $2,934 |
18 | Liberty Mutual | $3,131 |
19 | United Automobile | $3,527 |
20 | Direct General | $3,902 |
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USAA quotes some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Florida at around $957 per year. Amica, Electric, Progressive, and Mercury also make the cut as some of the lowest-priced Florida insurance companies.
As depicted above, if you buy coverage from Electric and switched to USAA, you may realize an annual premium reduction of approxmiately $789. Drivers with Progressive may save as much as $872 a year, and Mercury customers might cut rates by $957 a year.
It’s important to note that these premiums are averages for all insureds and vehicles and and are not calculated with a rate increase for drivers requiring a SR22. So the auto insurance company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be included in the list above. That illustrates why you need to quote rates from as many companies as possible using your own personal information and vehicle type.
When shopping for cheaper auto insurance for high risk drivers, one of the many components that is looked at to help calculate insurance cost is where you keep your vehicle. Areas with more people or more claims like Hialeah, Miami Gardens, and West Palm Beach tend to pay more, whereas areas with less congestion benefit from lower rates.
The table below displays the most costly cities in Florida for drivers requiring a SR22 to purchase auto insurance in.
Rank | City | Annual Premium |
---|---|---|
1 | Hialeah | $3,630 |
2 | Miami | $3,241 |
3 | Miami Gardens | $3,149 |
4 | Miami Beach | $2,953 |
5 | West Palm Beach | $2,705 |
6 | Tampa | $2,636 |
7 | Miramar | $2,603 |
8 | Davie | $2,548 |
9 | Hollywood | $2,526 |
10 | Pompano Beach | $2,518 |
11 | Pembroke Pines | $2,481 |
12 | Fort Lauderdale | $2,475 |
13 | Coral Springs | $2,474 |
14 | Brandon | $2,298 |
15 | St. Petersburg | $2,196 |
16 | Clearwater | $2,194 |
17 | Spring Hill | $2,060 |
18 | Jacksonville | $2,040 |
19 | Orlando | $2,008 |
20 | Port St. Lucie | $1,975 |
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Information shown are estimated as specific location information can affect rates greatly.
The example below highlights how deductible choice can impact yearly insurance costs when quoting cheap insurance for drivers requiring a SR22. The information is based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no additional discounts are factored in.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawDfdqcibChart);function drawDfdqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘$100 Deductible’,’$250 Deductible’,’$500 Deductible’,’$1,000 Deductible’],[‘Age 20’, 3579,3273,2927,2595],[‘Age 30’, 2509,2287,2029,1785],[‘Age 40’, 2477,2261,2015,1779],[‘Age 50’, 2169,1983,1771,1569],[‘Age 60’, 2065,1887,1685,1489],[‘Age 70’, 2225,2033,1821,1621]]);var options = {title: ‘Impact of Deductible Levels on Insurance Rates in Florida’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 700,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’,’height’: ‘80%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’,textStyle: {fontSize: 12}},bar: {groupWidth: ‘80%’},colors: [‘#6791b9′,’#75a8d8′,’#98bee2′,’#bad4ec’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);formatter.format(data,3);formatter.format(data,4);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibdfd’));chart.draw(data, options);}
The chart above illustrates that a 50-year-old driver could lower rates by $398 a year by switching from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $600 by switching to a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, such as the Age 20 example, could reduce their rates $984 each year by choosing larger deductibles on their policy. If you do raise deductibles, it will be important to have additional savings on hand to be able to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one disadvantage of using larger deductibles.
In a perfect world, the best way to earn the best cheap car insurance for drivers requiring a SR22 in Florida is to drive carefully and not get tickets or have accidents. The example below highlights how traffic violations and accident claims increase auto insurance costs for each different age group. The costs are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are applied.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawVioqcibChart);function drawVioqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘No Violations or Accidents’, ‘Two Speeding Tickets and No Accidents’, ‘Two Speeding Tickets and One Accident’],[‘Age 20’, 4401,5373,6349],[‘Age 30’, 2297,3265,4247],[‘Age 40’, 2213,3183,4161],[‘Age 50’, 2021,2995,3973],[‘Age 60’, 1987,2955,3935],[‘Age 70’, 2291,3265,4243]]);var options = {title: ‘Effect of Tickets and Accidents on Florida Auto Insurance Prices’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’, fontSize: 17, bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 600,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’,textStyle: {fontSize: 12}},colors:[‘#b2da64′,’#eed355′,’#e39e71’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle in Florida’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);formatter.format(data,3);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibvio’));chart.draw(data, options);}
The data charted above shows the average cost of auto insurance in Florida per year with no violations or accidents is $2,535. Factor in two speeding tickets and the average cost swells to $3,506, an increase of $971 each year. Then throw in one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of car insurance for drivers requiring a SR22 jumps again to an average of $4,485. That’s an increase of $1,950, or $162 per month, just for not maintaining a clean driving record!
Thanks to the internet, there are a lot of ways to purchase car insurance in Florida, but the most preferred methods are through an exlusive agent like State Farm or Allstate, an independent insurance agent, or from a direct company like Progressive. They all have the same end result, but each is different in how they function.
Independent insurance agents work for many companies and can compare coverage rates with every one. These agents can give you a larger rate selection, which can help you get improved chances of finding a lower rate. If your agent finds a cheaper company, they simply move the coverage in-house which is easy for the insured.
A captive or exclusive agent is only able to place business with a single insurance company, a couple examples are a State Farm or Farmers agent. They generally cannot quote prices from more than a single company, so keep that in mind.
Consumers who buy car insurance direct do not use an exlusive or independent agent and buy direct online or over the phone from a company like Geico or Esurance. Buying direct may be the best choice consumers who do not need high levels of coverage and have an above average understanding of the limitations of car insurance.
Which method works best to find the best cheap car insurance for drivers requiring a SR22 in Florida? We would first guess that shopping direct saves the most money since it doesn’t require paying agent commissions, but that is not always the case. We’d also like to say buying from an independent agent can save the most money because they can quote many companies, but that idea is not necessarily true either. In many circumstances, the exclusive agents have extremely competitive rates that are the cheapest.
Because it’s impossible to say who has the best car insurance rates, really the only way to ensure you are not overpaying is to get rate quotes and compare. If time allows, get prices from all three to give yourself enough choices. For a list of companies offering online discounts in Florida, click here to view.
Lowering your rates is not difficult, and here are some of the better penny-pinching ideas that can help Florida drivers find more affordable coverage.
That final tip is extraordinarily valuable, as we discussed in this write-up. Prices fluctuate constantly, so drivers shouldn’t be reluctant to switch to a new company if you can save money. Having brand loyalty is commendable, but it’s not recommended if that inflexibility results in costing you potentially thousands of dollars a year. Take a couple minutes and compare rates and find cheaper auto insurance for drivers requiring a SR22.