Whenever people write about auto insurance, the word cheap should never appear anywhere in the article as a descriptor for auto insurance rates. It’s just a fact that cheap auto insurance for a Nissan Sentra is pretty hard to find. Don’t let that bother you, though, because we are going to show you some ways you can still find car insurance that is affordable.
Finding the cheapest coverage for a Nissan Sentra in South Carolina hinges on dozens of factors like whether or not you own a home, the size of your vehicle, and any prior driving citations you have received. Drivers on average pay around $720 every 12 months for Sentra insurance, but that rate is an estimation based upon a 50-year-old married male driver who purchased full coverage including both comprehensive and collision and $1,000 deductibles.
There is a high probability that you aren’t exactly 50 years old or even a male, you might be single instead of married, or maybe you want different physical damage deductibles. Making minor changes in policy rating data can lead to a big change in price quotes.
Car insurance coverage is unique to each driver, so this is why the most reliable way to find cheap auto insurance rates for your Nissan is to compare as many rates as you can.
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The specific model of Sentra tends to have a direct effect on the yearly cost, so the price you pay to insure a Sentra 2 trim level will be $102 less expensive the price to insure the more well-appointed Sentra SE-R SPEC V version, as shown in the chart below.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sentra 2 | $110 | $238 | $328 | $20 | $98 | $794 | $66 |
Sentra 2.0 S | $110 | $280 | $328 | $20 | $98 | $836 | $70 |
Sentra 2.0 SR | $110 | $280 | $328 | $20 | $98 | $836 | $70 |
Sentra 2.0 SL | $128 | $280 | $328 | $20 | $98 | $854 | $71 |
Sentra SE-R | $128 | $280 | $328 | $20 | $98 | $854 | $71 |
Sentra SE-R SPEC V | $128 | $322 | $328 | $20 | $98 | $896 | $75 |
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Data rating is based on married male driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1000 deductibles, and South Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, claim-free, safe-driver, multi-policy, and homeowner. Estimates do not factor in your specific South Carolina location which can influence price quotes significantly.
Figuring out which companies offer the cheapest auto insurance rates for a Nissan Sentra takes more time than just comparing a company or two.
Every insurance provider has their own process to set premium rates, so we will examine the lowest cost auto insurance companies in South Carolina. We do need to point out that South Carolina auto insurance rates are influenced by many factors which can substantially change the price you have to pay for coverage. Turning one year older, buying a home instead of renting, or having an accident may prompt premium changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than before.
Best Car Insurance Prices for Your Sentra
Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | The Hartford | $752 |
2 | USAA | $985 |
3 | State Auto | $1,094 |
4 | Auto-Owners | $1,153 |
5 | SC Farm Bureau Mutual | $1,298 |
6 | Southern Farm Bureau | $1,298 |
7 | National Grange Mutual | $1,321 |
8 | Travelers | $1,384 |
9 | State Farm | $1,422 |
10 | Progressive | $1,611 |
11 | Allstate | $1,621 |
12 | Encompass | $1,657 |
13 | Nationwide | $1,832 |
14 | Safe Auto | $1,985 |
15 | GEICO | $2,001 |
16 | Bristol West | $2,420 |
17 | Liberty Mutual | $2,489 |
18 | Safeco | $2,744 |
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The Hartford offers some of the most affordable car insurance rates in South Carolina at around $752 each year. USAA, State Auto, Auto-Owners, and SC Farm Bureau Mutual are also some of the lowest-priced South Carolina insurance companies.
As shown in the rates above, if you currently have coverage with Auto-Owners and switched to The Hartford, you may realize yearly savings of upwards of $401. Drivers with SC Farm Bureau Mutual could save as much as $546 a year, and Southern Farm Bureau customers might realize rate reductions of up to $546 a year.
Remember that these policy prices are averaged for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not take into consideration a specific rate factor for a Nissan Sentra. So the auto insurance company that fits your age and vehicle best may not even be shown in the list of companies shown earlier. That emphasizes why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own individual information.
Finding cheap insurance for a Nissan Sentra in South Carolina is probably important to most drivers, and an effective way to buy cheaper insurance is to not buy full coverage. The diagram below illustrates the difference between annual premium costs with full phyical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The premiums assume no claims, a clean driving record, $500 deductibles, drivers are single, and no additional discounts are factored in.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawFclqcibChart);function drawFclqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘Full Coverage with $500 Deductibles’, ‘Liability Only’],[‘Age 20’, 3475,1213],[‘Age 30’, 1791,665],[‘Age 40’, 1771,617],[‘Age 50’, 1615,577],[‘Age 60’, 1567,569],[‘Age 70’, 1923,759]]);var options = {title: ‘Full Coverage Rates Versus Liability Only Rates’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 500,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’},colors: [‘#6791b9′,’#98bee2’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Insurance Cost for a Nissan Sentra in South Carolina’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibfcl’));chart.draw(data, options);}
Averaged for all age groups, full coverage on your policy costs an extra $2,024 per year more than buying just liability insurance. That is a significant amount which raises the question if it’s worth it to buy full coverage. There isn’t a steadfast formula of when to stop paying for physical damage coverage, but there is a general school of thought. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is more than about 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s settlement value is $7,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most your company would pay you is $6,000 after the deductible is paid. If you are paying more than $600 annually for your policy with full coverage, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
The diagram below highlights how deductible selection can change insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for a Nissan Sentra. The price estimates are based on a married male 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’,’$1,000 Deductible’],[‘Age 20’, 3989,3601,3179,2781],[‘Age 30’, 2069,1867,1641,1425],[‘Age 40’, 1975,1789,1579,1381],[‘Age 50’, 1809,1639,1453,1273],[‘Age 60’, 1781,1611,1427,1251],[‘Age 70’, 2043,1859,1657,1469]]);var options = {title: ‘Impact of Deductible Levels on Nissan Sentra Insurance Rates in South Carolina’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 700,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’,’height’: ‘80%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’,textStyle: {fontSize: 12}},bar: {groupWidth: ‘80%’},colors: [‘#6791b9′,’#75a8d8′,’#98bee2′,’#bad4ec’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Insurance Cost for a Nissan Sentra’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},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);}
As shown above, a 30-year-old driver could reduce rates by $396 a year by changing their physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $594 by selecting a $1,000 deductible. Youthful drivers, like the Age 20 chart data, could possibly save $1,208 every year by using a higher deductible.
If you make the decision to raise deductibles, it will now be necessary to have spare funds to allow you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the main disadvantage of using high deductibles.
It’s not impossible to find cheaper rates, and here are some of the recommended money-saving suggestions that can help South Carolina drivers find more affordable coverage.
The last suggestion is highly critical, as we hit on in this article. Prices charged by companies can change considerably in a year, so don’t be afraid to buy a different policy if a better rate can be found.
Many drivers prefer to stick with one company, but we do not recommend it if that devotedness results in you overpaying money that could be used for better things. Take a couple minutes and compare rates to find cheaper auto insurance for a Nissan Sentra.
Consumers have many ways to find cheaper auto insurance in South Carolina, but the most frequently used ways are from a captive (or exclusive) agent such as Allstate or State Farm, an independent or non-exclusive agent, or buying direct from a company like Geico or Progressive. They all follow the same basic process, but it’s important to point out the distinctions in how they price policies.
Independent agents are appointed by several companies and can quote your policy with each one. Independent agents are not restricted to one company and can provide you with more rates, which can give you the best chance of finding a lower price. If cheaper coverage is found, the business is moved internally without having to get a different agent.
An exclusive ageny is limited to just one company, two popular examples being Farmers Insurance or State Farm agents. Exclusive agents are unable to provide rate quotes from other companies, so unless you get quotes from other companies, you cannot determine which is cheapest.
Choosing to buy auto insurance direct means you bypass an exlusive or independent agent and instead shop from a direct company like Esurance. Buying auto insurance direct can be a good choice for people who do not need advice for risk management and have a good understanding of the limitations of their policy.
So out of those three methods, which one works best to find cheap insurance for a Nissan Sentra in South Carolina? One answer would be buying from a direct car insurance company saves money because you bypass the middleman, but that is not always the case. A valid argument could also be made that going through an independent agent is the best way due to more options, but that assumption is also not necessarily accurate. In the right set of circumstances, the exclusive agents have price quotes that cannot be met by either independent or direct companies.
Since auto insurance rates vary so much, the guaranteed way to ensure you are not overpaying is to do a thorough rate comparison. The best approach is to get price quotes all three ways in order to be able to find the lowest price. A great place to start is our list of online companies offering discounts: click here to view.