You have probably seen the ads from car insurance companies like State Farm and Farmers guaranteeing big savings. So drivers just need to pick the one with the catchiest commercial, right?
It’s just not that simple, as there are a ton of unknowns such as the type of vehicle you drive, the likelihood of your vehicle having a liability claim, and if you are claim-free, that all impact the cost of your policy. This article will discuss the best ways to shop for cheaper coverage and hopefully give you enough understanding to have a solid foundation to find cheaper car insurance.
One of the more important components that is used to help calculate the price of your policy is where you live in Pennsylvania. Areas with more people like Philadelphia, Chester, and Norristown will most likely have higher rates, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims have the luxury of lower rates.
The following table sorts the most expensive areas in Pennsylvania for drivers with a bad driving record to purchase a policy in.
Rank | City | Annual Rate |
---|---|---|
1 | Philadelphia | $1,997 |
2 | Drexel Hill | $1,504 |
3 | Chester | $1,421 |
4 | Levittown | $1,379 |
5 | Norristown | $1,320 |
6 | Allentown | $1,097 |
7 | Easton | $1,091 |
8 | Plum | $1,089 |
9 | Pittsburgh | $1,085 |
10 | Erie | $1,082 |
11 | Wilkes-Barre | $1,079 |
12 | Reading | $1,077 |
13 | Bethlehem | $1,077 |
14 | Scranton | $1,071 |
15 | Hazleton | $1,056 |
16 | Municipality of Monr | $1,049 |
17 | Altoona | $1,042 |
18 | New Castle | $1,026 |
19 | Williamsport | $996 |
20 | Harrisburg | $995 |
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Rates are estimated as the vehicle garaging location can lower or raise prices considerably.
The type of vehicle you are insuring is probably the biggest factor that determines the availablility of cheap car insurance for drivers with a bad driving record in Pennsylvania. Vehicles with lower acceleration and performance, modern passenger safety features, or a low likelihood of having liability claims will cost substantially less to insure than high performance models.
The information below estimates coverage prices for a number of the cheapest automobiles to insure.
Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $2,589 |
Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan | $2,599 |
Honda CR-V LX 2WD | $2,589 |
Toyota Prius | $2,784 |
Chevrolet Traverse LTZ AWD | $2,890 |
Ford Focus SE 4-Dr Sedan | $3,038 |
Honda Civic DX 4-Dr Sedan | $3,044 |
Chevrolet Impala LT | $3,065 |
GMC Sierra SL Extended Cab 2WD | $3,072 |
Subaru Forester XT AWD | $3,071 |
Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $3,095 |
Kia Forte SX 4-Dr Sedan | $3,102 |
Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 2WD | $3,115 |
Ford Edge SE AWD | $3,121 |
Toyota Sienna CE | $3,136 |
Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $3,148 |
Hyundai Tucson Limited 4WD | $3,158 |
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport Package 4WD | $3,180 |
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD | $3,190 |
Toyota Highlander Sport 2WD | $3,180 |
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Price data assumes married male driver age 50, two speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, and multi-vehicle. Rate quotes do not factor in garaging location in Pennsylvania which can affect coverage rates greatly.
By looking at the data, you can figure that cars like the Ford Escape, Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, and Toyota Prius will definitely be some of the less-costly vehicles to insure for bad drivers. The price for car insurance will be more costly just due to the fact that there is more claim exposure for drivers with a bad driving record, but in general those vehicles will have the lowest prices that you are likely to find.
Figuring out which companies offer the cheapest auto insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record involves a bit more effort in order to find the most economical policy. Every insurance company uses different criteria to determine rates, so let’s take a look at the auto insurance companies with the overall best prices in Pennsylvania.
We do need to point out that Pennsylvania auto insurance rates are based on many factors that may substantially change your annual premium. Simply having a birthday, moving across town, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can trigger changes in premium that can cause some rates to be more affordable than competitors.
Find the Cheapest Car Insurance for Imperfect Drivers
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawPAT5qcibChart);function drawPAT5qcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Company’, ‘Rate’, { role: ‘style’ }], [‘General Casualty’, 726, ‘#33CFCA’], [‘Erie’, 800, ‘#2AACA8’], [‘Travelers’, 811, ‘#238F8C’], [‘Penn National’, 816, ‘#1D7774’], [‘USAA’, 817, ‘#186360’]]);var options = {title: ‘Top Five Cheap Car Insurance Companies in Pennsylvania’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’, fontSize: 17, bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 300,’chartArea’: {left:0,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},bar: {groupWidth: “90%”},legend: {position: ‘none’},vAxis: {viewWindowMode:’explicit’,viewWindow:{max:917,min:0}}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});var view = new google.visualization.DataView(data);view.setColumns([0, 1,{ calc: “stringify”,sourceColumn: 1,type: “string”,role: “annotation” },2]);formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);var chart = new google.visualization.ColumnChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibt5cic’));chart.draw(view, options);}
General Casualty normally has some of the lowest car insurance rates in Pennsylvania at around $726 annually. Erie, Travelers, Penn National, and USAA also rank well as some of the cheaper Pennsylvania insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you have coverage with Travelers and switched to General Casualty, you could realize an annual premium reduction of around $85. Insureds with Penn National may save as much as $90 a year, and USAA insureds might lower prices by $91 a year.
If you want to see how much you could save, click here to get a free quote or click several companies below for low rates.
Be aware that those rates are averaged across all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and do not factor in a price increase for drivers with a bad driving record. So the company that is best suited for you may not even be featured in the chart above. That affirms the importance of why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own individual information.
The information below illustrates how your choice of deductibles can influence premium costs when searching for cheap insurance for drivers with a bad driving record. The rates are based on a married male driver, full 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’,’$1,000 Deductible’],[‘Age 20’, 2793,2553,2285,2031],[‘Age 30’, 1473,1343,1195,1051],[‘Age 40’, 1411,1295,1157,1027],[‘Age 50’, 1291,1185,1061,945],[‘Age 60’, 1267,1163,1043,927],[‘Age 70’, 1455,1339,1211,1091]]);var options = {title: ‘Deductibles and Auto Insurance Cost in Pennsylvania’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 700,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’,’height’: ‘80%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’,textStyle: {fontSize: 12}},bar: {groupWidth: ‘80%’},colors: [‘#6791b9′,’#75a8d8′,’#98bee2′,’#bad4ec’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},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);}
As shown above, a 40-year-old driver could lower their car insurance rates by $230 a year by switching the physical damage coverage from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $346 by using a $1,000 deductible. Young drivers, like the 20-year-old category, can save up to $762 each year by choosing larger deductibles on their policy. When raising deductibles, it is a good idea to have additional funds in a savings account to enable you to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the one shortcoming of high deductibles.
It’s not impossible to find cheaper rates, and here are many thrifty suggestions that can help you buy more affordable auto insurance.
The final tip is very crucial, as was noted in this piece. Prices charged by car insurance companies adjust frequently, so don’t be tentative to switch companies if you find a better deal. Many consumers stick with the same company and that’s fine, but we do not recommend it if that inflexibility results in costing you thousands of dollars over several years. In less than five minutes you could shop around to find cheaper car insurance for drivers with a bad driving record.