Who Has the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Drivers with a Bad Driving Record in Massachusetts?

The vehicle model on the policy is one of the main factors when shopping for the best coverage for drivers with a bad driving record. Vehicles with lower performance, good crash test ratings, or low incidents of liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than adrenaline junky models.

The next table presents insurance costs for a selection of the cheaper automobiles to insure in Massachusetts.

Prices based on single male driver age 50, two speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and Massachusetts minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, and multi-policy. Rate information does not factor in specific zip code location which can influence premium rates noticeably.

Based upon these rates, you can see that cars like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Traverse, Honda Odyssey, and Hyundai Tucson will definitely be a few of the less-costly vehicles to insure for bad drivers. The price of auto insurance will be higher anyway because of the fact that there is a higher risk for drivers with a bad driving record, but generally speaking those specific models will probably have the best insurance prices compared to all other vehicles.

Figuring out which company quotes the cheapest insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record may require more work in order to find coverage that fits your buget.

Each auto insurance company has a proprietary method for establishing rates, so let’s take a look at the overall cheapest insurance companies in Massachusetts.

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State Farm normally has some of the best car insurance rates in Massachusetts at around $719 a year. National Grange Mutual, GEICO, Commerce Group, and OneBeacon also rank well as some of the cheapest Massachusetts auto insurance companies.

In the above example, if you are a policyholder with National Grange Mutual and switched to State Farm, you may see a yearly price reduction of roughly $112. Massachusetts drivers with GEICO might save as much as $123 a year, and Commerce Group policyholders might reduce rates by $156 a year.

Bear in mind that those premiums are averaged across all drivers and vehicles and do not factor in a price surcharge for drivers with a bad driving record. So the company that can offer you the lowest price may not even be in the above rate chart. That illustrates why you need to get quotes using your own driver data and vehicle information.

For bad drivers, one of the big criteria that helps auto insurance companies calculate auto insurance rates is where you live in Massachusetts. Areas with more people or more claims like Revere, Lynn, and Malden are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less congestion can boast about having cheaper rates.

The table below rates the priciest cities in Massachusetts for drivers with a bad driving record in which to buy car insurance.

Rate information is estimated as specific Massachusetts zip code can revise auto insurance rates substantially.

Price comparison of only insuring for liability

Finding the cheapest auto insurance for drivers with a bad driving record in Massachusetts should be important to most drivers, and one of the best ways to reduce the cost of insurance is to only pay for liability coverage. The information below illustrates the difference between insurance costs with full phyical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The rate quotes are based on a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, $250 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are factored in.

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If we average all the age groups together, full coverage costs an additional $1,941 per year over and above liability only. That is a large expense and it proposes the question if buying full coverage is a good investment. There is no written rule of when to eliminate physical damage coverage, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.

Progressive, State Farm, Allstate, and Geico compared

When comparing auto insurance for bad drivers in Massachusetts, probably the best companies to start with are Progressive, State Farm, Allstate, and Geico. If you combine them together, they insure over 48% of all auto insurance policies in force. They all offer different optional coverages and features that drivers can select from. The next table ranks ratings and policy coverage options that are available from each company.

How to find the cheapest auto insurance for drivers with a bad driving record

Here are some of the better penny-pinching suggestions that can help you quote lower-cost coverage.

• Pay lower rates with good credit
• Safer vehicles generally have cheaper insurance rates
• Raise deductibles to save money
• On older vehicles, drop full coverage
• Ensure your driving record is clean
• Accident-free drivers may qualify for discounts
• Shop around for cheaper prices

The last tip in the list is extraordinarily valuable, as we discussed in this piece. Coverage rates fluctuate constantly, so don’t be afraid to change insurance companies if a cheaper rate is available. Being loyal to a particular company is commendable, but it’s not a good idea if that faithfulness ends up costing you a small fortune year after year. In just a couple of minutes you could compare rates and find cheaper insurance for drivers with a bad driving record.

Cheap insurance quotes for bad drivers

Drivers have many ways to compare insurance prices in Massachusetts, but the three most common methods are using an exclusive insurance agency such as State Farm or Liberty Mutual, an independent insurance agent, or direct from companies such as Progressive or Geico. They all follow the same basic process, but it’s important to understand the differences in how they function.

Independent insurance agencies have contracts with many companies and can get rate quotes from every one. Independent agents are not locked into one company and can give you a larger rate selection, which may provide you with a better chance of finding cheaper coverage. If you are not satisfied with one company, your agent can switch companies without having to get a different agent.

Exclusive agencies are only able to write business for a single insurance company, two popular examples being an Allstate or Liberty Mutual agent. These agents normally cannot give you multiple price quotes, so if their prices are high, they cannot shop around.

Direct insurance buyers forego a local agent and buy direct either online or via phone. This insurance option may be good for drivers who have fewer assets and know more than average about what insurance covers and what it doesn’t.

So which way is best for finding the cheapest auto insurance for drivers with a bad driving record in Massachusetts? We’d like to say buying from a direct car insurance company results in the cheapest price because there are no middleman commissions, but that is generally not the case. We could also say that an independent agency guarantees the best prices because they can shop around, but that assumption is not true either. In many cases, exclusive agencies have coverage prices that are the cheapest in Massachusetts.

Because it’s impossible to say who has the best insurance rates, the best way to get rock-bottom rates is to get rate quotes and compare. It takes a little work, but we recommend you get rate quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies to have the best rate selection. A great place to start is our list of online companies offering discounts: click here to view.