Best Cheap Auto Insurance for Active Military in South Carolina

You have most likely watched the captivating commercials from car insurance companies like Nationwide and GEICO that make claims of enormous savings. So you just need to choose the one with the best commercial, right?

It’s not that easy, however, as there are many unknowns such as if you have a spouse, if you currently have coverage, and any prior traffic citations, that all help calculate your car insurance rates. The information below will cover these topics and will give you a good beginning to your search for cheaper coverage.

The vehicle model requiring coverage is probably the biggest factor that determines if you can find cheap auto insurance for active military. Vehicles with higher performance characteristics, poor passenger safety features, or a track record of large liability claims will cost quite a bit more to insure than more modest models.

The information below showcases car insurance prices for a handful of the most cost-effective automobiles to insure.

Data rating is based on married female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and South Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, multi-vehicle, claim-free, homeowner, and multi-policy. Rates do not factor in garaging location in South Carolina which can change prices substantially.

Based upon the table data, we can assume that cars like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Traverse, Toyota Prius, and Subaru Forester are most likely going to be some of the less-costly vehicles to insure for military personnel.

Determining which company has the best insurance rates for active military will involve a little more sweat in order to find the best price. Every insurance provider uses their own formula for setting rates, so let’s take a look at the most competitive insurance companies in South Carolina.

It’s important that readers know that South Carolina insurance rates are based on many factors that will increase or decrease the cost of having a policy. Improving your credit rating, adding a teenager to your policy, or getting a couple of tickets can trigger rate changes resulting in some rates now being cheaper than others.

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The Hartford quotes some of the most affordable car insurance rates in South Carolina at around $752 annually. USAA, Auto-Owners, State Auto, and SC Farm Bureau Mutual also are some of the best South Carolina auto insurance companies.

As the rates illustrate above, if you currently buy coverage from State Auto and switched to USAA, you could see savings of upwards of $142. Insureds with SC Farm Bureau Mutual might save as much as $263 a year, and Southern Farm Bureau insureds might realize rate reductions of up to $275 a year.

To find the best cheap car insurance for active military in South Carolina for your vehicle, click here to begin a quote or click several companies below for low rates.

These premiums are averages for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and are not factoring in a price discount for active military. So the auto insurance company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be shown in the company chart above. That illustrates why you need to quote rates from many companies using your own personal information and vehicle type.

For military personnel, one of the largest considerations that help determine car insurance rates is where you choose to live in South Carolina. Areas with more people or more claims like North Charleston, Florence, and Summerville tend to have higher auto insurance costs, whereas areas with less congestion tend to receive slightly lower rates.

The table below sorts the priciest cities in South Carolina for active military to buy auto insurance in.

Rate information is comparative as specific location information can decrease or increase premiums significantly.

Discount South Carolina auto insurance

Car insurance companies that provide the best cheap car insurance for active military in South Carolina may also give you policy discounts that could lower prices by 30% or more if you meet specific criteria. A list of insurance companies and their offered discounts can be found below.

• State Farm discounts include Drive Safe & Save, passive restraint, safe vehicle, Steer Clear safe driver discount, multiple autos, and defensive driving training.
• Farmers Insurance includes discounts for electronic funds transfer, good student, business and professional, youthful driver, multi-car, homeowner, and switch companies.
• Progressive may offer discounts for online quote discount, good student, multi-vehicle, multi-policy, continuous coverage, homeowner, and online signing.
• GEICO has discounts for military active duty, air bags, federal employee, anti-lock brakes, and seat belt use.
• Auto-Owners Insurance may include discounts for safe vehicle, air bags, anti-lock brakes, mature driver, and good student.
• The Hartford may have discounts that include good student, anti-theft, driver training, bundle, vehicle fuel type, and defensive driver.
• Farm Bureau offers premium reductions for driver training, safe driver, renewal discount, youthful driver, good student, and multi-vehicle.
• USAA offers discounts including multi-policy, military installation, multi-vehicle, new vehicle, vehicle storage, annual mileage, and family discount.

The chart below illustrates the difference between insurance costs with and without policy discounts. The data assumes a female driver, no accidents or driving violations, South Carolina state minimum liability limits, full physical damage coverage, and $250 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with multiple vehicle, vehicle safety, defensive driving course, multiple policy, anti-theft, and claim-free discounts applied. When drivers qualify for the discounts, the the average yearly reduction on insurance for active military is 28% or $633.

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Full coverage rates compared to liability only

Finding the best cheap car insurance for active military in South Carolina is important to the majority of drivers, and one of the quickest ways to find cheap insurance is to not pay for full coverage. The illustration below visualizes the comparison of yearly insurance costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. Data assumes no violations or claims, $250 deductibles, single marital status, and no policy discounts are applied.

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As an average, physical damage coverage costs $1,794 per year over and above liability coverage. That amount may make you wonder when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no specific rule for excluding physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of coverage is more than 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.

For example, let’s say your vehicle’s replacement value is $3,000 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most you would receive is $2,000 after the deductible is paid. If you are currently paying more than $200 a year for full coverage, then you might want to consider buying only liability coverage.

There are some scenarios where dropping physical damage coverage is not in your best interest. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you must maintain physical damage coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest in the vehicle. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle in the even your car is totaled, you should keep full coverage in place.

Who has the cheapest insurance quotes for military personnel?

Due to technology, there are many ways to find cheaper insurance in South Carolina, but the most preferred ways are using a non-exclusive or independent agent, an exclusive agency like Auto-Owners or State Farm, or from a direct company like Geico.

You can use whichever method you prefer, but insurance shoppers should know the differences in how they price policies.

Independent agencies have contracts with many companies and can do rate comparisons with all of them. Independent agents are not required to write business for one company and can provide you with more rate quotes, which may give you the best chance of saving money. If a cheaper price is found, you can get a different policy which makes it simple for you.

A captive, or exclusive, agent is only able to place business with a single company, examples being a State Farm or Allstate agent. Exclusive agencies are unable to provide a range of price quotes, so drivers will want to get other quotes as well.

The final way is buying direct, which means you forego a local agent and instead shop buying direct from a company like Progressive or Geico. Buying direct may be a decent choice people who do not need complex risk management and have a good understanding of how insurance works.

What is the best method to buy the best cheap car insurance for active military in South Carolina? It would be obvious to point out buying direct saves the most money because there are no middleman commissions, but that does not always hold true. We could also say that an independent agent is the best way to go because they can quote many companies, but again, it’s not necessarily true. In the right set of circumstances, exclusive agencies may have prices that other companies cannot beat.

Since insurance rates vary so much, really the best method to buy the cheapest coverage is to compare lots of quotes. It’s a good idea to get prices from all three in order to find the best price. For a list of companies with online discounts, click here to view.

How to get the best cheap car insurance for active military in South Carolina

Here are some of the better penny-pinching suggestions that can help South Carolina drivers buy lower-cost car insurance.

• Accident-free drivers may qualify for discounts
• Safer vehicles generally have cheaper insurance rates
• Buying your home and auto policies from the same company can earn a discount
• Do not waste money insuring older vehicles for full coverage
• Drivers with good credit often pay less
• Ensure you have the best deal by shopping around regularly

That last idea is especially vital, as was pointed out in the article above. Prices charged by companies in South Carolina fluctuate constantly, so don’t be afraid to buy a policy from a new company if a lower-cost policy is available.

Many drivers prefer to stick with one company, but it’s not recommended if that loyalty results in overpaying a fortune every year. It only take a few minutes to compare prices to find cheaper auto insurance for active military.