You’ve seen the captivating commercials from insurers like Liberty Mutual and State Farm that promise the cheapest price, so you should just pick one randomly, right?
Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy, as there are a lot of unknown factors such as if you are married or single, whether you need higher levels of liability coverage, and whether you just want liability only, that all impact the cost of coverage. The information below will cover the best ways to save on auto insurance and educate you enough to have a good beginning to your quest for cheaper car insurance.
Comparing rates for budget auto insurance is not most people’s favorite thing to do, and finding out which company quotes the lowest-priced car insurance rates for first-time drivers takes additional perseverance. Coverage rates could be much more than the average policy in Utah attributed to the potential for more claims associated with selling coverage for new drivers, but reasonable coverage should be obtainable if you do a thorough comparison. Each insurer uses their own formula to establish rates, so let’s rank the overall cheapest car insurance companies in Utah.
Find Cheaper Auto Insurance for Inexperienced Drivers
Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Bear River | $566 |
2 | USAA | $760 |
3 | Auto-Owners | $885 |
4 | American Family | $964 |
5 | Allied | $998 |
6 | Safeco | $1,050 |
7 | GEICO | $1,065 |
8 | Farm Bureau Mutual | $1,068 |
9 | Progressive | $1,107 |
10 | Nationwide | $1,155 |
11 | California Casualty | $1,316 |
12 | Unigard | $1,324 |
13 | Farmers | $1,351 |
14 | State Farm | $1,431 |
15 | Travelers | $1,474 |
16 | Allstate | $1,628 |
17 | MetLife | $1,732 |
18 | Liberty Mutual | $1,822 |
19 | Encompass | $1,994 |
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Bear River may offer some of the best car insurance rates in Utah at around $566 annually. USAA, Auto-Owners, American Family, and Allied also qualify as some of the most economical Utah insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you are insured with Allied and switched to USAA, you could earn a yearly price reduction of in the vicinity of $238. Utah drivers with Safeco could save as much as $290 a year, and GEICO policyholders might reduce rates by $305 a year.
It’s important to note that these policy prices are averages for all ages of drivers and types of vehicles and and are not calculated with a rate surcharge for first-time drivers. So the company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the above rate chart. That is why you need to get quotes using your own driver and vehicle profiles.
The car, truck, or SUV that needs insurance is probably the biggest factor when shopping for cheap auto insurance for first-time drivers in Utah. Vehicles with average performance, excellent safety ratings, or a positive history of liability claims will cost much less to insure than higher performance models. The next table illustrates coverage prices for some of the most economical vehicles to buy coverage for.
Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Honda Accord LX 4-Dr Sedan | $1,842 |
Honda CR-V LX 2WD | $1,851 |
Ford Escape XLT 4WD | $1,860 |
Chevrolet Traverse LTZ 2WD | $1,993 |
Toyota Prius | $2,001 |
Hyundai Tucson GLS 2WD | $2,049 |
Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $2,067 |
Subaru Forester XT Limited Edition AWD | $2,127 |
Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $2,164 |
Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $2,182 |
Toyota RAV4 Limited 2WD | $2,192 |
Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid | $2,182 |
Ford Fusion S 4-Dr Sedan | $2,191 |
Toyota Sienna XLE | $2,182 |
Volkswagen Jetta S 4-Dr Sedan | $2,189 |
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport Package 4WD | $2,200 |
Subaru Outback 3.6R | $2,208 |
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Data variables include single female driver age 17, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Utah minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, and safe-driver. Price estimates do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can raise or lower coverage rates significantly.
Looking at the numbers, we can assume that models like the Honda Accord, Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Chevrolet Traverse are most likely going to be a few of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for new drivers. Car insurance rates will be more costly because there is more claim risk for first-time drivers, but in general those specific models will have the best insurance prices compared to other vehicles.
For new drivers, one of the big criteria that is used by car insurance companies to calculate the cost of insurance is where you live in Utah. Areas with more people like Taylorsville, Salt Lake City, and West Jordan likely pay more, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims have the enjoyment of a little cheaper coverage.
The table below sorts the most expensive cities in Utah for first-time drivers in which to purchase auto insurance.
Rank | City | Annual Premium |
---|---|---|
1 | Taylorsville | $1,236 |
2 | Kearns | $1,224 |
3 | Salt Lake City | $1,216 |
4 | Murray | $1,206 |
5 | West Jordan | $1,205 |
6 | Cottonwood Heights | $1,203 |
7 | Millcreek | $1,203 |
8 | West Valley City | $1,191 |
9 | Draper | $1,174 |
10 | Provo | $1,174 |
11 | Orem | $1,166 |
12 | Spanish Fork | $1,166 |
13 | Sandy | $1,156 |
14 | South Jordan | $1,151 |
15 | Ogden | $1,149 |
16 | Riverton | $1,142 |
17 | Roy | $1,132 |
18 | Pleasant Grove | $1,131 |
19 | Lehi | $1,125 |
20 | Bountiful | $1,121 |
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Premium costs are approximated as the specific zip code location can decrease or increase prices considerably.
The illustration below illustrates how choosing a deductible can change insurance prices when quoting cheap insurance for first-time drivers. The price estimates are based on a married male driver, comp and collision included, and no discounts are factored in.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawDfdqcibChart);function drawDfdqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘$100 Deductible’,’$250 Deductible’,’$500 Deductible’,’$1,000 Deductible’],[‘Age 20’, 2275,2079,1861,1653],[‘Age 30’, 1201,1097,975,859],[‘Age 40’, 1151,1057,947,839],[‘Age 50’, 1055,967,867,771],[‘Age 60’, 1035,949,851,755],[‘Age 70’, 1187,1095,991,893]]);var options = {title: ‘Effect of Higher Deductibles on Auto Insurance Rates in Utah’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 700,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’,’height’: ‘80%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’,textStyle: {fontSize: 12}},bar: {groupWidth: ‘80%’},colors: [‘#6791b9′,’#75a8d8′,’#98bee2′,’#bad4ec’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},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);}
In the chart above, a 40-year-old driver could save $188 a year by switching from a $100 deductible to a $500 deductible, or save $284 by using a $1,000 deductible. Younger drivers, like the Age 20 category, can save $622 annually just by choosing higher deductibles.
When choosing a higher deductible, it is necessary to have additional funds squirreled away to be able to pay the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the primary disadvantage of high deductibles.
Finding cheap auto insurance for first-time drivers in Utah is probably important to most vehicle owners, and one of the quickest ways to find cheaper insurance is to not buy full coverage. The diagram below illustrates the difference between car insurance costs with full phyical damage coverage and with liability coverage only. The information is based on no accidents, no driving violations, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied to the premium.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawFclqcibChart);function drawFclqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘Full Coverage with $500 Deductibles’, ‘Liability Only’],[‘Age 20’, 2149,817],[‘Age 30’, 1137,453],[‘Age 40’, 1111,419],[‘Age 50’, 1015,393],[‘Age 60’, 983,387],[‘Age 70’, 1209,515]]);var options = {title: ‘Price Comparison of Full Coverage Versus Liability Only’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 500,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’},colors: [‘#6791b9′,’#98bee2’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle in Utah’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},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);}
As an average, comp and collision coverage costs an extra $1,267 per year over and above liability only. That is a large expense and it proposes the question if paying for full coverage is worth it. There isn’t a steadfast formula to drop physical damage coverage on your policy, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of your full coverage insurance is more than about 10% of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you may want to consider only buying liability coverage.
When researching auto insurance for new drivers in Utah, the four most popular companies are Allstate, Progressive, Geico, and State Farm. If you add them together, they insure about half of all policies written. The next table illustrates pricing and service ratings, plus some optional coverages that are available for policyholders.
Allstate | Progressive | Geico | State Farm | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Customer Satisfaction | 2nd | 3rd | 1st | 4th |
Claims Service | 1st | 4th | 3rd | 2nd |
Discounts Available | 1st | 4th | 2nd | 3rd |
Price Rank | 4th | 3rd | 1st | 2nd |
Rating based on usage | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Emergency roadside assistance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
New car replacement insurance | Yes | No | No | No |
Coverage for Uber and Lyft drivers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Breakdown insurance | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Accident forgiveness coverage | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Insure in Utah | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
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