The best, cheapest car insurance in Ohio

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Best car insurance company in Ohio

In Ohio, the average premium for car insurance is $1,417 a year or $118 a month, which is the 48^th highest in the country – Louisiana was number one.

For drivers looking for cheap car insurance in Ohio, Grange Mutual, Auto-Owners, Erie Insurance, Travelers and others on our list are great options, offering plenty of coverage options at affordable rates.

Our research found Erie Insurance offers low rates when compared to its competitors and received high marks when we look at other factors including J.D Power customer satisfaction scores, financial strength rankings and complaint data. Erie Insurance was our top scorer and was awarded 4.44 out of 5 stars.

Auto-Owners finished second in our rankings with a score of 4.38 stars and Grange Insurance was third at 4.16 stars.

The best car insurance companies in Ohio

How we picked the top auto insurance companies

When choosing the top car insurance companies in the state, we not only looked at the average cost of coverage but also J.D. Power customer satisfaction scores, AM Best financial strength ratings and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint rankings. National averages were used where state and regional data was not available.

For each of the four metrics, we gave companies in each state from 1 to 5 (5 being the best) based on how they performed in each category. Those components were then given the following weights, to arrive at an overall star rating.

• Premiums: 25%
• JD Power: 30%
• AM Best: 25%
• NAIC: 20%

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Cheapest car insurance in Ohio

Grange Mutual has the lowest average rate in Ohio at $986 a year or $82 a month.

Auto-Owners is the next most affordable at $1,109 annually and Erie Insurance at $1,132. While these insurers had the cheapest average premiums, there are plenty of other options for coverage in the state.

Insurers consider a wide variety of factors when setting a rate and use proprietary algorithms which can result in dramatic differences in premium quotes. Where you live also affects rates.

“States that have a higher rate of severe weather that damages cars or helps cause accidents will typically have higher rates,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance. “Ohio, for example, is prone to extreme weather like hurricanes and its car insurance costs are consequently much higher.”

The data shows how shopping around for coverage can result in savings. While Grange Mutual had the lowest average rate at $986, Allstate was the most expensive at $1,942.

Below are the cheapest car insurance rates by state. To calculate these rates, we used data for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX – one of the most commonly insured vehicles – to provide a consistent and realistic comparison across states.

Cheapest full-coverage insurance in Ohio

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Full coverage car insurance in Ohio

As noted, the rates above are for full coverage car insurance. Full coverage car insurance simply means you are carrying liability and any other state requirements as well as collision and comprehensive.

Full coverage insurance includes collision and comprehensive, which protects your own vehicle. Collision insurance will pay to repair your vehicle when it is damaged after colliding with another vehicle or object. Comprehensive covers damage that is done by perils such as fire, theft, flooding, vandalism, and more.

Shopping for car insurance in Ohio

Shopping around for coverage is a great way to make sure you are getting the best rates on your auto insurance. Experts often tell consumers to shop for insurance yearly. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be looking to switch.

“I recommend that people stay with the same insurance company, as they tend to get a better rate when they have been with the same carrier for more than 12 months. The more tenure you have with a carrier, the more potential there is to earn benefits,” says Tim Bottini, a Country Financial insurance agent based in St. Louis. “The carrier can also review your claims history and provide information about applicable discounts.”

But make sure you are comparing like coverage levels and deductibles.

“It is extremely important to make sure you start off with an apples-to-apples comparison,” Bottini says. “However, if a person has low limits, say 25/50/25 – limit per person/per occurrence/limit for property damage – I am going to recommend and quote at least 50/100/100. Depending on their age/income and profession, I would quote higher limits to protect their net worth and earnings potential.”

Bottini also says people can save money on their car insurance by keeping their credit score up, following the speed limit and placing both home and auto insurance with the same carrier.

Cheapest car insurance in Ohio by age

Statistics show that young drivers, because they are inexperienced and tend to take more risks, have more accidents and claims, all of which lead to higher premiums for younger drivers.

“Data indicates that teenagers and seniors are riskier drivers, so they often pay more for auto insurance than other policyholders in different age groups,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance. “For teenagers, the lack of driving experience is a significant factor that impacts their rates; younger drivers with little experience behind the wheel tend to pay higher insurance premiums.”

Auto-Owners is the cheapest insurer in Ohio for teens.

Age factors into a premium as the data clearly shows. Teens pay the highest rates by far with the lowest premium coming in at $3,032 which is 202% more expensive than the most affordable coverage for seniors at $1,004 and 84% more than young drivers’ best rate of $1,645.

Rates start to drop, assuming their driving record stays clean as teens move into their young adult years and tend to stay stable until a driver gets into their 70s when rates will go up a bit.

Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Ohio

According to our data, senior drivers pay roughly 31% more than middle-aged drivers.

Seniors tend to pay slightly higher car insurance rates than younger drivers. In Ohio, the cheapest insurance company for senior drivers is Grange Mutual at $1,004 a year or $84 a month. Auto-Owners grabbed the second-place spot with premiums running $1,138 annually or $95 a month, Erie Insurance was third at $1,221.

Seniors pay higher rates thanks to age-related issues. They often suffer from vision and hearing issues as well as slowing reflexes and medical issues. This all leads to more accidents and claims, which pushes up the cost to insure seniors.

The chart below shows the average premium for senior drivers.

Average rates for seniors in Ohio

Car insurance for young drivers in Ohio

While rates start to drop for teen drivers as they become young adults, they still pay slightly higher rates than more experienced drivers. According to our data, Grange Mutual is the cheapest insurer for drivers in their early 20s with an average premium of $1,645 a year or $137 per month.

GEICO was the second cheapest insurer at $1,767 and Auto-Owners will insure a young driver in Ohio for $1,916 a year.

Rates will continue to drop (assuming a clean driving record) as drivers hit their late 20s and move into their 30s.

The chart below shows the average premiums for young drivers.

Average rates for young drivers in Ohio

Car insurance for teen drivers in Ohio

Insuring a teen is always expensive; statistics show that inexperienced teen drivers get into more accidents and file more claims than more experienced drivers. In Ohio, the best insurer for teen drivers is Auto-Owners with an annual premium of $3,032 or $253 a month. Erie Insurance was second most affordable at $3,143 a year or $262 monthly while GEICO was number three at $3,210.

While teens are expensive to insure, there are a few ways to save some money. Most insurers offer a good student discount so if your teen is carrying a B average or above you should ask for a discount. Putting them in an older vehicle will also lower your insurance costs.

The chart below shows average premiums for teens.

Average rates for teens in Ohio

Average cost of car insurance in Ohio

Ohio is the 48^th most expensive state (Louisiana is number one) when it comes to car insurance with an average premium of $1,417.

The table below shows the average rate in each state for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX.

Average rates for a 40-year-old in Idaho

Which Ohio ZIP codes are the most expensive for car insurance?

Insurers consider the ZIP code where your car is parked when setting a premium. High crime rates or frequent severe weather will result in a higher premium.

According to our analysis, the following ZIP codes are the most expensive in Ohio for car insurance. Cleveland tops the charts at $1,643 a year.

Here are the most expensive ZIP codes in Ohio for car insurance:

Most expensive ZIP codes in Ohio

Which Ohio ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?

Rural areas are almost always cheaper than urban areas when it comes to car insurance. Fewer people and cars on the road mean fewer accidents and claims. The cheapest zip code for car insurance in Ohio is in Fremont with an annual premium of $1,183.

Least expensive ZIP codes in Ohio

Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in Ohio

If you have an at-fault accident, DUI or speeding ticket on your driving record, your insurer may consider you a high-risk driver and will push up the cost of your coverage.

A speeding ticket increases the average premium to $1,504 and will stay on your record and impact your premium for three years.

If you are responsible for an accident, your rates will push the average cost of coverage to $1,834.

A DUI is considered a major violation and will raise the average premium to $2,056.

The table below shows the average increase for drivers with an incident on their record:

How much rates increase in Ohio after a traffic incident

Minimum car insurance requirements in Ohio

Most states require all drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage to drive legally. Ohio requires drivers to carry 25/50/25 in liability coverage, which translates into:

• $25k for bodily injury and $50,000 for death for a person involved in an accident
• $50k for bodily injury and $100,000 for death for two or more people in an accident
• $25k for property damage for a single accident

These required minimums are fairly average when compared to other states. However, these minimums are rarely enough coverage if you are involved in a serious accident. Once your coverage levels are exceeded, you will be on the hook for any remaining damage.

Experts typically recommend carrying 100/300/50 as a minimum liability coverage level.

What our expert says

Q: How does a state’s population affect car insurance rates?

Chong GaoDirector of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance.

“States with a higher population density have more cars on the road and thus more accidents and claims, increasing insurance rates. A more rural state like Iowa will have significantly lower average yearly car insurance costs compared to a highly metropolitan state like Ohio.”

Mark Vallet

Contributing Researcher

 

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Mark Vallet is a Denver-based insurance expert and journalist with 18 years of experience covering the car insurance industry. He specializes in breaking down complex insurance topics into clear, expert-backed insights that help drivers make smarter insurance coverage decisions.

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