I’m sure you’ve seen the catchy commercials from car insurance companies like State Farm and Nationwide that guarantee huge savings, so you should just pick the one with the best commercial, right?
It’s just not that simple, as there are a whole slew of unknown aspects such as the area where you live, whether you are female or male, whether or not you own a home, and what liability limits you need. We will try to teach you about these types of topics and will give you a good start in finding the cheapest car insurance in Durham.
The vehicle on the policy is probably the largest consideration in finding the best cheap car insurance for young drivers. Vehicles with limited top-end speed, modern passenger safety features, or a track record of few liability claims will cost quite a bit less to insure than adrenaline junky models. The information below features auto insurance costs for some of the cheaper vehicles to buy insurance for.
| Vehicle Make and Model | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Ford Escape XLT 2WD | $4,034 |
| Honda CR-V EX-L 4WD | $4,071 |
| Toyota Prius | $4,352 |
| Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $4,542 |
| Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $4,552 |
| Ford Edge SEL 2WD | $4,750 |
| Toyota RAV4 2WD | $4,787 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD | $4,797 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $4,787 |
| Toyota Camry LE | $4,795 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan Crew | $4,823 |
| Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 2WD | $4,830 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT | $4,823 |
| Compare Cheap Rates Go | |
Table data assumes single female driver age 16, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include safe-driver, and claim-free. Rates do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can lower or raise premium rates substantially.
Based upon the rates shown, cars like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, and Toyota Tacoma are most likely to be a few of the cheaper vehicles to insure for youthful drivers. Car insurance rates will trend higher because of the fact that there is more claim exposure for young drivers, but in general those makes and models will have the lowest insurance rates compared to all other vehicles.
Buying low-priced auto insurance is not the easiest thing to do, and figuring out which company quotes the cheapest car insurance rates for young drivers will involve even more diligence. Each insurer uses different criteria for determining prices, so let’s rank the car insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in Durham, NC.
Lowest Insurance Price Quotes for Teens
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utica National | $636 |
| 2 | Progressive | $658 |
| 3 | Liberty Mutual | $700 |
| 4 | NC Farm Bureau | $737 |
| 5 | Penn National | $739 |
| 6 | GEICO | $750 |
| 7 | Titan | $751 |
| 8 | State Farm | $779 |
| 9 | Auto-Owners | $870 |
| 10 | National General | $881 |
| 11 | Erie | $895 |
| 12 | Travelers | $900 |
| 13 | Allied | $901 |
| 14 | Peerless | $972 |
| 15 | Encompass | $1,031 |
| 16 | Safeco | $1,034 |
| 17 | Nationwide | $1,041 |
| 18 | Unitrin | $1,042 |
| 19 | MetLife | $1,049 |
| 20 | Allstate | $1,064 |
| Quote Your Rates Go | ||
Utica National has some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Durham at around $636 annually. Progressive, Liberty Mutual, NC Farm Bureau, and Penn National also rank well as some of the cheapest Durham, NC auto insurance companies.
In the above rates, if you currently buy coverage from Liberty Mutual and switched to Utica National, you could see annual savings of around $64. North Carolina drivers with NC Farm Bureau might save as much as $101 a year, and Penn National customers might lower prices by $103 a year.
To find cheaper insurance rates for your vehicle, click here or visit any of the low-priced companies below.
Be aware that those premiums are averaged for all drivers and vehicles in North Carolina and do not take into consideration a specific location for young drivers. So the auto insurance company that is best for you may not even be in the top 20 companies in the list above. That underscores the importance of why you need to compare rates from multiple companies using your own driver information and specific vehicle type.
For youthful drivers, one of the big criteria that determine the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is where you normally keep your vehicle in Durham. Areas with a lot of weather claims or more people tend to have more expensive auto insurance rates, whereas less populated areas tend to receive cheaper rates.
The table below sorts the most expensive cities in North Carolina for young drivers to buy auto insurance in. Durham is ranked #4 with a yearly premium of $789 on average, which is approximately $66 monthly.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fayetteville | $905 |
| 2 | Jacksonville | $891 |
| 3 | Charlotte | $808 |
| 4 | Durham | $789 |
| 5 | Gastonia | $787 |
| 6 | Greensboro | $786 |
| 7 | Wilmington | $781 |
| 8 | Goldsboro | $765 |
| 9 | Cary | $749 |
| 10 | High Point | $745 |
| 11 | Raleigh | $744 |
| 12 | Rocky Mount | $740 |
| 13 | Huntersville | $734 |
| 14 | Wilson | $732 |
| 15 | Indian Trail | $731 |
| 16 | Greenville | $730 |
| 17 | Apex | $717 |
| 18 | Winston Salem | $716 |
| 19 | Hickory | $711 |
| 20 | Burlington | $699 |
| Find Cheaper Insurance Go | ||
Information shown are estimated as the specific area where the vehicle is garaged can revise prices greatly.
The chart below illustrates how your choice of deductibles can affect yearly insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for young drivers. The premiums are based on a married female driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
A 50-year-old driver could cut expenses by $230 a year by switching from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $344 by switching to a $1,000 deductible. Even younger insureds, such as the 20-year-old example, could possibly save up to $568 or more just by choosing higher deductibles.
When using a larger deductible, it’s a good idea to have emergency funds available to be able to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense, which is the primary disadvantage of high deductibles.
Finding the best company is difficult considering how many choices you have in North Carolina. The rank data listed below can help you select which providers you want to consider when comparing rate quotes. These ratings include companies that insure vehicles across America, so companies without a large exposure are not included in this list.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travelers | 93 | 98 | 99 | 88% | A++ | 95.1 |
| USAA | 83 | 99 | 100 | 91% | A++ | 94.1 |
| AAA Insurance | 91 | 95 | 92 | 90% | A | 93.3 |
| Nationwide | 85 | 95 | 97 | 89% | A+ | 92.4 |
| Allstate | 77 | 100 | 97 | 88% | A+ | 90.7 |
| State Farm | 80 | 94 | 96 | 88% | A++ | 90.6 |
| The Hartford | 88 | 93 | 91 | 87% | A+ | 90.4 |
| Safeco Insurance | 91 | 95 | 85 | 88% | A | 90.2 |
| Progressive | 88 | 94 | 83 | 88% | A+ | 90.1 |
| American Family | 91 | 86 | 95 | 83% | A | 89.7 |
| Esurance | 86 | 90 | 94 | 90% | A+ | 89.5 |
| The General | 86 | 93 | 89 | 84% | A- | 88.2 |
| GEICO | 79 | 89 | 95 | 87% | A++ | 87.8 |
| Titan Insurance | 86 | 82 | 92 | 86% | A+ | 86.5 |
| 21st Century | 86 | 82 | 90 | 84% | A | 86.4 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Discounts on Durham car insurance rates
Insurance providers that offer coverage for young drivers may also provide special discounts that may potentially lower prices by 35% or more if you meet specific criteria. A list of companies and some of the premium reductions they offer can be read below.
- GEICO may have discounts that include five-year accident-free, multi-vehicle, daytime running lights, defensive driver, emergency military deployment, anti-lock brakes, and multi-policy.
- MetLife includes discounts for claim-free, good student, defensive driver, multi-policy, accident-free, and good driver.
- Progressive offers discounts for multi-vehicle, good student, online quote discount, homeowner, continuous coverage, and multi-policy.
- Travelers policyholders can earn discounts including new car, save driver, home ownership, driver training, and good student.
- SAFECO offers premium reductions for anti-theft, drive less, homeowner, teen safe driver, accident prevention training, anti-lock brakes, and safe driver.
- AAA offers discounts including multi-policy, multi-car, anti-theft, AAA membership discount, and pay-in-full.
The example below illustrates the difference between yearly insurance costs with and without policy discounts. Data assumes a female driver, no claims or driving violations, North Carolina state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second shows the rates with paid-in-full, anti-theft, good student, passive restraint, continuous coverage, and vehicle safety discounts applied. When discounts are applied, the average savings per year on car insurance for young drivers is 28% or $401.
The importance of shopping around
North Carolina car insurance rates are determined by lots of factors that will increase or decrease the price of coverage. Getting older, getting divorced, or getting a DUI can trigger price changes resulting in some rates now being more affordable than before. Additionally, auto insurance companies amend premium rates without warning in order to offset underwriting gains or losses. An unexpected high level of claims may result in rate hikes, while lower claim levels may cause lower-cost Durham car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the data below shows the cheapest car insurance in Durham, NC for a 45-year-old female driver with no violations or accidents, and a decent credit rating. If we estimate rates based on her personal profile, Progressive offers the best car insurance rates in Durham at $730 a year. This is $142 less than the average policy premium paid by North Carolina drivers of $872. Utica National, Liberty Mutual, NC Farm Bureau, and Penn National are also included in the most affordable Durham, NC auto insurance companies.
Now we will give the driver from above a claim surcharge, less-than-perfect credit, and a blemish on her driving record. Due to the fact that every insurance company uses a different method for setting rates, analyzing rates could result in a significantly different list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Durham as shown below.
Titan now has the best car insurance rate in Durham with State Farm, Auto-Owners, Erie, and Utica National now being in the top five. This example shows why it is critical to perform a complete rate comparison to find cheap insurance rates for young drivers. Insurance rates are determined by many risk factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the best option when you last compared rates may now be priced much higher than other options.