Good drivers pay less for car insurance. Let's explore the discounts you can receive for maintaining a clean driving history.
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No matter which car insurance companies you're considering, having a good driving record can save you money on your insurance premium. Because of your good driving and claims history, you’re the ideal candidate for an insurance company. Still, you’re probably paying more for auto insurance than you might like. Let’s break down the best cheap car insurance companies for good drivers and some other ways to save.
Even if you’re a good driver, your premium will vary depending on the company you select. Because insurance companies use different algorithms to determine your premium, there will always be some leeway. So, in order to determine which company has the cheapest car insurance quote, we created one user profile and examined it across the US. Here are the car insurance rates:
| Company | Premium |
|---|---|
| Allstate | $786 |
| Geico | $709 |
| Farmers | $677 |
| Liberty Mutual | $736 |
| Nationwide | $644 |
| Progressive | $729 |
| State Farm | $748 |
| USAA | $734 |
As you can see, Nationwide is the cheapest car insurance for good drivers. However, the term "good driver" can vary from company to company, so use our data as a reference point and compare as many companies as possible for the best price.
Although saving money is important, in the event of a claim you need a good car insurance company by your side. In order to find the best companies for good drivers for 2019, we looked at their financial strength, JD power ratings, and overall customer satisfaction.
| Overall Rank | Customer Rating | J.D. Power Ranking | Financial Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. UPC | A++ | 5 | Superior |
| 2. Auto-Owners | A+ | 5 | Superior |
| 3. Erie | A+ | 5 | Superior |
| 4. Amica | A+ | 4 | Superior |
| 5. Nationwide | A+ | 4 | Superior |
| 6. 21st Century | A+ | 3 | Excellent |
| 7. Allied | A+ | 3 | Superior |
| 8. Allstate | A+ | 3 | Superior |
| 9. Country | A+ | 3 | Superior |
| 10. Farmers | A+ | 3 | Excellent |
| 11. First National | A+ | 3 | Excellent |
| 12. Peerless | A+ | 3 | Excellent |
| 13. Progressive | A+ | 3 | Superior |
| 14. SAFECO | A+ | 3 | Excellent |
| 15. State Farm | A++ | 3 | Superior |
No matter how great of a driver you are, you’re probably paying more than you might want for your car insurance. So, using the car insurance companies we mentioned above, let’s explore some possible auto insurance discount options for which you could qualify.
Allstate has a couple of options for safe drivers but only one option in which you do not have to purchase an upgrade package for. Known as their "Allstate Rewards" program, safe drivers can earn points for good driving habits and can redeem them for commercial items such as designer products, gifts cards, and more.
If you’ve been accident-free for five years, GEICO offers an Accident-Free Good Driver discount. According to their website, this could amount to 26% in savings. They also offer a discount on your medical payments and personal injury protection coverages. These coverages, which are required in some states, cover medical costs after an accident for you and your passengers. This discount is also available if you have never been ticketed for driving without a seatbelt. This discount can reduce the premium on your medical coverage of PIP by 15%.
Farmers offers a “Safe Driver Discount,” but doesn’t specify much else. If you’re interested in a safe driving discount and you’re a Farmers customer, speak with your agent about your options.
Liberty Mutual offers a discount through their RightTrack program only. This type of program, which we will discuss in more detail below, is considered a part of usage-based insurance. Through RightTrack with Liberty Mutual, safe drivers are expected to save up to 30% based solely on the way you drive.
Like GEICO, Nationwide rewards drivers who have been accident-free for five years with a 10% safe driving discount. In order to qualify, you must not have any accidents or major violations on your driver profile. However, it’s a little unclear what falls into the category of major violations. So, if you’re a Nationwide customer, it’s best to ask a customer service representative for more details.
Like Liberty Mutual, Progressive’s safe driver savings option is in the form of a usage-based insurance policy. While it can vary based on many factors, Progressive advertises you could save $130 every six months.
State Farm offers an Accident-Free Discount if you’ve been insured with State Farm for three years and without a chargeable incident. This phrase, “chargeable incident” refers to claims, violations, or tickets that would increase your premium. So, things like parking tickets would not affect this but speeding tickets, DUI convictions, or claims would impact your premium.
USAA offers a discount for drivers with five years of accident-free driving. For more details, speak with your USAA agent.
As we stated, just because you’re a good driver with a clean driving record doesn't mean your insurance premiums are affordable. If you’re looking for additional ways to save as a good driver, we have some suggestions for keeping your insurance costs low.
Telematics, or usage-based insurance, are plug-in devices that monitor the way you drive in order to more accurately calculate your premium. Your insurance premiums are a reflection of the kind of risk you will present to your insurance company and by monitoring the way you drive, they have a better idea of who you really are behind the wheel. Here are some advertised discounts.
| Company | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|
| Progressive's SnapShot | Average of $130 |
| Allstate's Drivewise | Average of 10-25% |
| State Farm's Drive Safe & Save | Up to 15% |
| Esurance's DriveSense | Varies |
| Nationwide's SmartRide | Up to 40% |
| Liberty Mutual's RightTrack | Average of 5-30% |
While there are some state regulations that might prohibit you from participating, telematics are great ways to save as a good driver. By monitoring your breaking, speeds, and other driving habits, they’re a better representation of how you drive.
You should consider, however, that sometimes telematics can increase your insurance premiums. If you have someone on your policy who might drive recklessly but does not have a bad driving record, this could actually cause your insurance premiums to increase. For example, if you have teen drivers on your policy.
By being smart with your claims, you’re basically continuing with a practice you’ve already established. Meaning, you probably consider yourself a good driver because you do not have any claims or violations on your insurance history. Still, if you do get into a situation where you’re thinking about filing a claim after an accident, consider our suggestions before you potentially lose any good driving discounts.
The logic behind these steps is simple: most car insurance companies will rate you for at-fault accidents for 3 years. So, if you’re thinking about filing a claim, you need to consider the long-term effect this will have on your premium. Here are some average rate increases you can expect for an accident.
While the rate decrease may be small, car insurance companies do like to see motorists work to improve their driving skills, with many offering discounts for those who take a safe driving course. Taking a classroom or online course can help you learn better driving techniques while simultaneously working to lower your insurance rates. You can learn a number of safe driving tips that can help you better understand traffic laws and react to the driving behaviors of others.
Being smart with your coverage refers to the unfortunate truth that vehicles lose value over time and thus no longer need the same coverage as newer vehicles. By coverage, we aren’t referring to your state required liability insurance but your collision and comprehensive coverages. These coverages are optional but are generally a good idea if you have a nice vehicle. If, however, you have an older model, you might be paying for coverage you don’t need.
While there is an exact science to this determination, most insurance experts recommend reevaluating your “full coverage” needs if your vehicle is worth less than $4,000. You can determine the value of your vehicle through NADA and Kelley Blue Book.
It’s important to consider the broadness of a “good driver.” There are many rating factors that make up your driving profile, things that are and are not related to how you drive. The only true way to determine if you’re getting the absolute best rate for you is to get as many car insurance quotes as possible. Do that here with us.
