Finding good, low-cost auto insurance is hard enough, and figuring out which companies quote the best auto insurance rates for drivers with accidents requires additional perseverance.
Each auto insurer uses their own calculation for determining prices, so to begin we’ll rank the most budget-friendly auto insurance companies in Charlotte, NC.
Cheapest Insurance Rates for Accident Prone Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Progressive | $639 |
| 2 | Utica National | $643 |
| 3 | NC Farm Bureau | $716 |
| 4 | Liberty Mutual | $728 |
| 5 | Titan | $737 |
| 6 | Penn National | $739 |
| 7 | GEICO | $742 |
| 8 | State Farm | $749 |
| 9 | Auto-Owners | $878 |
| 10 | National General | $890 |
| 11 | Travelers | $909 |
| 12 | Allied | $919 |
| 13 | Erie | $931 |
| 14 | Peerless | $992 |
| 15 | Unitrin | $1,012 |
| 16 | MetLife | $1,018 |
| 17 | Nationwide | $1,031 |
| 18 | Safeco | $1,034 |
| 19 | Encompass | $1,041 |
| 20 | Allstate | $1,064 |
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Progressive may offer some of the best car insurance rates in Charlotte at around $639 annually. Utica National, NC Farm Bureau, Liberty Mutual, and Titan also make the cut as some of the best Charlotte, NC auto insurance companies.
As depicted above, if you have coverage with NC Farm Bureau and switched to Progressive, you might see yearly savings of upwards of $77. Drivers with Liberty Mutual might save as much as $89 a year, and Titan customers might see rate reductions of $98 a year.
If you want to see how much you could save, click here to start your custom quote or visit any of the low-priced companies below.
Bear in mind that those prices are averages across all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not figured with an exact zip code location for drivers with accidents. So the company that has the cheapest rates for you may not even be in the list above. That emphasizes why you need to compare rates from as many companies as possible using your own individual information.
For drivers with at-fault accidents, one of the largest things that are used to help calculate the amount you pay each year for auto insurance is the neighborhood you call home in Charlotte. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends tend to have more expensive auto insurance rates, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims tend to receive cheaper rates.
The next table rates the highest-priced places in North Carolina for drivers with accidents to buy auto insurance in. Charlotte is ranked #3 with an annual rate of $832 for the average policyholder, which is about $69 each month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fayetteville | $932 |
| 2 | Jacksonville | $900 |
| 3 | Charlotte | $832 |
| 4 | Gastonia | $803 |
| 5 | Durham | $797 |
| 6 | Wilmington | $781 |
| 7 | Cary | $772 |
| 8 | Greensboro | $763 |
| 9 | Greenville | $752 |
| 10 | High Point | $745 |
| 11 | Raleigh | $744 |
| 12 | Huntersville | $742 |
| 13 | Rocky Mount | $740 |
| 14 | Goldsboro | $735 |
| 15 | Wilson | $732 |
| 16 | Indian Trail | $723 |
| 17 | Chapel Hill | $717 |
| 18 | Apex | $717 |
| 19 | Hickory | $711 |
| 20 | Salisbury | $705 |
| 21 | Concord | $697 |
| 22 | Kannapolis | $697 |
| 23 | Winston Salem | $695 |
| 24 | Burlington | $692 |
| 25 | Asheville | $661 |
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Prices are approximated as the vehicle garaging location can increase or decrease price quotes considerably.
Cost comparison with and without full coverage
Lowering the price of auto insurance is important to the majority of vehicle owners, and one of the fastest ways to buy cheaper insurance for drivers with accidents is to only buy liability insurance. The information below shows the comparison of car insurance costs with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The premiums are based on no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
If all age groups are averaged, full coverage on your policy costs $1,401 per year more than just buying liability insurance. That is a big expense that brings up the question when is it a good idea to stop buying full coverage. There is no definitive guideline of when to drop physical damage coverage, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is about 10% or more of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
There are some conditions where removing full coverage is not advised. If you haven’t paid off your loan, you are required to maintain full coverage to protect the lienholder’s interest in the vehicle. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is in an accident, you should keep full coverage in place.
Ending up with a highly-rated company can be a challenge considering how many companies there are to choose from in Charlotte. The company information below may help you analyze which auto insurers you want to consider when shopping your coverage around.
These ratings include insurance companies that insure vehicles in the majority of U.S. states, so companies that focus mainly on North Carolina business are not included in the list. To get price quotes from these top-rated insurers and more, click this link.
| 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 |
| Liberty Mutual | 79 | 87 | 95 | 78% | A | 85.3 |
| Farmers Insurance | 77 | 80 | 80 | 84% | A | 80.3 |
| Compare Rates Now Go | ||||||
Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Rate increases following a ticket or accident
The ideal way to snag affordable auto insurance rates for drivers with at-fault accidents is to drive safely and maintain a clean driving record. The example below shows how traffic citations and at-fault fender-benders can increase premium costs for each age group. The data assumes a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, $100 deductibles, and no additional discounts are factored in.
In the prior example, the average cost of auto insurance in North Carolina per year with no accidents or violations is $1,360. Get one speeding ticket and the average cost jumps to $1,539, an increase of $179 each year. Then throw in two accidents along with the one speeding ticket and the yearly cost of auto insurance for drivers with accidents jumps again to an average of $3,049. That’s an increase of $1,689, or $141 per month, just for a couple of infractions!
The importance of comparing Charlotte car insurance rates
Charlotte, NC auto insurance rates are influenced by many factors that will increase or decrease your annual premium. Turning one year older, becoming a homeowner, or getting a ticket for careless driving can produce rate changes that can now make some companies more affordable than before. And not only may your rating factors change, but insurance companies amend premium rates as needed to adjust for heavy claims or excess profits. A period of increased losses can result in more expensive premiums, while a better claims history may cause lower-priced Charlotte car insurance rates.
The chart below shows the company with the cheapest car insurance in Charlotte, NC for a 30-year-old male driver with no prior accidents, a clean driving record, and a good credit rating. Based on his current risk factors, Progressive may have the lowest car insurance rates in Charlotte at $794 each year. This is $78 less than the average premium paid by North Carolina drivers of $872. Utica National, Penn National, Liberty Mutual, and NC Farm Bureau also make the list of the cheapest Charlotte, NC auto insurance companies.
Now we will pretend the driver in the first example a claim, bad credit, and a stop sign violation. Due to the fact that every insurance company has a different formula for setting prices, comparing quotes will most likely result in a substantially altered list of cheap Charlotte auto insurance companies as shown below.
GEICO now has the best auto insurance rate in Charlotte with State Farm, Auto-Owners, Utica National, and National General now being in the top five. This demonstrates why Charlotte drivers need to compare as many rates as possible to get affordable car insurance quotes for drivers with accidents. Rates are determined by many risk factors and can change without notice, so the cheapest company the last time you shopped your coverage around may now be quite expensive.