You have probably seen the commercials from insurers like Farmers and Allstate claiming dirt cheap rates, so drivers just need to choose the one with the most memorable commercial, right?
It’s not quite that easy, unfortunately, as there are a whole bunch of unknown elements such as what level of deductibles you wish to have, if you want full coverage included, the miles you drive each year, and your marital status, that all factor into the price you pay. Car insurance is kind of a dry topic, but this article will explain the best ways to compare rates and will hopefully give you some help in finding cheaper rates.
The make and model of vehicle to be insured is a large consideration when comparison shopping for cheaper coverage for felons. Vehicles with higher performance, a lack of modern safety features, or high incidents of liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than more modest models. The table below outlines insurance costs for a handful of the more affordable vehicles to insure in Pennsylvania.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V LX 4WD | $1,115 |
| Ford Escape Limited 4WD | $1,208 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,235 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4WD 2-Dr | $1,249 |
| Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $1,254 |
| Toyota RAV4 4WD | $1,319 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT | $1,324 |
| Hyundai Elantra Blue 4-Dr Sedan | $1,362 |
| Ford Edge Sport 2WD | $1,386 |
| Honda Odyssey LX | $1,403 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LTZ | $1,412 |
| Nissan Altima Hybrid 4-Dr Sedan | $1,420 |
| GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE Regular Cab 4WD | $1,412 |
| Ford F-150 XL Crew Cab 2WD | $1,431 |
| Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $1,489 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,532 |
| Ford Focus SES 4-Dr Sedan | $1,561 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $1,590 |
| Ford F-250 King Ranch Crew Cab Turbo Diesel 2WD | $1,604 |
| Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $1,609 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,619 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Crew Cab 4WD | $1,624 |
| Dodge Ram Quad Cab SLT 4WD | $1,650 |
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Data variables include single female driver age 30, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-policy, homeowner, safe-driver, claim-free, and multi-vehicle. Estimates do not factor in specific zip code location which can lower or raise auto insurance rates considerably.
Looking at the rates, you can infer that cars like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota Prius, Jeep Wrangler, and Ford Explorer will definitely be the less-costly vehicles to insure for felons.
One of the many considerations that aid in calculating the amount you pay for auto insurance is where you call home. Cities with larger populations or higher claim trends are more likely to pay higher prices, whereas areas with lower vehicle theft rates and fewer weather claims tend to receive cheaper rates.
The illustration below lists the most costly cities in Pennsylvania for felons to buy an auto insurance policy in. Pittsburgh shows up at #7 with a yearly premium of $1,085 for the average policyholder, which is approximately $90 monthly.
| Rank | City | Premium Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | $2,037 |
| 2 | Drexel Hill | $1,549 |
| 3 | Levittown | $1,407 |
| 4 | Chester | $1,379 |
| 5 | Norristown | $1,268 |
| 6 | Allentown | $1,108 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh | $1,085 |
| 8 | Municipality of Monr | $1,081 |
| 9 | Scranton | $1,081 |
| 10 | Plum | $1,079 |
| 11 | Bethlehem | $1,077 |
| 12 | Reading | $1,077 |
| 13 | Erie | $1,071 |
| 14 | Easton | $1,058 |
| 15 | Hazleton | $1,056 |
| 16 | Wilkes-Barre | $1,047 |
| 17 | New Castle | $1,046 |
| 18 | Altoona | $1,042 |
| 19 | Harrisburg | $1,015 |
| 20 | Williamsport | $996 |
| 21 | Bethel Park | $989 |
| 22 | Lancaster | $975 |
| 23 | Lebanon | $922 |
| 24 | York | $916 |
| 25 | State College | $905 |
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Annual rates are estimated as specific Pittsburgh zip code can influence coverage rates substantially.
Deciding which company offers the most affordable car insurance rates for felons involves more work in order to find coverage that fits your budget. Each insurance company uses a little different formula to determine rates, so to begin we’ll rank the car insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in Pittsburgh, PA.
It’s important to understand that Pennsylvania car insurance rates are impacted by many things which can substantially change the price of your policy. Improving your credit score, moving across town, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign may cause policy rate changes resulting in some companies being cheaper than competitors.
Cheap Insurance Rates for Felons
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Casualty | $748 |
| 2 | Travelers | $787 |
| 3 | Penn National | $808 |
| 4 | USAA | $809 |
| 5 | Erie | $824 |
| 6 | Auto-Owners | $963 |
| 7 | Amica | $992 |
| 8 | Atlantic States | $1,005 |
| 9 | Donegal Mutual | $1,069 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,123 |
| 11 | Allied | $1,144 |
| 12 | California Casualty | $1,198 |
| 13 | State Farm | $1,210 |
| 14 | State Auto | $1,267 |
| 15 | Encompass | $1,344 |
| 16 | Harleysville | $1,410 |
| 17 | Mutual Benefit Group | $1,411 |
| 18 | Progressive | $1,472 |
| 19 | Nationwide | $1,491 |
| 20 | Chubb | $1,583 |
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General Casualty offers some of the most affordable car insurance rates in Pittsburgh at around $748 per year. Travelers, Penn National, USAA, and Erie also qualify as some of the cheaper Pittsburgh, PA insurance companies.
As shown in the rates above, if you are currently insured with Erie and switched to Travelers, you could see yearly savings of about $37. Policyholders with Auto-Owners may save as much as $176 a year, and Amica insureds might see rate reductions of $205 a year.
These prices are averaged for all drivers and vehicles in Pennsylvania and are not factoring in a specific vehicle garaging location for felons. So the company that can offer the best rates for your situation may not even be in the top 30 companies in the list above. That’s why you need to compare as many prices as possible using your own specific driver information and vehicle.
Rate comparison of full coverage and liability-only
Buying cheaper car insurance is the goal of the majority of vehicle owners, and an easy way to buy cheaper insurance for felons is to only pay for liability coverage. The chart below shows the comparison of annual premium costs with and without physical damage coverage. The rates are based on no claims or driving violations, $250 deductibles, drivers are single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
If all age groups are averaged, full coverage costs an additional $2,351 per year more than just buying liability insurance. That raises the question when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no exact rule that works best for making the decision to drop physical damage coverage, but there is a general convention. If the annual cost of comprehensive and collision coverage is 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then it could be time to drop full coverage.
For example, let’s say your vehicle’s book value is $8,500 and you have $1,000 full coverage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would get paid by your company is $7,500 after the deductible is paid. If premium cost is more than $750 annually for your policy with full coverage, then it could be time to drop full coverage.
There are a few cases where buying only liability insurance is not in your best interest. If you have an outstanding loan on your vehicle, you have to keep full coverage to satisfy the loan requirements. Also, if your finances do not allow you to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should keep full coverage in place.
Insuring your vehicle with the right car insurance provider is hard considering how many different companies sell coverage in Pennsylvania. The ranking data displayed below can help you decide which car insurance providers you want to consider to insure your vehicles. The rankings below are for companies with a nationwide focus, so companies without a large exposure are not factored into these rankings.
| Company | Value | Customer Service | Claims | Customer Satisfaction | A.M Best Rating | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The General | 96 | 100 | 92 | 91% | A- | 95 |
| Titan Insurance | 87 | 96 | 94 | 93% | A+ | 92.9 |
| The Hartford | 88 | 96 | 91 | 93% | A+ | 92.6 |
| Progressive | 84 | 94 | 99 | 90% | A+ | 92.4 |
| Travelers | 84 | 93 | 100 | 87% | A++ | 92.3 |
| State Farm | 84 | 93 | 95 | 87% | A++ | 91 |
| Farmers Insurance | 87 | 92 | 90 | 85% | A | 90.6 |
| Erie Insurance | 79 | 93 | 90 | 87% | A+ | 88.6 |
| Safeco Insurance | 85 | 91 | 87 | 86% | A | 88.4 |
| USAA | 71 | 93 | 98 | 87% | A++ | 88 |
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Data Source: Insure.com Best Car Insurance Companies
Don’t make the mistake of not shopping around
Pittsburgh car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that will increase or decrease the cost of coverage. Improving your credit rating, buying a home instead of renting, or having an at-fault accident can cause premium changes that may make certain companies more affordable than before.
And not only may your rating factors change, but insurance companies file new Pennsylvania car insurance rates every year or even multiple times each year to adjust for unexpected claims or profits. An unexpected high level of claims can cause higher prices, while long-term profits may cause lower-cost Pittsburgh car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the data below demonstrates which company has the cheapest car insurance in Pittsburgh, PA for a 40-year-old male driver with a clean driving record, no accidents, and excellent credit. When quoting prices based on his current situation, General Casualty has the most affordable car insurance rates in Pittsburgh at $870 each year. This is $787 less than the average rate paid by Pennsylvania drivers of $1,657. Erie, Travelers, USAA, and Penn National are also included in the cheapest Pittsburgh, PA auto insurance companies.
The next chart shows rates after we give the driver from above an accident claim, a lower credit rating, and an imperfect driving record. Due to the fact that each insurance company uses their own formula for determining rates in each state, analyzing rates may now present a different ranking of the cheapest companies as shown below.
Auto-Owners now has the best price in Pittsburgh, PA with Atlantic States, Erie, Donegal Mutual, and GEICO now being in the top five. This example shows why Pennsylvania drivers need to compare lots of rates to find the most economical auto insurance quotes for felons.
Rates can be determined by many things and can change without notice, so the cheapest rate six months ago may now be quite expensive.
How to find low-cost car insurance for felons
Lowering your rates is not difficult, and here are some of the better money-saving ideas that can help Pennsylvania drivers find cheaper coverage.
- Do not file small claims
- Do not pay for comprehensive and collision coverage on older vehicles
- Do not get tickets or violations
- Higher deductibles save money
- Avoid preventable accidents
- Shop around for cheaper rates regularly
That last idea is highly crucial, as was stressed in this write-up. Car insurance rates in Pittsburgh adjust often, so don’t be unwilling to switch carriers if you can save money. Brand loyalty is not necessarily bad, but is isn’t recommended if that devotion results in you overpaying hundreds of dollars year after year. In less than five minutes you could compare rates and find cheaper car insurance for felons.