BestCar InsuranceDurhamThe Best Car Insurance in Durham, NC, for 2023
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Ensure you're getting the best rate. Review quotes from a top insurance company.
While State Farm is the best auto insurance company in Durham, North Carolina, the best for you depends on your age and driving history. To help you find the best option, MoneyGeek uncovered the top companies for young and senior drivers, individuals with driving violations and those with a military background. We also provided resources on the cheapest car insurance in Durham for people who want to save money.
BestCar InsuranceDurhamThe Best Car Insurance in Durham
Overall - State Farm
Minimum Coverage - State Farm
Young Drivers - GEICO
Senior Drivers - State Farm
Driving Violations - State Farm
Military - USAA
Best Car Insurance Companies in Durham: Overall
MoneyGeek found that the best overall car insurance companies in Durham are:
- State Farm: 95 out of 100
- Nationwide: 86 out of 100
For active or former military members, USAA is the highest scoring insurance provider in North Carolina, but we excluded it because it only serves them and their families.
To determine the best car insurance companies in Durham, we scored providers based on average rates, claims ratings and customer satisfaction.
The Top Car Insurance Companies in Durham
1
State FarmOverall
Score:95
State Farm earned a perfect score for affordability and high ratings for customer satisfaction and claims. A full coverage policy from State Farm costs around $554 per year in Durham. Policyholders can purchase its unique add-on rideshare insurance coverage.
More About State Farm
State Farm is the best overall auto insurance company in Durham. It offers add-on rideshare insurance, which is ideal for drivers of a ridesharing company. The unique coverage ensures that medical, emergency roadside assistance and rental car reimbursement in your auto insurance policy remain in effect when working.
Read MoneyGeek's State Farm auto Insurance Review2
Nationwide
Score:86
Nationwide scored high ratings for affordability, claims and customer satisfaction. It offers a full coverage policy in Durham at an average cost of $590 per year. Nationwide has rare coverages available, like identity theft coverage.
More About Nationwide
With Nationwide, you can purchase unique add-on coverages if you want more protection. One of its available coverages is identity theft expense reimbursement, wherein, if you or anyone in your household is a victim of identity theft or fraud, it covers up to $25,000 of costs to recover your identity.
Read MoneyGeek's Nationwide auto Insurance ReviewRESOURCES ON CAR INSURANCE IN DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
If you want to save on car insurance, MoneyGeek found the cheapest auto insurance companies in Durham. We have the following resources containing more information on car insurance in North Carolina:
Best Cheap Car Insurance for Minimum Coverage in Durham
For drivers looking for a policy that meets North Carolina minimum car insurance requirements, the best car insurance companies in Durham are:
- State Farm: 95 out of 100
- Nationwide: 91 out of 100
MoneyGeek calculated scores by analyzing various policies for different driver profiles, including young and senior drivers and those with driving violations.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: State Farm
pros
A minimum coverage policy costs roughly $295 per year
MoneyGeek claims rating of 4 out of 5
MoneyGeek customer satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5
Offers discounts for bundling policies, insuring multiple cars and new vehicles
cons
No discounts for paying in full or going paperless
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
State Farm offers both common and rare discounts. Policyholders can receive a discount for bundling policies or insuring multiple cars. They can also get a discount for having no chargeable violations on their driving record for three years or more while insured with the company.
Additionally, drivers can lower their auto insurance in Durham if they have an alarm or other approved anti-theft device installed in their vehicle. For those with vehicles made in 1994 or later, they may get a discount on medical payments coverage if they buy a policy from State Farm.
Best Car Insurance for Young Drivers in Durham
To help young drivers looking for car insurance in Durham, MoneyGeek scored insurers based on a combination of different coverage levels and driving histories of 18-year-old drivers. According to our analysis, the top-rated car insurance companies in Durham are:
- GEICO: 94 out of 100
- State Farm: 92 out of 100
It’s worth noting that auto insurance for young drivers and student car insurance are often more expensive due to their lack of experience on the road.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: GEICO
pros
Full coverage policy for a young driver with a clean record averages $1,146 per year
MoneyGeek claims rating of 4 out of 5
MoneyGeek customer satisfaction rating of 4 out of 5
Offers good student and driver’s education course discounts
cons
Has no distant student discount
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
Car insurance for young drivers is typically expensive, but GEICO offers the best blend of affordability and customer service for this age group. Knowing an insurer provides quality service can give students and parents peace of mind, especially in a time of need, such as when filing a claim.
GEICO offers discounts for full-time students with good academic records and for completing a driver education course. The company also has add-on coverages to protect young drivers. One of them is accident forgiveness, which stops your insurance rate from going up after your first at-fault accident. Another is roadside assistance, which covers the cost of flat tires, towing, jumpstarts and lockout services.
Best Car Insurance for Senior Drivers in Durham
MoneyGeek found the best car insurance companies in Durham for senior drivers are:
- State Farm: 92 out of 100
- Nationwide: 92 out of 100
These results are based on MoneyGeek’s evaluation of different policy coverages and driving histories of 70-year-old drivers. Typically, car insurance for seniors is slightly more expensive than for middle-aged drivers.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: State Farm
pros
A full coverage policy for a responsible senior driver costs around $585 per year
MoneyGeek claims rating of 4 out of 5
MoneyGeek customer satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5
Offers a discount for defensive driving
cons
No specific discounts for senior drivers
No unique add-on coverages
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
While a car insurance policy for seniors isn’t different from a policy for drivers of other age groups, some insurance companies charge them higher rates. But State Farm offers affordable rates and discounts for older drivers. For example, seniors can receive a discount for completing a defensive driving course.
Despite having no unique add-on coverages, State Farm offers common coverages that benefit senior drivers. Its roadside assistance helps pay for the costs of mechanical or locksmith labor, towing a vehicle, the delivery of gas, a battery jumpstart or tire change. Meanwhile, its rental car/travel reimbursement covers rental car costs up to a chosen limit and travel expenses up to $500.
Best Car Insurance With a Driving Violation in Durham
For a driver with an at-fault accident on their record, the best auto insurance companies in Durham are:
- State Farm: 95 out of 100
- North Carolina Farm Bureau: 84 out of 100
MoneyGeek determined these results using different policy coverages and driver ages. Having an accident on your driving record can significantly raise your auto insurance premium, so it’s best to shop around for companies offering affordable car insurance for drivers with bad driving records.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: State Farm
pros
A full coverage policy for a 40-year-old driver with an accident on their record averages $821 annually
MoneyGeek claims rating of 4 out of 5
MoneyGeek customer satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5
Offers seven out of nine standard discounts
cons
No unique add-on coverages
No accident forgiveness coverage
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
Since accidents or other violations tend to raise auto insurance premiums, drivers with bad driving records can benefit from companies that offer affordable rates, appropriate coverages and great customer service. Among them is State Farm, which provides seven out of nine common discounts. These include bundling, multiple car and anti-theft device.
One downside to State Farm is it doesn’t offer better car replacement, new car replacement or accident forgiveness coverage.
Best Car Insurance With a Military Background in Durham
For Durham drivers with a military background, MoneyGeek found USAA is the best auto insurance company balancing affordability and customer service in North Carolina. USAA only offers car insurance to military members, veterans and their families, customizing its policies to fit their needs.
MoneyGeek’s Pick: USAA
pros
Has affordable full coverage policy rates
Offers five of the most common discounts, including multiple car, safe driving and defensive driving
MoneyGeek statewide claims rating of 5 out of 5
MoneyGeek statewide customer satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5
cons
Only offers three of the seven common add-on coverages, lacking gap insurance, for example
Limited to drivers with a military background
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
With its consistent affordability and quality service, USAA is ideal for drivers with a military background. It offers three common add-on coverages: roadside assistance, rental car/travel reimbursement and accident forgiveness. However, it doesn’t have any unique add-on coverages for an auto policy.
USAA also provides five discount opportunities to help military drivers save on auto insurance. These include bundling, multiple car, good student, safe driving and defensive driving. The insurer also gives a discount if a vehicle is three years old or newer or garaged on base.
Methodology
MoneyGeek scored auto insurance companies based on quotes from companies in Durham, North Carolina, and evaluations from industry leaders J.D. Power, AM Best and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
We determined the company with the highest MoneyGeek score for each category as the category winner. To create our composite MoneyGeek score, we applied the following weightings:
- Affordability (70%): MoneyGeek compared the average costs of car insurance policies in Durham and gave each company an affordability score, scaled to five points. The cheapest insurer was eligible for a perfect score of five.
- Customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction (20%): Car insurance companies in Durham were scored on a scale of one to five based on J.D. Power's customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction surveys. Each category was weighted at 10%.
- Financial stability (10%): MoneyGeek used financial strength ratings from AM Best to analyze an insurer's ability to pay claims even in the face of adverse economic conditions.
Each category was scaled to five points, and the overall score was scaled to 100 points. MoneyGeek calculated the overall affordability score by considering factors like age, driving record and coverage levels. We also used different driver profiles to appropriately reflect each category.
Car insurance premiums for a full coverage policy included the following limits:
- $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $100,000 property damage liability
- Comprehensive and collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible
MoneyGeek’s car insurance methodology details how we obtain quotes, calculate average premiums and more.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
