Cheapest Car Insurance Companies in Cleveland, OH (2023 Rates)

A driver’s profile and needs determine the cheapest insurer.

In Cleveland, Erie has the cheapest minimum coverage, while Nationwide is the lowest for full coverage, with poor credit or as a senior.

Auto-Owners is the cheapest with a speeding ticket; American Family with an at-fault accident, OVI, sports car or as a young driver. USAA is the lowest for military members.

When balancing affordability and service quality, we found the best car insurance in Cleveland.

The average cheapest car insurance companies in Cleveland for a minimum coverage policy are:

• Erie: $217 per year
• Auto-Owners: $262 per year

State Farm is the most expensive company, of those MoneyGeek collected quotes for in Cleveland, for a minimum coverage policy at around $2,465 a year.

Nationwide offers the cheapest minimum coverage auto insurance in Ohio, with its statewide average cost being $226 per year. But in Cleveland, Nationwide charges $270 a year, showing how location can affect the cost of auto insurance.

In Ohio, a minimum coverage policy includes bodily injury liability per person and accident and property damage liability per accident. The minimum limits are as follows:

• $25,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $25,000 property damage liability per accident

The above limits may be just enough to cover minor accidents. However, if a driver in Cleveland causes a collision resulting in the other driver suffering medical expenses of over $25,000, the excess amount is the at-fault driver’s responsibility. So, for example, if the total is $45,000, they would pay $20,000 out-of-pocket.

For full coverage car insurance, the average cheapest quotes in Cleveland come from the following companies:

• Nationwide: $528 per year
• American Family: $576 per year

State Farm costs the most for full coverage in Cleveland at around $3,643 per year.

Nationwide has the lowest statewide price for full coverage at around $485 per year. But its average cheapest full coverage auto insurance cost in Ohio is less than what it charges in Cleveland. Location does affect the cost of car insurance.

Apart from the liability limits that are mandatory, you can add comprehensive and collision coverage to get what is known as a full coverage policy that enhances your financial protection.

• Collision insurance: Provides coverage for damages resulting from at-fault collisions with other vehicles or objects.
• Comprehensive insurance: Safeguards your car against non-collision-related damages like theft, fire or natural disasters.

The appropriate policy may depend on your vehicle's age and worth. Older and less valuable cars may not require full coverage — the cost of the policy may not be worth it with a low-value vehicle.

Purchasing a policy from the following insurers in Cleveland can result in the average lowest full coverage car insurance premium after a moving violation:

• Speeding ticket: Auto-Owners ($591 per year)
• At-fault accident: American Family ($754 per year)
• DUI: American Family ($726 per year)

State Farm is the most expensive, on average, for full coverage in Cleveland with a speeding ticket ($4,041), at-fault accident ($4,440) or OVI ($4,041). While the majority of states have DUIs, Ohio uses OVI, which means operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you are found guilty of an OVI, you will face harsh penalties, just as drivers with a DUI do.

Your car insurance cost can be greatly affected by a driving offense, and even the most affordable insurance provider may still charge you a premium that makes a significant dent in your wallet and is far more costly than what a driver with a clean record pays.

Car insurance often increases with a violation, and the more severe it is, the more you may pay. But you can find cheap car insurance with a bad driving record by shopping around.

To see how the severity of a violation affects the cost of full coverage car insurance in Cleveland, let’s compare a speeding ticket and OVI. A clean record driver in Cleveland pays around $937 a year. After a speeding ticket, the premium increases by roughly 21% or $193 per year. But with an OVI, the driver pays around 60% or $564 more annually.

With a teen driver on a full coverage family policy in Cleveland, the average cheapest car insurance is with the following companies:

• Nationwide: $1,108 per year for female teens; $1,289 per year for male teens
• Travelers: $1,829 per year for female teens
• GEICO: $2,002 per year for male teens

State Farm is the most expensive for teen drivers on a full coverage family policy in Cleveland at roughly $13,257 per year for male teens and $10,358 per year for female teens.

Male teen drivers often pay more than females because of their higher perceived risk, which is the case in Cleveland. Nationwide, for example, charges male teens around $181 more a year. In young adulthood, any price difference tends to disappear.

Teens under 18 cannot legally purchase car insurance without a parent or guardian as a co-signer. And they would not want to purchase their own policy because it is much more expensive than being on a family policy.

In Cleveland, a 16-year-old male teen’s policy is approximately $5,355 annually for full coverage. However, by joining a family policy, the cost is roughly $2,527 less per year at $2,828.

Make sure to compare quotes from multiple companies to get cheap car insurance for teens and explore what discounts they may offer to lower the family policy’s premium.

When searching for affordable auto insurance for military members, we found the average cheapest quotes in Cleveland from the following companies:

• USAA: $486 per year
• Nationwide: $528 per year

The above prices are for a full coverage policy. For active-duty military and veterans that want a minimum coverage policy, USAA is the cheapest at around $202 per year. But Erie comes in second place with an approximate yearly cost of $217.

Drivers in Cleveland can find the most affordable auto insurance by comparing quotes. This process might require patience as you navigate numerous online quote tools of car insurance companies — they can take 15 minutes or more each to complete because of the personal information you must provide.

MoneyGeek provides a free car insurance calculator that can help you select the cheapest insurance company. Just enter your age, vehicle type, coverage level and driving history to view ballpark estimates of your auto insurance premium with multiple companies in Cleveland.

In Cleveland, the average cheapest full coverage auto insurance policy for young adult drivers is with the following insurers:

• American Family: $597 per year
• Nationwide: $638 per year

At around $4,610 per year, State Farm’s full coverage policy is the most expensive for young adults in Cleveland.

Your age is a factor when determining car insurance costs, and younger drivers tend to pay more. On average, a full coverage policy for a 25-year-old in Cleveland costs $1,164 per year, whereas a 40-year-old driver pays around $937 annually. That’s a difference of roughly $227 yearly.

For seniors seeking a full coverage car insurance policy in Cleveland, the following are the cheapest options:

• Nationwide: $490 per year
• American Family: $547 per year

The above companies offer the average cheapest full coverage car insurance for senior drivers in Cleveland. In contrast, State Farm offers the most expensive policy, priced at around $3,409 per year.

Senior drivers generally pay more for car insurance than younger drivers, but in Cleveland, MoneyGeek found that they pay less for full coverage. On average, a 40-year-old driver pays $937 annually, and a 65-year-old pays $895 — that is $42 less a year.

The companies in Cleveland offering the average cheapest full coverage auto insurance for drivers with poor credit are:

• Nationwide: $708 per year
• Grange: $908 per year

State Farm has the most expensive full coverage policy with bad credit in Cleveland, averaging $8,153 per year.

Drivers with poor credit in Cleveland pay around $803 or 86% more yearly than drivers with good credit.

A driver with poor credit or a poor credit-based insurance score typically faces a higher car insurance premium due to their increased likelihood of filing claims.

To reduce the cost of car insurance in Cleveland, work on improving your credit score. It’s as easy as making payments on time each month on your credit cards and other bills.

There are other options to explore that provide a quicker result, too, such as getting discounts from an auto insurance company — examples include bundling insurance policies, maintaining a clean record or having airbags in your car. Comparing quotes from multiple insurers will also help you find a more affordable rate.

In Cleveland, the following companies offer the most affordable full coverage auto insurance for sports cars:

• American Family: $532 per year
• Auto-Owners: $600 per year

State Farm has the priciest full coverage sports car policy in Cleveland, averaging $4,383 a year.

It’s not uncommon to pay more for car insurance with a sports car. For example, drivers of a standard Toyota Camry pay an average premium of $937 per year in Cleveland for full coverage, roughly $210 cheaper than Ford Mustang sports car owners, who pay around $1,147 a year.