Cheapest Car Insurance Companies in Durham, NC (2024 Rates)

Your driving history and insurance needs will determine the most affordable policy for you. We found that Nationwide offers the cheapest car insurance in Durham for minimum coverage policies, senior drivers and those with bad credit.

Erie is the most affordable insurer for full coverage, young adults and military drivers. National General is the cheapest option for drivers with DUIs, while State Farm is the least expensive provider for drivers with speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, teen drivers and sports car owners.

MoneyGeek also identified the best auto insurance providers in Durham that strike a balance between affordability and excellent service.

Our analysis indicates that the following auto insurers offer the cheapest minimum coverage policies for most drivers in Durham:

• Nationwide: $249 per year
• Erie: $295 per year

Allstate is Durham's most expensive auto insurance provider, with a yearly minimum coverage policy cost of $806. On the other hand, Nationwide offers the most affordable car insurance in North Carolina, averaging $295 per year as of October 2022. The difference illustrates how your location can affect your annual premium rates.

Minimum coverage auto insurance policies in North Carolina must include coverage for bodily injuries, property damage, uninsured motorist coverage and uninsured motorist property damage, with the following limits:

• $30,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $60,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $25,000 property damage liability per accident
• $30,000 uninsured motorist coverage per person
• $60,000 uninsured motorist coverage per accident
• $25,000 uninsured motorist property damage coverage per accident

If you're responsible for an accident and the other driver or their passengers are injured, your insurance will cover a maximum of $60,000 for medical expenses, with a limit of $30,000 per person. Your property damage liability coverage will also pay up to $25,000 per accident.

Your uninsured motorist coverage can provide financial assistance with medical expenses for you and your passengers if the other driver in the accident doesn't have insurance. This coverage typically provides up to $30,000 per person,$60,000 per accident for injuries and $25,000 for property damage caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver. You will still be responsible for any medical bills or damages not covered by your policy.

MoneyGeek found that these companies offer the cheapest full coverage auto insurance in Durham:

• Erie: $588 per year
• State Farm: $598 per year

In Durham, Allstate is the most expensive full coverage provider, charging an average of $1,365 annually. Erie also provides the cheapest full coverage auto insurance in North Carolina at $629 per year. Premiums are heavily impacted by location, which results in Durham's rates being comparatively affordable to nearby cities.

While minimum coverage insurance only provides liability coverage, full coverage policies include comprehensive and collision insurance.

• Collision insurance: Covers repairs or replacing your vehicle in at-fault accidents. This coverage applies to collisions with other vehicles or objects.
• Comprehensive insurance: Helps pay for your vehicle's repair or replacement if it's damaged in a non-accident incident, including animal collisions, weather-related events, vandalism and theft.

While full coverage car insurance offers extra protection on the road, it's wise to weigh the cost of the added expense, especially if you own an older vehicle with a lower value.

Durham drivers with violations can find the cheapest premiums with the following car insurance providers:

• Speeding ticket: State Farm ($880 per year)
• At-fault accident: State Farm ($803 per year)
• DUI: National General ($1,807 per year)

Allstate charges the highest rates for drivers with speeding tickets ($2,008), at-fault accidents ($1,719) and DUIs ($5,703). Even the most affordable auto insurance premiums will be considerably higher for individuals with driving offenses, as these violations can significantly increase rates.

Violations on a driving record can result in a considerable rise in auto insurance rates, with the severity of the offense typically associated with a higher increase. In Durham, for example, receiving a speeding ticket can cause an increase to the average annual premium cost by $401, while a DUI can result in a steep rise of $2,256, which is a difference of $1,855 between the two violations.

You can still find cheap auto insurance with a poor driving record by shopping around and comparing premium costs.

The most affordable options for families in Durham looking to add a 16-year-old driver to their auto insurance policy are available through the following companies:

• State Farm: $1,046 per year for male and female teens
• Nationwide: $1,378 per year for male and female teens

In Durham, the cost of insuring a teen on a family policy is the highest with GEICO, at $3,983 annually for both sexes. In general, auto rates are often lower for girls because they are considered safer drivers when compared to boys. However, this difference in cost tends to diminish in early adulthood.

Teen drivers can often find cheaper auto insurance options by joining a family policy instead of buying individual coverage. Our research found that adding a 16-year-old male driver to a family policy costs $2,581 per year in Durham. This is $538 less than the cost of buying a separate policy, at around $3,119.

The cheapest car insurance companies in Durham for those with a military background are:

• Erie: $588 per year
• State Farm: $598 per year

The rates mentioned above are for full coverage policies. If you're looking for minimum coverage, Nationwide offers the cheapest auto insurance rates for military drivers, with an average annual premium of $249, followed by Erie at $295.

Additionally, USAA is a great option because it tailors its services to meet the needs of military-affiliated drivers.

Getting a car insurance quote from a single provider can take up a lot of time, especially when they require additional personal information. It can take even longer if you want to compare quotes from multiple insurers.

MoneyGeek offers a quick and hassle-free solution with our car insurance calculator. Just enter your age, vehicle type, coverage level and driving history to get an instant estimate without sharing personal information with insurance providers.

The following companies offer the cheapest auto insurance rates for young adults in Durham:

• Erie: $601 per year
• Nationwide: $718 per year

For full coverage, Allstate is the most expensive insurer, charging an average annual premium of $1,520. Young adults pay less for car insurance than teenagers, but their premiums are still higher than those of more experienced drivers due to the increased perceived risk. In Durham, young adults pay an average of $874 per year for car insurance, which is $58 more than drivers in their 40s, who spend an average of $816 on coverage.

We found the following are the cheapest auto insurance providers for seniors in Durham:

• Nationwide: $500 per year
• Erie: $578 per year

Allstate costs the most, with a yearly premium of $1,181 for a full coverage policy. Auto insurance rates tend to decrease as drivers get older. In Durham, premiums for 65-year-old drivers are generally $793 per year, which is $23 less than 40-year-olds pay.

Drivers with poor credit can buy the most affordable full coverage car insurance from these providers:

• Nationwide: $746 per year
• Erie: $798 per year

At an annual cost of $2,307, Allstate is the most expensive provider in the city. Drivers with poor credit ratings pay an extra $368 annually for auto insurance, which is around 45% more than drivers with good credit ratings.

By exploring your options and comparing rates, finding affordable auto insurance with bad credit is still possible.

Insurance companies tend to assume that drivers with poor credit pose a greater risk of filing claims, which results in increased premiums. Nevertheless, several ways to reduce insurance expenses include finding discounts, bundling policies and comparing rates. By improving your credit score, you may be able to lower your premiums over time.

The cheapest auto insurance companies for drivers with sports cars in Durham are:

• State Farm: $646 per year
• Nationwide: $683 per year

Allstate charges the highest average yearly rate in Durham, at $1,456. Your car insurance premium is influenced by the type of vehicle you own. Durham drivers with standard cars pay an average of $816 per year for full coverage. If you own a Mustang, you can expect a 14% rate increase, resulting in a yearly cost of $933, which is $117 more than the average premium.

MoneyGeek gathered auto insurance cost estimates for Ford Mustang drivers to demonstrate how driving a sports car can impact premiums. However, insurance rates may vary depending on the make and model of the vehicle. Generally, sports, luxury and electric cars are more expensive to insure in Durham.

The cost of auto insurance is affected by many factors and location is one of them. In Durham, a full coverage auto insurance policy with $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident bodily injury liability, as well as $100,000 in property damage liability per accident, costs an average of $760 per year.

Durham's average policy is $100 cheaper than the average cost of auto insurance in North Carolina, which is $860 per year. In comparison, the average cost of car insurance in Charlotte and Fayetteville is higher as of October 2022, at $1,032 and $1,047, respectively. Moreover, Durham's rates are significantly lower than the national average cost of auto insurance, which is $1,265 per year, with potential savings of up to $505.