Are you a driver looking for cheap car insurance in North Carolina? If so, it won’t be hard. Insurance in NC is not expensive at all. In fact, North Carolina on average has cheaper insurance rates than most states. Why is insurance so cheap in North Carolina you ask?
It’s simple, NC is a mostly rural state, which means fewer crimes, less accidents, and a cheaper cost of living, which all result in cheaper insurance rates. With this review, we will help you to find the best auto insurance companies near you.
North Carolina is the ninth most populous state.
Below I have made a list of the largest North Carolina cities from the largest to the smallest.
- Charlotte, NC -Average annual rates $851
- Raleigh, NC – Average annual rates $795
- Greensboro, NC – Average annual rates $768
- Durham, NC -Average annual rates $768
- Winston-Salem, NC – Average annual rates $841
- Fayetteville, NC – Average annual rates $977
- Cary, NC – Average annual rates $787
- Wilmington, NC – Average annual rates $836
- High Point, NC – Average annual rates $820
- Greenville, NC – Average annual rates $802
- Asheville, NC – Average annual rates $725
- Concord, NC – Average annual rates $763
- Gastonia
- Jacksonville, NC
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Rocky Mount, NC
- Burlington, NC
- Huntersville, NC
- Wilson, NC
- Kannapolis
- Apex
- Hickory, NC
- Wake Forest
- Indian Trail
- Goldsboro, NC
- Mooresville, NC
- Monroe, NC
- Salisbury, NC
- New Bern
- Holly Springs, NC
- Matthews, NC
- Fort Bragg, NC
- Sanford, NC
- Garner, NC
- Cornelius, NC
- Thomasville, NC
- Asheboro
- Statesville
- Mint Hill
- Kernersville
- Morrisville, NC
- Fuquay-Varina
- Lumberton
- Kinston, NC
- Carrboro
- Havelock, NC
- Shelby, NC
- Clemmons
- Lexington, NC
- Clayton, NC
- Boone, NC
- Elizabeth City
- Lenoir
- Leland, NC
- Morganton, NC
- Hope Mills
- Albemarle
- Laurinburg
- Roanoke Rapids
- Pinehurst, NC
- Eden, NC
- Henderson, NC
- Stallings
- Graham, NC
- Murraysville
- Harrisburg, NC
- Reidsville, NC
- Mount Holly, NC
- Masonboro
- Knightdale
- Hendersonville, NC
- Spring Lake, NC
- Lewisville, NC
- Piney Green
- Mebane
- Southern Pines
- Newton, NC
- Waxhaw
- Davidson, NC
- Smithfield, NC
- Archdale
- Tarboro
- Summerfield, NC
- Lincolnton, NC
- Kings Mountain
- Belmont, NC
- Mount Airy, NC
- Weddington
- Washington, NC
- Waynesville, NC
- Dunn, NC
- Elon
- Winterville, NC
- Rockingham, NC
- Morehead City
- Myrtle Grove, NC
- Clinton, NC
- St. Stephens, NC
- Oxford, NC
- Half Moon
- Roxboro
- Siler City
- Pineville, NC
- Conover, NC
- Wesley Chapel, NC
- Black Mountain
- Kings Grant
- Marion, NC
- Butner
- Brevard
- Fletcher, NC
- Elon College
- Lake Norman of Catawba
- Oak Island, NC
- Forest City, NC
- Aberdeen, NC
- Mills River
- Etowah, NC
North Carolina car insurance rates
Even though North Carolina has very affordable rates compared to other states in the United States, rates never remain the same. A 25 year old driver will receive cheaper insurance rates than a 19 year old driver. A single female on average will receive better insurance rates than a single male.
Rates are dependent on a number of factors such as age, city, driving history, home ownership, gender, car, if you are a full-time student, marital status, etc.
Never expect to receive the same quote as someone else. This is why the most important thing that you can do when searching for insurance is to compare rates. Comparing rates can save you over 30% on auto insurance.
North Carolina car insurance minimum requirements
The minimum liability coverage limits are:
- $30,000 for bodily injury liability, per person per accident.
- $60,000 of bodily injury liability total per accident.
- $25,000 of property damage liability, per accident.
Coverage options
- Liability coverage
- Collision coverage
- Comprehensive car insurance
- Vanishing Deductible
- Uninsured motorist insurance
- Underinsured motorist insurance
- Medical payments coverage
- Personal injury protection (PIP) insurance
- Accident Forgiveness
- New Car Replacement
- Rental Car Reimbursement
- Deductible Fund
SR-22 Requirements
NC is rare in their SR-22 requirements. In North Carolina, SR-22 car insurance forms are not required, which takes a little burden off of those who have been convicted of DWIs or other major traffic violations.
Auto-Owners
On average Auto-Owners Insurance offers, some of the cheapest insurance quotes in North Carolina. Average annual rates with Auto Owners can be around $500. Auto-Owners Insurance does well in the J.D. Power Insurance Auto Claims Study. Auto-Owners Insurance was the second company on the list after Amica Mutual. Auto-Owners received 4 out of 5 Power Circles in every rating factors category expect the repair process and rental experience category.
In the repair process Auto-Owners received 3 out of 5 Power Circles. In the rental experience process Auto-Owners received 4 out of 5 Power Circles. In the U.S. Home Insurance Study Auto-Owners Insurance was 6th on the list and received 4 of 5 Power Circles in overall claims satisfaction. With Auto-Owners Insurance, not only are you getting an affordable insurance company, but you are also getting a company that excels in claims and has great reviews.
Allied Insurance
Allied Insurance was founded in 1929 by Harold Evans. Today Allied Insurance runs under Nationwide Insurance. Average annual rates with Allied are slightly under $700. Better Business Bureau allows us to know how well companies handle insurance complaints. Most Allied Insurance companies received an “A” or higher with BBB. This is a good sign just in case you have to file an insurance claim in the future.
Just by switching to Allied Insurance from another company you might be eligible for a discount with Allied. One great thing about Allied Insurance is that each year that you drive without an accident you will receive a discount on your auto policy. Allied Insurance offers many extras for their policyholders such as a single deductible, bonus emergency lockout coverage, bonus airbag replacement, and bonus accidental death benefits.
North Carolina Farm Bureau
In my Farm Bureau vs State Farm car insurance comparison, I revealed on average how Farm Bureau’s across the United States offer affordable insurance rates. One disadvantage of Farm Bureau is that you have to pay annual membership fees ranging from$20 to $75 a year depended on your needs. In the 2017 U.S. Auto Insurance Southeast Study NC Farm Bureau was 4th on the list.
The top company on the list was Farm Bureau Insurance-Tennessee. In overall satisfaction NC Farm Bureau received 4 out of 5 Power Circles. In the price category NC Farm Bureau received 4 out of 5 Power Circles. In the claims category NC Farm Bureau was one of three companies that received 5 out of 5 Power circles. Some of the benefits of being an North Carolina Farm Bureau member include Grainger discounts, 20% off choice hotels, vision plans, and more. If you have years of driving experience, then you can easily receive a discount on your auto policy.
Erie Insurance
H.O. Hirt and O.G. Crawford founded Erie Insurance in 1925. Erie Insurance has offered auto insurance coverage in North Carolina since the early 1990s. Erie Insurance offers coverage in only a few states. Erie offers insurance in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin the District of Columbia, and North Carolina. Drivers in eastern states can take advantage of Erie’s low premiums and their excellent customer service.
Erie insurance was the third best insurance company on the J.D. Power Auto Claims Study. In the J.D. Power Renter’s Insurance Study Erie Insurance was the top rated company on the list. Erie and USAA were the only two companies to receive 5 out of 5 Power Circles. Erie has various discounts that you may be able to take advantage of such as their safe driving discount, multi-car discount for adding more vehicles onto your policy, reduced usage discount, unmarried young drivers discount, and more.
Penn National
Penn National Insurance is headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and was founded in 1919. Similar to Erie Insurance Penn National only offers insurance in a few states such as Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Wisconsin. Penn National has a very long history and a great reputation in the states that they insure in. Penn National Insurance has over $1.5 billion in assets. In the past ten years Penn National has received a consistent financial strength rating of “A-.”
A high financial strength rating helps us to know if the insurance company that we desire has the funds to pay our claims. BBB rated Penn Insurance with a “A-” rating. Penn National has a variety of home and auto insurance discounts that you can take advantage of. A few Penn National discounts include: new homebuyer discounts, antilock brakes discounts, paying your premium in full discounts, driver’s education course discounts, low annual mileage discounts, and more.
GEICO Insurance
GEICO might offer the cheapest monthly car insurance rates in the United States on average. When I compared GEICO to some of the top insurance companies such as Progressive, State Farm, and Allstate I was able to receive cheaper quotes with GEICO. GEICO has one of the best financial strength ratings in the auto insurance industry. A.M. Best gave GEICO an “A++” financial strength rating. Standard and Poor’s (S&P) gave GEICO an “AA+” corporate credit rating and an “AA+” financial strength rating of its subsidiaries.
Moody’s Investors Services gave GEICO an “Aa1” rating for Insurance financial strength. Not only can you take advantage of the strong financial rating that GEICO has to offer, but you can also take advantage of their various insurance discounts. On top of already affordable insurance rates you can save up to 26% on your insurance policy by being accident-free for five years. If you’re an active or retired veteran, then you can save 15% with GEICO. With GEICO, you can also receive a discount by belonging to one of their membership discounts. For example, if you attend NC State or the University of North Carolina, then you can easily save with their membership discount.
Titan Insurance
Titan Insurance is a Nationwide insurance company. Are you a high-risk driver? If so, then you know how hard it is to find affordable insurance rates. Many companies will not insure drivers who have a bad driving history. Titan insurance is one of the few companies that specialize in helping high-risk drivers.
What I love about Titan Insurance is that they have various discounts that you may be eligible for. Discounts include a mature drivers discount, paying bills electronically discount, farm use discount, multiple-car insurance discount, accident-free car insurance discount, advance quote discount, Travelink discount, and more.
A.M. Best gave Titan Insurance an Excellent “A-” financial strength rating. Although Titan Insurance offers cheap insurance rates for cities in North Carolina, they do have a higher than average customer complaint volume. Another drawback of using Titan is that they are one of the few insurance companies that do not have a convenient mobile app for their policyholders.
Utica National
The Utica National Insurance Group was founded in 1914. Utica National might not be the most popular insurance company on the list, but their cheap rates for NC drivers can’t be denied. Utica has over 20 ways that you can save on your auto premium. They even offer a rare hybrid car discount that you might be able to take advantage of. Demotech, Inc. rated Utica National “Above Average” in financial strength and A.M. Best also gave Utica National an “Excellent A-” rating in financial strength.
Those considering Utica will be glad to know that Utica receives less customer complaints than average. Although the company is not BBB accredited, Better Business Bureau gave Utica an “A+ rating” in their rating system. Utica’s extra coverage options include: Auto Essentials, Vanishing Deductible, Auto Extension Pak, Repair or Replacement, Limited Mileage Credit, Pet Injury Coverage, and RoadEase Rescue Squad coverage.
Progressive Insurance
Progressive is the 4th largest auto insurer in the world after Allstate. Good drivers will be able to save with Progressive Insurance. Progressive policyholders in NC on average pay slightly under $800 for their auto insurance. Progressive is ranked well across the boards.
A.M. Best gave Progressive an “A+” financial strength rating with an “a” debt rating. Fitch gave Progressive an “AA” financial strength rating with an “A” debt grade. Progressive received a BBB grade of “A+.” In the J.D. Power Auto Claims Study Progressive received 3 out of 5 Power Circles.
Progressive offers a convenient Name Your Price Tool to help you find the best insurance rate that fits your budget. Progressive also offers a Snapshot program that personalizes your insurance rate based on how you drive. Just by signing up for the Snapshot program you can save an average of $25.
Bottom line
North Carolina is a great place to live if you need auto insurance because of the cheap rates. Whether you live in Oak Ridge, Hamlet, Unionville, or Hillsborough, NC there are many great insurance providers that you can take advantage of today. Now that you know the companies that offer you the best rates I encourage you to compare quotes, which takes 5 minutes.