Ohio Car Insurance

This page reveals everything you need to know about Ohio car insurance. Study this info to find a car insurance policy at the lowest possible rate available in your Ohio zip code.

In 2016, the population of the state of Ohio was estimated at 11,614,373, making Ohio the 7^th most populous state in America, despite ranking only 34^th among U.S. states in land area. The resident median age in the state of Ohio is about 39 years.

Approximately 14.8 percent of Ohio residents are surviving at or below the poverty level, as compared to the U.S. Average poverty rate of 13.5 percent. The state unemployment rate as of 2017 was very near the national average of 4.7 percent. Roughly 16 percent of vehicles owned in Ohio are uninsured.

Many drivers in Ohio do research on auto insurance rates by seeking out some sort of statewide average annual premium for Ohio car insurance. However, statewide averages on auto insurance premiums are not too practical for the vast majority of drivers. The thing is that statewide averages are necessarily based on the demographics of an “average” driver. Websites that analyze car insurance will obtain a lot of quotes from a lot of different companies, using the same demographic info from state to state, and from zip code to zip code.

So, a “statewide average” might only be useful if you are, let’s say, a 40-year-old married male with a clean driving record, a full time job, and a 2016 Ford Fusion 4-door sedan that you drive between 20,000 and 25,000 miles a year. Hypothetical drivers do not precisely fit the descriptions of most drivers. A statewide average is just an example. Overall, statewide averages do not provide drivers with much useful information. Instead, try searching for cheap Ohio car insurance by comparing zip codes within the state of Ohio. Get quotes for zip codes near you. Then type in your own zip code. This should provide a more detailed assessment of the car insurance options in your area.

If you really want to know, the statewide “average” annual premium on car insurance in Ohio was around $960 in 2016, according to statistical research from insure.com. This number is so much lower than the national average annual quote for car insurance, which was about $1,325 at that time. In fact, Ohio is considered the cheapest state in the United States for buying car insurance policies.

There are many factors that may affect car insurance premium rates. For instance, every car insurance company has its own way of calculating premium costs, based on the zip code where the vehicle is parked, the driving history of the car owner, various state laws, and other details.

Premium rates are also affected by population density, weather conditions, and crime stats (particularly car theft, DUI, speeding, and vandalism). Also at play is the percentage of uninsured drivers on local roads. These are just a few of the factors underwriters consider when calculating car insurance premiums. Even within the same zip code, premium rates will vary, often by hundreds or even more than a thousand dollars a year, depending on the demographics of the driver.

Read on for a detailed analysis of Ohio car insurance, featuring both the cheapest and the costliest zip codes in Ohio to buy auto insurance. Also see a list of Ohio’s most popular auto insurance carriers, Ohio’s largest auto insurance carriers, the types of car insurance Ohio drivers need, some interesting Ohio state traffic laws, and other fascinating facts about Ohio car insurance.

Best Car Insurance Companies in Ohio

In terms of dollar amount of written premiums, the top ten car insurance companies in the whole United States are Allstate, State Farm, Geico, Progressive, Nationwide, AAA, Liberty Mutual, 21^st Century, GMAC, and AIG, in that order. In this case, insurance companies were measured by revenue, which is an indication of their market share.

In 2016, a team of statistical analysts looked at a sample of drivers who purchased car insurance policies in the state of Ohio. The researchers asked Ohio drivers to rank Ohio car insurance companies based on customer service, premium rates, payouts, and efficiency.

The resulting data reveals that Ohio’s favorite providers of car insurance for customer service are State Farm Insurance, Allstate Insurance, Nationwide, American Family, and Geico, in that order. For claims service, Ohio’s favorites are Liberty Mutual Insurance, Geico, Progressive Insurance, State Farm Insurance, and Nationwide, in that order. In terms of best value for the cost, Ohio’s favorite car insurance carriers are American Family, Erie Insurance, Progressive Insurance, State Farm Insurance, and Nationwide, in that order.

These rankings are not too very different from the top ten Ohio auto insurance companies based on market share:

What Types Of Car Insurance Do Ohio Drivers Need?

Ohio state law requires that all Ohio drivers purchase the following coverages on auto insurance: $25,000 in personal injury protection, $50,000 in bodily injury liability, and $25,000 in property damage liability.

However, insurance experts recommend that all car owners in every state purchase more than the minimum amount of car insurance coverage required by state law. The recommended coverage amounts are $100,000 for personal injury protection, $300,000 in liability for injury to others, and at least $50,000 coverage against property damage.

Also a smart idea is buying uninsured motorist insurance (UMI), since approximately one out of seven drivers on Ohio roads is uninsured, and countless others are underinsured.

Unusual Ohio Car Insurance Laws

• Traffic-related convictions in the state of Ohio never disappear from your driving record. However, Ohio insurance companies only raise rates based on accidents that happened over the past three or five years.
• The Ohio Automobile Insurance Plan is required by Ohio state law to sell policies to high risk drivers who can’t get covered elsewhere. The premium rates, as you might guess, are high.
• Roller skaters and automobiles cannot share the road in Canton.
• It is illegal to run out of gas in Youngstown.

Best And Worst Zip Codes For Ohio Car Insurance

Here is a breakdown of some of the most expensive zip codes in Ohio to buy car insurance. It is interesting that the priciest zip codes in Ohio for car insurance are in Toledo, when the populations and population densities are higher in Columbus, Cleveland, and especially Cincinnati. However, poverty and unemployment rates are higher in Toledo. Whatever the case may be, this list outlines the four zip codes in Ohio where car insurance premium rates were found to be the highest. Still, even the priciest Ohio zip codes are way cheap by national standards of auto insurance.

The city of Toledo has a population of about 287,000, with about 400,000 more residing in outlying areas. Toledo is situated in Lucas County in northwest Ohio, bordering Lake Erie and the state of Michigan. The poverty level in this zip code is well above the state average of 14.8 percent. Likewise, unemployment is more than twice the state average.

Unemployment in this zip code is more than four times the state average. The poverty rate is well over twice the state average. Add to that a relatively heavy population density and say goodbye to cheap Ohio car insurance.

Although poverty and unemployment in this urban neighborhood are lower than in other parts of Toledo, they are both still quite high above the state average. The estimated median annual income is about $12,000 below the state average. Also, the median resident age is about six years below the state average.

In this urban zip code, the estimated median annual income is well under half the state average, with a poverty rate very high above state average. Unemployment is also high, about three times higher than the state average.

The least expensive zip codes for Ohio car insurance are some of the cheapest zip codes in the entire country to buy auto insurance. Annual premium rates can be as low as $324 or as high as about $1,000. Here is a descriptive list of four of the cheapest zip codes to buy Ohio car insurance.

Green Springs, located about 50 miles southeast of Toledo, is known for being home to the largest natural sulphur spring in the world, not to mention the cheapest car insurance rates in America.

The town of Green Springs is actually the cheapest zip code in the whole United States to buy car insurance. According to a 2016 study from insure.com, the 10 zip codes in America with the cheapest premiums on auto insurance are 44836 (Green Springs, Ohio), 28704 (Arden, North Carolina), 04072 (Saco, Maine), 24073 (Christiansburg, Virginia), 83706 (Boise, Idaho), 86403 (Lake Havasu City, Arizona), 47907 (West Lafayette, Indiana), 54302 (Allouez, Wisconsin), 03303 (Concord, New Hampshire), and 61761 (Normal, Illinois), in that order.

The poverty rate in this zip code is just below the state average of 14.8, although unemployment is more than twice the state average. Population density, however, is extremely low.

Wharton is a village in Wyandot County with a population of about 700. The town is situated about 50 miles south of Toledo. Unemployment and poverty are both right around the state average. The population density is breathtakingly low.

Middle Point is a village of about a thousand people in Van Wert County. The town is situated about 40 miles northwest of Lima. Unemployment, poverty rates, and population density are extremely low in this neighborhood.

Convoy is another village in Van Wert County, featuring low population density, low unemployment, low poverty rates, and consequently, low premiums on Ohio car insurance. The town is situated in western Ohio, about five miles from the state border, and roughly 25 miles southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The state of Ohio features 1,415 zip codes in 1,064 cities spanning 88 counties, from Akron to Zanesville, and all towns in between. Annual car insurance premium rates can differ by $1,100 or more between the cheapest zip code and the priciest zip code in the state of Ohio.

Hopefully, this information will give Ohio drivers some idea of the approximate cost of Ohio auto insurance. To learn more about your own Ohio car insurance premium rates, go online and compare quotes.

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