Buying budget insurance is not always easy, and finding out which companies have the cheapest car insurance rates for good students will take additional perseverance. Every auto insurer has a different process for filing rates in each state, so let’s take a look at the car insurance companies that tend to be cheaper in Pennsylvania.
It’s a good idea to be aware that Pennsylvania car insurance rates are calculated based on many things which can substantially change the policy premium. This is why Pittsburgh drivers need to compare many different companies to find the most economical car insurance rates for good students. Rates are made up of many different factors and can decrease or increase without notice, so the cheapest rate the last time you shopped your coverage around may now be costing you a lot of money.
Find the Cheapest Auto Insurance for Students
General Casualty quotes some of the best car insurance rates in Pittsburgh at around $718 each year. Travelers, USAA, Erie, and Penn National also are some of the cheaper Pittsburgh, PA car insurance companies.
As shown in the rates above, if you currently buy coverage from Erie and switched to Travelers, you could earn annual savings of roughly $21. Customers with Penn National might save as much as $37 a year, and Amica customers might lower prices by up to $179 a year.
Remember that these policy prices are averaged across all types of insureds and vehicles and do not take into consideration an exact zip code location for good students. So the company that has the cheapest price for you may not even be in the top 30 companies shown above. That’s why you need to get car insurance quotes using your own personal information and vehicle type.
For student drivers, one of the largest components that are looked at to determine car insurance rates is where you keep your vehicle in Pittsburgh. Areas with more people or more claims tend to have more expensive car insurance rates, whereas more rural areas have the gratification of cheaper auto insurance rates.
The illustration below rates the priciest cities in Pennsylvania for good students to purchase auto insurance in. Pittsburgh is ranked at #11 having an annual price of $1,085 for the average policy, which is approximately $90 each month.
| Rank | City | Average Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | $2,037 |
| 2 | Drexel Hill | $1,549 |
| 3 | Chester | $1,393 |
| 4 | Levittown | $1,379 |
| 5 | Norristown | $1,320 |
| 6 | Allentown | $1,141 |
| 7 | Erie | $1,104 |
| 8 | Easton | $1,091 |
| 9 | Hazleton | $1,088 |
| 10 | Bethlehem | $1,087 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh | $1,085 |
| 12 | Plum | $1,079 |
| 13 | Reading | $1,077 |
| 14 | Municipality of Monr | $1,049 |
| 15 | Wilkes-Barre | $1,047 |
| 16 | New Castle | $1,046 |
| 17 | Scranton | $1,039 |
| 18 | Altoona | $1,032 |
| 19 | Harrisburg | $1,025 |
| 20 | Bethel Park | $1,019 |
| Find Cheaper Insurance Go | ||
Prices are estimated as the specific geographic location can affect premiums greatly.
How accidents and tickets impact rates in Pittsburgh
A great way to score cheap car insurance rates for student drivers is to be a careful driver and maintain a clean driving record. The example below demonstrates how traffic citations and at-fault claims can drive up insurance prices for different age groups. The price estimates are based on a married male driver, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
The chart shows that the average cost of auto insurance in Pittsburgh per year with no violations or accidents is $1,480. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost hikes up to $2,040, an increase of $560 each year. Then include one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for good students goes up to an average of $2,599. That’s an increase of $1,119, or $93 per month, just for not being attentive to the road!
Difference between full coverage and liability only rates
Saving money on car insurance is probably important to the majority of people, and one of the best ways to lower the cost of insurance for good students is to not buy comprehensive and collision coverage. The chart below visualizes the comparison of insurance premiums with full coverage and liability only. The premiums are based on no violations or claims, $500 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
If averaged for all ages, comp and collision coverage costs $1,554 per year more than just buying liability insurance. That brings up the question when is the right time to remove full coverage. There isn’t a written rule that is best for determining when to drop comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy, but there is a broad guideline. If the annual cost of coverage is 10% or more of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then you might want to think about dropping full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s book value is $6,500 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is destroyed, the most you would get paid by your company is $5,500 after the deductible is paid. If it’s costing in excess of $550 a year for physical damage coverage, then it might be time to consider dropping full coverage.
Low rates today, overpriced tomorrow
Pittsburgh, PA car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that may substantially change the price of coverage. Simply getting older, having a claim, or getting a couple of tickets can cause premium changes resulting in some companies being cheaper than competitors.
Also, companies file new Pennsylvania car insurance rates multiple times each year to reflect underwriting profits or losses. A period of increased losses may cause rate increases, while lower claim levels can cause more affordable Pittsburgh car insurance rates.
As an example, the graph below shows the companies that have the cheapest car insurance in Pittsburgh, PA for a 45-year-old female driver with no accidents or violations, and great credit. If we estimate rates based on her personal profile, General Casualty might quote the best car insurance rates in Pittsburgh at $915 per year. This is $742 less than the average premium paid by Pennsylvania drivers of $1,657. Travelers, Erie, USAA, and Penn National round out the rest of the most affordable Pittsburgh, PA auto insurance companies.
The next chart shows rates after we give the driver from the above example a claim or two, a lower credit score, and a few traffic violations. Because every insurance company uses their own method for determining prices, comparing insurance quotes most likely will result in a different set of the cheapest car insurance companies in Pittsburgh as shown below.
Amica now has the cheapest car insurance in Pittsburgh, PA with Atlantic States, Donegal Mutual, Travelers, and Erie also having competitive pricing. This example demonstrates why Pittsburgh drivers need to do a thorough rate comparison when trying to get affordable insurance rates for good students.
Prices are determined by many risk factors and change frequently, so the most affordable company the last time you compared rates may now not even be in the top five.