Establishing which companies quote the best car insurance rates for government employees will take a little more sweat in order to find the best policy.
Every auto insurer has their own unique process to establish rates, so we’ll go over the most competitive car insurance companies in Pittsburgh, PA. It’s a good idea to be aware that Pittsburgh, PA car insurance rates are impacted by many factors that will increase or decrease the cost of coverage. Improving your credit rating, getting divorced, or having an at-fault accident may cause policy rate changes resulting in some rates now being cheaper in comparison to the competition.
Cheapest Insurance Rates in Pennsylvania
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Casualty | $740 |
| 2 | USAA | $785 |
| 3 | Travelers | $803 |
| 4 | Erie | $816 |
| 5 | Penn National | $840 |
| 6 | Auto-Owners | $973 |
| 7 | Amica | $1,012 |
| 8 | Atlantic States | $1,036 |
| 9 | Donegal Mutual | $1,091 |
| 10 | GEICO | $1,157 |
| 11 | State Farm | $1,162 |
| 12 | California Casualty | $1,186 |
| 13 | Allied | $1,190 |
| 14 | State Auto | $1,279 |
| 15 | Encompass | $1,385 |
| 16 | Mutual Benefit Group | $1,397 |
| 17 | Progressive | $1,429 |
| 18 | Nationwide | $1,447 |
| 19 | Harleysville | $1,452 |
| 20 | Chubb | $1,598 |
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General Casualty may offer some of the lowest car insurance rates in Pittsburgh at around $740 annually. USAA, Travelers, Erie, and Penn National also make the cut as some of the cheapest Pittsburgh, PA car insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you are currently insured with USAA and switched to General Casualty, you could earn yearly savings of approximately $45. Pennsylvania drivers with Travelers could save as much as $63 a year, and Erie customers might cut rates by $76 a year.
These premium estimates are averaged for all insureds and vehicles and do not factor in a specific location for government employees. So the car insurance company that can offer you the lowest price may not even be in the list above. That illustrates why you need to get rate quotes using your own personalized driver profile and vehicle information.
The vehicle model needing coverage is probably the most important factor that determines the availability of the most affordable car insurance for government employees. Vehicles with more horsepower, a lack of advanced safety features, or high incidents of liability claims will cost much more to insure than safer models.
The list below illustrates car insurance premiums for a handful of the most budget-friendly automobiles to buy insurance for.
| Make, Model, and Trim Level | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $1,162 |
| Toyota Prius | $1,259 |
| Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $1,305 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE 2.5 Station Wagon | $1,329 |
| Honda Civic VP 4-Dr Sedan | $1,390 |
| Honda Odyssey EX-L W/Navigation | $1,417 |
| Nissan Rogue S AWD | $1,441 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan CV | $1,465 |
| Dodge Ram Quad Cab SLT 4WD | $1,467 |
| Hyundai Elantra SE Touring Station Wagon | $1,518 |
| GMC Sierra Denali Crew Cab 4WD | $1,538 |
| Chevrolet Silverado LT Extended Cab 4WD | $1,545 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $1,554 |
| Ford Explorer XLT 4WD | $1,564 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD LT Crew Cab Diesel 2WD | $1,573 |
| Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4WD 2-Dr | $1,564 |
| Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Crew Cab 2WD | $1,608 |
| Nissan Altima 3.5 SR 2-Dr Coupe | $1,613 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $1,618 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | $1,627 |
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Cost estimates assume single female driver age 50, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Pennsylvania minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, claim-free, multi-policy, and safe-driver. Rate quotes do not factor in specific garaging location which can lower or raise premium rates substantially.
Looking at the numbers, you can see that cars like the Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, and Ford Escape should be some of the more affordable vehicles to insure for state and federal workers.
Price comparison of only insuring for liability
Paying a lower price for car insurance should be important to most drivers, and one common way to pay lower rates for insurance for government employees is to buy liability only. The information below compares insurance costs with liability coverage only compared to full coverage. The rate quotes are based on no accidents or driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, marital status is single, and no discounts are applied.
If the expense is averaged for all age categories, comp and collision coverage costs $1,385 per year over and above liability only. At some point, about every driver wonders if buying full coverage is worth the expense. There is no set rule to stop paying for physical damage insurance, but there is a general guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost of your vehicle minus the policy deductible, then it’s probably a good time to buy liability coverage only.
There are some conditions where buying only liability insurance is not a good plan. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you are required to maintain full coverage in order to satisfy the requirements of the loan. Also, if you don’t have enough money to buy a different vehicle in the event your current vehicle is totaled, you should not buy liability only.
Discounts on Pittsburgh insurance rates
Insurance providers that provide coverage for government employees may also give you policy discounts that could potentially reduce rates by as much as 30% if you meet certain criteria. Popular car insurance companies and their possible discounts are:
- State Farm offers premium reductions for multiple policy, passive restraint, driver’s education, Steer Clear safe driver discount, and anti-theft.
- Progressive has discounts for continuous coverage, homeowner, good student, online signing, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle.
- Progressive offers discounts including online quote discount, multi-vehicle, good student, online signing, homeowner, continuous coverage, and multi-policy.
- MetLife includes discounts for defensive driver, good student, good driver, claim-free, accident-free, multi-policy
- Farm Bureau offers discounts for multi-policy, renewal discount, 55 and retired, safe driver, and good student.
- GEICO has savings for good student, seat belt use, defensive driver, anti-theft, and multi-policy.
- SAFECO may have discounts that include bundle discounts, accident prevention training, drive less, homeowner, and teen safe driver.
The illustration below illustrates the comparison of car insurance costs with and without discounts applied to the policy rates. The premiums assume a male driver, no violations or accidents, Pennsylvania state minimum liability limits, full coverage, and $500 deductibles.
The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with accident-free, claim-free, safe-driver, vehicle safety, passive restraint, and multiple vehicle discounts applied. When drivers take advantage of discounts, theaverage yearly reduction on car insurance for government employees is 28% or $585.
Impact of speeding/accidents on car insurance rates
In a perfect world, the best way to obtain affordable car insurance rates for state and federal workers is to drive attentively and not get tickets or have accidents. The illustration below demonstrates how citations and fender-benders drive up insurance rates for each age group. Data assumes a single male driver, full coverage, $250 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
In the previous chart, the average cost of a car insurance policy in Pennsylvania per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $1,731. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost jumps to $2,292, an increase of $560 each year. Then add two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for government employees goes up to an average of $4,359. That’s an increase of $2,627, or $219 per month, just for being a less-than-perfect driver!
Here’s why you should compare rates often
Pennsylvania car insurance rates are based on many factors that control the cost of having a policy. Simply having a birthday, getting divorced, or having an accident can trigger rate changes resulting in some companies being affordable when they were higher priced.
In addition, insurers modify rates multiple times each year to reflect underwriting profits or losses. An extended period of higher than normal claims may result in more expensive prices, while lower claims can result in cheaper Pittsburgh car insurance rates.
The graph below shows rates for the cheapest car insurance in Pittsburgh, PA for a 40-year-old male driver with no prior accidents, a clean driving record, and a high credit rating. If we compare prices based on his current risk profile, General Casualty has the lowest car insurance rates in Pittsburgh at $870 annually. This is $787 less than the average policy premium paid by Pennsylvania drivers of $1,657. Penn National, Travelers, Erie, and USAA are also on the list of the cheapest Pittsburgh, PA auto insurance companies.
In this next rate comparison, we will give the driver from the first example a claim surcharge, slightly worse credit, and a traffic ticket or two. Since every car insurance company has a different process for setting rates, comparing insurance quotes may now result in a different ranking of affordable Pittsburgh car insurance companies as shown below.
Atlantic States now has the lowest price in Pittsburgh, PA with Amica, Donegal Mutual, Erie, and Allied now rounding out the top five. This illustrates why consumers need to take the time to do a thorough rate comparison when trying to find the cheapest insurance rates for government employees. Prices can be determined by many different factors and change dramatically, so the cheapest rate two years ago may now be wasting a lot of money.
If you have coverage questions and would like to have some professional guidance when comparing insurance rates for state and federal workers, the agents listed below can most likely help you decide which auto insurance policy fits you best.
To locate a Pittsburgh auto insurance agent close to you, click the link after the list or click here to compare rates now.
Carolyn Dorsey – State Farm Insurance Agent
5901 Baum Blvd – Pittsburgh, PA 15206 – (412) 361-8000
J.S. Smith Insurance Agency
101 Bellevue Rd Suite 02 – Pittsburgh, PA 15229 – (412) 931-6070
A For the People Insurance Agency, Inc.
2514 Wylie Ave – Pittsburgh, PA 15219 – (412) 621-5581