Finding dependable, cheap auto insurance is not always easy, and determining which companies offer the best insurance rates for retired military requires even more diligence. Each auto insurance company uses different criteria to determine rates, so let’s take a look at the insurance companies with the overall best prices in North Carolina.
We do need to point out that North Carolina insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can substantially decrease or increase the price you have to pay for coverage. Events like a birthday, getting married, or getting a ticket for running a stop sign can trigger changes in premium resulting in some rates now being more affordable than competitors.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Vets
Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | Utica National | $643 |
2 | Progressive | $651 |
3 | Liberty Mutual | $700 |
4 | GEICO | $728 |
5 | NC Farm Bureau | $730 |
6 | Penn National | $747 |
7 | State Farm | $749 |
8 | Titan | $751 |
9 | Auto-Owners | $844 |
10 | Erie | $904 |
11 | National General | $908 |
12 | Allied | $919 |
13 | Travelers | $936 |
14 | Peerless | $962 |
15 | MetLife | $1,018 |
16 | Nationwide | $1,041 |
17 | Encompass | $1,041 |
18 | Unitrin | $1,042 |
19 | Allstate | $1,064 |
20 | Safeco | $1,076 |
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Utica National has some of the lowest car insurance rates in North Carolina at around $643 each year. Progressive, Liberty Mutual, GEICO, and NC Farm Bureau are also some of the more affordable North Carolina insurance companies.
As depicted above, if you are a policyholder with GEICO and switched to Utica National, you could earn annual savings of roughly $85. Customers with NC Farm Bureau could save as much as $87 a year, and Penn National insureds might see rate reductions of $104 a year.
Be aware that those policy rates are averaged for all drivers and vehicles in North Carolina and and are not calculated with a rate decrease for retired military. So the insurer that fits your needs best may not even be included in the above list. That emphasizes why you need to compare prices as often as possible using your own personal information and vehicle type.
When shopping for cheaper auto insurance for veterans, one of the many factors that is used by auto insurance companies to calculate the amount you pay for auto insurance is the neighborhood you call home in North Carolina. Areas that are more densely populated like Fayetteville, Charlotte, and Wilmington will most likely have higher rates, whereas areas with lower crime rates and fewer weather claims benefit from lower prices.
The table below lists the more expensive cities in North Carolina for retired military to buy auto insurance in.
Rank | City | Annual Rate |
---|---|---|
1 | Fayetteville | $923 |
2 | Jacksonville | $891 |
3 | Charlotte | $816 |
4 | Gastonia | $787 |
5 | Wilmington | $781 |
6 | Durham | $765 |
7 | Goldsboro | $765 |
8 | Greensboro | $756 |
9 | Cary | $749 |
10 | High Point | $745 |
11 | Raleigh | $744 |
12 | Huntersville | $742 |
13 | Hickory | $740 |
14 | Greenville | $738 |
15 | Indian Trail | $731 |
16 | Apex | $725 |
17 | Wilson | $724 |
18 | Rocky Mount | $718 |
19 | Salisbury | $705 |
20 | Concord | $697 |
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Rate quotes are comparative as specific location information can decrease or increase premiums considerably.
The car, truck, or SUV requiring coverage is one of the main factors when comparing quotes for the cheapest auto insurance for retired military in North Carolina. Vehicles with lots of horsepower, poor safety features, or an increased likelihood of liability claims will cost more to insure than safer models.
The information below ranks car insurance prices for a selection of the most cost-effective automobiles to insure.
Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
---|---|
Ford Escape XLS 2WD | $544 |
Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $550 |
Toyota Tacoma 4WD | $556 |
Honda CR-V EX 2WD | $557 |
Chevrolet Traverse LS 2WD | $559 |
Ford Edge SE AWD | $574 |
Ford Focus S 4-Dr Sedan | $580 |
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 2WD 4-Dr | $586 |
Hyundai Tucson Limited 2WD | $595 |
Volkswagen Jetta 2.0T Station Wagon | $593 |
Honda Accord EX-L 4-Dr Sedan | $597 |
Subaru Outback 3.6R | $599 |
Hyundai Santa Fe SE 4WD | $621 |
Toyota Corolla S | $630 |
Kia Optima LX | $623 |
Nissan Rogue SL 2WD | $630 |
Hyundai Sonata GLS 4-Dr Sedan | $623 |
Dodge Grand Caravan SE | $630 |
Toyota Prius | $627 |
Honda Odyssey EX W/Rear Entertainment | $629 |
Nissan Altima 3.5 SR 4-Dr Sedan | $635 |
Chevrolet Impala LT | $644 |
Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $649 |
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Table data represents single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and North Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, multi-policy, claim-free, and safe-driver. Table data does not factor in vehicle garaging location which can decrease or increase price quotes considerably.
Based upon the table data, you can conclude that makes and models like the Ford Escape, Ford Explorer, and Toyota Tacoma are going to be the most affordable vehicles to insure for veterans.
The example below shows how choosing a deductible can influence insurance costs when searching for cheap insurance for retired military. The premium estimates are based on a single female driver, full physical damage coverage, and no policy discounts are applied.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawDfdqcibChart);function drawDfdqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘$100 Deductible’,’$250 Deductible’,’$500 Deductible’,’$1,000 Deductible’],[‘Age 20’, 2215,2023,1811,1613],[‘Age 30’, 1549,1407,1249,1097],[‘Age 40’, 1431,1307,1163,1025],[‘Age 50’, 1253,1143,1017,897],[‘Age 60’, 1211,1105,983,867],[‘Age 70’, 1403,1281,1147,1019]]);var options = {title: ‘Deductibles and Car Insurance Rates in North Carolina’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 700,’chartArea’: {left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’,’height’: ‘80%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’,textStyle: {fontSize: 12}},bar: {groupWidth: ‘80%’},colors: [‘#6791b9′,’#75a8d8′,’#98bee2′,’#bad4ec’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);formatter.format(data,3);formatter.format(data,4);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibdfd’));chart.draw(data, options);}
In the chart above, a 30-year-old driver could pocket $268 a year by increasing from a $100 deductible up to a $500 deductible, or save $406 by choosing a $1,000 deductible. Even younger drivers, like the age 20 example, could roll back prices up to $602 or more just by choosing higher deductibles when buying full coverage. When using a larger deductible, it will now be necessary to have enough savings to be able to cover the extra out-of-pocket expense that is associated with using high deductibles.
Car insurance companies that sell policies for retired military may provide special discounts that may potentially lower prices by as much as 40% or more if you meet specific eligibility requirements. Companies and a partial list of their discounts are detailed below.
Discount | State Farm | Progressive | Geico | Allstate | Nationwide | Farmers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Multi-policy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Multiple vehicles | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Theft prevention | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Anti-lock brakes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Air bags | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Newer vehicle | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Green vehicle | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Accident-free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Defensive driver | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Low mileage | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Armed forces | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Affinity/occupation | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Paid in full | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Automatic payment | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Brand loyalty | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Good grades | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Student away from home | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Own home | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
Use seat belts | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Online rate quote | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
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The diagram below shows the difference between car insurance costs with and without some available policy discounts. The costs are based on a female driver, a clean driving record, no at-fault accidents, North Carolina state minimum liability limits, comp and collision included, and $100 deductibles. The first bar for each age group shows the average annual price with no discounts. The second bar shows the rates with multiple policy, passive restraint, vehicle safety, marriage, anti-theft, and safe-driver discounts applied. When these discounts are applied, the the amount saved on insurance for retired military is % or $.
google.charts.setOnLoadCallback(drawDiscqcibChart);function drawDiscqcibChart() {var data = google.visualization.arrayToDataTable([[‘Age of Insured’, ‘Female Driver No Discounts’, ‘Female Driver with Discounts’],[‘Age 20’, 2687,1931],[‘Age 30’, 1849,1339],[‘Age 40’, 1715,1245],[‘Age 50’, 1499,1087],[‘Age 60’, 1453,1053],[‘Age 70’, 1697,1225]]);var options = {title: ‘Insurance Rate Comparison for Retired Military’,titleTextStyle: {color: ‘#333’,fontSize: 17,bold: true},width: ‘100%’,height: 500,’chartArea’:{left:100,top:50,’width’: ‘100%’, ‘height’: ‘70%’},legend: {position: ‘bottom’},colors: [‘#c096ca’, ‘#e1b7ec’],hAxis: {title: ‘Annual Auto Insurance Cost for Average Vehicle’,minValue: 0,format: ‘$###,###’},vAxis: {title: ‘Age of Insured’}};var formatter = new google.visualization.NumberFormat({fractionDigits: 0,prefix: ‘$’});formatter.format(data,1);formatter.format(data,2);var chart = new google.visualization.BarChart(document.getElementById(‘qcibdisc’));chart.draw(data, options);}
It is possible to find better rates, and here are some of the better money-saving solutions that can help North Carolina drivers quote lower-cost car insurance.
That last idea is incredibly vital, as we hit on in the prior article. Car insurance prices in North Carolina can be adjusted at any time, so don’t be tentative to change insurance companies if a better rate can be found. Staying with the same company for years is fine, but it’s not a great idea if that faithfulness ends up costing you several hundred dollars every year. Take a few minutes and shop around to find cheaper auto insurance for retired military.
Due to technology, there are many ways to get cheap insurance quotes in North Carolina, but the most prevalent methods are from an exclusive insurance agency like State Farm or Auto-Owners, an independent agent, or direct from companies such as Geico or Progressive. Each way has the same basic process, but they differ slightly in how they provide rate quotes.
Independent insurance agents have contracts with multiple insurance companies and can get rate quotes from every one. These types of agencies are usually affiliated with several companies and can give you a larger rate selection, which may provide you with a better comparison. If a cheaper rate is found, your agent can switch companies which prevents you from having to find an new insurance agent.
Exclusive agents are able to quote prices with one insurance company like Allstate or State Farm agents. They usually cannot compare rates from other companies, so if finding the cheapest insurance is your goal, you will want to shop around.
The third way to buy insurance is direct which means you forego an independent or exclusive agent and buy from a direct company like Esurance. Shopping for insurance direct can be a good choice for families who do not need high amounts of coverage and know more than average about how insurance works.
When shopping for insurance, which way works best for finding the cheapest auto insurance for retired military in North Carolina? Most people would assume that buying from a direct car insurance company results in the best prices since that eliminates agent commissions, but that generally is not the case. We could also assume that going through an independent agent is the best way since they have access to many companies, but again, that’s not accurate. And often times, exclusive agents have very competitive rates that cannot be met by either independent or direct companies.
Because of the variability of insurance rates, the best method to buy the cheapest coverage is to get as many comparison quotes as possible. If you have the time, get prices from all three to have enough rates to compare. For a list of companies offering online discounts in North Carolina, click here to view.