Progressive offers the cheapest auto insurance in Ohio for most categories, including minimum coverage, drivers with a DUI and senior drivers.
The average cost of minimum-coverage car insurance in Ohio is $85 per month, or $1,020 per year. Drivers looking for full-coverage car insurance can expect to pay around $149 per month.
In this article:
Car insurance requirements in Ohio
Every state has requirements for drivers to be able to legally operate their cars on the roads. In Ohio, drivers must have insurance that meets the following minimums:
| Coverage | Limits |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury (BI) | $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident |
| Property damage (PD) | $25,000 per accident |
While this is the least amount of coverage you need to drive in the state, it may not fulfill your individual financial needs.
These coverage limits will not reimburse you for damages sustained by your vehicle in an at-fault accident. To avoid paying high repair rates, we recommend that drivers with new or expensive cars purchase full coverage, higher limits or additional coverages.
Ohioans who don’t want to buy state-minimum car insurance can prove financial responsibility with:
- A surety bond of $30,000 issued by an authorized surety or insurance company.
- An Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) bond secured by real estate with equity of at least $60,000.
- A BMV certificate for money or government bonds in the amount of $30,000 on deposit with the Ohio Treasurer of State.
Cheapest car insurance companies in Ohio
Progressive: Cheapest for most drivers and drivers with an incident
Progressive has the cheapest rates for Ohio drivers with a good driving history and Ohio drivers with a speeding ticket or DUI.
Grange: Cheapest for young drivers
Grange’s rates for young drivers are 65% less than the state average rates.
Cheapest minimum-coverage car insurance in Ohio: Progressive
Statewide, the average rate quoted for a minimum-coverage policy is $1,020 a year, or $85 a month.
| Company | Monthly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive | $35 | |
| GEICO | $54 | |
| Erie | $57 | |
| Grange | $67 | |
| Nationwide | $73 | |
| Allstate | $79 | |
| Average | $85 | |
| State Farm | $234 | |
| Rates are for minimum-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with a good driving record. | ||
What you pay for car insurance in Ohio varies by company and depends on factors like your age, how long you’ve been driving and your driving record, so it's important to compare quotes from multiple insurers to get your best rate.
A minimum-liability policy is the cheapest option, but it is primarily meant to financially protect other drivers and their vehicles. If your car is damaged as a result of an at-fault accident and you only have a minimum-liability policy, you will likely have to pay out of pocket to repair or replace your car.
Cheapest full-coverage auto insurance in Ohio: Grange
Grange offers Ohio drivers the best car insurance rates for full coverage, at $83 a month. There are also plenty of worthwhile alternatives in Ohio. Progressive and GEICO both offer full-coverage policies that are a few dollars more per month than what Grange charges.
| Company | Monthly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Grange | $83 | |
| Progressive | $93 | |
| GEICO | $102 | |
| Erie | $126 | |
| Nationwide | $127 | |
| Average | $149 | |
| Allstate | $165 | |
| State Farm | $344 | |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with a good driving record. | ||
The main distinction between a minimum- and full-coverage policy is that full coverage includes comprehensive and collision coverages in addition to liability insurance.
- Comprehensive coverage reimburses you for damage your car sustains from events out of your control, including natural disasters, theft and falling objects.
- Collision coverage protects you if your car is damaged from hitting another vehicle or a stationary object, like a pole.
Cheapest car insurance in Ohio for drivers with bad credit: Grange
Grange and GEICO offer the cheapest rates to drivers with bad credit, charging rates that average $120 a month and $153 a month, respectively, for full coverage.
In Ohio, drivers with poor credit pay 47% more for car insurance than those with good credit.
| Company | Monthly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Grange | $120 | |
| GEICO | $153 | |
| Progressive | $163 | |
| Nationwide | $191 | |
| Allstate | $267 | |
| Erie | $285 | |
| State Farm | $761 | |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with bad credit. | ||
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a prior incident
An infraction can drive up your car insurance rates considerably. Depending on the degree of offense, a ticket, accident or DUI can stay on your record – and raise your rates – for many years.
A speeding ticket may only affect your rates for three years, but a DUI can stay on your insurance record for up to 10 years.
Drivers with a prior incident in Ohio pay an average of 36% more than drivers with a clean record.
Cheapest for drivers with an at-fault accident: Grange
The cheapest auto insurance in Ohio for drivers with an accident history comes from Grange, at $131 per month, and Progressive, at $147 per month. Both companies raise their insurance prices by around $30 per month for drivers who are found at-fault for an accident.
| Company | Monthly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Grange | $131 | |
| Progressive | $147 | |
| Erie | $157 | |
| Nationwide | $185 | |
| GEICO | $196 | |
| Allstate | $268 | |
| State Farm | $418 | |
| Rates are for minimum-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one at-fault accident on their driving record. | ||
Having an accident on your record indicates to insurers that you are a high-risk driver, and that usually causes your insurance rate to go up. However, accidents typically stop affecting your rates after three to five years, or you can take advantage of companies that offer accident forgiveness as an optional add-on.
Cheapest for drivers with a DUI: Progressive
Drivers with a DUI can find the most affordable car insurance rates with Progressive, at $111 a month, or $1,332 a year. The next-best option is Grange, which costs approximately $119 a month, or $1,428 a year.
| Company | Monthly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive | $111 | |
| Grange | $119 | |
| Erie | $188 | |
| Allstate | $227 | |
| Nationwide | $235 | |
| GEICO | $236 | |
| State Farm | $381 | |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one DUI. | ||
Committing a serious offense like a DUI will likely increase your car insurance premium. In Ohio, you may be required to obtain an SR-22 certificate to verify to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles that you have met the minimum insurance requirements to legally drive in the Buckeye State.
Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket: Progressive
Caught having a need for speed? Consider contacting Progressive and Grange for affordable quotes. Progressive offers drivers with a speeding ticket on their records $119 per month for a full-coverage policy, while Grange's average rate is $121 per month.
| Company | Monthly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive | $119 | |
| Grange | $121 | |
| Erie | $126 | |
| GEICO | $129 | |
| Nationwide | $156 | |
| Allstate | $205 | |
| State Farm | $381 | |
| Rates are for minimum-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one speeding ticket on their driving record. | ||
A speeding ticket will likely cause your insurance rates to increase, but most speeding tickets fall off your record after three to five years, depending on your state.
Cheapest car insurance for teen drivers: Grange
Younger drivers typically pay substantially higher car insurance rates than their older, more experienced counterparts. Studies show that teens and new drivers are most likely to be involved in accidents, making them a high risk to insure.
Young people can find the cheapest car insurance rates from Grange and Erie if they're looking for a full-coverage policy. To decrease the cost of car insurance, you can secure minimum coverage, but you will likely have to pay out of pocket in the case of an accident.
The average cost of Grange’s minimum-liability policy is approximately $166 a month. While Erie is the second-cheapest insurer, its rates cost over $100 more per month than Grange’s.
| Company | Monthly rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Monthly rate | |
| Grange | $166 | |
| Erie | $301 | |
| GEICO | $312 | |
| Progressive | $384 | |
| Allstate | $454 | |
| Nationwide | $509 | |
| State Farm | $1,163 | |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for an 18-year-old male with a good driving record. | ||
Here's how you can save on car insurance as a young driver:
- Discounts. Most car insurers have a discount menu full of different ways you can save on your policy. This includes savings specifically targeted at young people, including discounts for achieving good grades, accumulating a certain number of volunteer hours or completing a safe driving course.
- Bundle a policy with your parents. Our analysis shows that signing onto a policy with your parents can save you $99 per month on average compared to getting your own individual plans.
- Compare rates from multiple companies. The difference between the cheapest and most expensive full-coverage policies for an 18-year-old is over $500 a month. The best way to ensure you receive the best deal is by comparing car insurance rates.
Cheapest car insurance for seniors: Progressive
Progressive and Grange offer the cheapest insurance rates for drivers aged 65. Insurance companies reward experience and, as a result, senior drivers tend to have significantly lower insurance rates than their younger or teenage counterparts.
However, it's still important to take advantage of any opportunities to save. The difference between the cheapest and the most expensive insurer in Ohio is a few hundred dollars per month. That's why it's still important to shop around with different companies and seek out ways to cut down costs.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Progressive | $77 |
| Grange | $88 |
| GEICO | $107 |
| Nationwide | $117 |
| Erie | $122 |
| Allstate | $151 |
| State Farm | $326 |
Car insurance laws in Ohio
Penalties for driving without insurance in Ohio
If you’re caught driving without insurance or financial responsibility coverage in Ohio, you could:
- Lose your driver’s license for up to two years.
- Need to pay reinstatement fees of $100 to $600.
- Have to carry SR-22 insurance for three or five years.
The severity of the penalties you face for driving without insurance in Ohio depends on whether it’s your first, second, third or later offense.
Ohio driver report
Ohio drivers are some of the worst in the nation. According to our annual report on the best- and worst-driving states, Ohio is the fifth-worst-driving state overall.
Ohio residents aren't just bad drivers — they're getting worse over time. In 2021, drivers there ranked 17th-worst, making it the state with the biggest decline in quality drivers. The reason Ohio is home to some of the worst drivers comes down to speeding and accidents. The state ranks fourth in speeding, eighth in accidents, 14th in citations and 15th in DUIs.
- Bowling Green, Hilliard and Marion are the worst-driving cities in Ohio.
- Cleveland Heights, Massillon and Beavercreek are the best-driving cities.
- Poor road infrastructure costs Ohio drivers $506 a year.
- Sixteen percent of roads and 3% of bridges in Ohio are in poor condition.
Best and worst drivers in Ohio
A high number of speeding tickets, accidents, citations and DUIs makes some Ohio cities seem particularly prone to bad driving behavior. Bowling Green, Hilliard and Marion are the worst-driving cities in Ohio. Cleveland Heights, Massillon and Beavercreek are the best.
Best Drivers by City
- Cleveland Heights
- Massillon
- Beavercreek
- Elyria
- North Olmsted
- North Ridgeville
- Canton
- Cleveland
- Brunswick
- Dublin
Worst Drivers by City
- Bowling Green
- Hilliard
- Marion
- Springfield
- Warren
- Stow
- Fairborn
- Lima
- Delaware
- Fairfield
Ohio infrastructure rating
When it comes to road and bridge conditions, Ohio ranks in the middle of the pack compared to the rest of the nation. The state's road infrastructure could be in better shape, and that costs drivers a pretty penny. Our team of analysts looked at road and bridge conditions nationwide. We found that Ohio's infrastructure has:
- Sixteen percent of roads are in “non-acceptable” condition.
- Three percent of bridges are in poor condition.
- Poor road and bridge conditions that cost drivers an average $506 a year.
Ohio’s bridges are in better condition than its roads, but both are generally acceptable compared to the rest of the nation. Ohio ranks 28th when it comes to the percent of roads in poor condition and the second-lowest percentage of bridges in poor condition.
Best and worst drivers by age group
Ohio drivers under age 20 are far more dangerous on the road compared to any other age group. Individuals over the age of 80 are among the best drivers in the state — almost eight times safer than those six decades younger. The second-most-dangerous driving age group is 20- to 29-year-olds. They're almost twice as likely to be involved in a dangerous incident than drivers older than them. The difference in incidents for each age group is often why younger drivers pay more for car insurance.
Ohio Car insurance: FAQs
Progressive offers the cheapest auto insurance in Ohio for most driver categories, including minimum coverage, drivers with a DUI and senior drivers.
Drivers in Ohio must have insurance that meets the following minimums:
- Bodily injury: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
- Property damage: $25,000 per accident
The average cost of minimum-coverage car insurance in Ohio is $85 per month, or $1,020 per year. Drivers looking for full-coverage car insurance can expect to pay around $149 per month.
Methodology
The rates shown in this article are based on an analysis of more than 300,000 auto insurance quotes obtained from Quadrant Information Services for sample drivers from across Ohio.
Unless otherwise noted, our sample driver is a single 35-year-old with good credit. All sample drivers own a 2012 Honda Accord LX that they drive for an average of 13,500 miles per year.
Our senior base driver is a 65-year-old male with a good driving record. Our young base driver is an 18-year-old male with a good driving record.
Minimum-coverage rates reflect the cost of policies meeting the minimum liability limits required by the state.
Full-coverage policies include the following coverages, limits and deductibles:
- Bodily injury liability: 100,000 limit per person/$300,000 limit per accident
- Property damage liability: $100,000 limit
- Collision: $500 deductible
- Comprehensive: $500 deductible
Driver report: QuoteWizard analyzed over 100,000 car insurance quotes to determine Ohio’s best- and worst-driving cities. Drivers were evaluated based on the number of accidents, citations, speeding tickets and DUIs in each city. QuoteWizard evaluated Federal Highway Administration data on road and bridge quality to determine the number of roads and bridges in “poor” or “unacceptable” condition.
Car insurance by city
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