The Best Car Insurance in Ohio in 2025

Erie, fittingly headquartered in nearby Erie, PA, is our choice for best cheap auto insurance provider in Ohio. In Ohio, a full coverage policy from Erie costs approximately $260 less a year than the statewide average of $1,401. Erie also offers the least expensive affordable minimum coverage rates after USAA, whose availability is limited to the military.

In addition to its low rates, Erie offers a variety of discounts, including bundle discounts and discounts for having or getting your car certain factory-installed safety features. Additionally, its Rate Lock feature can help drivers avoid rising insurance rates by locking customers’ premium rates (with a few caveats).

Affordable Rates in Ohio

Erie’s full coverage rates are the cheapest among our top picks in Ohio. On average, USAA’s minimum coverage is approximately $150 cheaper per year than Erie’s. That said, USAA is only available to military members and their immediate families, which makes Erie our favorite overall for cheap auto insurance in Ohio.

No-Claims Drivers

For drivers with excellent records, Erie offers a Diminishing Deductible program, which reduces drivers’ deductibles by $100 (up to a total of $500) for every year they go without filing a claim. This program not only encourages good driving practices—a lower deductible could help you save money if something did in fact happen.

Vehicles with Safety Features

One of the more unique services Erie offers is a discount for drivers with vehicles equipped with factory-installed safety features. Specifically, they list “factory-installed air bags, anti-theft devices and anti-lock brakes” as discount-earning features. With the caveat that these must be factory-installed, many of these are all but mandatory as a modern driver anyway—you may already have several qualifying features, making this worth looking into for prospective Erie customers.

Nationwide is also a great option, especially for drivers who aren’t planning on spending as much time on the road. Its rates are competitive across the board, but its SmartMiles program makes the company shine for low-mileage drivers.

Save with SmartMiles 

Nationwide’s pay-per-mile program SmartMiles is a good option for low-mileage drivers in Ohio. Low mileage drivers may include:

• People who work from home
• Drivers with short commutes
• Households with an extra car driven less frequently
• Retirees

>>GOOD TO KNOW: SmartMiles includes a road trip exception, which only charges customers for the first 250 miles of their journey per day.

Your savings through SmartMiles will vary depending on how much you drive each month. You can track your savings online. SmartMiles assigns you a base rate, as well as a per-mile rate, which is multiplied by the number of miles you drive. Your monthly premium is determined by adding these two rates together. Customers who signed up for SmartMiles can save an additional 10 percent by regularly practicing safe driving habits.

After you sign up, Nationwide sends a small device to connect to your car that monitors your mileage. You can also opt into SmartMiles using a connected car, which will share your driving information.

On Your Side Claims Services

Collisions are bad enough—the last thing you want is a shoddy repair job. When you bring your damaged car to a Nationwide-certified “On Your Side” repair shop, you’ll get a written guarantee on the repairs you need to get back on the road, ensuring the long-term health of your vehicle.

Good Student Discount

New drivers can be among the most expensive to insure. Like some other providers, Nationwide offers a discount for good grades for full-time high school and college students aged 16-24. If you provide evidence of a B average or better (verified by a current grade report and a form signed by an administrator), you may be eligible for a discount on your new plan.

USAA is known nationally for its cheaper-than-average rates and high levels of customer satisfaction. Ohio is no exception; USAA consistently scores the highest of any provider reviewed in J.D. Power’s Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction Study. USAA customers can bring their premium rates down further with USAA’s plentiful discount options. Keep in mind, regardless of the state you live in, USAA is only available to military members and their families.

In addition to having cheap rates, USAA scores higher than competitors both in J.D. Power’s Auto Insurance Customer Satisfaction study, which is broken down by region, and its Claims Satisfaction Study.² While USAA is technically ineligible to rank due to its limited availability, this suggests that most customers are highly satisfied with USAA’s customer and claims service.

On the less positive side, the CRASH Network Insurer Report Card, which surveys collision repair shops on the practices of insurance companies, rates USAA a D+ overall, indicating that some customers have not been satisfied with its claims handling process. Customers have better claims experiences when they take their vehicles to a USAA-affiliated direct repair shop.³

Discount Options
USAA offers its customers a broad selection of discounts. The following discounts are available to USAA customers in Ohio:

• Good Driver Discount: Drivers who maintain a clean driving record may be eligible for a discount. Customers could also save up to 30 percent with usage-based app USAA SafePilot.
• New Vehicle Discount: Save on your premium if your vehicle is under three years old.
• Anti-Theft Device Discount: Vehicles installed with anti-theft devices may cost less to insure.
• Vehicle Storage Discount: Drivers storing their car due to deployment or other reasons may receive up to 60 percent off their comprehensive coverage premiums.
• Loyalty Discount: Through the MyUSAA legacy discount, customers whose parents are USAA members can save up to 10 percent on their premiums.

Bundling with USAA
USAA doesn’t just sell auto insurance. Customers may be able to save with USAA by bundling with other insurance policies. Note that homeowners, renters, and life insurance are typically eligible for bundling, but not every policy type is. Speak to a USAA customer service representative to learn which policies qualify.

Allstate is one of the largest insurance providers in the United States, offering a range of auto policies through its vast network of agents. Its financial stability and local service offerings put it in the top tier of auto insurance providers. Its bundling discount makes it an especially good option for homeowners and renters interested in purchasing a home policy along with auto.

Local Agents

Allstate works with a network of exclusive agents that operate as small businesses in your local community. There are over 50 agents in Ohio who can assist you in finding the right amount of insurance based on where you live.

Policy Bundling

We named Allstate our top pick car insurance provider for bundling home and auto insurance. Sixty-seven percent of Ohio residents own a home, a number that has been on the rise following a dip in the early 2020s.⁴ If you’re looking to decrease both your home and auto insurance rates, Allstate offers a bundling discount of up to 25 percent. This discount also applies to renters and condo owners.

Student Discount

Ohio is home to a number of universities, from large public research institutions like Ohio University and the University of Cincinnati to smaller liberal arts colleges like Kenyon College. Allstate’s flexible student discount gives you three ways to qualify. If you’re unmarried and under age 25, you can apply this discount if you fulfill just one of the following requirements:

1. Attend school at least 100 miles away from home and don’t take your car
2. Maintain a 2.7 GPA or higher
3. Complete the teenSMART driver education course, available to Allstate customers at a discounted rate of $69.95

GEICO’s competitive rates and strong digital tools make it a good option for college students, families with teen drivers, as well as drivers of any age who are looking for cheap rates and easy online quotes.

Low Rates for Teens

In Ohio, the average cost for a car insurance policy with a teen driver is $4,620 per year ($385 per month). That’s three times higher than the statewide average for one driver with no teens on the policy ($1,401 yearly).

Along with Erie and USAA, GEICO offers the cheapest car insurance for households with teens. The three companies’ rates are virtually tied:

GEICO offers several discounts geared toward making auto insurance for young drivers more affordable, including discounts for taking a driver training course, good driving, and good student discounts, and discounts for customers looking for multi-car insurance.

Cheap Rates with Low Credit

Young drivers may not have a credit score, which can raise car insurance rates. That’s because some companies view having no credit history the same as having poor credit. In all except a handful of states, drivers with poor credit pay much higher rates for car insurance, because companies view them as high-risk.

GEICO is the cheapest provider in Ohio for drivers with low (or no) credit.

Note that the above averages are for adult drivers with poor credit, so you’ll need to get a quote to see exactly how much you’ll pay.

Non-Owner Insurance

If you don’t own a car, but use car share services like Zipcar or Turo (or you frequently rent cars), non-owner insurance provides coverage if you’re driving a car you don’t own.

Young drivers can purchase non-owner insurance from GEICO, which may be a good option if they’re not ready to purchase a car. It’s also more affordable — on average, non-owner insurance with GEICO costs an average of $492 nationally. With non-owner coverage, drivers can build their insurance history, save on their policy, and enjoy lower rates if they end up purchasing a vehicle in the future.