The Best Car Insurance in Ohio

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. Homeowners and renters will enjoy the benefits of bundling. For most people, Allstate can provide affordable minimum or full coverage, which makes it our overall pick for auto insurance in Ohio.

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 — from Cleveland to Columbus — who can assist you in finding the right amount of insurance based on where you live. Local insurance agents can typically get you lower auto insurance rates, less-restrictive policies, better coverage, and fair insurance claims settlements.

Policy Bundling

We identified Allstate as the best auto insurance provider for bundling home and auto insurance. Sixty-six percent of Ohio residents own a home. That rate increased in 2018, 2019, and 2020 before decreasing from 2020 to 2022.² If you’re looking to decrease both your home and auto insurance rates, Allstate offers a bundling discount of up to 25 percent; this deal 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

High-risk car insurance defines a number of circumstances. Perhaps you were caught driving without insurance, or you have a DUI on your record. Direct Auto offers reasonable rates for high-risk drivers, who often pay more than drivers with a clean record for the same coverage. The company’s average annual rate of $2,497 is higher than those of standard insurers, but if you have a bad driving record, bad credit, or insurance gaps, then it is still a good bet. Direct Auto also offers discounts geared toward teen drivers, seniors, and other demographic groups who tend to have higher premiums.

Teen Drivers

The cost of auto insurance for teens is very expensive due to higher fatality and crash rates. On average, car insurance for teens costs $3,571 annual, which is 258 percent higher than the national average annual auto insurance cost of $2,071.

Direct Auto offers a number of discounts geared toward making auto insurance for young drivers more affordable: driver training, good driving habits, good student, and multi-car/family. Students with a B average or higher (minimum 3.0 GPA) can save up to 10 percent on car insurance, as can drivers under age 21 who complete a state-approved driver education course.

We identified Direct Auto as the best auto insurance for teens in multi-car households. Teens who drive separately from their parents or plan to buy a car get a nice discount. When you add a teen driver at the same time as a new car to an existing Direct Auto insurance policy, you may be eligible for a 25 percent discount.

Flexible Payment

Direct Auto offers more flexible payment options than most providers. You can choose:

• The day of the month you make your payment
• How often you’ll pay (in full or in installments)
• To make a down payment to lower your monthly costs
• The manner in which you pay your premium: cash at a Direct Auto location, online, or automatic payments

Non-Owner Insurance

High-risk and non-owner insurance often overlap. Perhaps you’re a new driver who got your license to drive rental cars or establish residence, or you caused an accident in a borrowed car. Non-owner insurance provides coverage if you’re driving a car you don’t own.

High-risk drivers can purchase non-owner insurance from Direct Auto, which will handle filing an SR-22 if you need one. These filings are needed after a DUI or other serious moving violation as proof of insurance. Direct Auto offers bodily injury liability, property damage liability, medical payments, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

Our pick for the best minimum-coverage option in Ohio is Safe Auto. Safe Auto is another company that specializes in high-risk drivers who may not be covered by other providers. We don’t recommend minimum coverage for most drivers, but if all you want is what Ohio requires for liability insurance, then Safe Auto will provide that to you.

For minimum coverage, Ohio requires $25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person ($50,000 per accident) and $25,000 of property damage liability coverage.⁴ While minimum coverage isn’t enough for most drivers, it is usually the least amount of auto insurance you can get. Safe Auto tends to have higher premiums than some other companies on this list; however, minimum-coverage policies — especially if you’re a high-risk driver — are easy to acquire from Safe Auto.

Available Discounts

Safe Auto offers the following discounts to make your minimum coverage even more affordable:

• Safe driving (25 percent discount)
• Multi-vehicle
• Homeowners
• Driver improvement course
• Paid-in-full
• Multi-policy
• Good student
• Drivers 55+

Liberty Mutual has a robust set of digital tools and lots of discounts to lower your auto insurance premium. One thing we love about the company is its safe driving discount program. Liberty Mutual is a great option for teachers as well because it provides up to $2,500 in reimbursement if teaching materials or school-owned items are stolen while in your car. Discounts for military members, homeowners, and drivers with no violations sweeten the deal for many Ohio drivers looking for cost-effective insurance.

Safe Driving Discount Program

Take advantage of Liberty Mutual’s RightTrack program, which monitors driving behavior. You get an initial discount of 10 percent for participating and up to 30 percent after a 90-day tracking period. This program requires you to download the Liberty Mutual Mobile app on your smartphone. The company monitors your driving habits, including braking, acceleration, and nighttime driving. Depending on the amount you drive and your driving habits, Liberty Mutual will adjust your premium.

Liberty’s mobile app allows users to do a variety of other tasks, including:

• Access ID cards
• Pay and manage bills
• File and track claims
• Add drivers
• Access and sign documents electronically
• Talk to Liberty via chat
• Call roadside assistance

Online Tools

Liberty Mutual has robust online tools, and it benefits you to use them. To personalize your auto insurance, you can use Liberty Mutual’s online quote tool. Once you purchase a policy, you can manage it online by creating an account, including updating vehicles/drivers and your coverage. Most importantly, if you purchase your policy online or choose to receive your documents online, you’ll save money with Liberty Mutual’s online purchase and paperless policy discounts.

Deductible Fund

Another benefit Liberty Mutual offers safe drivers is an optional coverage type called a Deductible Fund, which decreases your deductible each year you go without a claim. A deductible is the amount toward a claim you must pay before coverage kicks in (even if you are not at fault). You’ll pay $30 as part of your yearly premium toward your Deductible Fund, and Liberty Mutual will lower your deductible by $100 each year for up to five years. The money in your fund will reduce the balance you pay out of pocket if you have a claim.