4 Best Atlanta, Georgia Car Insurance Companies - Benzinga

Posted: 31 Oct 2019 07:03 AM PDT

Atlanta is the home of soul food, legendary music and the famous Peachtree Street. While you're making your way through the city, do you have the lowest car insurance? Here's our guide to the best car insurance in Atlanta.

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The Best Car Insurance in Atlanta

Atlanta Car Insurance Overview

Here are the facts about driving in Atlanta:

There's an average of 1.31 vehicles per household.
Georgia state minimum requirements include:
- Bodily injury liability coverage: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
- Property damage liability coverage: $25,000 per accident
The average yearly rate for state minimum insurance with a clean driving record is $3,390.

Atlanta Car Insurance Law Explained

The state of Georgia and Atlanta require you to have insurance to drive on the road. The minimum insurance requirements to drive legally in Georgia include:

Bodily injury liability coverage: Bodily injury liability coverage pays for anyone you injure in an accident with your vehicle. All Georgia drivers must carry $25,000 coverage per person and $50,000 per accident.
Property damage liability coverage: Property damage liability coverage pays for anyone's property that you damage in the course of an accident. You must have a minimum of $25,000 per accident.

Both coverages give no protection to your vehicle. To protect your car, you need collision and comprehensive coverage:

Collision coverage: Collision coverage pays for damage done to your vehicle in an accident.
Comprehensive coverage: Comprehensive coverage pays for damage done to your vehicle in a non-accident. Common examples of covered perils include theft, vandalism or fire.

Georgia Traffic Laws You Should Know

Atlanta has residents from all over the world. But no matter if you're homegrown or from somewhere else, you're responsible for knowing the local traffic laws. This knowledge is the first step to obeying the rules of the road, staying safe and avoiding tickets. Here are a few that should be on your radar.

Seatbelts: Georgia is a "click it or ticket" state, which means it has a primary seatbelt law.
- Law enforcement can pull you over if any person is unbelted in the front seats.
- Adults are not required to have a seatbelt in the backseat.
- Passengers 8–17 must be belted regardless of where they sit.
- Children under 8 must be in a booster seat or child seat.
Cell phone use: Drivers may not have their phones on any part of the body while driving a vehicle in Atlanta. You can use your speakerphone, earpiece, wireless headphone, car's audio, smartwatch or GPS.
- Writing sending or reading a text message without 1 of these devices is prohibited.
- Recording, broadcasting or watching videos is not permitted.
- Music streaming apps are allowed if they are set while the vehicle is legally parked. Drivers are not to touch the phone once the car is moving.
- Earpieces and headsets are only allowed for communication and not for entertainment or listening to music.
- Exemptions to these rules are emergencies or 911 calls and if the vehicle is legally parked (not at a traffic signal or stop sign).
Slowpoke law: It is illegal to drive a vehicle at such a slow rate that you interrupt the normal traffic flow, unless a slower speed is necessary for safety concerns. On highways, roads or streets with 2 or more lanes going in the same direction, drivers must move from the left lane to the right lane and allow faster vehicles to pass.
Slow down/move over: Georgia law requires drivers to move over to the next lane or slow down when emergency vehicles are on the shoulder to protect personnel.

Georgia Car Insurance Rates per Vehicle

The make, model and year of your car affect how much you pay for insurance. The insurance companies compile data that helps them determine your rate, including:

Theft data: Certain cars are more likely to be stolen. For example, the most stolen vehicle in Georgia is the full-size Ford pickup.
Safety ratings: Does your car have advanced safety features such as blind-spot warning, pedestrian detection or automatic emergency braking? If so, you'll most likely pay less even when compared to the same model without the same features.
Collision stats: Your car may be statistically more likely to be involved in an accident. Also, expensive vehicles are more costly to repair. Both factors could raise your rate.

Auto Insurance Rates by Credit Score

It's perfectly legal for companies to use your credit score to determine your rate in Atlanta. Drivers with higher credit scores are less likely to file claims according to insurance data. On the other hand, drivers with lower credit scores are more likely to file claims and therefore have higher rates.

Are you trying to raise your credit score? To increase your credit score over time and reduce your car insurance price, you can pay bills on time, reduce debt and lower your credit utilization.

Here's a look at how your insurance rates change depending on your credit score.

Credit Score	Cheapest Provider	Rate for State Minimum Coverage
Poor 300–579	GEICO	$3,781
Fair 580–669	GEICO	$2,608
Good 670–739	State Farm	$2,368
Excellent 740+	Root	$2,158

Insurance for Drivers with a Clean Record

One of the best ways to lower your rate is to keep your driving record clean. Insurance companies offer its best rates to people with good credit and spotless driving histories. The insurance companies will want to keep you as a long-term customer.

Take a look at 3 types of coverage for your clean driving record:

State minimum coverage: State minimum coverage is what Georgia requires to drive legally.
Standard coverage: Standard coverage is state minimum coverage with collision coverage.
Full coverage: Full coverage is state minimum coverage with collision coverage and comprehensive coverage.

Insurance Company	State Minimum Insurance	Standard Coverage	Full Coverage
GEICO	$2,764	$2,992	$3,176
Allstate	$3,881	$4,255	$4,496
Progressive	$4,121	$4,427	$4,950
State Farm	$3,168	$3,387	$3,599
USAA	$3,013	$3,141	$3,318

Insurance Rates with Driving Infractions

If you have less than perfect driving history, you can expect to pay a little more on your car insurance. All offenses are not weighted the same. More severe violations lead to a higher rate.

Here's a glimpse at 3 common driving violations and how they affect your rate:

At-fault accident: This is an accident you are partially or fully responsible for.

Speed violation: This involves driving too far above or below the posted speed limit.

DUI: This severe violation, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, mars your record. Getting a DUI is a most serious infraction and a criminal offense. Expect drastic changes to your car insurance price if you have a DUI conviction. In Georgia, if you're 21 or older and pulled over with a blood alcohol content level at 0.08 or higher or are under 21 with a level of 0.02 or higher, you'll be arrested and charged.

Insurance Company	At-Fault Accident	Speed Violation	DUI
Allstate	$5,366	$3,648	$4,363
GEICO	$2,494	$2,244	$5,179
Nationwide	$5,860	$6,054	$9,033
Progressive	$6,213	$4,103	$4,157
State Farm	$3,685	$3,185	$4,233

Best Car Insurance Providers in Atlanta

Now that you have a grasp on how Atlanta car insurance works, let's look at some of the best companies for affordable coverage.

1. Best Overall: Farm Bureau

Farm Bureau auto insurance dominated the Southeast region of the U.S. and took home J.D. Power's top award in the 2019 Customer Satisfaction Auto Insurance survey. Superior customer service is not the only reason Atlanta residents choose Farm Bureau.

The insurer offers many types of policies with offerings for state minimum, standard coverage and full coverage. There are discounts for driver training, safe drivers and good students. You can even qualify for accident forgiveness.

If you want to stack savings, you can add policies for homeowners, life or even farm insurance and maximize the multi-line discount.

2. Cheapest Auto Insurance in Atlanta: GEICO

Are you looking for cheap car insurance? GEICO offers some of the most affordable rates in Atlanta. It's consistently ranked for its customer satisfaction.

GEICO gives discounts for federal employees, the military and good students. There are other discounts based on your employer or membership in specific organizations. You can expect the biggest savings when you bundle in homeowners, renters or life insurance.

3. Best Coverage for Multiple Cars: State Farm

State Farm should be on the top of your list if you have more than one car to insure. Adding your spouse, roommate, teenager or other family member is easy online. You'll be able to save up to 20% on your policy with the multiple auto discount.

Other discounts that you don't want to miss are driver training discount, accident-free discount or vehicle safety discount. State Farm's strategy is to reward customers for safe driving, safe vehicles and loyalty.

State Farm increases the discounts with its multi-line offerings adding your motorcycle, motorhome or even off-road vehicle all qualify to get you more lines and higher discounts.

4. Best for Military Personnel: USAA

You may qualify for special discounted car insurance policy through USAA if you're an active member of the military, veteran or an immediate family member of those who served. Not everyone is eligible, but they give aggressive rates in Atlanta.

USAA features superior customer service and competitive pricing. It's also easy to manage your policy with its app or online access, so you can do so even if you're deployed overseas. You can boost your discounts if you add policies for homeowners, renters or life insurance.

Your Best Policy in Atlanta

Are you still figuring out how to lower your car insurance? Often the best strategy comes down to the start. Don't be afraid to invest time upfront in finding the best rate. Most people spend months selecting their dream car and only minutes to pick an insurance company. Avoid that mistake.

Start by getting 5 quotes. You want to speak to several representatives and ask about discounts you and your family qualify for. Before you pull the trigger, make sure you get the coverage that fits your budget. Sometimes offerings are similar among insurers, so if prices are close, make your decision based on customer service.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Q: How does my personal credit play a role?

Insurance carriers run credit scores to help determine policy premiums. Your insurance rates will likely be lower if you have an excellent credit score. On the other hand, your insurance rates may be higher if you have a poor credit score. Insurance companies believe credit scores are an indicator of whether you'll make your insurance payments on time and credit scores combined with other data can be predictive of risk. Check out the best companies for all credit scores now.

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2) Q: How much is my car insured for?

With a standard auto insurance policy, your vehicle is insured using actual cash value, which means that a deduction may be taken for depreciation based on age or usage. As your vehicle ages, it's worth less money which reduces the insurable value. If you own a collectible or classic car, you'll want to consider a specialized classic car insurance policy that insures your vehicle to its full value without a deduction for depreciation.

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3) Q: I drive for a rideshare company, am I covered by my auto insurance?

A standard auto insurance policy doesn't provide coverage for business use of your vehicle, including the transport of passengers. Major rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft offer some coverage when you have a passenger in the vehicle, but there can still be troubling gaps in coverage like when you are waiting for a passenger. Many auto insurers now offer a rider that extends your coverage to fill the gaps between your standard policy's coverage and the rideshare company's coverage. Compare companies here for the best rideshare coverage.

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*Quotes were obtained using the following profile: base 2015 Toyota Camry, male, 40-years-old. Policies reflect state minimum coverage options. We make every effort to provide the most accurate quotes based on the profile above. Due to the many combined variables involved in insurance quotes, the only way to get an accurate quote is to enter your own information through our partners' secure websites.

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