Georgia Auto Insurance

From the wilderness of the Chattahoochee National Forest to the vibrant city life in Atlanta, there are so many wonderful places to go and things to see in the Peach State. Whether you’re trekking across the state to see its seven natural wonders or commuting to and from Athens to go to school, wherever you’re headed, it’s crucial to be familiar with the specifics of auto insurance in Georgia. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the top Georgia insurance companies, the state’s cheapest policies, the laws each driver must follow on the road, and everything else you need to know about car insurance in the Peach State.

New Georgians, young drivers binding a policy for the first time, and residents looking to switch carriers need to keep in mind a few essential details when binding a policy in the Peach State. The key to finding the best Georgia car insurance rates is knowing precisely what you need in a policy, so let’s check out a few ways you can narrow your search.

When searching for car insurance, the most important thing to do is to determine what you value most in a policy. In many cases, this comes down to cost and coverage. If you value cost over coverage, you’ll likely want a minimum coverage policy with discounts applied. Sacrificing coverage is the easiest way to get cheap insurance in Georgia. If you value coverage over cost, you’ll likely want to find an insurer offering several additional optional coverage options to add to a full coverage policy.

If you fall somewhere in the middle, valuing cost and coverage equally, the best policy for you will likely be a full coverage policy from an insurer that offers low base rates and plenty of opportunities for discounts. 

The insurance marketplace can be daunting. With so many options, the pressure to make the right choice feels overwhelming. However, if you know what you’re looking for and how to search smarter, not harder, you can easily find the best and cheapest policy for your needs. 

Cheap car insurance in Georgia can be a bit tough to find, but not impossible. The average full coverage premium in the state is about $1,780 annually, only 5% higher than the national average of $1,670 annually. Given that the state average rests on par with the national average, lowering your premium to a less-than-average rate shouldn’t be too tough with a few tricks up your sleeve.

The easiest way to get low-cost car insurance in Georgia is to lower your coverage to the legal minimum. In the Peach State, drivers are required by law to have $25,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 in bodily injury liability per accident, and $25,000 in property damage liability, otherwise known as 25/50/25 liability coverage. Those who lease or finance their vehicles may be legally required by their lender or leaser to carry collision and comprehensive coverages as well. 

If your policy contains just this limit of liability coverage and any other coverages you must have as a stipulation in a legally binding agreement, you’re sufficiently insured in the eyes of the law. 

While a minimum coverage policy will drastically reduce your premiums, sometimes by nearly 50%,  it will also drastically reduce the number of situations in which you’re covered. Liability coverage only protects the victims in an accident caused by the policyholder, so those with liability coverage must rely on others for any sort of insurance assistance should they be the victim in an accident. 

Another way to lower your premiums is to apply discounts to your policy. Many insurers offer several discounts, all of which usually fall into two categories: criteria-based and enrollment based.

Some standard criteria-based discounts are a student discount for young drivers who earn good grades in school, an anti-theft safety features discount, or a discount for those who bundle multiple policies with the same insurer or multiple cars in one policy.

Enrollment-based discounts are a relatively new phenomenon in which policyholders can enroll in a program to receive discounts based on their continual participation. Some insurers offer discounts for those who agree to use a telematics device to track their good driving habits, while others offer discounts for those who track their mileage and drive under 12,000 miles annually.

Sacrificing coverage in the name of savings is a risky game, so it might be better to find an insurer that allows policyholders to stack their discounts instead of lowering their coverage. In many cases, the short-term savings associated with the low premiums of a minimum coverage policy pale compared to the long-term, expansive coverage that comes with a full coverage policy.

Cheap full coverage insurance in Georgia will be a policy with premiums falling below $1,780 annually. A full coverage policy will include a liability limit higher than the legal minimum of 25/50/25, typically in the 100/300/200 range.

A full coverage policy will also include several additional coverages like a first-party medical benefit (FPMB), such as medical payments coverage (MedPay), collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, uninsured motorist coverage (UM), and GAP coverage, among others. 

The cheapest liability car insurance in Georgia will be about $900 annually, which is about 50% of $1,780, the average full coverage premium in the state. Many insurers will offer liability policies for a less-than-average rate, plus policyholders can add discounts for which they’re eligible to further reduce their premiums.

While carrying a liability-only policy will offer you some protection in an accident you cause, its benefits stop there. If you’re deemed at fault in an accident, and the victim accrues medical expenses or vehicular repairs that exceed your policy limit, you’re liable for any of the remaining costs, plus any costs you accrue from the accident. 

Carrying a minimum coverage policy will protect you from any legal penalties, but you’ll be much more protected with a full coverage policy. 

The average insurance cost in Georgia is $1,780 annually for a full coverage policy or about $900 for a minimum coverage one. The national average full coverage premium is about $1,670, meaning Georgia’s average is only about 5% higher than the national rate.

While the average rate for a full coverage policy in the Peach State is on par with the national average, premiums vary from driver to driver, so some policyholders may pay less while others pay more. Insurers use your unique characteristics to determine your rates, such as your age, gender, ZIP code, credit score, and many other factors. In some cases, these factors may contribute to lower premiums, while in other cases, they may work against you.

For example, say you’re a teenage boy living in Atlanta, getting car insurance for the first time. According to the CDC, male teenagers are statistically more likely to cause accidents than their female counterparts, leading to higher premiums for this group. Similarly, those who live in cities are statistically more likely to be involved in a car accident, leading to higher premiums in big cities. 

So, a teenage boy living in Atlanta will likely pay a higher-than-average premium, while a middle-aged woman living in a suburb like Alpharetta or Duluth will have much more affordable insurance in Georgia.

The cheapest car insurance in Georgia will be a policy from Nationwide, Progressive, or Geico, as these insurers offer the lowest base rates in the state. A full coverage policy from one of these insurers can be up to 15% less than the state average, and a minimum coverage policy costs much less. 

A few factors go into a state’s average car insurance rates, the main two being population and the number of uninsured drivers. Since Georgia’s population and number of uninsured drivers remain on par with the national average, its average auto insurance premium also rests with the national average. 

If your premium is far more expensive than the state average, you likely have something working against you, causing your insurer to believe you’re risky to insure. For example, if you have or have had a Georgia SR-22 form, you will likely see a dramatic increase in your insurance rates for several years. 

This is because insurers translate the risk they take by insuring you into higher premiums. So, if you have a poor driving record, you will likely pay higher premiums until you go several years without committing any traffic violations. 

The best insurance in Georgia will often be a full coverage policy with optional coverages added on to tailor it to your needs. A full coverage policy will include a liability limit higher than what’s legally required, plus several additional coverages like MedPay, collision, comprehensive, UM, or gap coverage. 

It’s important to keep in mind, though, that the best policy won’t be the same for everyone. If you value cost over coverage, the best policy for you may be a minimum coverage policy. While a minimum coverage policy doesn’t offer the same level of coverage as a full coverage policy, it’s always best to choose a policy you’re most comfortable with.

The average auto insurance in Georgia is a full coverage policy with a liability limit higher than the legal minimum and several optional coverages applied. Many drivers in the Peach State select a full coverage policy because it offers far more protection than a minimum coverage one.

In many cases, paying the higher premiums for a full coverage policy is more cost-effective than cashing in on the short-term savings that come with a minimum coverage policy. With a minimum coverage policy, drivers risk financial ruin in the worst-case scenario that they’re severely injured and lack sufficient coverage for medical expenses.

The best car insurance providers in Georgia are Nationwide, Progressive, State Farm, Geico, and USAA. Each of these providers offers base rates below or on par with the national average. Additionally, these providers have a strong national presence and consistently rank highly for their customer service. 

Finding cheap auto insurance companies in Georgia shouldn’t be too tough because many insurers offer a plethora of discounts for policyholders to use to reduce their premiums. Each of the insurers mentioned above offers a wide variety of standard, criteria-based discounts as well as newer enrollment-based discounts.

Georgia auto insurance rates are on par with the national average, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for drivers to find great rates across the state. The best way to save on your policy is to add as many discounts as your insurer allows. While lowering your coverage from full coverage to minimum will drastically reduce your rates, it’ll also radically reduce your protection.

In Georgia, auto insurance regulations state every driver must have at least 25/50/25 liability coverage. Since it isn’t a no-fault state, drivers aren’t required to have no-fault insurance, meaning Georgia has a more minimal law when compared to other states, especially those with no-fault laws.

If you lease or finance your vehicle, you may be legally required to carry collision and comprehensive coverages. You may be subject to legal penalties if you’re caught driving a leased car without these coverages.

Driving without insurance is illegal in the Peach State and can result in hefty fines, license or registration suspension, and even jail time. Typically, less severe offenses like letting your insurance lapse for a week or failing to carry your proof of insurance card will result in a minor penalty, but not always. It’s always important to carry the necessary documents whenever you get behind the wheel.

In Georgia, the minimum amount for bodily injury liability every driver is required to carry is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. 

Liability insurance in Georgia is required by law, so it’s important to ensure you’re sufficiently covered, lest you face the penalties for driving without insurance. Those caught driving without insurance may face higher premiums for several years following the infraction and may be required to carry an SR-22 form for some time. Being deemed a high-risk driver in the state opens you up to much higher premiums that can take a while to return to the average rate.

Full coverage car insurance in Georgia is a policy with a liability limit higher than 25/50/25, with several additional coverages added on. Those with full coverage can tailor the specific coverage types and their limits to their needs, so every full coverage policy looks different depending on the policyholder.

The Georgia car insurance minimum requirements don’t mandate drivers to have any form of uninsured motorist coverage (UM), but it isn’t a bad idea to add this coverage to your full coverage policy. The average amount of uninsured drivers in the Peach State is about 12%, meaning about one in eight drivers lacks sufficient insurance. 

Georgia uninsured motorist coverage helps policyholders protect themselves in the event a driver without insurance causes an accident. UM can be thought of as liability coverage that helps the policyholder instead of the victim of the accident because it contains both bodily injury and property damage coverage the policyholder may use to help them cover their expenses.

Georgia car insurance law only requires drivers to carry 25/50/25 liability coverage and any other coverages policyholders must carry if they finance or lease a vehicle. Georgia’s auto insurance laws are pretty minimal compared to other states, but the penalties for failing to follow the law may be more severe.

In Georgia, drivers may face jail time for failing to carry the legal minimum amount of insurance, on top of hefty fines and fees. Typically, those who make this mistake once don’t receive jail time as a punishment, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry and carry at least the minimum amount of legally required coverage in the state.

It’s illegal to drive without insurance in the Peach State, and it can also be costly. The driving without insurance ticket in Georgia can range from $100 to $2,000, depending on the severity of the case and the number of previous offenses the driver has on their record.

Drivers may also face license and registration suspensions for driving without insurance, which come with hefty fees of their own. It can be upwards of $100 to reinstate your license or registration, not to mention any impoundment fees you may face when your registration is suspended.

Whether you’re on the hunt for the lowest car insurance rates in Georgia, the best full coverage policy from one of the state’s top insurers, or curious about what types of optional coverages other providers have to offer, you may consider getting and comparing quotes online. Getting quotes from several insurers allows drivers to compare the pros and cons of each carrier in real time, so they’re able to make the most informed decision about their policy.

Lucky for you, quotes are our forte here at Clovered. You can use our free quoting tool to compare rates and offerings in just minutes. If you prefer to speak to an agent about your quote, you can call us at 833-255-4117 or email us at [email protected].