Best Cheap Auto Insurance in Jacksonville, North Carolina (2023)

Residents of Jacksonville, North Carolina, may be surprised to find that car insurance rates are so affordable, given that the city is so close to the ocean. With an average cost of $117 per month, Jacksonville drivers enjoy lower rates than those in many other states. The city’s smaller population size of 70,420 may contribute to its lower insurance costs. 

However, your exact auto insurance rate will depend on a number of factors, including your age, driving history, and credit score. Here’s what you need to know to secure the best cheap auto insurance in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

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Best car insurance companies in Jacksonville

Finding the best auto insurance company depends on your specific situation and coverage requirements since insurance companies consider several factors to determine your premium costs, including your age, driving history, and ZIP code.

Comparing multiple options is the best way to find the cheapest car insurance company for your coverage needs. Erie, Direct Auto, and Nationwide each stand out for certain customer needs. Though they’re some of the best insurers in Jacksonville, be sure to compare quotes from other insurers, too, as they may be a better fit for you.

Best insurer for customer satisfaction: Erie

Best insurer for high-risk drivers: Direct Auto

Best insurer for drivers with bad credit: Nationwide

Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Jacksonville

If you’re at fault in a car accident, liability coverage will pay to repair or replace the other party’s car (or other damaged property) and their associated medical costs. But it won’t cover damages to your car or your medical expenses because of an accident you caused.^[1]

The cheapest rates for auto insurance are for liability-only insurance policies, but you’ll be on the hook for more out-of-pocket expenses if you cause an accident while carrying only liability coverage. Consider the following insurers for the best liability-only coverage in Jacksonville, NC.

Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Jacksonville

Full-coverage car insurance provides more financial protection than liability-only policies because it includes collision coverage, which pays to repair or replace your vehicle if you cause an accident, and comprehensive coverage, which pays for damage to your car from something other than an accident, including storms, theft, or vandalism.

A driver with a financed or leased car generally needs full-coverage car insurance to protect against potential damage. Consider the following cheap full-coverage car insurance companies in Jacksonville.

Car insurance requirements in North Carolina

North Carolina is an at-fault state, which means that the person who caused an accident is the one whose insurance must pay for the damages. However, North Carolina is also one of the handful of states using the pure contributory negligence rule. Under this rule, if a person is determined to be even 1% at fault in causing an accident, that person can’t sue for damages.

In addition to the minimum liability coverage requirements, the Tar Heel State requires all drivers to carry uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance, which covers you when a driver causes a crash but doesn’t have insurance or enough insurance to cover your bodily injury and property damage costs. Any insurance policy you purchase in North Carolina must include this coverage to meet the minimum state requirements.^[2]

Though North Carolina drivers aren’t required to carry more coverage than the above limits, many increase their coverage for more financial protection. That may mean paying for a policy with higher limits for bodily injury liability and property damage liability coverage. But you may also choose to buy additional coverage, such as:

Collision coverage

If you’re at fault in an accident, this coverage will pay to repair or replace your vehicle. This may be especially important in North Carolina since it’s an at-fault state following the pure contributory negligence rule.

Comprehensive coverage

If your vehicle is damaged by something other than an accident, such as a storm or a fire, this coverage will pay to repair or replace it.

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident

If you have an incident on your driving record, such as an at-fault accident, speeding ticket, DUI, or other moving violation, affordable auto insurance in Jacksonville may be a little harder to find. That’s because even a single incident in your driving history can increase your rates.

Insurance companies are more likely to consider you a high-risk driver if you have one of these incidents on your record, but you can still find affordable rates with the right insurers.

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Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket

Driving faster than the speed limit may seem harmless, but it can have serious consequences. Not only are you more likely to be cited for speeding, but it can mean fines, points on your license, and an increased insurance rate.

If you’ve gotten a speeding ticket, you’ll likely be on the hook for higher insurance premiums, but the following companies still offer affordable car insurance after a speeding ticket.

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident

Your insurance premiums will typically increase if you have an at-fault accident on your record. In some cases, your insurer may even drop you after an at-fault accident, depending on the circumstances and severity of it, as well as your driving history.

While it can be difficult to find affordable car insurance after an at-fault accident, the following insurers can help Jacksonville residents get the coverage they need.

Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI

Driving under the influence is one of the most severe traffic violations a driver can commit. Both law enforcement and insurance companies take DUIs very seriously, which means drivers can expect severe consequences.

These consequences may include expensive fines, points on your license, suspension of driving privileges, and significant car insurance rate increases — if your insurer doesn’t drop you altogether.

The following insurers provide the least expensive coverage to Jacksonville drivers with a DUI.

Cheapest car insurance for seniors

Age is one of the main factors that help insurers determine your premium. Insurers have found that younger drivers are more likely to file claims, so drivers generally find their auto insurance rates decrease once they reach age 35 since they have more maturity and experience behind the wheel.

Drivers generally enjoy those lower rates until they reach their mid-70s. Around age 75, senior drivers often experience slower reflexes or other physical or mental declines, which makes them more likely to get into accidents despite their decades of driving experience, so rates tend to increase again.

The cheapest car insurance in Jacksonville for seniors includes the following insurers.

Cheapest car insurance for teens

Teenage drivers have less experience on the road than other drivers and are more likely to take risks that older drivers would avoid. Because of this, insurance rates for young drivers tend to be much higher than for adults.

Adding a teen driver to the family auto insurance policy can be expensive, but teens can do several things to keep their auto insurance more affordable, including staying on their parents’ insurance policy, driving a safe car, taking a defensive driving course, and applying for a good student discount.

The following insurers offer some of the cheapest monthly car insurance quotes for teens in Jacksonville.

How to get the cheapest car insurance in Jacksonville

Several factors play a role in determining your insurance rates, including your driving record, the type of car you drive, the amount of time you spend on the road, and your level of coverage. While these are mostly in your control, insurers also use factors like your age, marital status, gender, and location to determine your rates.

Some strategies you can adopt to ensure you get cheap car insurance that provides the coverage you need include the following:

• Compare quotes. Insurance companies use different formulas to determine your rate. You should shop among multiple insurers to find coverage at a price you can afford.

• Raise your deductible. A higher deductible means lower premiums. But make sure you have enough money to cover the higher deductible cost if you need to file a claim.

• Apply for discounts. Many insurance companies offer numerous discounts to customers, including bundling discounts for people who get multiple policies from the same insurer, payment discounts for people who pay in advance rather than monthly, and low-mileage discounts for people who drive less than average.

• Drive safely. Maintaining a clean driving record is one of the best ways to get and keep low insurance rates.

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Jacksonville car insurance quotes by credit tier

Your credit score may affect your auto insurance rates in North Carolina.^[3] Many insurance companies use credit scores as a factor in determining premium costs. Drivers with good to excellent credit scores may pay lower rates than those with poor credit scores.

Here are the average monthly quotes for insurance in Jacksonville by credit tier:

Is car insurance more expensive in Jacksonville?

Full-coverage car insurance costs more in Jacksonville than the average cost in North Carolina, though liability-only insurance is less than the state average. North Carolina’s average monthly cost for auto insurance is $69 for liability only and $159 for full coverage.

Jacksonville residents pay an average of $62 per month for liability-only coverage and $171 per month for full-coverage insurance.

Insurance costs can vary widely within a state, and even within a city. The difference in rates between Jacksonville and the rest of the state can be related to demographics, population density, crime statistics, or other geographical factors.

Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, and Fayetteville both have higher average full-coverage rates than Jacksonville. But rates are lower in Durham, Greensboro, High Point, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem.

More cities in North Carolina

Though Jacksonville is one of the more expensive cities in North Carolina, how does it stack up against other cities in the state? Here are the average monthly full-coverage quotes in other North Carolina cities compared to Jacksonville.

Jacksonville car insurance FAQs