Cheapest and Best Car Insurance in Athens, GA (2024)

Your needs and driver profile will determine which company is the best for you. Auto-Owners Insurance Co is the most affordable insurer for minimum coverage and for drivers with a speeding ticket, while Country Financial is the cheapest for full coverage, military-affiliated drivers and those with an at-fault accident or DUI offense. Teens will find the lowest rates with Allstate. We recommend Country Financial if you want the best blend of affordability and service quality.

The following insurers offer the cheapest minimum coverage policies in Athens:

• Auto-Owners Insurance Co: $269 per year
• Country Financial: $307 per year

Allstate has the most expensive premiums for a minimum coverage policy at $561 per year. We also found that Auto-Owners Insurance Co also offers the cheapest car insurance in Georgia, not just in Athens. As of October 2022, its state-wide average premium is $311, which makes buying this insurer’s minimum coverage policy in Athens slightly more affordable compared to most other cities in the state.

State law determines liability limits for minimum coverage. Georgia state law requires that minimum coverage policies include the following bodily injury and property damage liability limits:

• $25,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $25,000 property damage liability per accident

If you’re found at fault in an accident, your liability coverage will shoulder the medical bills of any injured drivers and passengers up to certain limits. For instance, with bodily injury liability limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident, your insurer will pay up to $25,000 per injured person, up to a maximum of $50,000 per incident, regardless of how many were injured. You’ll have to pay out of pocket for costs exceeding these limits.

The cheapest car insurance companies for a full coverage policy in Athens are:

• Country Financial: $671 per year
• Auto-Owners Insurance Co: $709 per year

Progressive charges the highest premiums for full coverage at $1,012 per year, on average. Country Financial not only provides the cheapest full coverage policies in Athens, it also offers the cheapest full coverage car insurance in Georgia at $665 per year as of October 2022. This shows that this insurer may charge slightly higher rates in Athens than in other Georgia cities.

Full coverage insurance raises your liability limits and adds comprehensive and collision insurance to your policy.

• Collision Insurance: Covers the costs of the repair or replacement of your vehicle if it sustains damage in an at-fault accident, such as a collision with another vehicle or an object (stop sign, light post, median, etc.).
• Comprehensive Insurance: Helps cover expenses related to the repair or replacement of your vehicle if it is damaged as a result of natural disasters, vandalism or theft.

Typically, those with new cars opt for a full coverage policy to safeguard their investment. It may not be worth the extra cost if you have an older vehicle.

The following insurers offer the cheapest full coverage policies in Athens after a driving violation:

• Speeding ticket: Auto-Owners Insurance Co ($795 per year)
• At-fault accident: Country Financial ($939 per year)
• DUI: Country Financial ($1,103 per year)

The most expensive option for drivers with a speeding ticket or an at-fault accident is Mercury, with annual premiums averaging $1,396 and $1,907, respectively. GEICO is the least affordable option for drivers with a DUI offense on their record at $2,715 per year. Drivers with offenses should expect to pay higher rates than those with clean records, with even the cheapest providers charging hundreds of dollars more for the same policy.

Typically, car insurance rates increase in proportion to the severity of the driving offense. In Athens, drivers with a speeding ticket or DUI offense pay an average of $215 or $614 more for car insurance than drivers with a clean driving history. We’ve outlined ways to get affordable car insurance for drivers with a bad driving record.

The cheapest car insurance companies for 16-year-old teens on a family policy in Athens are:

• Allstate: $1,482 per year for female teens; $1,551 per year for male teens
• GEICO: $1,652 per year for female teens; $2,043 per year for male teens

State Farm offers the most expensive full coverage insurance for teens, costing around $2,594 or $3,321 when a female or male teen is added to a family policy. Male teens typically face higher premiums because companies view them as riskier to insure. For example, the cheapest insurer in Athens for teen drivers, Allstate, charges male teens $69 more than female teens for car insurance. However, this cost discrepancy levels out in early adulthood.

It’s significantly more expensive for teens to purchase an individual policy compared to joining a family policy. For example, a 16-year-old male in Athens could save up to $3,112 per year by joining a family policy compared to purchasing an individual one. To get the cheapest auto insurance for teens, we recommend comparing rates from multiple providers.

In Athens, the following insurers offer the cheapest rates for military members and their families:

• Country Financial: $671 per year
• Auto-Owners Insurance Co: $709 per year

Note that the rates above are for a full coverage policy. USAA offers the third cheapest rate at $783 per year, making it another great option for those looking for cheap car insurance for military drivers. For minimum coverage policies, Auto-Owners Insurance Co, at $269 per year, and Country Financial, at $307 per year, are your cheapest options.

Many insurance companies have online tools that allow you to estimate your car insurance cost. However, it can take up to 15 minutes to input the personal information required to generate a quote.

Fortunately, MoneyGeek’s car insurance calculator simplifies that process. Simply input your age, vehicle type, preferred coverage level and driving record to receive a car insurance estimate.

The best car insurance for you will depend on how much you value affordability, service quality, coverage and other factors. Here is MoneyGeek’s lineup of the best car insurance companies in Athens, Georgia:

• Best overall: Country Financial (MoneyGeek score of 81 out of 100)
• Best for service: Auto-Owners Insurance Co (MoneyGeek score of 66 out of 100)
• Best cheap: Auto-Owners Insurance Co (MoneyGeek score of 84 out of 100)

The total MoneyGeek score for a company may vary across categories based on the factors weighted in that category. Country Financial’s high ratings reflect a good mix of affordable premiums and top-notch service, which makes it the best auto insurance company in Georgia. With a MoneyGeek score of 75 out of 100, USAA is also worth considering if you have a military background.

In Athens, these companies offer the best overall car insurance, balancing affordability and service quality:

• Country Financial: MoneyGeek score of 81 out of 100 ($671 per year)
• Auto-Owners Insurance Co: MoneyGeek score of 78 out of 100 ($709 per year)

Of the seven insurers we evaluated, Country Financial is the cheapest and has the highest customer satisfaction rating. We also recommend USAA for military personnel and their families. With a MoneyGeek score of 75 out of 100, USAA policies are well suited to military drivers.

If you value customer service over cost, consider purchasing insurance from these companies:

• Auto-Owners Insurance Co: MoneyGeek score of 66 out of 100 ($709 per year)
• Country Financial: MoneyGeek score of 65 out of 100 ($671 per year)

Auto-Owners Insurance Co provides reliable and efficient service together with a wide range of coverage options. Its policies are also the second cheapest in Athens, making this insurer’s full coverage policies the best value for your money.

Our analysis of affordability and service quality for policies that meet Georgia’s minimum coverage requirements indicated that these are the best auto insurance companies in Athens:

• Auto-Owners Insurance Co: MoneyGeek score of 84 out of 100 ($269 per year)
• Country Financial: MoneyGeek score of 77 out of 100 ($307 per year)

Minimum coverage might be the cheapest insurance, but it’s important to know that this coverage provides little protection against liability costs. It also won’t cover repairs and other expenses if your car is damaged in an accident.

The average cost of car insurance in Athens for a full coverage policy is $864 per year. This is $149 cheaper than the average cost of car insurance in Georgia at $1,012 and $401 less the national average cost of car insurance — $1,265 as of October 2022. In our study, a full coverage policy includes $100,000 bodily injury liability per person, $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident and $100,000 property damage liability per accident. Keep in mind that location is just one of the many factors that insurers use in calculating your rates.