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 Atlantic Ocean.
With an overall average cost of $70 per month, Jacksonville drivers pay less than the statewide average of $75 per month and the national monthly average of $144. The city’s smaller population size of 70,420 and less congested roadways may contribute to its lower insurance costs.
But your exact auto insurance rate will depend on a number of factors. Here’s what you need to know about comparing quotes and securing the best auto insurance in Jacksonville.
3 of the cheapest 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.
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
How to get the cheapest car insurance in Jacksonville
Several factors determine 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.
Here are some strategies you can adopt to ensure you get cheap car insurance that provides the coverage you need:
Compare quotes. Insurance companies use different formulas to determine your rate. Shop among multiple insurers to find coverage at a price you can afford.
Raise your deductible. A higher collision or comprehensive 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 their policy in full 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.
Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Jacksonville: Progressive
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
Liability insurance costs an average of $61 per month in Jacksonville.
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.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Jacksonville: Nationwide
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.
Jacksonville drivers pay a monthly average of $80 for full coverage.
A driver with a financed or leased car generally must buy 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. But 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
The specific coverage limits required in the state increase on July 1, 2025. The table below reflects the change in requirements:
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:
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, DWI, 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 for several years.
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.
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 for three to five years.
Jacksonville drivers with a speeding ticket pay an average of $84 per month for liability coverage and $110 per month for full coverage.
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 liability-only 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.
Liability insurance costs an average of $87 per month in Jacksonville for drivers with an at-fault accident on their record.
While it can be difficult to find affordable car insurance after an at-fault accident, the following insurers can help Jacksonville residents get the liability coverage they need.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DWI
Driving while intoxicated is one of the most severe traffic violations a driver can commit. Both law enforcement and insurance companies take DWIs 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 for up to 10 years — if your insurer doesn’t drop you altogether.
Jacksonville drivers with a DUI pay an average of $99 per month for a minimum-coverage policy. That average increases to $130 per month for full coverage.
The following insurers provide the least expensive liability-only coverage to Jacksonville drivers with a DWI.
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 25 since they have more maturity and experience behind the wheel.
Drivers generally pay lower rates until they reach their 70s. Around age 70, accident rates begin to increase for senior drivers, so rates tend to increase again.
Senior drivers in Jacksonville pay $55 per month, on average, for liability insurance. 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, leading to a high accident rate. Because of this, insurance rates for young drivers are much higher than for adults.
Teen drivers in Jacksonville pay monthly averages of $120 for liability coverage and $157 for full coverage.
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. Keep in mind, minor teens aren't legally allowed to buy their own car insurance policy without the written consent of a parent or guardian.
The following insurers offer some of the cheapest monthly car insurance quotes for teens in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville car insurance quotes by credit tier
Your credit history may affect your auto insurance rates in North Carolina.3 Many insurance companies use credit information as a factor in determining premium costs. Drivers with good to excellent credit scores may pay lower rates than drivers 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 less in Jacksonville than in North Carolina, though liability-only insurance is similar to the state average. North Carolina’s average monthly cost for auto insurance is $62 for liability only and $87 for full coverage.
Jacksonville residents pay an average of $61 per month for liability-only coverage and $80 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.
More cities in North Carolina
You can see how Jacksonville rates compare to some other North Carolina cities in the table below.