If you’re lucky enough to live in Erie, Pennsylvania, you know how beautiful it can be. And you also know how treacherous it can be to drive beside the windswept snow banks and on the slippery streets in winter. This is why it’s important to find good car insurance at an affordable price.
Thankfully, car insurance is relatively affordable for most Erie residents, averaging $93 per month for liability-only coverage and $151 for full coverage. The statewide average, by contrast, is $94 per month for liability-only insurance and $158 per month for full coverage.
Here’s what you should know about finding the cheapest car insurance in Erie.
Best car insurance companies in Erie
The way insurance companies price their products can vary dramatically. That’s why it’s a good idea to get quotes from as many companies as you can when you’re shopping for rates.
As you begin your search, start with these companies.
Best insurer for customer service: Erie Insurance
Best insurer for affordability: Mile Auto
Best insurer for coverage options: State Farm
How to get the cheapest car insurance in Erie
The rates insurers offer you are based on more than a dozen individual factors, including your driving record, credit history, age, ZIP code, gender, and marital status. Some of these things are out of your control, but others can be altered in order to lower your rates.
To get the best rates in Erie, focus on these steps:
Compare rates from several different insurers.
Work on improving your credit history.
Look for discounts, especially for using telematics apps.
Choose a mileage-based option if you don’t drive very much.
Choose the highest deductible option you can afford to pay out of pocket.
Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Erie: National General
Liability-only insurance covers damages and injuries suffered by the other party in an accident you cause. However, it doesn’t cover any damage to your vehicle or injuries you and your passengers may suffer.
Because its coverage is more limited, liability insurance is often the most affordable option. Erie residents pay on average $93 per month for liability coverage, and can find the cheapest rates from National General for $62 per month.
In the table below, you can see the rates for liability coverage offered by different insurers in Erie.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Erie: State Farm
Full-coverage insurance provides the same coverage as liability insurance, but it also pays to cover your car in case of a mishap or accident. This is true even if you’re the one who caused the incident. That’s why most lenders require you to carry this coverage while you’re paying off your car, even though it adds a bit to your total cost.
On average, Erie drivers pay $151 per month for full coverage, and can find the cheapest rates from State Farm for $75 per month.
Full-coverage rates are generally higher, and you can see how rates compare in Erie below.
Car insurance requirements in Pennsylvania
In order to drive legally in Pennsylvania, you must carry a minimum amount of liability insurance, as well as medical benefits coverage through personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments (MedPay) coverage.
These are the minimum coverage requirements in Pennsylvania:
However, if you’d like to have coverage that exceeds the minimum, you can also add:
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident
People often repeat past driving habits and behaviors, and that’s why you might have a harder time finding an affordable policy if you have a driving infraction on your record. These incidents, as insurers call them, include speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and driving under the influence.
In the following sections, you’ll see how different incidents affect your insurance rates in Erie.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket: State Farm
Insurers know that speeding dramatically increases your chances of injuring or killing someone, which — from a business perspective — is a very expensive claim.6 That’s why most insurers increase your payments for several years after you have a speeding ticket listed on your driving record.
If you live in Erie and have a speeding ticket on your record, you can expect to pay an average of $125 per month for liability-only car insurance. Drivers can find the cheapest rates from State Farm for $86 per month.
The table below shows what type of increase you can expect from various insurers.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident: State Farm
Speeding means you’re at higher risk for an accident, but if you’ve already caused an accident, things get even tougher still. Insurers will view you as higher-risk if you’re at fault for an accident and raise your premiums to offset their risk.
Erie drivers with an at-fault accident pay $108 on average for liability-only coverage, but they can find the cheapest rates from State Farm for $81 per month. Keep in mind, if a driver purchases accident forgiveness coverage, they can waive the premium surcharge for their first at-fault accident.
If you have an at-fault accident on your record, you may see your rates to climb to the mark of those listed below.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: National General
A DUI is one of the most serious marks you can have on your driving record, and your rates will often increase dramatically after receiving one. Some insurers may drop you altogether, and you’ll be limited to insurers who specialize in charging very expensive rates to higher-risk drivers. Fortunately, if you’ve been convicted of a DUI, Pennsylvania doesn’t require you to purchase SR-22 insurance like drivers in other states.
Drivers in Erie with a DUI can expect to pay an average of $150 per month for liability-only car insurance. National General offers the cheapest rates at $96 per month.
The insurers below offer the most affordable rates for drivers with a DUI.
Cheapest car insurance for seniors: National General
Driving well requires a lot of experience as well as mental and physical ability. For most people, those two things generally start to peak around age 35.
While car insurance rates decrease for middle-aged adults and remain stagnant if the driver maintains a clean driving record, insurers typically increase premiums once a driver enters their 70s. Because even though a senior driver may have lifelong driving experience, they’re more likely to get into an accident and suffer serious injuries from a crash.
Senior drivers in Erie pay $83 per month for liability car insurance, on average. National General offers the cheapest rates for seniors in Erie at $50 per month.
The Erie insurance companies below offer the most affordable rates to senior drivers.
Cheapest car insurance for teens: State Farm
Teenagers have plenty of physical ability but lack driving experience. History shows they’re also more prone to taking risks in general and engage in distracted driving habits, which is why many insurers charge higher rates for teen drivers.7 Fortunately, some companies offer special discounts for teens who get good grades, drive a safe vehicle, and more.
Teen drivers in Erie with liability-only coverage pay an average of $182 per month. State Farm offers the cheapest rates for teens at $132 per month.
Below are the most affordable monthly quotes for teen and young drivers.
Erie car insurance quotes by credit tier
Insurers in Erie are allowed to take your credit history into account when setting your policy rates. Companies view excellent credit as evidence that you’re a responsible driver. In contrast, if you have a poor credit, you may end up paying a much higher rate.
Here are the average full-coverage rates in Erie based on credit scores.
Is car insurance more expensive in Erie?
If you live in Erie, you’ll typically pay about the same for insurance compared to people in the rest of the country.
If you’re looking for a no-frills liability-only policy, Erie residents pay an average of $93 per month, which is on par with the national average. Full-coverage insurance costs more for Erie residents, at $151 per month, compared to the national full-coverage average of $184.
More cities in Pennsylvania
You’ll pay a lot less for car insurance in Erie than in more urban parts of Pennsylvania, like Philadelphia or Allentown. However, residents of other areas in Pennsylvania have even cheaper car insurance rates, as you can see below.