Cleveland, Tennessee, is a smaller city by population compared to other cities in the state. Drivers in the area enjoy an average commute time of 20 minutes.1 Luckily for those commuters, car insurance is relatively affordable in Cleveland compared to the rest of the country, costing an overall average of $100 per month compared to the national overall average of $144 per month.
Car insurance costs vary depending on your personal situation, and that’s why it’s important to shop around and compare quotes. Insurify analyzed the best insurance companies for drivers to help you get the lowest rates.
3 of the cheapest car insurance companies in Cleveland
Car insurance is much cheaper in Cleveland than in major Tennessee cities. But it can be tough to sort out which company is the best option. You can buy the same basic car insurance from just about any insurer, but certain companies might have better prices for you, depending on your personal situation.
Here are some of the different options that might work better for you depending on your circumstances.
Best insurer overall: State Farm
Best insurer for affordable rates: Erie
Best insurer for military families: USAA
How to get the cheapest car insurance in Cleveland
“The biggest challenge faced by auto owners comes from rising insurance costs,” says Kevin Walters, director of communications for the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. You might have noticed an increase in your premium cost even though you haven’t changed anything else about your policy.
The good news is you can bring down the cost of your car insurance without forgoing driving altogether. These options each have their pros and cons, but they can help you get the coverage you need for an affordable price.
Compare quotes. Shop around with as many companies as you can to find the cheapest quote for the coverage levels you want. Check the companies’ customer satisfaction ratings, account management tools, and add-on options to see which one is the right fit for you.
Reconsider coverage. Reassess your coverage options to see if you can afford to lower or completely drop add-ons, like collision or comprehensive coverage.
Change your deductible. Increase your deductible to the highest you can afford to pay out of pocket if you ever need to file a claim. Higher deductibles usually lead to lower premiums.
Look for discounts. You can get a discount on your premiums for paying in full, setting up automatic payments, driving a car with safety features, and driving safely.
Bundle coverage. If you buy your homeowners insurance or renters insurance with the same company as your auto insurance, you can most likely score lower premiums on both products.
Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Cleveland: Mile Auto
To drive in Tennessee, you need to purchase a minimum level of liability coverage.3 Liability coverage provides other drivers with reimbursement for medical care and car repairs when you injure them or damage their property in an accident you cause. It doesn’t provide coverage for your injuries or property damage. Because liability coverage is the absolute minimum coverage you need, it’s typically cheaper than a full-coverage policy.
Cleveland drivers pay an average of $70 per month for liability coverage. Here are the cheapest liability-only car insurance policies in Cleveland.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Cleveland: Mile Auto
Full-coverage policies include comprehensive and collision insurance. Comprehensive insurance covers car repairs from non-collision events, like theft, vandalism, weather, and objects falling on your car. Collision insurance provides coverage for car repairs after a collision, even if you caused it, like hitting a fence or another car.
Lenders generally require you to buy a full-coverage car insurance policy while you’re paying off your vehicle. You can drop the coverage after that to save money, but many people choose to keep it. Without full coverage, you’d have to replace your vehicle on your own if your insurer totals it after an accident.4
Cleveland drivers pay an average of $130 per month for full coverage. Here’s how much insurers charge for a full-coverage policy in Cleveland.
Car insurance requirements in Tennessee
Tennessee is a tort liability state, meaning that if someone else injures you in a car accident, it’s their responsibility to reimburse you for medical care and car repairs, typically through their liability insurance.5 You’re even allowed to sue them to collect payment for personal injuries and property damages.
On the flip side, in order to pay for those expenses, Tennessee requires all drivers to carry a minimum level of coverage. Keep in mind that a liability-only policy is meant to pay someone else if you cause an accident; if you want coverage for yourself or your car, you’ll need to buy an optional full-coverage policy. Tennessee requires the following car insurance minimums:3
Drivers in Cleveland can also consider the following additional coverages to add more protection to their auto insurance policy:
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident
Car insurance companies consider your past driving behavior when underwriting your policy. The Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security maintains driving records and keeps tabs on any major incidents you might have, such as speeding tickets, driving under the influence, and at-fault accidents.
If you have any of these types of incidents listed on your driving record, any potential insurers will be able to see it when you apply for a policy. That’s why it pays — literally — to maintain a clean driving record.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket: Mile Auto
Getting a speeding ticket may not increase your rates as much as other driving violations or traffic convictions, but it can still cause auto insurance rates to rise. Speeding is dangerous and was the leading factor in traffic fatalities in 2021.6
Cleveland drivers with speeding tickets pay an average of $91 per month for liability coverage. Here are the average quotes that the cheapest car insurance companies are charging Cleveland residents with a speeding ticket on their driving record.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident: Mile Auto
Driving with risky behavior and actually causing an accident are two different things, and that’s why your premiums might go up even more if you do have an at-fault accident on your driving record.7
Drivers in Cleveland with at-fault accidents pay an average of $93 per month for liability coverage. In Cleveland, even the cheapest car insurance companies raise prices accordingly for a liability-only policy if you have an at-fault accident under your belt.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: Mile Auto
If you have a DUI on your record, it can be difficult to find a company that will offer you a policy — and if you do, you’ll typically pay higher auto insurance premiums.7 Insurance companies view drivers with a DUI as high-risk and charge more to cover the higher risk of loss.
Drivers in Cleveland with DUIs pay an average of $91 per month for liability coverage.
Cheapest car insurance for seniors: Mile Auto
Senior drivers generally have the most experience of anyone on the road. But around age 70, driving capabilities start to decline, making accidents more likely.8 Before that point, though, Cleveland senior drivers pay much lower average rates than most other drivers.
Senior drivers in Cleveland pay an average of $59 per month for liability coverage and $109 per month for full coverage. Here are the cheapest auto insurers for seniors in the city.
Cheapest car insurance for teens: Mile Auto
Adding a teen driver to your policy causes a big price hike for policyholders. Insurers charge higher premiums for people younger than 25 because they don’t have as much experience as older drivers and are at an increased risk of getting in an accident.9
The average cost of car insurance for teen drivers in Cleveland is $140 per month for liability coverage and $261 per month for full coverage. Here’s how much the cheapest car insurance companies charge on average for a liability-policy for Cleveland teenagers.
Cleveland car insurance quotes by credit tier
Tennessee lawmakers allow insurers to take your credit history into account when deciding how much to charge you.10 If you have an excellent or good credit score this means you might qualify for the lowest premiums — but that also means you might also be penalized with unaffordable premiums if you have a poor credit score.
Here’s how much Tennessee residents pay per month, on average, for full-coverage insurance depending on their credit tiers:
Is car insurance more expensive in Cleveland?
On average, Cleveland residents pay less than the nationwide average for liability-only coverage, at an average of $70 per month versus $104 per month for the whole country. Compared to Tennessee’s state average of $70, Cleveland drivers pay about the same.
More cities in Tennessee
Tennessee residents pay a lot less for car insurance than people living in most other states, and that’s also true for Cleveland residents compared to Tennessee as a whole.
Here’s how Cleveland car insurance costs compare to other Tennessee cities: