Buying cheap auto insurance is easier said than done, and determining which companies offer the best car insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record involves even more rate comparisons. Each auto insurance company uses a different method for determining rates, so to begin we’ll rank the car insurance companies with the most affordable rates in Tucson.
It’s important that readers know that Arizona car insurance rates are determined by lots of factors that control the cost of a policy. This is why consumers need to compare rates to get cheap car insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record. Prices consist of many different factors and change substantially, so the lowest-price company six months ago may now be quite expensive.
Best Cheap Insurance Rates for Imperfect Drivers
| Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hartford | $845 |
| 2 | Auto-Owners | $915 |
| 3 | Safeco | $932 |
| 4 | Travelers | $1,119 |
| 5 | USAA | $1,124 |
| 6 | GEICO | $1,142 |
| 7 | Progressive | $1,152 |
| 8 | Ameriprise Group | $1,172 |
| 9 | CSAA | $1,177 |
| 10 | Allied | $1,197 |
| 11 | Farm Bureau Mutual | $1,297 |
| 12 | Safe Auto | $1,336 |
| 13 | Unitrin | $1,357 |
| 14 | State Farm | $1,364 |
| 15 | Farmers | $1,391 |
| 16 | Titan | $1,418 |
| 17 | Amica | $1,443 |
| 18 | American Family | $1,463 |
| 19 | MetLife | $1,567 |
| 20 | California Casualty | $1,568 |
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The Hartford may offer some of the cheapest car insurance rates in Tucson at around $845 per year. This is $583 less than the average price paid by Arizona drivers of $1,428. Auto-Owners, Safeco, Travelers, and USAA also qualify as some of the more affordable Tucson, AZ auto insurance companies.
In the rate table above, if you have coverage with USAA and switched to Auto-Owners, you might see yearly savings of in the vicinity of $209. Policyholders with GEICO might save as much as $227 a year, and Progressive insureds might lower prices by $237 a year.
To find out how much you can save, click here to start your custom quote or visit any of the companies below.
Be aware that those estimates are averaged for all types of drivers and the different vehicles they drive and and are not calculated with a specific vehicle garaging location for drivers with a bad driving record. So the company that can offer you the best rate may not even be in the top 28 companies in the list above. That’s why you need to get rate quotes using your own individual information.
The type of vehicle requiring coverage is a large factor when shopping around for low-cost insurance for drivers with a bad driving record. Vehicles with limited top-end speed, a plethora of safety features, or a track record of few liability claims will cost significantly less to insure than high performance models. The list below showcases coverage premiums for a selection of the most budget-friendly automobiles to buy coverage for.
| Insured Vehicle | Estimated Cost for Full Coverage |
|---|---|
| Honda CR-V EX-L 2WD | $4,464 |
| Ford Escape XLS 4WD | $4,620 |
| Toyota Prius | $4,751 |
| Ford F-150 STX Regular Cab 2WD | $4,939 |
| Ford Edge Limited 2WD | $5,176 |
| Toyota RAV4 Limited 4WD | $5,226 |
| Volkswagen Jetta LE 4-Dr Sedan | $5,234 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LS | $5,226 |
| Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 4WD | $5,233 |
| Dodge Grand Caravan SXT | $5,276 |
| Ford Explorer XLT AWD | $5,347 |
| Ford Focus SEL 4-Dr Sedan | $5,410 |
| Toyota Corolla XLE | $5,460 |
| Chevrolet Equinox LS AWD | $5,475 |
| Ford Fusion Sport 4-Dr Sedan | $5,510 |
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Data rating is based on single female driver age 40, two speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Arizona minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include homeowner, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Prices do not factor in specific location information which can change premium rates considerably.
Looking at the rates, you can presume that models like the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, Toyota Prius, and Ford F-150 are likely to be a few of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure for bad drivers. Rates will tend to be higher because of the fact that there is more liability exposure for drivers with a bad driving record, but in general those vehicles will have the lowest prices compared to other types of vehicles.
For bad drivers, one of the big criteria that are looked at to help calculate insurance cost is where you keep your vehicle in Tucson. Regions with more people or even just more weather-related claims likely pay more, whereas areas with less congestion get the luxury of paying less.
The illustration below ranks the priciest cities in Arizona for drivers with a bad driving record in which to purchase auto insurance. Tucson makes the list at #17 with the annual price of $1,061 for the average policy, which is approximately $88 monthly.
| Rank | City | Annual Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phoenix | $1,255 |
| 2 | Glendale | $1,214 |
| 3 | Avondale | $1,186 |
| 4 | San Tan Valley | $1,185 |
| 5 | Buckeye | $1,156 |
| 6 | Mesa | $1,147 |
| 7 | Goodyear | $1,131 |
| 8 | Scottsdale | $1,129 |
| 9 | Gilbert | $1,120 |
| 10 | Tempe | $1,118 |
| 11 | Maricopa | $1,107 |
| 12 | Peoria | $1,093 |
| 13 | Chandler | $1,082 |
| 14 | Surprise | $1,080 |
| 15 | Casa Grande | $1,079 |
| 16 | Oro Valley | $1,062 |
| 17 | Tucson | $1,061 |
| 18 | Catalina Foothills | $1,040 |
| 19 | Casas Adobes | $1,040 |
| 20 | Yuma | $983 |
| 21 | Flagstaff | $960 |
| 22 | Prescott | $914 |
| 23 | Bullhead City | $905 |
| 24 | Lake Havasu City | $878 |
| 25 | Sierra Vista | $872 |
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Premium costs are comparative as the specific garaging location can increase or decrease price quotes substantially.
Cost difference between full coverage and liability
Reducing the cost of car insurance should be important to the majority of vehicle owners, and one great way to save on the cost of insurance for drivers with a bad driving record is to only buy liability insurance. The diagram below shows the difference between insurance premiums when comparing full coverage to liability only. The premiums assume no accidents, no driving violations, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no policy discounts are applied.
If the expense is averaged for all age categories, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs an additional $1,263 per year more than just buying liability only. Many of you may wonder if buying full coverage is a waste of money. There is no written rule that is best for determining when to drop full coverage on your policy, but there is a general school of thought. If the yearly cost of comp and collision coverage is more than 10% of the vehicle’s replacement cost less your deductible, then you may need to consider dropping full coverage.
There are some situations where buying only liability insurance is not a good idea. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to keep full coverage as part of the loan conditions. Also, if you cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is damaged, you should not remove full coverage.
Safe drivers pay cheaper rates
A great way to maintain the most affordable car insurance prices for bad drivers is to pay attention while driving and not get tickets or have accidents. The example below highlights how speeding tickets and at-fault claims can influence yearly insurance costs for different age groups. The rate quotes are based on a single male driver, comprehensive and collision coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
The data in the chart shows the average cost of auto insurance in Tucson per year with no violations or accidents is $1,704. Get two speeding tickets and the average cost swells to $2,245, an increase of $541 each year. Now include one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for drivers with a bad driving record jumps again to an average of $2,798. That’s an increase of $1,094, or $91 per month, just for being a less-than-perfect driver!
Are you paying too much for car insurance in Tucson?
Arizona car insurance rates are influenced by many factors that can increase the cost of having a policy. Improving your credit rating, adding a teenager to your policy, or getting a driving violation can trigger changes in premium that can now make some companies cheaper than competitors. Not only may things change on your end, but companies change their prices every year or even multiple times each year in order to offset underwriting gains or losses. Higher than normal claims can result in increased rates, while a profitable period may cause cheaper Tucson car insurance rates.
To help illustrate this point, the graph below shows a variety of companies that have the cheapest car insurance in Tucson, AZ for a 45-year-old male driver with no accidents or violations, and a good credit history. When comparing rates based on his current risk factors, The Hartford might offer the lowest car insurance rates in Tucson at $1,062 per year. This is $366 less than the average rate paid by Arizona drivers of $1,428. Safeco, Auto-Owners, Travelers, and USAA are the remainder of the best Tucson, AZ auto insurance companies.
The chart below compares rates after we give the driver in the first example an accident surcharge, a lower credit score, and a couple of points charged on his driving record. Due to the fact that every auto insurer uses their own formula for setting prices, comparing insurance quotes may now present a new list of the cheapest car insurance companies in Tucson as shown below.
GEICO now has the lowest car insurance rate in Tucson, AZ with Allied, Ameriprise Group, CSAA, and Safeco completing the list. This example shows why it is crucial to spend some time comparing rates when trying to get the most budget-friendly insurance rates for drivers with a bad driving record.
Prices are impacted by many different factors and change frequently, so the lowest-price company six months ago may now be wasting a lot of money.