Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Cincinnati, OH (2023)

Transportation costs gobble up more money in the typical U.S. household than everything but housing.^[1] So, motorists in Cincinnati and the rest of Ohio can be thankful that the cost of car insurance is relatively low compared with other states.

“Historically, Ohio has one of the lowest average auto insurance premiums in the country,” says Robert Denhard, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Insurance.

Still, Cincinnati drivers pay just a bit more than the statewide average of $146, according to Insurify Data. Minimum-coverage car insurance in Cincinnati costs an average of $7 more (nearly 5%) per month.

How much does car insurance cost in Cincinnati?

Insurance costs can vary widely in Cincinnati, based on your driving record, the type of car you drive, and other factors. To find the best insurance to meet your needs, be sure to compare quotes from several insurance companies.

To find the cheapest quotes in Cincinnati, Insurify data scientists analyzed the latest insurance rates in the city. They found a monthly range of $61 to $215 for liability-only insurance, $94 to $447 for full-coverage insurance, and $109 to $426 for coverage of new/young drivers.

They also found the insurers with the cheapest liability-only insurance, cheapest full-coverage insurance, and cheapest insurance for new/young drivers in Cincinnati were:

• Mile Auto offers the cheapest liability-only insurance in Cincinnati.

• Mile Auto offers the cheapest full-coverage insurance in Cincinnati.

• Travelers offers the cheapest insurance for new/young drivers in Cincinnati.

Learn More: How Much Car Insurance Do I Need?

Average cost of auto insurance in Cincinnati

The average monthly cost of car insurance in Cincinnati varies widely, as you can see in the table below. 

Average car insurance premiums in Cincinnati by marital status

Your marital status can affect how much you pay for car insurance. Why? Because insurers view married people as safer, more financially stable drivers. Therefore, insurers charge married drivers less than single drivers.

Insurify’s data shows that in Cincinnati, a married driver pays an average of $174 a month for full coverage, compared with $212 for a single driver who’s buying full coverage.

Cheapest car insurance in Cincinnati: Mile Auto 

Mile Auto’s cheapest rate for liability-only insurance is $61 a month, Insurify data shows. Meanwhile, the company’s cheapest rate for full-coverage insurance is $94. These rates can be affected by numerous factors such as age, gender, and location. Therefore, you may pay more or less than these averages.

How much car insurance do you need in Cincinnati?

All motor vehicles operated or parked on Ohio roadways must be insured. Proof of insurance must be carried in your car at all times. You must also be able to provide proof of insurance at traffic stops, accident scenes, and vehicle inspections.

The minimum liability insurance requirements for private passenger vehicles in Ohio are:^[2]

• $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability: Bodily injury coverage pays medical bills for people other than the policyholder who are injured during an accident. Ohio is an at-fault state, meaning the driver who’s responsible for the collision is also responsible for paying for any resulting expenses, either through their car insurance company or out of their own pocket.

• $25,000 per accident for property damage liability: If it’s determined that an insured driver is at fault for an accident, this coverage pays for repairs to the property belonging to other people. Property damage coverage also can pay legal costs if the insured driver faces an accident-related lawsuit. 

“Ohio does not mandate uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage like many other states, but it’s important that consumers look into this coverage to ensure they are protected in the event of injury by an uninsured/underinsured or hit-and-run driver who’s at fault for the accident,” Denhard says.

Read More: How Long Does it Take to Get Car Insurance? A Consumer Guide

Cincinnati DMV information

Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) handles licensing and registration, as well as license suspensions and reinstatements. To take care of vehicle matters online, visit the Ohio BMV website.

Tips for getting cheap car insurance in Cincinnati

You have many ways to reduce your car insurance cost in Cincinnati, including:

• Bundle your car insurance with your homeowners insurance. An insurer may reward you if you insure both your car and home with the company.

• Pursue discounts. Car insurers offer a number of discounts if you complete a defensive driving course or raise your deductible.

• Maintain a clean driving record. You may be able to reduce your insurance premium by going accident-free and ticket-free for several years.

• Raise your deductible. If you bump up your deductible from, say, $500 to $1,000, you can significantly reduce your premium.

• Shop around. The Insurance Information Institute suggests obtaining quotes from at least three insurance companies before deciding on coverage. Compare the quotes based on price and coverage.

Learn More: Compare Home and Auto Insurance Bundles

How age affects car insurance rates in Cincinnati 

Generally, drivers 25 and under pay more for car insurance because they tend to get into more accidents than older, more mature drivers do.^[3] You can see in the table below how your age can affect the rate you’ll pay for insurance.

Cheapest car insurance for young drivers in Cincinnati

For young drivers in Cincinnati, Travelers sells the cheapest car insurance ($109 a month). One way a young driver can reduce insurance costs is by maintaining good grades, which could qualify them for a good student discount. The table below shows insurance rate options for young drivers.

Cheapest car insurance for middle-aged drivers in Cincinnati

At $52 a month, Stillwater sells the cheapest car insurance for middle-aged drivers in Cincinnati. To reduce their car insurance premiums, middle-aged drivers should shop around for coverage, explore discounts, and consider raising their deductible.

Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Cincinnati

Mile Auto offers the cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Cincinnati, at $49 per month. Senior motorists can typically cut their car insurance costs by completing a driving safety course.

How credit scores affect cheap car insurance in Cincinnati

An estimated 95% of car insurers use what’s known as credit-based insurance scoring when they’re setting rates. Insurers say these scores, based on your credit history, help predict the likelihood that you’ll file an insurance claim or get into an accident.^[4]

States, including Ohio, normally don’t allow credit-based insurance scores to be used as the only factor when it comes to setting rates or denying, canceling, or not renewing coverage.

A credit-based insurance score isn’t the same as a credit score. A credit score helps determine whether to approve you for a loan or credit card, and predicts your credit behavior (such as how likely you are to make timely payments on credit cards and loans).

The averages in the following table are for full-coverage insurance in Cincinnati.

On the FICO scoring model, which produces credit scores used by 90% of lenders, a credit score of 800 to 850 is considered exceptional, a score of 740 to 799 is considered very good, a score of 670 to 739 is considered good, a score of 580 to 669 is considered fair, and a score below 580 is considered poor.

The Experian credit bureau says the average FICO score stood at 714 in 2021.^[5]

Learn More: Car Insurance Rates by Credit Tier

The effect of driving habits on car insurance in Cincinnati

The better your driving record is, the lower your car insurance premiums will typically be. Things that can hurt your driving record (and your premiums) include accidents, speeding tickets, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The tables below outline how different driving infractions could increase your car insurance rates.

Cheapest car insurance with an accident in Cincinnati: Travelers

An accident will negatively affect the rate you pay for insurance, but the exact amount of that impact varies from insurer to insurer.

Cheapest car insurance with a DUI in Cincinnati: Mile Auto

Drivers with DUIs on their records usually face severe premium increases. Some insurance companies may not even grant you a policy if you have a DUI on your record, as they see it as a major risk.

Cheapest car insurance with a speeding ticket in Cincinnati: Mile Auto

While speeding tickets typically don’t have as serious of an effect on premiums as DUIs, they can still result in increases — especially if you have multiple speeding infractions on your record.

Car insurance in other Ohio cities

Car insurance rates can vary greatly from city to city, even within the same state. Here’s a look at car insurance rates in some other Ohio cities: 

• Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Akron, Ohio

• Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Cleveland, Ohio

• Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Dayton, Ohio

• Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Toledo, Ohio

• Cheap Auto Insurance Quotes in Youngstown, Ohio

Cincinnati driving conditions

For some motorists, driving in the Queen City can be a royal pain.

Data compiled in 2022 by Insurify puts Cincinnati at No. 8 among the U.S. cities with the worst drivers. To come up with the ranking, Insurify data scientists compared the number of drivers with a previous at-fault moving violation on record within the past seven years against the overall driving population.

Canton topped Insurify’s list, with Akron at No. 3, Dayton at No. 6, and Toledo at No. 9. Including Cincinnati, Ohio tallied five of the 10 cities with the worst drivers in 2022.

Fortunately, Cincinnati doesn’t fare so badly in a study released in 2021 by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute of traffic congestion in U.S. metro areas. The study shows that in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the typical Cincinnati-area driver wasted 52 hours in traffic.

However, drivers in the Cleveland and Columbus areas wasted less time in traffic (47 hours in Cleveland and 49 hours in Columbus).

By comparison, San Jose, California, ranked first for traffic congestion in the same large-metro category as Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus. In the San Jose area, the typical driver wasted 80 hours in traffic in 2019, the A&M study shows.

Find local Cincinnati agents

Cincinnati car insurance FAQs

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about car insurance in Cincinnati.