If you don’t particularly enjoy shopping for car insurance, that’s okay. Many decisions go into shopping for auto coverage, and some can be confusing. There are coverage types to consider, driving record, deductibles, and potential discounts to factor in. The good news about buying auto insurance in the Cornhusker State is this: Some of the best car insurance companies offer incredibly competitive rates.
- Cheapest for a typical driver: Amco
- Cheapest for a driver with one speeding ticket: Amco
- Cheapest for members of the military: Amco
- Cheapest for a driver with one accident: Farmers
- Cheapest for a driver looking for minimum coverage: Farmers
Cheapest for a typical driver
For a "typical" driver with a clean driving record, the cheapest car insurance in Nebraska is available through Amco, offering an average annual rate of $1,298.
Here are two other Nebraska auto insurance carriers worth considering. Each offers rates that amount to less than $130 per month. Given how much a single car accident can cost, $130 makes sense to protect your financial interests.
- USAA, with an average annual rate of $1,460
- Farmers, with an average rate of $1,531
Cheapest for a driver with one speeding ticket
If you've ever received a speeding ticket, you know how much it can spike your rates. While it may not be a widely known company, Amco proves that it's among the best car insurance in Nebraska by offering an average annual rate of $1,623 to drivers with a single speeding ticket.
Following close behind are:
- Farmers, offering an average annual rate of $1,647
- Geico, coming in with an average rate of $1,752
Cheapest for members of the military
Amco also offers the lowest average annual rate to military members, coming in at $1,323. USAA is often a first stop for members of the military and their families, but it does not always offer the lowest rates. It can pay for a driver to shop around, even if they have access to USAA.
Other competitive carriers include:
- Geico, offering an average annual rate of $1,44
- Farmers, with an average yearly rate of $1,552
Cheapest for a driver with one accident
An accident on a driving record is a red flag to insurance companies. When there's one accident, they worry there could be more. In order to hedge their bets, they hike the premiums on drivers with an accident on their record. The hike doesn't last forever, but can be painful.
Farmers offers some of the most forgiving insurance premiums in Nebraska auto insurance, with an average annual rate of $1,713 for drivers with one accident on their record. Runners-up include:
- USAA, with an average annual rate of $2,092
- American Family, offering a yearly rate of $2,153
Cheapest for a driver looking for minimum coverage
Drivers looking for cheap liability car insurance in Nebraska are likely to appreciate Farmers low average annual rate of $250. That's less than $21 per month.
Other companies offering competitive rates for minimum coverage include:
- Geico, with an average annual rate of $321 (less than $27 per month)
- USAA, coming in with an average rate of $335 (less than $28 per month)
Average car insurance cost in Nebraska compared to the national average
The average cost of auto insurance in Nebraska is $2,864 annually, within a few dollars of the national average. The cost of coverage is determined by factors like age, driving history, credit score, and where the driver lives.
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Average Rate Category
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Nebraska
|
National Average
|
|
Overall
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$2,864
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$2,875
|
|
Young drivers
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$5,290
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$6,087
|
|
1 accident on driving record
|
$3,360
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$3,226
|
|
1 speeding ticket on driving record
|
$2,966
|
$2,840
|
Source: Quadrant Data
Nebraska auto insurance laws
Nebraska car insurance laws include serious penalties for driving without coverage. Those penalties include:
First offense: Suspension of driver’s license and vehicle registration. To restore driving and registration privileges, a driver must purchase insurance coverage and provide proof of that coverage with an SR-22 form. In addition to a $50 reinstatement fee, a driver should be prepared to spend between $300 and $800 for an SR-22 form.
Second offense: Drivers ticketed for a second offense can expect a repeat of everything that happened following the first offense.
Nebraska minimum coverage requirements
Nebraska minimum car insurance requirements include:
- Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
- Property damage liability: $25,000
- Uninsured motorist bodily injury: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
- Under-insured motorist bodily injury: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
How to get cheap auto insurance in Nebraska
Nebraska minimum car insurance requirements include:
- Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
- Property damage liability: $25,000
- Uninsured motorist bodily injury: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
- Under-insured motorist bodily injury: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
How to get cheap auto insurance in Nebraska
Nebraska auto insurance rates are not among the cheapest in the country. Still, it is possible to land low-cost car insurance in Nebraska. To keep rates low, shop around, gather quotes from several carriers, compare coverage, and take a deep dive into potential discounts.
Hunting for discounts
How much is car insurance in Nebraska? Ultimately, it's the price quoted, minus discounts. Potential insurance discounts vary by the insurance company, but looking through the options can save money. Here are some of the most common:
- Alumni discount
- Professional organization discount
- Good student discount
- Defensive driver discount
- Multi-policy discount
- New car discount
- Pay-in-full discount
- Away-at-school discount
- Occupational discount
- Safety feature discount
- Usage-based discount
Many drivers are surprised to learn car insurance quotes in Nebraska are based in part on credit scores. Studies have shown that drivers with low credit scores tend to make more auto insurance claims. For that reason, drivers with low scores tend to pay more for their insurance coverage. One way to score affordable car insurance in Nebraska is to focus on credit factors like paying bills on time and keeping debt levels low. It may take time to raise a low score, but it is worth the effort.
Other things to consider when looking for car insurance in Nebraska
While the cost of auto Nebraska auto insurance matches the national rate, drivers with a speeding ticket or accident on their driving record are likely to pay more than the national average. There's no way to soft-soap the fact that Nebraska auto insurance can be expensive. Shopping around for the cheapest car insurance in Nebraska is imperative. It's equally important to focus on credit score and landing policy discounts. And for teen drivers, being added to a family plan can minimize the high cost of coverage.
The best car insurance companies in Nebraska understand that drivers shop around, and readily provide the information needed to make a good decision. Until a driver has checked the rates available through several companies, they won't know for sure they're getting a good deal. And once a driver has a policy, it pays to review coverage at least once a year to make sure they're still getting the lowest possible price on the most comprehensive coverage.
RELATED: Need homeowners insurance as well? Check out Motley Fool Money's guide to the best cheap Nebraska homeowners insurance.
