The Best Cheap North Carolina Car Insurance for 2024

Drivers in North Carolina are required to carry auto insurance. It's for their protection and the protection of others. The best car insurance companies know that drivers come in all shapes and sizes. Some have perfect driving records (and are rewarded for it), while others have a driving history that makes finding cheap auto insurance in North Carolina tough. Here, we've broken down North Carolina car insurance laws, minimum car insurance requirements, and the best car insurance companies in North Carolina.

• Cheapest for a typical driver: Erie
• Cheapest for a driver with one accident: Erie
• Cheapest for seniors over the age of 65: Nationwide
• Cheapest for military members: Geico
• Cheapest for a driver looking for minimum coverage: Nationwide

Cheapest for a typical driver

A "typical" driver is someone with a clean driving record: No accidents, speeding tickets, or DUIs. The cheapest car insurance in North Carolina for a typical driver comes courtesy of Erie, with an average annual rate of $1,028.

Coming in right behind with low-cost car insurance are:

• Geico, with an average annual rate of $1,059
• Integon National, with a rate of $1,115
• Auto-Owners, offering an average annual premium of $1,143

Cheapest for a driver with one accident

The best place to find affordable car insurance in North Carolina with one accident on your record is Erie, with an average annual rate of $1,622.

In second and third place for the cheapest car insurance in North Carolina are:

• Integon National, with a rate of $1,699
• Auto-Owners, with an average annual premium of $1,790

Cheapest for seniors over the age of 65

Seniors over the age of 65 are rewarded for years of driving experience. The best car insurance in North Carolina for seniors is Nationwide, with an average annual premium of $975.

Other North Carolina auto insurance contenders include:

• Erie, offering an average annual rate of $1,009
• Geico, with an annual rate of $1,018
• Integon National, with an average annual premium of $1,119
• Auto-Owners, with a competitive rate of $1,126

Cheapest for military members

When it comes to military members and their families, Geico is the North Carolina insurance rate champion, with an annual average premium of $976.

Also worth considering are:

• Erie, with an annual rate of $1,028
• Integon National, with an average annual rate of $1,115

Cheapest for a driver looking for minimum coverage

For drivers looking for cheap liability car insurance in North Carolina, Nationwide offers minimum coverage for an average annual rate of $330.

Other carriers offering cheap North Carolina auto insurance for drivers looking for minimum coverage are:

• Erie, with a low annual rate of $353
• Auto-Owners, providing minimum coverage for $359
• Geico, with an average annual premium of $370

Average car insurance cost in North Carolina compared to the national average

Insurance in North Carolina is a relative bargain. With an average statewide rate of $1,595, North Carolinians pay 65% below the national average. If you're wondering "how much is car insurance in North Carolina?," the answer is "less than the majority of the country."

Additionally, across many major driver categories, North Carolina drivers are typically seeing much lower car insurance rates compared with the national average. Young drivers are seeing close to 70% lower rates while drivers drivers who have had an accident or speeding ticket are typically paying about 35% less in North Carolina.

North Carolina auto insurance laws

According to the state DMV website, North Carolina car insurance laws are strictly enforced. Once a driver's insurance lapses, the DMV sends a notification to the vehicle's registered owner. The owner has 10 days to respond to the notice. Failure to do so may result in the revocation of the license plate, penalties, late fees, and interest. For example, the penalty for the first lapse is $50. For the second it's $100. Any subsequent lapses will cost $150 each. And that's if the driver is not pulled over, ticketed, and faced with court costs.

North Carolina minimum coverage requirements

North Carolina minimum car insurance is as follows:

• $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage
• $25,000 in property damage liability coverage
• $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident in uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage
• $25,000 in uninsured/underinsured motorist property damage coverage

How to get cheap auto insurance in North Carolina

As you gather car insurance quotes for North Carolina, you may notice how much premiums vary by company. One way to lower your premium is to look for discounts. Another is to bundle your coverage with other types of insurance coverage (homeowners, for example). And finally, it pays to have a strong credit score. Studies have shown that people with high credit scores tend to have fewer accidents and speeding tickets. That means they represent a lower risk to insurance companies. If your credit score is not quite where you want it to be, taking steps to boost it can help lower your insurance premiums.

Once you've found an auto insurance company you like, look at their available discounts and claim as many as possible.

Common discounts

The number of potential car insurance discounts varies by the insurance company, but taking time to look through the options can save you money. Here are some of the ways you can save money:

• Good student discount
• Defensive driver discount
• Pay-in-full discount
• Away-at-school discount
• Occupational discount
• Alumni discount
• Professional organization discount
• Safety feature discount
• Usage-based discount
• Multi-car discount
• Multi-policy discount

Other things to consider when looking for car insurance in North Carolina

Once an auto insurance policy lapses in North Carolina, it's not long before the DMV knows about it. That's because North Carolina law requires insurance companies to notify the Division of Motor Vehicles as soon as liability insurance is canceled or coverage lapses.