8 Best Car Insurance Companies in Georgia of 2023

Georgia has the fourth-largest number of fatal auto accidents in the country.

In addition, Georgia is known for its high car theft.

And the more time you spend driving on its busy roads and congested highways—such as Interstate 285 and I-85—the more likely you’ll get into an accident.

Those are some of the reasons why Georgia residents need car insurance.

If you get into an accident, car insurance in Georgia will pay for any medical expenses that the injured person has.

And if you damage someone’s property while driving, auto coverage will pay to fix or replace it.

But most of all, auto insurance will cover you if you get into an accident.

However, auto insurance is expensive in the Peach State because of the high costs for auto repairs, natural disaster weather events, uninsured drivers, and more.

So, what do you do? There are many insurers out there, and it can be daunting to pick the one that meets your exact needs.

For example, if you want to increase your liability in case your policy limits are exhausted, which company do you think is best to handle the increase?

We’re here to help. Whether you live in Atlanta or Athens, we’ve put together a list of the best car insurance companies in Georgia that may help you find the insurer you want and give you an idea of what’s out there.

In addition, we gathered information about car insurance, including what is and what is not mandatory in Georgia, to give you a complete picture of all the things you need to know when buying a policy.

Compare Car Insurance Rates in GA

Liberty Mutual: Best Car Insurance When Your Car is Totaled

Liberty Mutual has been offering auto insurance for over 100 years. You can trust the insurer to get a customized quote that fits your needs.

What Liberty does best is cover you when your car is totaled.

For example, here are three of the most popular insurances that you can add to your standard or enhanced policy.

New Car Replacement

If you total your new car during the first year since you bought the car, you’ll be reimbursed for a brand-new car. The best thing about this insurance is that you don’t get the depreciated value of your car and instead get the replacement cost value.

Better Car Replacement

Say your car is again totaled. Liberty Mutual will reimburse you so that you’ll have money to buy a model that is one year newer.

Reimbursement For a Rental

If you are in an accident and your car received extensive damages, Liberty will pay you the cost of a rental car.

In addition, if you repair your car using the insurer’s approved auto repair company, and let the insurer take care of securing you a rental car, Liberty will cover your rental costs for as long as it takes to repair your car.

Progressive: Best Car Insurance for Good Drivers

At Progressive, the safer you drive, the more you save. That’s because Progressive has a Snapshot program that can personalize your premium based on your good driving habits.

Snapshot is easy to use for many drivers. After you get a quote and enroll in Snapshot, you can choose the way you want to be tracked.

You can use the mobile app or a plug-in device that you stick in your car.

Then you’re ready to drive, and you can check to see how well you drive using the app or the insurer’s website.

Technically called usage-based insurance, this means you pay based on how much you drive instead of just traditional factors. In so doing, and according to Progressive’s website, drivers who use Snapshot save an average of $145 a year.

Read a full Progressive car insurance review.

Farmers: Best Car Insurance with Numerous Discounts

Everyone knows that when you buy auto insurance (or life, homeowners, and renters insurance), you can save on your policy if your insurer offers you copious discounts.

That’s what Farmers is most renowned for. You are bound to save with many discounts if you qualify for them.

Amica: Best Car Insurance for Free Benefits

Amica has the most competitive rates in the US, whether you purchase full coverage or just the minimum. The insurer also specializes in young adults, giving them good rates even if they have a traffic violation.

What’s appealing about Amica is its free benefits that often come at a cost to comparable insurers.

These benefits include lock replacement, airbag repair, glass repair, wage reimbursement (if you have to appear in court), bail bonds, and depreciation protection.

In addition, Amica auto has supplemental coverage options. Under their Platinum Choice package, you get a lot of useful things such as roadside assistance, full glass coverage, rental reimbursement, identity monitoring, and better rental coverage.

GEICO: Best Car Insurance for Necessary Add-Ons

GEICO was founded in 1936, and in recent years, it wrote nearly $37.4 billion in insurance premiums.

It’s known for being as big as Allstate.

In addition to the standard insurance, GEICO offers a few add-on coverage options that make your policy more comprehensive but will increase your rates.

Read a full GEICO car insurance review.

Allstate: Best Car Insurance for Roadside Assistance

Allstate was founded in 1931 and has become a household brand name and has the distinction of issuing 113 million policies.

Despite the large insurer, Allstate has distinctive coverage options for every driver.

But what if you have a flat tire and you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere? What if you run out of gas due to your negligence?

This is where Allstate stands out.

It has two roadside assistance plans. In addition, no matter which plan you buy, you can also receive additional perks like discounts and resources for travel or buying a new car.

Roadside Advantage

Offers 24/7 protection for local/minimal driving.

You get a maximum of 3 rescues per year.

The plan includes jump starts, fuel delivery, lockout assistance, and tire changing.

Also included:

• $1,500 trip interruption
• $100 road hazard benefit
• $150 tow service benefit (per tow)

Roadside Elite

Offers 24/7 coverage for regular travelers, motorcycles, and RVs.

Your maximum rescues are higher, at 5 per year.

All roadside features included in the roadside advantage plan are featured in the elite plan.

Also included:

• $1,500 trip interruption
• $250 road hazard benefit
• $250 tow service benefit (per tow)

State Farm: Best Car Insurance for the Most Affordable Rates

State Farm, like Allstate, is a trusted brand name with decades of experience and offers great customer service as well as several discounts to offset the price of your premium.

Its large market share allows State Farm to keep its prices competitive.

In Georgia, auto insurance with State Farm costs $640 per year or $53 per month.

Compare that with the state average, which is $715 per month, or $60 a year, and you’ll notice how affordable State Farm auto insurance is.

The exact cost of auto insurance with State Farm depends on factors such as a driver's history on the road, age, state, and coverage limits.

With State Farm, you also have access to discounts that the insurer provides to customers and which can significantly reduce your already affordable rate.

Travelers: Best Car Insurance for Additional Options

Travelers offers many discounts to help you save on your premium and has an app to track your driving speed. If you are a good driver, your rate will lower over time.

Beyond the standard coverage, Travelers offers additional auto insurance options, some of which are not covered by comparable companies.

Gap Insurance

Gap insurance covers what you owe on a loan or lease after your car is totaled.

So if your car is totaled before it’s paid off or the lease is up, the insurer pays the difference between your loan’s balance and the car’s value.

Premier New Car Replacement

If you have a new car or if the car is five years old or lower and you get an accident that totals your car, Travelers will pay to replace the car with a brand new one.

Plus, while you are shopping for a new car, you can get a rental car replacement.

Travelers’ Responsible Driver Plan

If you have one accident and one minor violation (such as a speeding ticket) over a specific time period, Travelers will forgive you and make sure your rates won’t go up.

The Premier Responsible Driver Plan

In addition to the accident and violation forgiveness plan, as well as a decreasing deductible, if your car is totaled, your deductible will be waived.

How Does Car Insurance Work?

Auto insurance covers the costs if you hurt someone or damage that person’s property with your car.

It also covers damage to your own car, such as if you back into a telephone pole.

And, depending on your policy’s coverage, car insurance can also pay for medical expenses if you are injured in an accident.

What Makes Up Car Insurance?

There are two main parts that make up an auto insurance policy: bodily injury liability and property damage liability.

Bodily injury liability covers a person’s medical expenses after being injured in an accident that is caused by you.

Property damage liability covers damage to other people’s cars, like a smashed bumper.

Liability Insurance Coverage in Georgia

The only state requirement that Georgia drivers are required to have is liability auto insurance (both bodily injury and property damage).

This is simply the bare minimum of coverage you are required to have as a driver.

What Coverages Come with a Standard Auto Insurance Policy?

Bodily injury liability

Pays for medical bills if you’ve injured someone in an accident for which you are legally responsible.

Property damage liability

Pays for property damage you caused in an accident or damage you inflict on the property of another.

Personal injury

If you and your passengers get injured after an accident, this protection will pay for medical expenses regardless of fault.

What Is the Minimum Car Insurance Requirement in Georgia?

How much car insurance you need in Georgia should follow the minimum liability coverage that the state requires.

Georgia’s state law only requires the minimum coverage, which is:

• $25,000 in bodily injury per person
• $50,000 in bodily injury per accident
• $25,000 in property damage per accident

Can I Increase My Limits?

The above minimum limits aren’t enough to cover expensive medical treatments or extensive damages to another car.

Say you have injuries from a car accident and you need medical attention. Now also say there was extensive damage to your car.

If your policy limits are exhausted or you have reached your accident limits, you will be held responsible for the remaining out-of-pocket costs.

As such, it is strongly suggested to increase your liability limits beyond the required amount.

Should I Get Additional Coverage in Georgia?

To drive legally, Georgia law only requires you to carry liability insurance, which again may not be enough.

As such, it’s also worth looking into additional coverages that can add more protection to your policy.

Here are the most important:

Comprehensive and Collision

For the right terminology, when you pair comprehensive with collision coverage, this means you have “full coverage.”

Comprehensive

Comprehensive coverage helps to pay for things that happen to your car, such as vandalism, theft, damage from a natural disaster such as fire, hail, windstorm, floods, and falling objects like rocks or stones that hit or shatter your windshield. It also covers collisions with animals like deer.

Collision

Collision pays to repair your own car or replace it when it’s damaged in a car accident. This covers collision with a fixed object or if you collide with something that is moving, such as another car, another person, a deer, or a dog.

In the state of Georgia, full coverage is not mandatory.

However, the company that finances your vehicle may require it.

Gap Coverage

Gap insurance helps pay off your auto loan if your car is totaled or stolen and you owe more than the car's depreciated value. This is ideal for someone who is leasing or financing a car.

Roadside Assistance

If you have a flat tire and you are stranded, roadside assistance may be your best option to cover you when things go wrong in your car while driving.

This add-on includes towing, jump-starts, tire changes, lockout services, and fuel delivery. The plan can also arrange for a rental vehicle if you need one.

Uninsured/Underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)

Georgia requires that all car insurance companies in the state provide uninsured/underinsured motorist insurance,

The coverage will take care of injuries you sustained or property you damaged if you are in an accident with a driver who does not have any liability insurance or is an uninsured or underinsured driver who is at fault.

For example, if a driver hits you and doesn’t have enough coverage or no coverage at all, your own coverage pays for car repairs and your personal medical bills.

What Does Car Insurance Exclude?

Any contents or personal effects inside your car are not covered if your car was robbed.

Any damage you cause to your car intentionally.

Normal wear and tear.

Mechanical failure unrelated to a covered event.

What Factors Determine the Cost of Car insurance in Georgia?

Many factors affect your premium rate.

An auto insurer will look at where you live, the type of car you drive, and more to give you a quote.

High Risk of Vehicle Theft

Georgia is in the top five states for car theft. This makes rates in Georgia more expensive than in other states. In Georgia, the most expensive locations to get coverage are Decatur, Lithonia, and Stone Mountain.

Credit Score

If you have a poor credit score, your premium will be high. Insurers believe you are more likely to skip payments or not pay at all and you are also more likely to file claims if your score is under 650 or lower. Learn how to check your credit score.

Driving History

If you have a bad driving record, insurers will likely charge you more because they believe your current driving history will be reflected in the future.

Age

Young people and teenagers are more at risk because they are presumed to drive more recklessly and get into many accidents.

In addition, if you are 65 or older, insurers will assume you are more likely to get into a car accident too.

Yearly Mileage

The more time you spend on the road, the more likely you’ll get into an accident. So, for example, if you have a long commute to your job, auto insurers will increase your policy rates.

How Much Does Car Insurance Cost in Georgia?

The cost of your auto policy varies depending on different factors, such as the above.

That said, the average cost of car insurance in Georgia is $1,640 per year, which is high.

Why is Car Insurance So Expensive in Georgia?

Georgia car insurance is higher than other states, putting the state in the top ten most expensive places to take out a policy.

Auto insurance is expensive in Georgia due to many things, such as the high costs for auto repairs and health care, dangerous and busy highways, natural disasters, and the high rate of uninsured drivers.

This means more claims are paid out.

As such, an auto insurance company will compensate for the large number of claims by increasing its rates for all drivers, even if you haven’t filed a claim yourself.

And that means every driver pays more for their premiums.

In addition, Georgia has one of the largest number of fatal auto accidents in the country and has risky highways.

You may be wondering what the high cost of healthcare has to do with auto insurance.

But just think about it. Many Georgia drivers experience injuries and even loss of life. As such, they land in the hospital, whereby healthcare costs increase and whereby the insurer must pay more for claims. That, in turn, increases your premium, again even if you have not made a claim.

Another reason why rates are high is that auto repairs in Georgia are known to be the most expensive in the country. And that’s due to the many accidents that the state has in any given year. Repairs are also high due to the features and technologies in your car, especially smart or brand new cars.

To compensate for the high cost, once again insurers will raise your premium.

Finally, in Georgia, there are many uninsured drivers. To save on costs, drivers risk it all while driving and while not having insurance. The cost of an uninsured driver is passed on to existing policyholders through higher premiums.

How to Save on Car Insurance in Georgia

Get Multiple Quotes

A quote is an estimate of your premium cost. If you compare multiple quotes for the same coverage from different companies, you may likely find the best insurer for you.

Multi-Policy/Multi-Car

If you take advantage of the multi-policy (bundling auto with home, for example) or the multi-car (multiple cars with the same insurer) discount, your premium will be lowered.

Discounts

Most insurers offer discounts for certain things that relate to your policy or which you may qualify for. If you are a good driver, make no claims, or have a safe car, for example, you’ll feel that discount.

Comparison Tool

Some insurers have a comparison tool on their websites to compare rates. You can find a cheap policy using that tool, and it also saves you time when you go out on your own by comparing quotes.

Raise Your Deductible

If you raise your deductible, this means you’ll have a lower premium.

But know that when you lower your deductible, this will increase the amount you pay if you file a claim.

How We Picked and Ranked the Best Car Insurance Companies in Georgia

We researched auto insurers to find the best companies by category, using such factors as discounts, coverage, technology, and price.

Discounts

Discounts help to make auto insurance affordable.

We looked at insurers that had the most discounts to lower your rate.

That included policies with high premiums. They may seem expensive, but we found that many can come down on costs if you apply your insurer’s discounts.

Coverage

Every driver has different insurance coverage needs. So, when we evaluated insurers, we looked for companies that had a wide range of useful coverage options, such as protection from uninsured/underinsured motorists, roadside assistance, and gap coverage to name a few.

Technology

If a company had a website and mobile app, and both could simplify your life by allowing you to do several things related to your policy online, then that’s an insurer that we put on our list.

The factors we considered were ease of use, the ability to purchase a policy or get a quote online, file and track a claim, pay bills, and simplicity so that any policyholder, including those who don’t use the internet that much, can navigate the electronic tools without difficulty or hardship.

Price

An insurer with a low premium and the ability to lower it more by using discounts ranked higher on our list than others.