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It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when shopping for cheap auto insurance in Indiana. You may already know that insurance quotes can vary greatly from one provider to the next, and some companies offer low cost policies for certain types of drivers. To help you avoid a major headache, our Geeks analyzed the insurance rates from some of the top providers to uncover the most affordable quotes.
Cheapest Car Insurance Companies in Indiana
Minimum Car Insurance Requirements
Penalties for Driving Without Auto Insurance
Cheapest Car Insurance Companies in Indiana
The best way to snag the cheapest rates available is to compare quotes from different providers. To speed up your search, we’ve outlined some of the most affordable carriers for various driver categories:
| Cheapest Insurer | Driver Category |
|---|---|
| Liberty Mutual | Safe Drivers |
| USAA | Drivers in the Military |
| State Farm | Low Annual Mileage |
| Esurance | Drivers Who Pay Their Premiums Upfront |
Allstate | High-Risk Drivers |
Best Car Insurance Companies in Indiana
Our Geeks pored over complaint data and policyholder reviews to identify Indiana’s best insurance companies. Below is a summary of our findings:
| Rank | Company | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Farm | A |
| 2 | Liberty Mutual | A |
| 3 | Allstate | B+ |
| 4 | Esurance | B- |
| 5 | USAA | B- |
Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in Indiana
Drivers in Indiana are required by law to carry liability coverage that would pay at least $25,000 for bodily injury to one individual, $50,000 for bodily injuries per collision, and $10,000 for property damage.
Bodily injury protection covers the hospital bills of anyone you have hurt in in an accident, while property damage coverage applies to the costs of repairing any private property that you have damaged, including the other driver’s vehicle.
Having uninsured motorist protection ensures your insurer will cover your expenses if you are hit by a driver who does not have the required insurance, up to the predefined limits of your policy.
Penalties for Driving Without Auto Insurance in Indiana
You will need to show proof of your car insurance – in the form of a car insurance card – anytime you register a new vehicle or are asked to do so by a law enforcement officer. If you cannot present valid proof of your active insurance when asked, you run the risk of losing your driving privileges.
The first time you violate this law, your license will be suspended for at least 90 days, and you will be charged a fee of $250 to have it reinstated. If you are caught without proof of insurance again within five years, your license will be suspended for a year and it will cost $500 to get it back – and the third time you transgress this rule, that reinstatement fee shoots up to $1,000.
In addition to these penalties, if you are convicted of driving without an insurance policy in your name, you will have to file an SR-22 certificate for a period of three years.
Indiana Car Insurance FAQs
What Additional Auto Insurance Coverage Options Are Available in Indiana?
Carrying the minimum amounts of car insurance will allow you to drive legally in Indiana, but insurers also offer higher policy limits and additional coverage options to protect you in the event of a serious accident that involves extensive damage.
Additional coverage options include:
- Comprehensive, which covers damage to your vehicle outside of accidents;
- Collision, which pays for repairs after a collision with another car or object;
- Rental reimbursement, which covers your alternative transport while your vehicle is being repaired after a crash;
- Medical coverage, which pays accident-related medical or funeral costs;
- Emergency roadside service; and
- Customized parts and equipment cover.
What Is the Indiana Automobile Insurance Plan?
Car insurance companies will likely label you a high-risk driver if you have a long history of traffic infractions or multiple convictions of driving under the influence on your record, or if you have been involved in a number of car accidents.
They may then be reluctant to offer you reasonable insurance premium rates or to offer you any insurance at all. Indiana created the Indiana Automobile Insurance Plan (IN AIP) to help high-risk drivers secure the insurance they need in order to drive on the right side of the law.
If you have trouble receiving the legally required minimum insurance on your own, you may apply to the IN AIP to have an insurer assigned to you.
To be eligible for insurance through this plan you must hold both a valid driver’s license and a vehicle that is registered in the state. You must also be able to prove you have been rejected by at least three Indiana insurance companies within the previous 60 days.
If you have an unsettled bill with a previous insurer or have misrepresented any information in your application, the IN AIP may turn you down, and you might have to wait another 12 months to reapply.
How Do Indiana Car Insurance Companies Determine My Premiums?
Car insurance agents in Indiana won’t take your word for it that you are a good and responsible driver before offering you insurance at your preferred rate. Instead, they will calculate your insurance premium by investigating your driving history and personal circumstances.
Seven factors they may take into consideration will include:
- Your age, sex, and marital status;
- Your claims history and credit score;
- Your driving record and history of traffic violations;
- Deductibles, or the amounts payable before your insurance kicks in;
- Where you live and how securely you park your car;
- How often you drive and for which purposes; and
- The make, model, and age of your vehicle.
How Can I Get Car Insurance Discounts in Indiana?
Just as car insurance companies will raise your rates for poor driving behavior, they may also reduce your premiums if you demonstrate you are a safe driver and a financially responsible person.
You may qualify for an insurance discount if you:
- Pay your premium in full;
- Show you are a good student;
- Own a home;
- Apply to have multiple cars insured;
- Complete a defensive driving course;
- Avoid accidents on the road; and
- Install certain safety devices to protect your vehicle and yourself, such as airbags.
What Traffic Laws Should I Know Before Driving in Indiana?
Every time you are charged with disobeying Indiana traffic laws, you’ll receive a moving violation and have points added to your driver’s record. These points will remain on your record for two years after a conviction. Points are assigned according to the severity of the offense. The more serious the violation, the more points you will receive.
If you drive up to 15 mph over the speed limit, without headlights at night, or without working brake lights, you may receive two points, while making an illegal U-turn or wearing improper motorcycle headgear may land you with four points.
Disobey a stop sign, fail to yield when necessary, or follow another car too closely, and you will receive six points. The most points you can receive for a single infraction is eight points – these violations include failing to yield for an emergency vehicle, taking part in road racing, or driving with a suspended license.
Indiana Drunk Driving Laws
Indiana law penalizes anyone driving under the influence of any intoxicating substance, such as alcohol, prescription medication, and recreational drugs, under the Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) Law.
If you are suspected of driving while the influence, a law enforcement officer may pull you over and order you to take a test to determine the level of alcohol in your body. The officer will decide whether to test your blood, breath, or urine.
You will be considered over the legal limit in Indiana if you have a blood-alcohol concentration of at least 0.08 percent. If you hold a commercial driver’s license, your limit is set at 0.04 percent, and if you are younger than 21, the legal BAC limit of 0.02 percent. If you are caught with a BAC over 0.15 percent, no matter what your age or driving purpose, the court may decide to slap you with more severe penalties than usual.
If you are found guilty of OWI, even if it is your first offense, you may:
- Pay a minimum court fee of $300;
- Be charged a maximum fine $5,000;
- Be imprisoned for up to a year;
- Have your license suspended for a year;
- Have to undergo alcohol and drug testing; and
- Be required to attend a substance abuse education course as well as a victim impact panel.
What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Indiana?
A car accident will do more than just add points to your record and likely raise your insurance rate. Knowing what to do – and what not to do – immediately after a crash is crucial: put a foot wrong in this setting and you could face a range of civil and criminal penalties.
Remember to follow these seven steps after you have been involved in a car crash in Indiana:
- Move over and stay at the scene;
- Set up any warning signs you have to mark the scene and warn other drivers;
- Look for any injured drivers, passengers, or pedestrians, and help them if you can;
- Call the police immediately and wait for them to arrive;
- Make detailed notes of what occurred and take photographs of the scene;
- Seek out any potential witnesses for a record of what happened;
- Collect the details – including names, addresses, telephone numbers, and car insurance information – of everyone involved; and
- Call your insurance broker or company to notify them of the crash right away.
What Is Car Insurance Fraud?
Car insurance fraud involves any unwarranted action designed to benefit financially from an insurer, intentionally or not. Examples of car insurance usually include staging a car accident, lying about the extent of damage sustained in a crash, or exaggerating the severity of injuries after an accident.
What Is Indiana’s Driver Safety Program?
The Driver Safety Program (DSP) can be an invaluable resource for any Indiana driver. The class explains various defensive driving techniques, and participants can receive one four-point credit every three years. It can be taken online, in a classroom, or via a DVD.
The DSP is voluntary for the everyday driver, but it may become mandatory for those who break Indiana traffic laws. If a judge orders you to complete the class, you will receive a mailed notification and will have 90 days from the date on the notification to comply. Failure to do so will result in a suspension that will last until you pass the DSP. The class will cost a maximum of $55.
What Happens If I Drive in Indiana on a Suspended License?
Suspensions are a potential consequence of breaking traffic laws. They’re a way for officials to keep the roads safe and to penalize drivers for being reckless.
It may seem tempting to get behind the wheel anyway, but don’t. Driving while suspended can lead to a felony or misdemeanor charge and heavy fines and sanctions from the court. Additionally, it’s very likely that your insurance premiums will skyrocket.
If you get a suspension, the best thing to do is to make sure you satisfy the terms of the suspension and to stay off the roads until the Bureau of Motor Vehicles says otherwise.
What Is a Habitual Traffic Violator in Indiana?
Too many traffic offenses in Indiana within a 10-year period can lead to you being labeled a Habitual Traffic Violator (HTV). This is not good for your insurance premiums or your driving privileges.
Here are some things that can get you labeled an HTV:
- Two judgements of causing injury or death in 10 years
- Committing three major offenses, like DUI or leaving the scene of an accident, in 10 years
- Committing ten traffic offenses in 10 years
Note that the first two will result in a 10-year driving suspension and the latter will result in a five-year suspension, in addition to whatever other penalties come with the charges.
Car Accidents in Indiana: What Do the Statistics Say?
A total of 821 people were killed in road accidents in Indiana in 2016, according to figures released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Just over a fifth of those fatalities occurred in alcohol-related crashes.
Between 2003 and 2012, 2,210 people were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver in Indiana, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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