General Casualty vs. Nationwide: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Based on national averages for car insurance, General Casualty offers more affordable premiums than Nationwide
• General Casualty offers less expensive average rates for residents of urban areas
• Nationwide offers more discounts than General Casualty

General Casualty vs. Nationwide: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? You've probably seen commercials and billboards from companies offering huge discounts, but exactly how much money can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed it down to General Casualty or Nationwide as your top options, but between the two, which one will offer you cheaper prices?

Looking at the national average rates for both companies, Nationwide is about $31 more per month than General Casualty.

But that doesn't mean General Casualty will necessarily be less expensive than Nationwide for every single driver. After all, insurance carriers can offer drastically different rates to each driver depending on rating factors like where you call home, your credit score, your age, or even your driving record (among other things), so rates could change drastically from person to person.

Luckily, we've broken down average premiums from both General Casualty and Nationwide by many different rate factors, so read on to find out which company is the best for you.

General Casualty or Nationwide: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

General Casualty and Nationwide compete against each other in five states, with General Casualty offering cheaper prices to the average driver in all of them. Oregon has the most noticable difference, where General Casualty premiums are over 30% more affordable than car insurance rates at Nationwide.

That being said, there are plenty of other factors that go into your auto insurance payment than just where you call home. Continue reading to learn more about how other factors will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- normally pay a lot for insurance compared to older drivers. That's generally because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high premiums, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of more than $100 less a month by choosing General Casualty over Nationwide.

Even so, with both companies, you'll see your prices lower significantly once you turn 25. For example, average rates for General Casualty policyholders drop over 55% and Nationwide's premiums decrease more than 60% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

Drivers around retirement age usually enjoy some of the cheapest auto insurance rates you'll ever see. After all, they've likely been driving for quite some time, which typically reduces their chances of accidents and other infractions that can increase prices.

But who has the best rates for retired drivers between General Casualty and Nationwide? General Casualty gets the slight edge here, with average premiums coming in at around $124 a month compared to Nationwide's $125. That being said, the difference is only about 5%, so other variables (such as your driving record or where you live) will likely come into play when determining which carrier has the lowest prices for you.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married policyholders tend to get slightly less expensive car insurance premiums than single policyholders. That's because policies for married couples generally cover several cars, which lots of carriers will offer you a discount for.

When it comes to relationship status, General Casualty is the clear winner for single drivers, with rates around $40 per month cheaper than Nationwide, on average. The advantage is also clear for married drivers - General Casualty offers the most affordable average prices.

General Casualty vs. Nationwide: Average Rates by Gender

Did you know women tend to pay less for auto insurance than men? This is because men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher premiums.

With General Casualty, women typically pay nearly $15 a month less than men, and about $12 less with Nationwide.

Looking at the data for each company specifically, General Casualty comes out as the cheapest option for both genders. On average, women save about $32 per month and men save around $30 with General Casualty compared to the average Nationwide policyholder.

General Casualty or Nationwide: Compare State Minimum vs. Full Coverage Rates

*State minimum value indicates liability-only policies at each state's minimum bodily injury and property damage (BI/PD) limits

**Full coverage indicates state minimum BI/PD limits with collision and comprehensive coverages added to policy.

It's no secret that insurance can be pretty complicated. Everyone needs car insurance, but there are so many different terms and limits that it can be hard to find the right policy.

The two most common policies that many drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability only (which provides bodily injury and property damage coverage for other drivers and passengers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- comprehensive and collision -- alongside what you get with a liability policy).

If you're looking for state minimum liability insurance, General Casualty usually offers significantly more affordable prices of $82 compared to Nationwide's $112. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, General Casualty again has the edge, with policies about $35 a month less expensive than Nationwide, on average.

Is General Casualty or Nationwide Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from auto insurance companies offering great rates for good drivers, but that doesn't mean people with less-than-perfect driving records can't save money, too.

Accidents and tickets will most likely raise your prices, but is General Casualty or Nationwide cheaper for drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

General Casualty policyholders can expect their rates to go up an average of $43 per month if they get a ticket, while Nationwide normally raises premiums around $24 a month, on average.

However, General Casualty has more affordable prices for drivers in both categories -- their rates are around 28% less expensive for drivers with clean records and 11% more affordable for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

General Casualty drivers who get in a collision can expect to see their rates rise by over $55, while those who have insurance through Nationwide will see about a $55 increase.

Overall, General Casualty offers the lowest premiums for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records, with monthly prices averaging $146 compared to Nationwide's $178.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

On average, a DUI offense is going to cost you much more than a single collision or speeding ticket when it comes to your car insurance bill. On average, Nationwide will raise your rates around 46% after a DUI, while General Casualty's average premiums increase by over 50%.

How does Credit Score Impact General Casualty and Nationwide Rates?

You may not have known, but your credit score can come into play when carriers calculate your monthly bill. This isn't always the case (Michigan, for example, has banned the use of credit score as a rating factor) but it does affect several policyholders out there.

Insurance companies argue that someone with good credit is more likely to pay their bills on time, which makes them less risky to insure. Because of that, drivers with good credit will often be rewarded with cheaper prices.

So, which carrier offers the most affordable premiums for policyholders with good, average, or poor credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Is General Casualty or Nationwide Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

Did you know that the amount of time you spend in your car have a big impact on how much car insurance carriers will charge for coverage? That's because the more miles you put on your vehicle, the more likely you are to get into an accident and cause an insurance claim.

As you can see in the table above, annual mileage doesn't have much of an impact on how much General Casualty charges. However, there's a small difference in monthly rates for Nationwide, with policyholders who drive 6,000 miles yearly paying about $1 less every month compared to those who drive 12,000 miles annually. Still, General Casualty is the less expensive option for drivers in both categories.

General Casualty vs. Nationwide: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where your home is can play a large role in how much you pay for auto insurance. Usually, those who live in urban areas will pay more than drivers in rural areas because there are a lot more cars on the road in those areas, which increases the chances of an accident.

General Casualty tends to offer the cheapest rates for drivers in all areas, regardless of if they're urban, suburban, or rural.

Policyholders in rural ZIP codes see the most affordable premiums from both companies, but General Casualty comes out on top with average prices around $131 per month. General Casualty also has cheaper average premiums for drivers in urban and suburban ZIP codes -- a $48 and $25 per month respective difference when compared to Nationwide policyholders in similar areas.

General Casualty vs. Nationwide Discounts

Regardless of why you might be in the market for a new insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as possible, and the best way to do that is by utilizing as many auto insurance discounts as you can.

But where do you even start? With what seems like a million different discounts out there, it may be difficult to find all the ones you qualify for.

In the section below, we've compared all of the different discounts offered by General Casualty and Nationwide so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the biggest savings.

Nationwide blows General Casualty away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 22 different discounts to General Casualty's 12.

Both carriers offer lots of the same discounts -- like anti-theft discounts, distant student discounts, employee discounts, and multi-policy discounts -- but Nationwide also offers agency transfer discounts, driver training discounts, EFT discounts, and more that General Casualty does not.

On the flip side, General Casualty has a couple unique discounts of its own -- occupation discounts and paid in full discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is General Casualty or Nationwide Best for You?

So, we've broken down the average rates for many of the factors car insurance companies look at, and we've shown you all the discounts each carrier offers. But, when it comes down to it, which company is the best fit for you?

General Casualty might be best for you if....

• You're single and purchasing insurance by yourself.
• You have above-average credit.
• You don't spend much time in your car.

Nationwide might be best for you if...

• You are considering moving to another state -- undefined only offers policies to residents.
• You care about discounts (Nationwide offers the most).

We hope this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between General Casualty and Nationwide. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision about your auto insurance.

But, at the end of the day, there's only one way to know for sure that you're getting the best possible deal on insurance -- comparing quotes from a handful of carriers, not just General Casualty and Nationwide. Luckily, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of the top car insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

General Casualty vs. Nationwide FAQs

Is General Casualty or Nationwide cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, General Casualty is the more affordable of the two carriers, offering average rates of $139 a month compared to $170 for Nationwide. That being said, General Casualty won't necessarily be the cheapest carrier for each driver, since there are several different variables (things like gender, age, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, General Casualty or Nationwide?

Unfortunately, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". One company is not necessarily "better" for every driver -- it all depends on the makeup of your unique insurance profile.

Why do General Casualty and Nationwide offer me different rates?

Car insurance companies take a look at quite a few different factors when calculating the prices they charge drivers. Things such as your driving record, where you park your vehicle, gender, age, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both General Casualty and Nationwide calculate rates differently, so each one will most likely offer different premiums. The only real way to see which carrier is the lowest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from multiple different carriers.

How do I know if General Casualty or Nationwide is right for me?

The only way to find the auto insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple companies and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best insurance carriers in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the most affordable rate. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be General Casualty or Nationwide at all!

Methodology

All of the data referenced in this article has been gathered in collaboration with Quadrant Information Services. We analyzed more than 2.5 million rows of carrier-reported data to calculate the average rates referenced above. All rates are based on an insurance profile of a single-vehicle policy for a driver that owns a 2016 Honda Accord. For more information on how we calculate rates, please reference our data methodology.