General Casualty vs. North Star Mutual: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• In general, General Casualty offers significantly cheaper prices than North Star Mutual
• General Casualty tends to be a much less expensive option for policyholders who drive fewer than 6,000 miles annually
• General Casualty has cheaper rates for single people who will be the only person on the auto insurance policy

General Casualty or North Star Mutual: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

Are you considering a new insurance policy? With so many ads from all sorts of companies offering huge savings, you're probably wondering exactly how much you might be able to save.

You might be considering General Casualty or North Star Mutual as potential options, but between the two, which one will save you the most?

As you can see, General Casualty is around $41 a month more affordable than North Star Mutual when looking at the national average rates for car insurance.

However, that doesn't mean General Casualty will necessarily be less expensive than North Star Mutual for every single driver. After all, insurance carriers can offer drastically different rates to every driver depending on rating factors like where you call home, your credit score, your driving record, or even your age (among other things). So, at the end of the day, premiums from each company will differ quite a bit from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of General Casualty or North Star Mutual is really the best for you, keep reading to see average prices for each carrier broken down by several different rate factors.

General Casualty vs. North Star Mutual: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

General Casualty and North Star Mutual only compete against each other in one states, with General Casualty offering cheaper rates to the average driver in all of them. Minnesota has the most noticable difference, where General Casualty prices are $14 less expensive than auto insurance premiums at North Star Mutual.

There's a lot more that goes into your car insurance cost than just the state you live in. Continue reading to see how other variables will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Young drivers -- especially teens -- usually pay a lot for insurance compared to older drivers. Typically, that's because teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into accidents since they have less experience on the roads.

That being said, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high auto insurance prices. As you can see above, teens who use General Casualty save over 20% per month compared to those who use North Star Mutual.

Even so, both companies will offer you dramatically lower premiums by the time drivers turn 25. For example, average rates for General Casualty policyholders reduce about $150 and North Star Mutual's prices drop more than $150 over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

When it comes to car insurance, patience and experience pay off, with drivers around retirement age paying some of the cheapest rates you can find.

So, which company offers the best premiums to retired drivers? General Casualty gets the edge, with prices for drivers 65 and older almost 15% more affordable than the national average for North Star Mutual.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

Married policyholders tend to get slightly less expensive insurance premiums than single policyholders. That's because policies for married couples normally cover multiple vehicles, which quite a few carriers will give you a discount for.

For those who are single, the difference in average rates between these two companies is significant, with General Casualty prices coming in at a quarter less than North Star Mutual's. The advantage is also clear for married drivers - General Casualty offers the lowest average premiums.

General Casualty or North Star Mutual: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim, which means they'll generally end up paying more for auto insurance than women.

On average, women see rates around $15 a month more affordable with General Casualty, and about $4 cheaper with North Star Mutual when compared to their male counterparts.

Looking at overall affordability, General Casualty offers the most affordable average prices for both men and women. On average, women save about $46 per month and men save around $36 with General Casualty compared to the average North Star Mutual policyholder.

General Casualty vs. North Star Mutual: 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.

Car insurance isn't the easiest topic to understand. Everyone needs auto insurance, but there are so many different coverages and limits that it can be hard to find the right policy for you.

But the most common policies that drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability coverage (which covers the other party's injuries and property damage if you cause a collision) and full coverage (which includes two additional coverages -- collision and comprehensive -- in addition to liability).

When it comes to state minimum limits for liability insurance, North Star Mutual has the edge, while General Casualty offers the cheapest average premiums for full coverage policies with similar coverage limits. Policyholders looking for basic state minimum coverage can save around $15 with North Star Mutual, while full coverage comes out to be about $100 cheaper with General Casualty.

Is General Casualty or North Star Mutual Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

It's no secret -- drivers with good records end up getting the best deals on their car insurance. But that's not to say you can't save money if you don't have the best driving record, either.

Speeding tickets and at-fault accidents will most likely raise your rates, but is General Casualty or North Star Mutual less expensive for drivers with less-than-perfect records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Drivers who use General Casualty for their insurance can typically expect their monthly bill to go up around 32% after getting a speeding ticket. North Star Mutual policyholders can expect a less drastic increase of about 30%.

However, General Casualty has cheaper prices for drivers in both categories -- their rates are around 11% more affordable for drivers with clean records and 8% less expensive for those with a ticket.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

After an accident, drivers who have their car insurance through General Casualty can expect to see around an $56 -- or about 38% -- rise in their auto insurance premiums. Drivers who use North Star Mutual for their insurance will see a monthly bill around $73 (or 42%) more expensive after reporting an accident to their car insurance carrier.

At the end of the day, General Casualty offers the most affordable rates for drivers with an at-fault collision on their records, with average prices coming in at $146 compared to North Star Mutual's $174.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge on your record, it's probably going to cost you more than a simple ticket or even a collision. For example, North Star Mutual increases average premiums by nearly $200 a month -- that's more than a 65% increase.

But if you end up with a DUI charge and are looking for more affordable rates, General Casualty tends to be more affordable for the average driver, with monthly premiums coming in at about $186 to North Star Mutual's $299.

How does Credit Score Impact General Casualty and North Star Mutual Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can come into play when carriers determine your monthly bill. This isn't true for everyone (California, for example, has banned the use of credit score as an auto insurance factor) but it might come into play for a lot of policyholders.

Insurance companies argue that those with good credit scores are more likely to pay their bills on time every month, which reduces the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with bad credit.

So, which company offers the lowest prices for drivers with good, average, or poor credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

If you have a solid credit score, General Casualty will normally reward you the most. For policyholders with "excellent" credit scores, General Casualty comes in nearly 24.26 cheaper. Drivers with "good" credit scores usually save around 22% with General Casualty compared to average premiums from North Star Mutual.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

General Casualty typically offers lower rates than North Star Mutual when it comes to drivers with less-than-perfect credit. Drivers with "fair" credit pay about 22% per month less with General Casualty compared to North Star Mutual, and those with "poor" scores generally save an average of around 23% monthly.

Is General Casualty or North Star Mutual 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 considerable impact on your monthly premiums? Usually, the more milage you drive, the more you can expect to pay for coverage.

In this case, neither General Casualty or North Star Mutual report increasing rates for drivers with higher annual mileage figures. General Casualty comes out as the most affordable for drivers at both intervals, whether they put 6,000 or 12,000 miles on their car each year, with average prices of $139 a month for both.

General Casualty or North Star Mutual: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

We've already mentioned how your home state can play a role in how much you pay for auto insurance, but the type of area you live in can have a sizable impact as well. Normally, those who live in rural areas will pay less than drivers in urban areas since there are a lot fewer vehicles on the road where they live, which decreases the chances of an accident.

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

For policyholders in urban ZIP codes, General Casualty's average rates are about $57 less than North Star Mutual. People who live in suburban areas pay around $31 less with General Casualty compared to North Star Mutual. Those in rural areas can expect to save about $35 with General Casualty compared to North Star Mutual.

General Casualty vs. North Star Mutual Discounts

No matter why you might be in the market for a new insurance policy, you're always going to want to save as much money as you can, and the best way to do that is by utilizing as many auto insurance discounts as possible.

But where do you even start? With so many discounts out there, it may seem difficult to find all the of the ones you can take advantage of.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and compared all of the different discounts offered by General Casualty and North Star Mutual so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

General Casualty blows North Star Mutual away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering six more discounts than North Star Mutual.

There are a couple discounts both carriers offer, but General Casualty also offers discounts for advance quote, distant student, employee discount, and more.

On the other hand, North Star Mutual has a proprietary discount of their own -- a family discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is General Casualty or North Star Mutual Best for You?

So, you've seen how different factors can affect your car insurance prices. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. But, when it comes down to it, which insurance carrier is the right carrier for you and your specific needs?

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

• You want to save money on your insurance after an accident.
• You want the most robust protection via a "full coverage" policy.
• You drive fewer than 12,000 miles yearly.

North Star Mutual might be best for you if...

• You're looking for the best premiums on liability only coverage.

Hopefully, this guide has ben a valuable resource as you compare General Casualty and North Star Mutual. We also hope we've given you the information you need to make the best decision when it comes to your car 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 auto insurance -- comparing quotes from several companies, not just General Casualty and North Star Mutual. Luckily, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Simply enter your ZIP codes below and get free quotes from dozens of top insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

General Casualty vs. North Star Mutual FAQs

Is General Casualty or North Star Mutual cheaper?

General Casualty is the less expensive of the two companies when looking at national average prices, with policies averaging $139 per month with General Casualty and $180 for North Star Mutual. But that doesn't mean General Casualty will be the most affordable company for everyone, since there are a variety of different variables (things like age, gender, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, General Casualty or North Star Mutual?

Sadly, the answer truly is "it depends.". One carrier is not "better" for everyone -- it all depends on what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

Why do General Casualty and North Star Mutual offer me different rates?

Car insurance carriers use lots of different factors when determining the premiums they charge. Things like gender, age, your driving record, where your home is, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both General Casualty and North Star Mutual use different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different rates. The best way to determine which company is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from a bunch of different companies.

How do I know if General Casualty or North Star Mutual is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance carrier that's right for you is by getting quotes from a handful of carriers 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 area information and you'll get quotes from dozens of your local top auto insurance companies for free. That way, you can guarantee you're getting the lowest rate. And maybe you'll find that the best company for you isn't General Casualty or North Star Mutual at all, but another you hadn't even thought of!

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.