Great Northern vs. Hanover: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• Looking at the national averages for insurance, Great Northern offers significantly cheaper premiums than Hanover
• Great Northern has more affordable prices for drivers who have a speeding ticket on their driving record
• Hanover may help you save more money -- they offer more discounts than Great Northern Insurance

Great Northern or Hanover: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

So, you're thinking about switching to a new insurance policy. After all, you've seen ads from all sorts of companies offering sizable savings. But exactly how much can you save by switching?

You might have narrowed your search down to Great Northern or Hanover for your next policy, but which carrier will offer you less expensive premiums?

Looking at nationwide averages, Hanover is quite a bit more expensive than Great Northern, with prices averaging $853 a month compared to just $496 with Great Northern.

Even so, Great Northern may not be the cheapest or best option for every driver out there. Auto insurance carriers vary their rates depending on things like how good your credit score is, how clean your driving record is, how old you are, where you live, and a variety of other factors, so premiums will change quite a bit from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of Great Northern or Hanover is really the best for you, keep reading to see average prices for each carrier broken down by a bunch of different rate factors.

Great Northern vs. Hanover: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

Great Northern and Hanover only compete against each other in Michigan, where Great Northern offers the cheaper average rates. Undefined drivers tend to pay about undefined per month less on average compared to drivers who use undefined for their car insurance.

There are plenty of other factors that go into your insurance payment than just where you live. Continue reading to see how other variables will affect your rates.

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive auto insurance premiums of any other group of drivers out there on the road. The reason is that teen drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in an insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

But still, even with seemingly sky-high rates, teen drivers can still find ways to save money. Just look at the table above -- where 18-year-old drivers who have Great Northern for their car insurance pay over 50% less than those who use Hanover.

That being said, both companies will offer you dramatically lower prices once you turn 25. For example, average premiums for Great Northern policyholders drop almost 50% and Hanover's rates reduce more than 60% over that time.

Which is the Best Company for Retired Drivers?

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

So, which company offers the best prices to retired drivers? Great Northern gets the edge here, with average premiums coming in at around $346 a month compared to Hanover's $613.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but insurance rates tend to be more expensive for those who are single than they are for married couples. That's normally because married policyholders tend to own and insure several vehicles, which can often earn you a discount.

For single drivers, the difference in average prices between these two carriers is significant, with Great Northern premiums coming in at about half of Hanover's. For married drivers, the advantage is clear again - Great Northern has the edge when it comes to average rates.

Great Northern or Hanover: Average Rates by Gender

Women generally to pay less for auto insurance than men. This is because men are statistically more likely than women to get speeding tickets and get into collisions, which leads to increased risk for insurers and, therefore, higher premiums.

Women and men get the same monthly prices with Great Northern, and around 7% more with Hanover.

When it comes to the cheapest premiums for each gender, Great Northern offers the lowest average rates for both men and women, with average prices $387 less for men and $327 cheaper for women.

Great Northern vs. Hanover: 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. There are several different coverages that account for a range of different things. Some protect you and your car, while others only provide coverage for other people's property and health if you cause a collision.

But most policies end up falling into two different types of coverage -- liability coverage (that covers bodily injury and property damage for other drivers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which includes collision and comprehensive coverages that protect your own car, alongside what you get with a liability policy).

Looking specifically at state minimum liability insurance, Great Northern has the significant edge, with average monthly rates coming in at $255. If you want a full coverage policy with the same state minimum limits, Great Northern again has the edge, with policies averaging about $737 a month to Hanover's 1196.

Is Great Northern or Hanover Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

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

It's no secret secret that at-fault accidents and speeding tickets lead to higher prices, but which carrier -- Great Northern or Hanover -- has the most affordable premiums for drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

Policyholders with Great Northern car insurance policies don't report seeing their rates increase after getting a ticket, but Hanover policyholders can expect to see their monthly bill increase by around 25%.

However, Great Northern tends to offer the best prices for drivers both with clean records and with a speeding ticket. Drivers with a clean record can save about 20% per month with Great Northern Insurance, and the same can be said for those with a ticket, too.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Great Northern drivers who get in a collision can expect to see their prices increase by $0, while those who have insurance through Hanover will see around a $350 increase.

At the end of the day, the more affordable rates come from Great Northern, with average premiums coming in at $496 compared to Hanover Insurance's $943.

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 auto insurance bill. Hanover drivers usually see a 39% increase in their insurance prices after a DUI charge, while Great Northern will typically raise premiums by about 0%.

But if you end up with a DUI charge and are looking for more affordable prices, Great Northern tends to be cheaper for the average driver, with monthly premiums coming in at around $496 to Hanover's 1013.

How does Credit Score Impact Great Northern and Hanover Rates?

In many cases, your credit score can be used as one of the factors to determine your monthly auto insurance rates. This isn't true for everyone (for example, California and Hawaii are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it does affect several policyholders out there.

Car insurance carriers argue that those with poor credit scores are less likely to pay their bills on time every month, which raises the risk involved on their end, while the opposite is true for those with good credit.

Looking at Great Northern and Hanover specifically, which company has the lowest premiums for drivers at different credit levels?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Is Great Northern or Hanover Better for Drivers who Work from Home or Have Short Commutes?

How much you drive can have a substantial impact on your monthly insurance bill. Usually, the more milage you drive, the more you can expect to pay for car insurance.

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

Great Northern or Hanover: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you park your vehicle can play a pretty big role in how much you pay for auto insurance. Normally, those who live in urban areas will pay more than policyholders in rural areas because of the number of cars that are on the roads where they live.

When comparing these two companies side-by-side, Great Northern generally comes out as the cheapest option for drivers in every type of area, no matter if it's urban, suburban, or rural.

Those in rural areas can expect to save around 42% with Great Northern compared to Hanover. People who live in suburban areas pay about 42% less with Great Northern compared to Hanover. For drivers in urban ZIP codes, Great Northern Insurance's average rates are around 41% less than Hanover Insurance.

Great Northern vs. Hanover 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. That's where auto insurance discounts comes into play.

The difficult part is finding all of the discounts you're eligible for, since it can feel sometimes like every carrier has different discounts and each one is advertised differently.

Luckily, we did the hard work for you and broke down all of the different discounts offered by both Great Northern and Hanover so that you can easily see which company offers the most discounts and, therefore, the largest savings.

Hanover blows Great Northern away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 21 different discounts to Great Northern's 10.

There are a couple discounts both carriers offer, but Hanover also offers discounts for advance quote, annual mileage, distant student, and more.

On the other hand, Great Northern has a few proprietary discounts of their own for things like occasional operator discounts, renewal discounts, and vehicle ownership discounts.

Final Thoughts: Is Great Northern or Hanover Best for You?

So, you've seen how different variables can affect your insurance premiums. We've shown you all the discounts each company offers, too. But, at the end of the day, is Great Northern or Hanover the best fit for you?

Great Northern might be best for you if....

• Your driving record includes a DUI charge.
• You live in an suburban area.
• You want to save money while purchasing car insurance for a teenager.

Hanover might be best for you if...

• You're looking for discounts -- Hanover has the most.

Hopefully, this guide helps you get a good idea of the differences between Great Northern and Hanover and that it aids in making a more informed decision about your auto insurance.

At the end of the day, the best way to make sure you're getting the best deal on your insurance policy is to compare quotes from several companies, not just Great Northern and Hanover. Luckily, Compare.com makes it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code below and get multiple free quotes from some of the best car insurance carriers in your area, all in just a few minutes.

Great Northern vs. Hanover FAQs

Is Great Northern or Hanover cheaper?

Great Northern is the cheaper of the two companies when looking at national average rates, with policies averaging $496 a month with Great Northern and $853 for Hanover. Even so, that doesn't mean Great Northern will be the most affordable carrier for every driver, since there are many different factors (things like age, gender, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, Great Northern or Hanover?

Unfortunately, the only answer we can give you is "it depends.". No single company is "better" for each policyholder -- it all comes down to what your unique auto insurance profile looks like.

Why do Great Northern and Hanover offer me different rates?

Car insurance carriers use a lot of different variables when determining the prices they charge. Things like age, your driving record, where you live, gender, and sometimes even things like your credit score can all come into play. Both Great Northern and Hanover use different formulas, so it's likely they'll offer different premiums. The best way to determine which carrier is the cheapest for you is by comparing personalized quotes from lots of different companies.

How do I know if Great Northern or Hanover is right for me?

The only way to find the insurance company that's right for you is by getting quotes from multiple carriers and finding the one best suited for your individual budget. Luckily, sites like Compare.com make it easy for you to do just that. Just enter your ZIP code 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 premium. And maybe you'll find that the best carrier for you isn't Great Northern or Hanover 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.