National General vs. Safe Auto: Which Company is the Best Fit for You?

Quick Facts

• In general, Safe Auto offers more affordable rates than National General
• National General has cheaper prices for policyholders who don't have any speeding tickets, DUIs, or at-fault accidents on their record
• Safe Auto has less expensive rates for residents of rural areas

National General vs. Safe Auto: Which Company has the Cheapest Car Insurance?

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

You've maybe even narrowed it down to National General or Safe Auto as potential options, but between the two, which one has more affordable premiums for auto insurance?

As you can see, National General has average rates that are about 10% per month more expensive than those from Safe Auto when looking at the national average rates for insurance.

Even so, that doesn't mean Safe Auto will necessarily be less expensive than National General for each driver. After all, auto insurance companies can offer drastically different rates to each driver depending on rating factors like your credit score, your driving record, where you call home, or even your age (among other things), so prices could differ drastically from person to person.

So, if you want to find out which of National General or Safe Auto is really the best for you, keep reading to see average premiums for each company broken down by multiple different rate factors.

National General or Safe Auto: Average Car Insurance Rates by State

National General and Safe Auto only compete against each other in Texas, where Safe Auto offers the cheaper average rates. For Texas residents, Safe Auto offers car insurance for $236 a month on average. National General's average prices come out to be more expensive, at $249 monthly.

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

Which is the Best Company For Young Drivers?

Teen drivers will almost always have the most expensive car insurance premiums of any group on the road. That's generally because young, inexperienced drivers are statistically much more likely to get into an accident that results in a car insurance claim, making them much riskier to insure.

That being said, that doesn't mean that teen drivers have to just accept sky-high insurance prices. For example, 18-year-old drivers pay an average of more than $150 less a month by choosing Safe Auto over National General.

However, both carriers will offer you dramatically lower rates once you turn 25. For example, average premiums for National General policyholders decrease over 65% and Safe Auto's prices drop more than 50% 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 most affordable rates out there.

But who has the best prices for retired drivers between National General and Safe Auto? National General gets the slight edge here, with average premiums coming in at around $179 per month compared to Safe Auto's $179. But the difference is only about 5%, so other variables (such as your driving record is or your credit score) will likely come into play when determining which carrier has the lowest rates for you.

Which is the Best Company for Married Drivers?

You may not be aware, but auto insurance premiums tend to be cheaper for married drivers than they are for those who are single. This usually boils down to married policyholders having several cars on their policy -- something a lot of insurance companies will reward with discounts.

When it comes to relationship status, Safe Auto is the clear winner for single policyholders, with prices around $39 per month more affordable than National General, on average. But for married couples, that advantage is much less clear - Safe Auto has the edge when it comes to average rates , but the difference is less than $10.

National General vs. Safe Auto: Average Rates by Gender

Men are statistically more likely than women to get into collisions and file an insurance claim. That means when it comes to auto insurance men will typically end up paying a little more.

Usually, women see prices about 6% a month less with National General, and around 7% less with Safe Auto when compared to their male counterparts.

When it comes to the cheapest rates for each gender, Safe Auto comes out on top for both men and women, with average premiums $26 less for men and $27 cheaper for women.

National General or Safe Auto: 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 car insurance can be a complicated subject for most people. There are so many different coverages and limits that it can make it pretty confusing to find the right policy.

The two most common policies that many drivers look at fall into two categories -- liability only (which provides property damage and bodily injury coverage for other drivers and their passengers if you cause an accident) and full coverage (which normally refers to having comprehensive and collision coverages in addition to what you get with liability coverage).

If you're looking for state minimum liability insurance, Safe Auto usually offers less expensive rates of $126 compared to National General's $151. When it comes to full coverage policies with similar limits, Safe Auto again has the edge, with policies about $30 per month cheaper than National General, on average.

Is National General or Safe Auto Better for Drivers with Spotty Records?

You've probably seen plenty of commercials from insurance carriers offering great prices 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 premiums, but is National General or Safe Auto less expensive for drivers with less-than-ideal driving records?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Speeding Tickets?

National General policyholders can expect their rates to go up an average of $20 a month if they get a ticket, while Safe Auto typically raises prices around $40 per month, on average.

That being said, National General tends to offer the best prices for both drivers who have a recent speeding ticket and those with clean records, offering premiums that are $19 and $39 more affordable, respectively, compared to Safe Auto.

Which Company is Best for Drivers After an Accident?

Both companies will increase rates pretty significantly if you get into an at-fault accident with National General increasing by over $300. Safe Auto has a less extreme climb, but you can still expect to pay more than $65 more than you were prior to your first collision.

Overall, Safe Auto offers the most affordable prices for drivers with an at-fault accident on their records, with monthly premiums averaging $246 compared to National General Insurance's $472.

Which Company is Best for Drivers with a DUI?

If you get a DUI charge, you can expect some pretty significant increases in your monthly auto insurance bill -- generally a lot more than a collision or ticket. Safe Auto drivers usually see a 27% increase in their insurance rates after a DUI charge, while National General will usually raise prices by about 12%.

How does Credit Score Impact National General and Safe Auto Rates?

Did you know that many car insurance carriers take into account your credit score when calculating premiums? This isn't always the case (for example, California and Michigan are two states that ban the practice entirely), but it might come into play for lots of drivers.

The reasoning auto insurance companies use is that policyholders with good credit will be more likely to pay their bills on time; so they'll reward them with cheaper prices, while those with poor credit will normally be forced to pay more.

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

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Good Credit?

Which Company is Best for Drivers with Bad Credit?

Is National General or Safe Auto 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 insurance bill? That's because the fewer miles you drive, the less likely you are to get into an accident and cause an insurance claim.

In this case, neither National General or Safe Auto report increasing rates for drivers with higher annual mileage figures. Even so, Safe Auto comes out as the most affordable for drivers at both intervals, whether they put 6,000 or 12,000 miles on their vehicle annually, with average premiums of $223 a month for both.

National General vs. Safe Auto: Compare Rates for Urban, Suburban, and Rural Drivers

Where you park your car can have a big impact on your monthly car insurance cost. Typically, policyholders who live in heavily-populated urban areas will pay quite a bit more than rural drivers because of the number of vehicles that are on the roads in those areas.

Looking at these carriers side-by-side, Safe Auto tends to offer the lowest option for drivers in rural and suburban areas, while National General wins in urban areas.

In urban areas, National General Insurance's average rates are around $9 less than Safe Auto. Drivers in suburban ZIP codes pay about $41 less with Safe Auto compared to National General. If you live in a rural area, you can expect to save around $47 with Safe Auto compared to National General.

National General vs. Safe Auto Discounts

You want to save as much money as possible, right? The best way to do that is by utilizing as many insurance discounts as you can.

But with what seems like a million different discounts out there, it can be difficult to nail down the carrier that has the most discounts for your unique driver profile and to find all the discounts you're eligible for.

Below, we've taken a look at all of the different discounts National General and Safe Auto offer their customers so that you can see which carrier offers the most discounts and see which ones you might be able to take advantage of.

Safe Auto blows National General away when it comes to the sheer amount of discounts available, offering 14 different discounts to National General's eight.

Both companies offer many of the same discounts -- like anti-theft discounts, discounts for getting driver training, and passive restraint discounts -- but Safe Auto also offers agency transfer discounts, claim free discounts, homeowner discounts, and more that National General does not.

On the flip side, National General has a couple unique discounts of its own -- advance quote discounts, group discounts, low mileage discounts, and more.

Final Thoughts: Is National General or Safe Auto Best for You?

So, you've seen how different factors can affect your auto insurance prices. We've broken down the different discounts each company offers, too. But, when it comes down to it, is National General or Safe Auto the best fit for you?

Safe Auto might be best for you if....

• You're worried about the impact your credit score will have on your rates.
• You have above-average credit.
• You drive fewer than 12,000 miles yearly.

National General might be best for you if...

• You have a clean driving record, free of collisions, tickets, or DUIs.
• You have received a ticket within the last few years.
• You are over 65 years old and want to save some money on your car insurance.

We hope this guide helps you get a better idea of the difference between National General and Safe Auto and that it aids in making a more informed 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 National General and Safe Auto. Luckily, sites like Compare.com do all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code below and get free quotes from dozens of top car insurance companies in your area, all in just a few minutes.

National General vs. Safe Auto FAQs

Is National General or Safe Auto cheaper?

Looking just at the national average premiums, Safe Auto is the cheaper of the two carriers, offering average rates of $223 per month compared to $249 for National General. However, Safe Auto won't necessarily be the cheapest carrier for every driver, since there are many different variables (things like age, gender, driving record, etc.) that play a role in how much you pay.

Who is better, National General or Safe Auto?

Unfortunately, the answer truly is "it depends.". No single company is necessarily "better" for everyone -- it all comes down to what your unique insurance profile looks like. For example, Safe Auto offers more affordable prices for single policyholders, while National General is less expensive for drivers who have already retired.

Why do National General and Safe Auto offer me different rates?

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

How do I know if National General or Safe Auto 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, Compare.com does all the hard work for you. Just enter your ZIP code and you'll get free quotes from dozens of the best car insurance carriers in your area. With those, you can guarantee you're getting the best price. And who knows, the best carrier for you might not be National General or Safe Auto 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.