What Insurance is Cheapest for Drivers with a Bad Driving Record in Kansas City?

One of the many criteria that help determine the price you pay for insurance is where your car is garaged in Kansas City. Areas with more people or higher crime rates tend to have more expensive auto insurance rates, whereas more rural areas benefit from lower prices.

The illustration below shows the most expensive areas in Missouri for drivers with a bad driving record to purchase auto insurance in. Kansas City is ranked at #6 with an annual cost of $1,245 for car insurance, which is about $104 monthly.

Price information shown is comparative as the specific Kansas City residence address can increase or decrease auto insurance rates significantly.

The type of vehicle on the policy is one of the largest factors when looking for the most affordable insurance for drivers with a bad driving record. Vehicles with high performance engines, a lack of advanced safety features, or a history of substantial liability claims will cost much more to insure than more economical and safe models.

The next table ranks insurance rates for a handful of the most budget-friendly vehicles to insure.

Prices based on single male driver age 40, two speeding tickets, two at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and Missouri minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, homeowner, and multi-policy. Rate quotes do not factor in vehicle garaging location which can impact insurance rates greatly.

Based on these rates, makes and models like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota Prius, and Ford Explorer will be a few of the most economical vehicles to insure for bad drivers. Prices will be more costly because there is more risk for drivers with a bad driving record, but in general those specific models will most likely have the lowest insurance prices compared to other vehicles.

Difference between liability only and full coverage rates

Reducing premiums for car insurance should be important to the majority of vehicle owners, and an effective way to find cheap insurance for drivers with a bad driving record is to only buy liability coverage. The chart below illustrates the comparison of insurance rates with and without physical damage coverage, medical payments, and uninsured/under-insured motorist coverage. The price estimates are based on no tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are factored in.

As an average, physical damage insurance costs an additional $1,498 per year over liability only. At some point, every insured wonders when is the right time to remove full coverage. There is no clear-cut formula to drop full coverage, but there is a guideline you can consider. If the yearly cost for physical damage coverage is 10% or more of replacement cost minus your deductible, then you might consider buying liability only.

For example, let’s assume your vehicle’s replacement value is $5,500 and you have $1,000 policy deductibles. If your vehicle is totaled in an accident, the most your company would pay you is $4,500 after you pay the deductible. If you are paying more than $450 a year for your policy with full coverage, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.

There are some situations where eliminating full coverage is not financially feasible. If you still owe a portion of the original loan, you have to maintain full coverage in order to prevent your loan from defaulting. Also, if your emergency fund is not enough to purchase a different vehicle if your current one is totaled, you should keep full coverage on your policy.

Safe drivers pay less for car insurance

In a perfect world, the ideal way to find the most affordable car insurance prices in Kansas City for bad drivers is to be an attentive driver and not have accidents or get tickets. The diagram below shows how speeding tickets and at-fault accidents can drive up insurance premiums for each age group. The premiums assume a married female driver, comp and collision included, $1,000 deductibles, and no discounts are taken into consideration.

In the example above, the average cost of car insurance in Missouri per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $1,145. Add in two speeding tickets and the average cost jumps to $1,617, an increase of $471 each year. Then add one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the annual cost of car insurance for drivers with a bad driving record goes up to an average of $2,108. That’s an increase of $962, or $80 per month, just for not being more responsible behind the wheel!

Ratings for Missouri car insurance companies

Buying coverage from a high-quality auto insurance company can be rather challenging considering how many different insurance companies sell coverage in Kansas City. The ranking data in the lists below could help you decide which coverage providers to look at when insurance shopping for drivers with a bad driving record. The ratings below are for major nationwide insurance companies, so companies that only write business in Missouri or surrounding areas are not taken into consideration for these rankings.