Compare Car Insurance Quotes
Why you should compare auto insurance quotes
You should compare car insurance quotes because it’s a quick and easy way to get the cheapest possible policy. It can also help you get the most coverage for your best price.
Comparing car insurance quotes saves you money because it lets you consider all your policy options side by side and then pick the one that best fits your needs, wants and budget.
What if you don’t compare quotes? You might overpay for auto insurance coverage. Or you may end up with a cheap policy with insufficient coverage or subpar customer service.
We've got you covered — here's what else you should know
In this article
Comparing car insurance rates
What you pay for car insurance can vary quite a bit depending on a few different factors. Here’s how auto insurance rates compare depending on your:
- State
- Coverage amount
- Driving history
- Credit score
- Gender
Compare car insurance rates by state
Average car insurance rates are different in each state. Each state has different car insurance laws, accident rates and property crime statistics.
Michigan has the most expensive car insurance in the country with annual rates of $1,571 for minimum coverage and $2,280 for full coverage.
Iowa has the cheapest car insurance in the country with annual rates of $287 for minimum coverage and $792 for full coverage.
Here’s how average car insurance rates compare across states for both minimum and full coverage policies:
| State | Minimum coverage | Full coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $633 | $1,278 |
| Alaska | $500 | $1,003 |
| Arizona | $642 | $1,240 |
| Arkansas | $603 | $1,307 |
| California | $932 | $1,929 |
| Colorado | $769 | $1,430 |
| Connecticut | $802 | $1,397 |
| Delaware | $1,030 | $1,601 |
| Florida | $1,344 | $2,371 |
| Georgia | $926 | $1,616 |
| Hawaii | $570 | $1,228 |
| Idaho | $369 | $811 |
| Illinois | $522 | $1,059 |
| Indiana | $454 | $979 |
| Iowa | $287 | $792 |
| Kansas | $434 | $1,246 |
| Kentucky | $980 | $1,765 |
| Louisiana | $1,102 | $2,078 |
| Maine | $327 | $701 |
| Massachusetts | $535 | $823 |
| Michigan | $1,571 | $2,280 |
| Minnesota | $591 | $1,132 |
| Mississippi | $630 | $1,236 |
| Missouri | $497 | $1,196 |
| Montana | $462 | $1,181 |
| Nebraska | $381 | $965 |
| Nevada | $950 | $1,688 |
| New Hampshire | $392 | $860 |
| New Jersey | $888 | $1,520 |
| New Mexico | $484 | $1,043 |
| New York | $1,120 | $1,773 |
| North Carolina | $434 | $890 |
| North Dakota | $334 | $913 |
| Ohio | $422 | $838 |
| Oklahoma | $662 | $1,363 |
| Oregon | $729 | $1,249 |
| Pennsylvania | $465 | $1,143 |
| Rhode Island | $1,021 | $1,776 |
| South Carolina | $640 | $1,202 |
| South Dakota | $296 | $991 |
| Tennessee | $505 | $1,053 |
| Texas | $751 | $1,373 |
| Utah | $597 | $1,041 |
| Vermont | $337 | $859 |
| Virginia | $520 | $994 |
| Washington | $671 | $1,115 |
| Washington, D.C. | $759 | $1,475 |
| West Virginia | $484 | $1,118 |
| Wisconsin | $354 | $830 |
| Wyoming | $356 | $982 |
| U.S. average | $641 | $1,255 |
| Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | ||
Your car insurance rates depend on where you live
Premiums vary quite a bit from state to state. Case in point: an average driver in Michigan pays five times more for minimum car insurance coverage than a driver in Iowa.
Compare auto insurance rates for:
See All StatesAn average car insurance policy costs between $53 to $105 per month. See how much you can save when you compare rates.
Providers Include
Other common car insurance rate factors
Accident history
Drivers with violations or accidents on their insurance record typically pay more for car insurance. These incidents can increase your insurance rates for three years. Here’s how average car insurance rates compare for a clean driving record versus one with traffic incidents.
| Driving record | Average annual rate | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| No tickets or accidents | $1,255 | |
| Speeding ticket | $1,481 | +18% |
| At-fault accident | $1,945 | +55% |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | ||
Coverage level
A full coverage car insurance policy costs more than a policy with only the state’s minimum coverage amount. We found that an average full coverage policy costs almost twice as much as a policy with minimum coverage levels.
| Minimum coverage | Full coverage |
|---|---|
| $641 | $1,255 |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | |
Credit score
Insurance companies tend to charge more to cover a driver who has subpar credit. On average, a driver with poor credit pays 95% more for car insurance compared to a driver with excellent credit.
| Credit score range | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| Excellent | $641 |
| Average | $817 |
| Poor | $1,250 |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | |
Gender
We found rates to be comparable regardless of gender: women pay only $19 more per year than men for car insurance.
| Gender | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
| Male | $720 |
| Female | $739 |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | |
Compare the best cheap auto insurance companies
Whether you’re looking for the company with the cheapest car insurance, the best customer satisfaction or a bit of both, there are several companies to choose from.
Cheapest car insurance companies
Erie and USAA have the cheapest car insurance policies. However, Erie is available in only 11 states and Washington, D.C., and USAA only covers active and former military members. Of nationally available insurance companies, GEICO and American Family have the cheapest car insurance rates.
| Company | Minimum coverage | Full coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Erie | $371 | $780 |
| USAA | $387 | $795 |
| GEICO | $506 | $1,036 |
| American Family | $554 | $991 |
| State Farm | $556 | $1,034 |
| Country Financial | $596 | $1,183 |
| Travelers | $649 | $1,200 |
| Progressive | $673 | $1,226 |
| Allstate | $734 | $1,653 |
| Farmers | $747 | $1,460 |
| Metropolitan | $906 | $1,596 |
| Nationwide | $929 | $1,428 |
| Esurance | $940 | $1,418 |
| Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | ||
See how your quotes from the cheapest car insurance companies compare to their average rates.
Best car insurance companies
The best auto insurance companies are USAA, Amica, AAA, Auto-Owners and GEICO, according to these metrics:
- Overall customer satisfaction
- Quick and fair claims resolutions
- An easy purchasing process
- Low complaint levels
- Wide-ranging availability
| Car insurance company | Overall score | Claims satisfaction (out of 1,000) | Shopping experience (out of 1,000) | NAIC Complaint Index (lower is better) | Available in most states |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | 92 | 900 | 900 | 0.97 | Yes |
| Amica | 89 | 898 | 861 | 1.02 | Yes |
| Erie | 86 | 879 | 880 | 0.93 | No |
| AAA | 83 | 857 | 877 | 1.1 | Yes |
| Auto-Owners | 81 | 870 | 869 | 0.46 | Yes |
| GEICO | 78 | 879 | 867 | 0.81 | Yes |
| State Farm | 78 | 878 | 860 | 0.69 | Yes |
| American Family | 76 | 857 | 878 | 0.55 | No |
| The Hartford | 74 | 873 | 895 | 1.09 | Yes |
| Allstate | 72 | 853 | 858 | 0.6 | Yes |
| Nationwide | 71 | 867 | 862 | 0.43 | Yes |
| Esurance | 70 | 844 | 864 | 1.29 | Yes |
| Overall score is based on a Consumer Reports survey. Claims satisfaction and shopping experience scores are based on most recent J.D. Power surveys. | |||||
There are a lot of car insurance companies to choose from. If you want to do more research, check out our insurance reviews to learn more about how insurers stack up against their competition.
How to compare car insurance quotes with QuoteWizard
You can compare auto insurance quotes in two ways.
| Comparing car insurance with QuoteWizard | Comparing car insurance manually |
|---|---|
| Takes a few minutes | Can take hours |
| Enter your driver information once to get multiple quotes | Enter personal information again for every different quote |
One way is to get several quotes from individual agents or companies in person, over the phone or online, and then compare them. That takes a lot of time, though, and it can also be confusing.
After all, if you don’t use the exact same information to get these quotes, you’re not really comparing apples to apples, as the saying goes. And that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to get your best price for the coverage you need. For example, say you get a quote of $700 a year for 50/100/50 coverage from one insurer, and a quote of $800 a year for 100/300/50 coverage from another insurer. Figuring out which offer is the better deal can be tough, since each policy has a different coverage level. It’s a lot easier when you start by getting quotes for the same kinds and amounts of coverage.
Another way to compare quotes is to use QuoteWizard. When you use QuoteWizard to compare car insurance rates, we do the heavy lifting for you. To get started, gather some basic data:
- Personal information: Marital status, credit score, date of birth and address.
- Car: The vehicle’s make, model and year.
- Auto insurance history: Previous coverage and insurance lapses.
- Driving history: Traffic tickets, car accidents or driving violations in the last three years.
This should take a couple of minutes at most. When you’re done, we’ll connect you to multiple car insurance companies and quotes so you can choose the cheapest policy or the company with the best reputation — whatever is most important to you.
Find out how much money you can save on auto insurance when insurance companies compete for your business.
And because QuoteWizard isn’t affiliated with any single auto insurance company, you’ll have a wide range of companies and quotes to choose from.
Why else should you use QuoteWizard to compare car insurance quotes? We’ve been doing this since 2006, and in that time we have connected more than 50 million people to better rates.
How an auto insurance quote comparison works
To get cheap car insurance or the coverage you want for your best price, you not only have to compare quotes — you have to compare quotes properly.
What’s the right way to compare auto insurance quotes? The most important part of the process is to compare quotes for the same types and amounts of coverage.
Full coverage car insurance
A full coverage auto insurance policy includes liability, collision and comprehensive coverage.
Average annual rate: $1,255
State-minimum car insurance
In most states, a minimum car insurance policy only comes with liability coverage.
Average annual rate: $641
So, if you get a quote for state-minimum coverage from one insurance company, you shouldn’t compare it with quotes for full coverage you get from other companies. What’s the difference between full coverage and minimum coverage?
To put it another way, if you get a quote for 50/100/50 coverage from one company, the quotes you get from other insurers should be for the same coverage.
But what does 50/100/50 mean in this case? It means the policy has:
- $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person
- $100,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per incident
- $50,000 of property damage liability coverage per incident
Your car insurance policy may include other coverage types, too, like collision, comprehensive, uninsured and underinsured motorist, medical payments or personal injury protection. Here’s how each of them protects you:
| Coverage type | What does it cover? |
|---|---|
| Liability | Injuries or damages to third parties and their property. |
| Collision | Damage to your vehicle after it hits another vehicle, a stationary object or even a pothole. |
| Comprehensive | Damage to your vehicle caused by animals, falling objects, fire, natural disasters, theft or vandalism. |
| Medical payments | Some medical bills and even funeral costs after an accident. |
| Personal injury protection | Some medical bills tied to a car accident, plus funeral costs, lost wages and childcare expenses. |
| Uninsured and underinsured motorist | Damages to your vehicle caused by another driver who doesn't have any or enough liability coverage. |
If you get quotes for car insurance policies that offer the same types and amounts of coverage, you can focus your comparison on price, reputation, customer service and perks like accident forgiveness and roadside assistance.
Frequently asked questions
Who has the cheapest car insurance?
Erie, USAA, GEICO, American Family and State Farm quoted us the cheapest auto insurance rates. Your cheapest rates will depend on factors like where you live, as well as your insurance and driving histories.
How do I find the best insurance quote?
Choose your ideal car insurance coverage levels and then use an auto insurance quote comparison site like QuoteWizard to compare multiple quotes at once.
How do I compare car insurance plans?
Make sure coverage levels are equal for each plan and then compare their rates, features and customer satisfaction ratings to find the car insurance policy that suits your needs.
Why QuoteWizard
- With our service, auto insurance agents compete for your business so you get the best deal.
- We are not affiliated with any auto insurance company.
- We’ve been doing this since 2006 and have connected over 50 million people to better rates.
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This guide on auto insurance comparison shopping is based on more than a decade of expertise in car insurance and quote comparison. Our team of in-house insurance experts compiled advice, quotes, rates and company data to educate consumers on how to compare car insurance quotes.
Average car insurance rates were compiled from more than 100,000 quotes across the country. Each state rate is based on quotes for every available company across 20 random ZIP codes. Our base driver profile is a 35-year-old male who drives a 2012 Honda Accord LX. He has excellent credit and no accidents.