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What you pay for car insurance can vary depending on a few different factors including your location, how much coverage you want, your driving history, age and credit score.
USAA and Erie are the cheapest car insurance companies. However, Erie is available in only 12 states and the District of Columbia, and USAA only covers active and former military members and some of their family members. Of nationally available insurance companies, State Farm and Farm Bureau have the lowest car insurance rates.
Company | Minimum coverage | Full coverage |
---|---|---|
USAA | $570 | $1,257 |
Erie | $636 | $1,274 |
State Farm | $766 | $1,506 |
Farm Bureau | $868 | $1,696 |
MetLife | $885 | $2,001 |
Auto-Owners | $1,041 | $2,998 |
Progressive | $1,045 | $1,995 |
Mid-Century | $1,099 | $1,976 |
American Family | $1,108 | $1,832 |
GEICO | $1,132 | $2,483 |
Nationwide | $1,282 | $2,346 |
Allstate | $1,322 | $2,669 |
Farmers | $1,341 | $2,406 |
Travelers | $1,604 | $2,979 |
Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. |
Providers Include
Buying car insurance with a bad driving record is costly. Incidents on your record 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.
Company | Clean record | At-fault accident |
---|---|---|
Erie | $1,300 | $1,554 |
USAA | $1,256 | $1,725 |
State Farm | $1,549 | $1,840 |
Farm Bureau | $1,835 | $2,537 |
Mid-Century | $1,960 | $2,851 |
American Family | $1,832 | $2,860 |
Progressive | $1,981 | $3,075 |
MetLife | $2,001 | $3,193 |
Nationwide | $2,346 | $3,197 |
Farmers | $2,406 | $3,415 |
Auto-Owners | $2,998 | $3,842 |
Travelers | $2,979 | $3,842 |
GEICO | $2,521 | $3,957 |
Allstate | $2,669 | $3,970 |
Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. |
Company | Clean record | DUI |
---|---|---|
Erie | $1,300 | $2,142 |
USAA | $1,256 | $2,383 |
State Farm | $1,549 | $2,110 |
Farm Bureau | $1,835 | $3,131 |
Mid-Century | $1,960 | $3,104 |
American Family | $1,832 | $2,810 |
Progressive | $1,981 | $2,621 |
MetLife | $2,001 | $4,546 |
Nationwide | $2,346 | $4,390 |
Farmers | $2,406 | $4,080 |
Auto-Owners | $2,998 | $4,598 |
Travelers | $2,979 | $4,598 |
GEICO | $2,521 | $5,673 |
Allstate | $2,669 | $4,944 |
Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. |
Company | Clean record | Speeding ticket |
---|---|---|
Erie | $1,300 | $1,425 |
USAA | $1,256 | $1,539 |
State Farm | $1,549 | $1,698 |
Farm Bureau | $1,835 | $2,194 |
Mid-Century | $1,960 | $2,604 |
American Family | $1,832 | $2,210 |
Progressive | $1,981 | $2,574 |
MetLife | $2,001 | $3,904 |
Nationwide | $2,346 | $3,042 |
Farmers | $2,406 | $3,197 |
Auto-Owners | $2,998 | $3,622 |
Travelers | $2,979 | $3,622 |
GEICO | $2,521 | $3,005 |
Allstate | $2,669 | $3,123 |
Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. |
How much you pay for car insurance varies significantly depending on your age. Young drivers face high insurance rates due to their inexperience. Insurance for a 16-year-old is more than three times as expensive compared to a 25-year-old.
Car insurance rates go down considerably around age 25, assuming a clean driving record.
Based on our analysis, the major insurers that offered the cheapest insurance rates for each age group were Farm Bureau and State Farm. American Family offered the third most inexpensive rates, on average, for all age groups except for drivers in their 60s, who received cheaper rates from Mercury.
Average car insurance rates are different in each state. Insurance laws, property crime statistics and accident rates vary from state to state, and so do insurance rates.
New York has the most expensive car insurance in the country, with annual rates of $2,759 for minimum coverage and $4,943 for full coverage.
Wyoming has the cheapest car insurance in the country, with annual rates of $426 for minimum coverage and $1,577 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 |
---|---|---|
National average | $1,040 | $2,108 |
Alabama | $965 | $1,973 |
Alaska | $697 | $1,388 |
Arizona | $1,822 | $3,180 |
Arkansas | $826 | $1,864 |
California | $850 | $1,996 |
Colorado | $1,193 | $2,198 |
Connecticut | 1,346 | $2,524 |
Delaware | $1,375 | $2,379 |
District of Columbia | $1,856 | $2,020 |
Florida | $1,821 | $4,651 |
Georgia | $1,010 | $1,923 |
Hawaii | $744 | $1,682 |
Idaho | $614 | $1,251 |
Illinois | $1,211 | $2,580 |
Indiana | $605 | $1,368 |
Iowa | $556 | $1,455 |
Kansas | $621 | $1,584 |
Kentucky | $1,527 | $2,997 |
Louisiana | $1,617 | $4,178 |
Maine | $505 | $1,018 |
Maryland | $1,358 | $2,535 |
Massachusetts | $874 | $2,218 |
Michigan | $2,236 | $3,671 |
Minnesota | $1,101 | $2,132 |
Mississippi | $1,128 | $2,214 |
Missouri | $956 | $2,194 |
Montana | $622 | $1,590 |
Nebraska | $576 | $1,380 |
Nevada | $1,824 | $3,059 |
New Hampshire | $868 | $1,887 |
New Jersey | $1,037 | $2,135 |
New Mexico | $810 | $1,732 |
New York | $2,759 | $4,943 |
North Carolina | $557 | $1,059 |
North Dakota | $539 | $1,821 |
Ohio | $544 | $1,291 |
Oklahoma | $930 | $1,915 |
Oregon | $1,404 | $2,257 |
Pennsylvania | $746 | $1,717 |
Rhode Island | $1,796 | $3,312 |
South Carolina | $1,106 | $2,008 |
South Dakota | $500 | $2,037 |
Tennessee | $722 | $1,651 |
Texas | $1,436 | $3,011 |
Utah | $1,016 | $1,735 |
Vermont | $516 | $1,287 |
Virginia | $765 | $1,559 |
Washington | $1,116 | $1,804 |
West Virginia | $654 | $1,527 |
Wisconsin | $560 | $1,300 |
Wyoming | $426 | $1,577 |
Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. |
To ensure that you receive the best possible rates, you should not only contact multiple companies but also:
Nearly all insurers offer discounts to their drivers, many of which you can easily qualify for or might already meet the eligibility for. These discounts can rack up hundreds or even thousands of dollars in annual savings. A few discounts typically offered by major companies include:
Most major insurers provide the option of covering multiple vehicles under one shared policy. Your bill will come as one document rather than multiple, making it easy to track payments and pay the bills. Additionally, you can even get a discount for having more than one vehicle insured.
This option is particularly useful for drivers under the age of 25 to use with an older member of their household. The reason is that teen drivers are considered riskier to insure and are therefore charged higher insurance premiums. By signing onto an older party's policy, they take on part of that risk. However, this option is still cheaper than obtaining two separate policies.
Your lifestyle is constantly changing, which could affect your driving needs. If you're not driving as much or have your car in storage, consider downgrading the amount of protection you have. Has the value of your car gone down recently? It might be worth it to opt for lower coverage rather than higher.
Drivers who have had a credit score improvement or moved neighborhoods recently can also check to see if they can get quoted at a lower rate.
The difference between the cheapest and most expensive insurance companies can span thousands of dollars worth of savings each year. To find the best policy, you need to shop around and evaluate your options.
A full coverage auto insurance policy includes liability, collision and comprehensive coverage.
Average annual rate: $2,119
In most states, a minimum car insurance policy only comes with liability coverage.
Average annual rate: $1,044
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 |
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.
Comparing car insurance with QuoteWizard | Comparing car insurance manually |
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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 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 the best price for the coverage you need. Since the rate available to you will vary from carrier to carrier, it’s always best to review multiple quotes.
QuoteWizard does the heavy lifting for you. We save you time by providing personalized quotes in real-time from licensed insurance agents near you, while keeping your personal information secure.
To get started, gather some basic data:
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.
Take into consideration the proposed policy's total cost, any discounts applied to the quoted rate and the policy term — most are six months, but some last one year.
Can you compare auto insurance rates online?
Yes, most major insurers allow you to sign up for coverage online, thus allowing you to compare premiums from various companies. However, some require you to meet with an agent in person to complete the process, and many small companies do not have the option to purchase policies online.
Receiving a quote is free, but if you choose to buy a policy, you will likely be asked to place a down payment for your coverage to take place.
Can I bundle my auto insurance with my home or renters coverage?
Absolutely. Insurers that offer auto, home and renters usually have a bundle option where you can apply for multiple coverages. In fact, many companies encourage you to bundle by offering a discount in return. Depending on your needs and preferences, you might opt to receive multiple policies from the same insurer to make it easy to keep track of your claims and bills.
How long does it take to buy car insurance?
Not long. QuoteWizard puts insurance agents to work for you. The secured information you provide enables them to offer a quote, though they usually reach out to you to confirm details. After that, it’s up to you to compare proposals, ask questions and choose the policy that works best for you.
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 of the largest ZIP codes. Our base driver profile is a 30-year-old male who drives a 2012 Honda Accord LX. He has excellent credit and no accidents.