Key Takeaways
- Safety Insurance has the cheapest car insurance for most driver profiles in Massachusetts.
- GEICO has the lowest car insurance rates for teens drivers in Massachusetts.
- The average cost of full-coverage car insurance in Massachusetts is 28% higher than the national average.
In this article
The cheapest car insurance companies in Massachusetts
- Safety: Cheapest overall
- GEICO: Cheapest for teen drivers
- Progressive: Cheapest for drivers with a OUI
Safety offers the cheapest car insurance to most drivers in their mid-30s and older, including those with a prior ticket or accident. The Boston-based company offers car insurance in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
GEICO has the lowest rates for teen drivers in Massachusetts. Its rates for drivers in their mid-30s and up are also generally low.
Progressive has the state’s lowest car insurance rates for drivers with an OUI.
Since rates vary by customer, it’s best to compare quotes from multiple companies when you shop for auto insurance.
Minimum state car insurance requirements in Massachusetts
Massachusetts requires all vehicle owners to carry car insurance with the following coverages and minimum limits.
| Coverage | Required minimum limit |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $5.000 |
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | $8,000 |
| Uninsured motorist bodily injury | $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident |
Higher liability and uninsured motorist limits are available, and you can also purchase the following optional coverage for additional protection:
- Collision
- Comprehensive
- Medical payments
- Rental car reimbursement
- Roadside assistance
- Accident forgiveness
- Gap insurance
Get free car insurance quotes from top MA companies
Cheapest minimum-coverage auto insurance rates in Massachusetts: Safety
Safety has the cheapest minimum-coverage car insurance in Massachusetts, charging a typical driver rates that average $48 a month statewide. The next-best rates are available from Hanover, $54 a month, and GEICO, $70 a month.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Safety | $48 |
| Hanover | $54 |
| GEICO | $70 |
| State average | $89 |
| Progressive | $94 |
| Plymouth Rock | $96 |
| Arbella | $100 |
| Travelers | $162 |
| Rates are for minimum-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with a good driving record. | |
Cheapest full-coverage auto insurance rates in Massachusetts: Safety
Safety offers the cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Massachusetts, charging rates that average $95 a month. The next-best rates for full-coverage car insurance are available from Progressive, $155 a month, and Hanover, $170 a month.
The average cost of full-coverage car insurance in Massachusetts is $208 a month, which is 28% higher than the national average, $162 a month.
Full-coverage car insurance has higher liability limits than a minimum-coverage policy, as well as collision coverage and comprehensive coverage. Although the latter two are not required by law, both are typically required for a car loan or lease.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Safety | $95 |
| Progressive | $155 |
| Hanover | $170 |
| GEICO | $178 |
| State average | $208 |
| Arbella | $237 |
| Plymouth Rock | $289 |
| Travelers | $335 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with a good driving record. | |
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a prior incident
Drivers with a prior ticket or accident generally pay more for car insurance in Massachusetts than those with a clean record. The exact amount you pay varies by insurance company and the nature of the offense.
Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket: Safety
Safety has the cheapest car insurance for Massachusetts drivers with a speeding ticket. However, the company’s rates for drivers with a speeding ticket are 74% higher than they are for drivers with a clean record.
Overall, a speeding ticket increases the average price of car insurance in Massachusetts by 37% to $284 a month for full coverage.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Safety | $165 |
| Progressive | $196 |
| GEICO | $198 |
| Arbella | $257 |
| State average | $284 |
| Hanover | $285 |
| Plymouth Rock | $436 |
| Travelers | $449 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one speeding ticket on his driving record. | |
Cheapest for drivers with an at-fault accident: Safety
Although Safety’s rates for drivers with an accident history are more than double its rates for those with a clean record, the company still has the cheapest car insurance for Massachusetts drivers with a prior at-fault accident.
In Massachusetts, a prior at-fault accident raises car insurance rates by an average of 52% to $317 a month for full coverage.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Safety | $203 |
| Progressive | $212 |
| GEICO | $268 |
| Hanover | $310 |
| State average | $317 |
| Plymouth Rock | $327 |
| Arbella | $363 |
| Travelers | $538 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one at-fault accident on his driving record. | |
Cheapest for drivers with an OUI: Progressive
Massachusetts drivers with an OUI can expect to see their car insurance rates rise by 79% to an average of $351 a month.
Progressive has the cheapest car insurance for drivers with an OUI, $181 a month for full coverage, followed by Hanover, $247 a month, and Safety, $286 a month.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Progressive | $181 |
| Hanover | $247 |
| Safety | $286 |
| GEICO | $306 |
| State average | $351 |
| Arbella | $437 |
| Plymouth Rock | $460 |
| Travelers | $538 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one OUI on his driving record. | |
Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers: Safety
Safety has the cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in Massachusetts. Its rates, which average $72 a month for full coverage, are considerably lower than those available from the next-cheapest companies, Progressive, $116 a month, and Hanover, $128 a month.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Safety | $72 |
| Progressive | $116 |
| Hanover | $128 |
| GEICO | $133 |
| State average | $166 |
| Arbella | $179 |
| Travelers | $261 |
| Plymouth Rock | $270 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 65-year-old male with a clean driving record. | |
Cheapest car insurance for young drivers: GEICO
GEICO has the cheapest car insurance for young drivers in Massachusetts, charging 18-year-olds an average of $181 a month for minimum coverage and $458 for full coverage.
| Company | Minimum coverage (monthly) | Full coverage (monthly) |
|---|---|---|
| GEICO | $181 | $458 |
| Hanover | $187 | $578 |
| Safety | $232 | $480 |
| Progressive | $234 | $478 |
| State average | $235 | $573 |
| Arbella | $250 | $639 |
| Plymouth Rock | $253 | $722 |
| Travelers | $305 | $656 |
| Rates are for an 18-year-old male with a clean driving record. | ||
Teens have the highest crash rates among all age groups, and this is the primary reason why they are charged so much for car insurance.
Teens typically pay less for car insurance when added to a parent’s policy than they do for their own car insurance. In Massachusetts, the average cost of adding a teen to their 45-year-old parent’s policy is $267 a month.
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Car insurance laws in Massachusetts
No-fault car insurance
Under Massachusetts no-fault auto insurance laws, your own insurance policy’s PIP coverage pays to treat injuries you and/or your passengers suffer in a car accident, regardless of fault, up to your PIP limits.
If you cause an accident that injures someone in another vehicle, your bodily injury liability coverage kicks in if their medical costs exceed their PIP limits, or if their injuries are particularly severe.
The state’s no-fault laws only apply to bodily injuries. If you cause an accident, you are financially responsible for damage to other people’s vehicles and property, which is typically covered by your property damage liability.
If your share of costs from an accident exceeds your policy’s limits, you may have to tap into your savings or other personal assets to cover the shortfall. This is the main reason to consider coverages and limits that exceed the state’s minimum requirements.
Penalties for driving without insurance
The penalties for driving without insurance in Massachusetts can get expensive. In addition to a $500 fine, you can also be ordered to pay one year’s premium for the most expensive minimum-car insurance policy available at the time of your offense.
You are required to provide proof of insurance to register your vehicle in Massachusetts, and the state uses an electronic monitoring system to verify the insurance status of all registered vehicles.
Since your insurance status is updated in the state’s Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), you are not required to carry an insurance ID card in your vehicle.
However, you should ask your insurance company to send you proof-of-insurance documents if you plan to drive your vehicle to other states. This will allow you to comply with laws in most other states, which typically do require you to show proof of insurance during a traffic stop.
SR-22 insurance in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is one of the few states that does not include SR-22 filing requirements among its conditions for reinstating your driver’s license or vehicle registration after an OUI or any other violation.
If you have an SR-22 requirement in a different state and plan to move to Massachusetts, make sure to check on any documents your current state may require you to provide. Failing to properly document your SR-22 requirements in another state could jeopardize your ability to maintain your driving privileges in Massachusetts after you move.
Massachusetts car insurance: FAQs
On average, car insurance for a typical adult with a clean driving record costs $89 a month for minimum coverage in Massachusetts and $208 a month for full coverage.
The best way to lower your car insurance in Massachusetts is to compare quotes from multiple companies to find the one that can give you the lowest rate. Raising your collision and comprehensive deductibles can lower your rate. Many insurance companies also offer discounts to young drivers and seniors who complete approved driver-education courses.
Safety Insurance generally has the cheapest car insurance in Massachusetts, with rates that are well below state averages for most drivers. However, GEICO has the cheapest car insurance for teens.
Methodology
The rates shown in this article are based on an analysis of more than 100,000 auto insurance quotes obtained from Quadrant Information Services for sample drivers from across Massachusetts.
Unless otherwise noted, our sample driver is a single 35-year-old male with good credit. All sample drivers own a 2012 Honda Accord LX that they drive for an average of 13,500 miles per year.
Our senior base driver is a 65-year-old male with a good driving record. Our young base driver is an 18-year-old male with a good driving record.
Minimum-coverage rates reflect the cost of policies meeting the state’s minimum limits for liability, personal injury protection and uninsured motorist coverage.
Full-coverage policies include personal injury protection, uninsured motorist coverage and the the following coverages, limits and deductibles:
- Bodily injury liability: $100,000 limit per person/$300,000 limit per accident
- Property damage liability: $100,000 limit
- Collision: $500 deductible
- Comprehensive: $500 deductible
Sources:
Auto insurance by city
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