Best Auto Insurance Rates in Pennsylvania

Get Cheap Car Insurance in Pennsylvania

Monday, March 30 2020 By Bryan Ochalla

USAA, Westfield and Penn National offer the cheapest car insurance rates in Pennsylvania, according to a QuoteWizard survey of the state’s providers.

Our data shows that an average driver in Pennsylvania pays $629 per year for full-coverage auto insurance if they get it from USAA or Penn National. And they pay $658 per year if they get full coverage from Westfield.

The same sample driver pays $193 per year for the minimum amount of auto insurance the state requires if they buy it from Westfield. They pay just a few dollars more, $216 per year, if they buy it from Penn National.

Those amounts are far below the state averages for these types of car insurance. Based on our research, the average Pennsylvania driver pays $465 a year for state-minimum coverage and $1,143 a year for full coverage.

Keep reading to learn more about where you can find cheap car insurance in Pennsylvania and:

• Best auto insurance companies in Pennsylvania
• Most popular Pennsylvania car insurance companies
• Pennsylvania car insurance requirements

What is the cheapest car insurance in Pennsylvania?

Penn National and USAA offer the cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Pennsylvania, each with a $629 average annual premium, based on the rates we collected for a typical driver. Westfield offers the cheapest minimum car insurance in the state, with a $192 average annual premium.

Several other companies also offer affordable car insurance rates to Pennsylvania drivers. The quote Westfield sent us for a full-coverage policy, for instance, was $658 per year. That’s only $29 per year more than what USAA and Penn National offered, or about $2 more per month.

In terms of minimum car insurance coverage, the rate quotes Donegal, Penn National and USAA sent us weren’t as low as what we got from Westfield, but they were still affordable. Penn National offered an annual premium of $216, while Donegal offered an annual premium of $260. USAA was right behind, at $266 per year for state-minimum coverage.

As the graphs above should make clear, you have other options when shopping for cheap car insurance in Pennsylvania. A number of the companies we surveyed offered rates that were well below the state average.

What about the companies that offered rates higher than the state average? You still should consider them while shopping for auto insurance. The quotes our sample driver got from these insurers may be quite different from the ones you get from them. This is because the cost of car insurance is determined by many rate factors, including where you live and what kind of car you drive. Your driving record plays an important role, too.

What are the best car insurance companies in Pennsylvania?

Penn National, Westfield and USAA offer the best car insurance in Pennsylvania, according to our research. State Farm is a good option, too, if you prefer to get coverage from a nationwide provider and you aren’t a member of the military.

Penn National: best rates overall

Penn National offered our driver the cheapest rates for full-coverage car insurance — which often includes liability, collision and comprehensive protection — and the second-cheapest rates for minimum car insurance. That’s why we think it’s the best option overall for Pennsylvanians looking for affordable auto coverage.

The rate quote Penn National sent us for minimum coverage was $216 per year. That’s only $23 more than what Westfield sent us — a difference of about $2 per month. Penn National’s quote also was $249 per year, or around $21 per month, less than the state average for this kind of coverage.

For full coverage, Penn National’s quote was $629 per year. This is $514 less than the state average — a difference of nearly $43 per month.

Westfield: best for cheap minimum coverage

The $193 rate quote Westfield sent us was the cheapest of all the companies we surveyed in Pennsylvania for state-minimum car insurance.

This quote is $23 less than what runner-up Penn National offered, and $272 less than the state average for this type of auto insurance.

Westfield also offered our sample driver cheap full-coverage auto insurance, with a quote of $658 per year. That’s just $29 per year more than what top choices Penn National and USAA sent us.

USAA: best for cheap full coverage

The $629 average annual rate quote USAA offered us tied for the cheapest of the companies we surveyed in Pennsylvania for full-coverage car insurance.

Before you get on the computer or pick up the phone to get your own quote, though, consider this: only members of the military and their families can buy car insurance from USAA.

State Farm: best nationwide provider

Both Penn National and Westfield are fairly small companies, serving only a handful of states. If you prefer to get car insurance from a larger company and you aren’t a member of the military, State Farm could be your best bet.

The rates State Farm sent our sample driver weren’t much higher than what companies like Westfield and Penn National offered. Its quote of $316 per year for minimum car insurance coverage was $123 per year, or $10 per month, more than what Westfield offered. And its quote of $803 per year for full coverage was $174 per year, or about $15 per month, more than what USAA and Penn National offered. And in both cases, State Farm’s rate quotes were below the state average.

What are the most popular car insurance companies in Pennsylvania?

While we found Penn National, USAA and Westfield to be the best car insurance companies in Pennsylvania, only one of them is among the state’s most popular car insurance companies.

According to data provided by S&P Global, Penn National, our top pick overall, writes just 1.3% of Pennsylvania’s auto insurance policies. That puts it in 12th place in terms of state market share.

Westfield, our top pick for minimum coverage, sits in 15th place. It writes less than 1% of the state’s auto policies. Our top pick for full coverage, USAA, writes about 4% of Pennsylvania’s coverage. That’s enough for it to make the top 10 in the state for market share in this area.

What is Pennsylvania’s most popular auto insurance company? State Farm. It writes 19% of the state’s policies.

Erie, Allstate and Progressive are Pennsylvania’s second, third and fourth most popular providers of car insurance. They write 15%, 12% and 10% of its auto policies, respectively.

What are Pennsylvania’s car insurance requirements?

The state minimum car insurance requirements in Pennsylvania are:

• $5,000 of medical benefits coverage.
• $15,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person.
• $30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident.
• $5,000 of property damage liability per accident.

Some companies offer policies with a single limit of $35,000 that meets the bodily injury liability and property damage liability coverage requirements listed above.

You must buy and maintain at least these types and amounts of car insurance to legally drive in Pennsylvania. If you’re caught driving without insurance, you could face the following penalties:

• A fine of $300 or more.
• A three-month suspension of your driver’s license.
• A three-month suspension of your vehicle registration.
• Various fees to restore your driver’s license or vehicle registration.
• Vehicle impoundment.

Methodology

We conducted a comprehensive study of auto insurance rates in Pennsylvania with the help of Quadrant Information Services. The quotes we gathered were for a single, 35-year-old male. He has an excellent credit score and a clean driving record. He owns a 2012 Honda Accord and drives it an average of 15,000 miles each year. His car insurance policy has 100/300/50 coverage limits and a $1,000 deductible.

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