Key Takeaways
- Virginia Farm Bureau is the cheapest car company insurance in Virginia, with minimum-coverage rates averaging $38 a month.
- USAA, which is only available to the military community, has lower rates than most other insurance companies in Virginia.
- Car insurance in Virginia costs 25% less than the national average.
In this article
The cheapest car insurance companies in Virginia
Our analysis of more than 200,000 auto insurance quotes for sample drivers across Virginia shows that the following companies have the cheapest car insurance.
- Cheapest overall car insurance company: Virginia Farm Bureau
- Cheapest for teens: Erie
- Cheapest for drivers with a DUI: State Farm
Based on average rates available to a typical driver, Virginia Farm Bureau is the cheapest car insurance company for most drivers over 30, including those with a prior ticket or accident.
Erie has the cheapest rates for teen drivers, beginning with minimum-coverage rates that average $107 a month for 18-year-olds.
State Farm’s rates for drivers with a prior DUI average $91 a month, which is slightly lower than the Farm Bureau’s rate of $95 a month.
Since rates vary by customer, it’s important to compare quotes from multiple companies when you shop for car insurance.
Get free car insurance quotes from top Virginia companies
Virginia’s minimum car insurance requirements
Virginia’s car insurance requirements are unique. You generally need to show proof of insurance to register your vehicle. However, you can opt out of the insurance requirement by paying a $500 uninsured motor vehicle (UMV) fee when you register your vehicle and renew your registration each year.
Bear in mind that you are still financially responsible for injuries and property damage you cause in a car accident. Unless you pay the UMV fee, minimum-coverage car insurance requirements in Virginia include the following coverages and limits.
| Coverage | Required minimum limit |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $30,000 per person/$60,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $20,000 |
| Uninsured motorist bodily injury | $30,000 per person/$60,000 per accident |
| Uninsured motorist property damage | $20,000 |
While minimum-coverage car insurance allows you to comply with state laws, it may not provide enough coverage. For additional protection, you can choose higher limits for the required coverages, as well as the following optional coverages:
- Collision coverage
- Comprehensive coverage
- Medical expenses
- Loss of income
- Transportation expense
Cheapest minimum-coverage auto insurance rates in Virginia: Virginia Farm Bureau
Virginia Farm Bureau offers the cheapest minimum-coverage car insurance in Virginia, with rates averaging $38 a month. The next-cheapest rates are available from State Farm, $46 a month, and Erie, $48 a month.
Virginia Farm Bureau’s minimum-coverage rates are 42% lower than the state average of $66 a month.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $38 |
| State Farm | $46 |
| Erie | $48 |
| GEICO | $56 |
| State average | $66 |
| Travelers | $67 |
| Nationwide | $92 |
| Progressive | $99 |
| Allstate | $116 |
| USAA* | $35 |
| Rates are for minimum-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with a good driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | |
Cheapest full-coverage auto insurance rates in Virginia: Virginia Farm Bureau
Virginia Farm Bureau offers the cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Virginia, charging rates that average $77 a month. The next-best rates are available from State Farm, $84 a month, and Erie, $94 a month.
The average price of full-coverage car insurance in Virginia is $122 a month, which is 25% less than the national average of $162 a month.
Full-coverage car insurance includes higher liability limits than a minimum-coverage policy, as well as collision coverage and comprehensive coverage, which pay to repair damage to your car.
Although collision and comprehensive are not required by law, both are typically required for a car loan or leased vehicle.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $77 |
| State Farm | $84 |
| Erie | $94 |
| GEICO | $115 |
| State average | $122 |
| Travelers | $128 |
| Progressive | $139 |
| Nationwide | $157 |
| Allstate | $232 |
| USAA* | $73 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with a good driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | |
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with bad credit: Virginia Farm Bureau
Virginia allows insurance companies to use your credit-based insurance score as a factor in determining your car insurance rate. Statewide, the average price of car insurance for a driver with poor credit is 57% higher than it is for drivers with good credit.
Virginia Farm Bureau has the cheapest car insurance for drivers with poor credit, $116 a month, followed by GEICO, $135 a month, and State Farm, $172 a month.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $116 |
| GEICO | $135 |
| State Farm | $172 |
| State average | $192 |
| Progressive | $209 |
| Erie | $220 |
| Nationwide | $221 |
| Travelers | $242 |
| Allstate | $284 |
| USAA* | $128 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with poor credit and a good driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | |
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a prior incident
Prior tickets or accidents are among the most common factors that can drive up your insurance costs.
Insurance companies generally check your driving records for prior incidents within the past three to five years. If your current insurance company is charging you for an incident that happened more than three years ago, consider shopping for a company with a shorter look-back period.
Cheapest for drivers with a speeding ticket: Virginia Farm Bureau
A prior speeding ticket raises the average price of car insurance in Virginia by 17% to $142 a month.
Virginia Farm Bureau has the cheapest car insurance for drivers with a prior speeding ticket, $83 a month, which is $6 more per month than its rate for those with a clean record.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $83 |
| State Farm | $91 |
| Erie | $108 |
| GEICO | $115 |
| Travelers | $128 |
| State average | $143 |
| Progressive | $182 |
| Nationwide | $194 |
| Allstate | $298 |
| USAA* | $89 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one speeding ticket on his driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | |
Cheapest for drivers with an at-fault accident: Virginia Farm Bureau
Virginia Farm Bureau and State Farm have the cheapest car insurance for drivers with a prior accident, charging rates that average $77 a month and $99 a month, respectively, for full coverage.
In Virginia, a prior accident raises the average price of car insurance by 47% to $179 a month.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $77 |
| State Farm | $99 |
| Erie | $135 |
| Nationwide | $157 |
| GEICO | $170 |
| State average | $179 |
| Travelers | $180 |
| Progressive | $219 |
| Allstate | $469 |
| USAA* | $107 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one at-fault accident on his driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | |
Cheapest for drivers with a DUI: State Farm
State Farm has the cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI, $91 a month, followed by Virginia Farm Bureau, $95 a month.
A prior DUI raises the average price of car insurance in Virginia by 62% to $198 a month.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| State Farm | $91 |
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $95 |
| Erie | $162 |
| Progressive | $184 |
| State average | $198 |
| Travelers | $198 |
| GEICO | $284 |
| Nationwide | $292 |
| Allstate | $336 |
| USAA* | $136 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 35-year-old male with one DUI on his driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | |
Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers: Virginia Farm Bureau
Virginia Farm Bureau has the cheapest car insurance for senior citizen drivers in Virginia, charging 65-year-olds an average of $63 a month for full coverage.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $63 |
| State Farm | $77 |
| Erie | $92 |
| Travelers | $115 |
| State average | $119 |
| GEICO | $132 |
| Progressive | $133 |
| Nationwide | $144 |
| Allstate | $247 |
| USAA* | $70 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 65-year-old male with a clean driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | |
If you’re a senior citizen, you may see your car insurance rates inch up in your retirement years. In Virginia, the average price of car insurance for a 75-year-old is $153 a month, or 28% higher than it is for a 65-year-old.
Many insurance companies offer a discount to senior citizens who complete an approved driver safety program, and some classes are available online.
Cheapest car insurance for young drivers: Erie
Teen drivers have the highest crash rates among all age groups, and this is the primary reason why young drivers pay more for car insurance than those aged 20 and up.
The average price of minimum-coverage car insurance for 18-year-olds in Virginia is $201 a month, more than three times the average rate available to a driver in their mid-30s.
Erie has the cheapest car insurance for young drivers, charging 18-year-olds $108 a month for minimum-coverage policies and $216 a month for full coverage.
| Company | Minimum coverage (monthly) | Full coverage (monthly) |
|---|---|---|
| Erie | $107 | $216 |
| State Farm | $139 | $257 |
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $162 | $339 |
| Travelers | $180 | $362 |
| GEICO | $185 | $397 |
| State average | $201 | $394 |
| Allstate | $242 | $532 |
| Nationwide | $279 | $529 |
| Progressive | $421 | $716 |
| USAA* | $94 | $194 |
| Rates are for an 18-year-old male with a clean driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | ||
Cheapest car insurance for married drivers: Virginia Farm Bureau
Among the many benefits of matrimony, being married can help you save money on car insurance.
In Virginia, married drivers pay an average $112 a month each for car insurance, which is 8% less than the average car insurance rate for unmarried individuals.
| Company | Monthly rate |
|---|---|
| Virginia Farm Bureau | $73 |
| State Farm | $84 |
| Erie | $85 |
| State average | $112 |
| Progressive | $120 |
| GEICO | $122 |
| Travelers | $129 |
| Nationwide | $149 |
| Allstate | $182 |
| USAA* | $66 |
| Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a married 35-year-old male with a good driving record. *Only available to current/former military and their families. | |
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Virginia car insurance laws
Penalties for driving without insurance in VA
Although Virginia gives you the option to avoid the state’s car insurance requirements by paying a UMV fee, the penalties for avoiding both the insurance requirement and the fee are severe.
If you haven’t paid the UMV fee and get caught driving without insurance in Virginia, your driver’s license and vehicle registration may be suspended. In order to have your driving status reinstated, you typically have to pay fines and file an SR-22 certificate with the state for three years.
In addition to requiring you to show proof of insurance when you register your vehicle, Virginia uses an electronic monitoring system to verify the insurance status of registered vehicles. You also need to show proof of insurance during a traffic stop.
SR-22 and FR-44 insurance requirements in Virginia
Virginia requires motorists convicted of certain violations to file an SR-22 or FR-44 with the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)..
- An SR-22 certificate is generally required to get your license and/or registration reinstated after a violation such as driving without insurance or falsifying insurance documents. A minimum-coverage car policy will satisfy an SR-22 requirement.
- An FR-22 is required to get your license and/or registration reinstated after a more severe violation, such as a DUI. Your liability and uninsured motorist limits need to be at least $60,000 per injured person and $120,000 per accident to satisfy the requirements for an FR-44 filing.
Since your insurance company files either certificate on your behalf, it’s important to let them know about your filing requirement before you activate your policy.
Most companies charge a small fee for filing your certificate with the DMV. The actual price you pay for insurance with an SR-22 or FR-44 depends on the offense or offenses that led to the filing requirement. You can expect to pay more if you have a severe offense on your record and/or if you have multiple prior violations.
Contributory fault laws for car accidents
Virginia is one of four states that uses contributory fault laws to settle car accident claims. Under these laws, you are financially responsible for injuries and property damage you cause in a car accident unless the other driver’s actions contribute to the accident.
To put it another way, an at-fault driver’s insurance may not cover your medical bills or car repairs if you are only remotely responsible for contributing to an accident. This is one of the main reasons to consider adding medical expense coverage to your car insurance and keeping collision and comprehensive coverage on your policy after you’ve paid off your loan.
Virginia car insurance: FAQs
On average, car insurance costs $66 a month for minimum-coverage car insurance in Virginia and $122 a month for full coverage.
Car insurance is required in Virginia unless you pay the state’s uninsured motor vehicle (UMV) fee.
Virginia is not a no-fault state for car insurance. You are financially responsible for injuries and property damage you cause to others in a car accident, unless the other driver bears any share of responsibility for the accident.
Methodology
The rates shown in this article are based on an analysis of more than 200,000 auto insurance quotes obtained from Quadrant Information Services for sample drivers from across Virginia.
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 and uninsured motorist coverage.
Full-coverage policies include uninsured motorist coverage as well as 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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