Best Car Insurance in New York for 2024

Travelers offers the best car insurance in New York, according to NerdWallet’s analysis.
Ryan Brady
By Ryan Brady 
Updated
Edited by Ben Moore

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Finding the best car insurance in New York isn’t always easy. For a lot of people, picking a company can feel like throwing darts at a dart board with your eyes closed. That’s true whether you live in the heart of Manhattan or the tip of one of the Finger Lakes. Thankfully, we’ve done the legwork for you.

NerdWallet analyzed 22 insurance companies in the Empire State to help you find the best option. We split our top picks into four categories:

Best car insurance category

Company winner

Best overall

Travelers

Best budget pick

Progressive

Best for having few customer complaints

The Hanover

Best for ease of use

State Farm

For the full list of best car insurance companies in New York, skip to the bottom.

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NerdWallet’s editorial team considered pricing, discounts, complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and more to determine the best car insurance in NY. Our “ease of use” category includes factors such as website transparency and how simple it is to file a claim. As we continue to evaluate more insurance providers and receive fresh market data, our list of best car insurance companies is likely to change over time. In our list of the best insurers in the state, we only include insurance companies that have achieved a minimum NerdWallet star rating of 4.5.

Best car insurance in New York overall: Travelers

Best Overall
insurance-product-card-logo

Travelers

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Travelers offers a broad range of coverage options and discounts to help you customize your car insurance policy.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Above average

NAIC complaints

Fewer than expected
Best Overall

Travelers

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
Travelers offers a broad range of coverage options and discounts to help you customize your car insurance policy.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Above average

NAIC complaints

Fewer than expected

Why it’s the best

Travelers holds the highest overall score out of the 22 companies in New York we analyzed. The company stands out for its ease of use, robust mobile app and relatively few customer complaints. Travelers also holds a strong presence in New York, with over 3,000 insurance agencies available to field questions. It earned the top spot in our overall best car insurance companies of 2024.

Because our auto insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices, this category represents an overall solid choice for drivers seeking a well-rounded insurance company.

» Read the full review: Travelers auto insurance review

Best car insurance in New York for your budget: Progressive

best budget pick
insurance-product-card-logo

Progressive

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Progressive offers a variety of products, but there’s room for improvement when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Above average

NAIC complaints

Close to expected
best budget pick

Progressive

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Progressive offers a variety of products, but there’s room for improvement when it comes to customer satisfaction.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Above average

NAIC complaints

Close to expected

Why it’s the best

When it comes to the best car insurance for your wallet, Progressive comes out on top. According to our analysis, the average rate for full coverage car insurance from Progressive is $107 a month in New York. That’s the cheapest car insurance rate among our list of top-rated insurers. However, your own rate may be different. The company also offers 13 discounts drivers may qualify for.

For a more comprehensive list, check out NerdWallet’s analysis of cheap car insurance in New York, which includes the absolute cheapest companies.

» Read the full review: Progressive auto insurance review

Best car insurance in New York for having few customer complaints: The Hanover

Best for having few customer complaints
insurance-product-card-logo

Hanover

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
The Hanover sells highly customizable policies in 20 states.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Average

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected
Best for having few customer complaints

Hanover

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
The Hanover sells highly customizable policies in 20 states.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Average

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected

Why it’s the best

The Hanover is the best car insurance company in New York for having the fewest customer complaints to state regulators relative to insurers of its size. While you have to work with an independent agent to get a quote, the company offers a unique set of coverage options drivers can use to customize their policies. For example, drivers can sign up for its Travel Right insurance, which pays for lodging and travel expenses when experiencing a covered loss more than 100 miles from home. Customers can unlock more coverage packages when bundling their homeowners insurance with their auto policy.

» Read the full review: The Hanover auto insurance review

Best car insurance in New York for ease of use: State Farm

best for ease of use
insurance-product-card-logo

State Farm

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
State Farm offers numerous discounts and extras including travel expense coverage, making it a good choice for most drivers.

Discounts

Average set of discounts

Ease of use

Above average

NAIC complaints

Fewer than expected
best for ease of use

State Farm

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
State Farm offers numerous discounts and extras including travel expense coverage, making it a good choice for most drivers.

Discounts

Average set of discounts

Ease of use

Above average

NAIC complaints

Fewer than expected

Why it’s the best

State Farm is the best car insurance company in New York for ease of use. Customers can navigate its easy to use website to view policy details and pay premiums. State Farm also offers a highly rated mobile app where users can access ID cards, file a claim, connect with an agent and more. Tech-savvy customers can even access their policy information and perform other tasks through an Amazon Alexa device. State Farm earned the top spot for customer satisfaction in our overall best car insurance companies of 2024.

» Read the full review: State Farm auto insurance review

Full list of the best car insurance in NY

If you’re looking for even more options, NerdWallet analyzed 22 car insurers to find the best car insurance companies in New York. Here are the insurers that earned a NerdWallet star rating of 4.5 or higher.

Company

Star rating

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

*USAA is only available to military, veterans and their families.

Why you can trust NerdWallet

Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our coverage so you can choose the insurance company that works best for you. Our ratings are specific to auto insurance; a company's rating for other products may be different on our site. See our criteria for evaluating auto insurance companies.

Learn more about New York insurance

NerdWallet has many more NY insurance guides. For more information, check out our articles below:

Methodology

Auto insurance ratings methodology

NerdWallet’s auto insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints and discounts. Our “ease of use” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. Using our editorial discretion, we also consider customer satisfaction surveys. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines and full ratings methodology for auto insurance.

Insurer complaints methodology

NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2020-2022. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.

Average rates methodology

NerdWallet averaged rates based on public filings obtained by pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. We examined rates for men and women for all ZIP codes in any of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Although it’s one of the largest insurers in the country, Liberty Mutual is not included in our rates analysis due to a lack of publicly available information.

In our analysis, “good drivers” had no moving violations on record; a “good driving” discount was included for this profile. Our “good” and “poor” credit rates are based on credit score approximations and do not account for proprietary scoring criteria used by insurance providers.

These are average rates, and your rate will vary based on your personal details, state and insurance provider.

Sample drivers had the following coverage limits:

  • $100,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person.

  • $300,000 bodily injury liability coverage per crash.

  • $50,000 property damage liability coverage per crash.

  • $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per person.

  • $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per crash.

  • Collision coverage with $1,000 deductible.

  • Comprehensive coverage with $1,000 deductible.

We used the same assumptions for all other driver profiles, with the following exceptions:

  • We changed the credit tier from “good” to “poor” as reported to the insurer to see rates for drivers with poor credit. In states where credit isn’t taken into account, we only used rates for “good credit.”

  • For drivers with one at-fault crash, we added a single at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage.

  • For drivers with a DUI, we added a single drunken-driving violation.

We used a 2021 Toyota Camry LE in all cases and assumed 12,000 annual miles driven. We analyzed rates for a 35-year-old driver.

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