One of the best ways to get cheap car insurance is by comparing car insurance quotes — and the companies offering them. To get you started, NerdWallet looked at car insurance prices across the country for different driver profiles and coverage levels to find the cheapest rates. We’ve sliced the data in several ways to give you an idea of average costs and what factors might nudge your car insurance rate up — or even better, down.
The biggest car insurance companies, ranked by price
Below are average rates among all states for the seven largest auto insurers in the United States. USAA, the cheapest, isn’t ranked because it’s not available to everyone.
$1,337/year for good drivers.
$1,627/year for good drivers.
$1,828/year for good drivers.
$1,855/year for good drivers.
$1,964/year for good drivers.
$2,752/year for good drivers.
$896/year for good drivers.
Just seven car insurance companies make up 65% of the U.S. market for individual auto policies. They are Allstate, Farmers, Geico, Liberty Mutual, Progressive and State Farm, which are available to anyone, and USAA, the insurer for active military members, veterans and their families.
NerdWallet compared quotes from these insurers in ZIP codes across the country. Rates are for policies that include liability, collision, comprehensive, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverages, as well as any other coverage required in each state. Our “good driver” profile is a 40-year-old with no moving violations and credit in the “good” tier.
Keep in mind these are averages from across the country, so rates in your area will differ. Credit history and at-fault accidents can heavily impact insurance rates — use the tabs below to compare rates for additional driver types.
Recap: Cheapest of the big insurance companies
- State Farm: Cheapest for good drivers, drivers with one at-fault crash and minimum coverage.
- Geico: Cheapest for good drivers with bad credit.
- USAA: Cheapest for military members, veterans and their families.
Cheap rates from small insurers
Finding cheap car insurance doesn’t mean you have to stick with large insurance companies. Regional and small insurers may beat the lowest offers from the big guys, and often have great customer service.
Below are annual average rates from some small car insurance companies, according to our analysis.
$524/year for good drivers.
- Available in: GA, IL, IN, IA, KY, MI, MN, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI.
$771/year for good drivers.
- Available in: DC, IL, IN, KY, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WI.
$949/year for good drivers.
- Available in: AZ, CA, CT, FL, ID, IN, KY, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, TN, VT, WA.
$1,248/year for good drivers.
- Available in: AL, AK, AZ, CO, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, MO, NV, ND, OK, OR, TN, WA, WI.
We chose these companies because of their low rates and availability in multiple states, but there may be cheaper options in your state. For example, there are many Farm Bureau insurance companies available only in a single state — and they were often cheapest in our state-by-state analysis this year.
Cheapest car insurance in your state
Cheap car insurance sounds great to everyone, but doesn’t mean the same thing everywhere. Rates vary widely from one state to the next. To get a good benchmark for price comparisons, check out average rates in your state.
Cheapest overall: Liability-only car insurance
The cheapest car insurance, period, will likely be the minimum coverage required in your state. In most states this is liability insurance only, which covers property damage and medical bills for others due to accidents you cause. Some states also require uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which pay for your injuries or damage if an at-fault driver doesn’t have enough insurance.
Policies with comprehensive and collision coverage are pricier, but cover you in case your car is stolen or damaged, no matter who (or what) caused it. When you add these to liability and uninsured/underinsured coverages, it’s commonly considered “full coverage.”
» MORE: Find cheap full coverage car insurance
To get an idea of the price difference, NerdWallet looked at quotes for the minimum required insurance in each state and compared them to average full coverage prices.
How to get the cheapest possible insurance
No matter who your auto insurance company is, here are tips for saving on your policy:
- Look for discounts — even ask for them. There could be discounts you’re not taking advantage of. For instance, maybe you retired and are driving less than when you bought your policy. Mention it and you might get a low-mileage discount.
- Rethink insurance limits and deductibles. A higher collision and comprehensive deductible might make sense if you rarely drive or are financially comfortable with the risk. Raising deductibles means you’d owe more out of pocket if you had to file a comprehensive or collision claim, but it’s a surefire way to get cheaper car insurance.
- Know when to cut coverage. Don’t strip away coverage just for the sake of a lower price. You’ll need full coverage car insurance to satisfy the terms of an auto loan, and you’ll want it as long as your car would be a financial burden to replace. But for older cars, you can drop comprehensive and collision coverage, which only pay out up to your car’s current value, minus the deductible.
- Cash in on major life changes. Certain life events could translate to cheaper car insurance. For instance, many companies offer a lower rate for married couples or domestic partners. Or perhaps you moved to a suburb with lower accident and crime rates. If your risk for accidents goes down, your rates just might, too.
NerdWallet’s car insurance comparison tool makes it easy to see top companies side-by-side.
