Cheap Full Coverage Car Insurance for 2024

Travelers has the cheapest full coverage insurance at $1,681 per year, according to NerdWallet’s analysis of large insurers.
Drew Gula
Kayda Norman
By Kayda Norman and  Drew Gula 
Updated
Edited by Ben Moore

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

Nerdy takeaways
  • Travelers has the cheapest full coverage car insurance, at an average of $140 a month.

  • Full coverage is a term used to describe a car insurance policy that includes your state’s minimum requirements, plus comprehensive and collision insurance.

  • The best way to get cheap full coverage insurance is to shop around and compare quotes from at least three insurers.

Full coverage car insurance isn’t a specific type of policy, but a combination of coverage types that typically includes liability, comprehensive and collision insurance. If you have a loan or lease, your lender likely requires you to have it.

Finding the cheapest full coverage car insurance

Because it combines several types of coverage, finding cheap full coverage insurance can be tough. For example, full coverage car insurance can cost more than triple the price of minimum required coverage. That’s why it pays to shop around.

Cheap full coverage auto insurance companies

Here are average prices for full coverage insurance from nine of the largest car insurance companies, nationwide, according to NerdWallet’s January 2024 analysis:

Company

Average full coverage rate per year

Average full coverage rate per month

$1,681

$140

$1,791

$149

$1,846

$154

$1,976

$165

$2,112

$176

$2,279

$190

$2,665

$222

$3,106

$259

$1,432

$119

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

On average, you can save over $1,400 a year by picking the cheapest company available instead of the most expensive — and that’s only considering nine of the biggest auto insurers in the nation.

Going with a smaller, regional insurer can often save you even more. While state availability can be limited, smaller companies can often be cheaper than a large insurer. For example, NJM is only available in five states but has an average rate of $1,424 a year for full coverage.

Continue reading to see more full coverage car insurance rates for:

🤓Nerdy Tip

Full coverage auto insurance can be pricey. If you’re looking for the cheapest car insurance, period, check out NerdWallet's analysis of cheap car insurance for state-mandated minimum coverage.

NerdWallet’s editorial team analyzed full coverage car insurance rates from pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. Our analysis looked at 35-year-old drivers in all ZIP codes across the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., with a variety of driving and credit histories. All drivers had a 2021 Toyota Camry LE.

Although it’s one of the largest insurers in the country, Liberty Mutual is not included in our analysis because it does not provide rate data.

The cheapest best full coverage car insurance companies

Price is likely a major factor when deciding which insurance company to choose, but it shouldn’t be the only one. In fact, the best full coverage insurance providers may not be the cheapest. If you want cheap full coverage insurance without sacrificing customer service, take a look at the three companies offering the cheapest full coverage car insurance out of NerdWallet’s best car insurance companies.

insurance-product-card-logo

NJM

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
NJM is among our best car insurance companies for 2024, but it is available in only five states.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Average

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected
insurance-product-card-logo

NJM

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
NJM is among our best car insurance companies for 2024, but it is available in only five states.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Average

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected
insurance-product-card-logo

Auto-Owners Insurance

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
People who need several insurance policies may benefit from the convenience and discounts of bundling them with Auto-Owners, which has many coverage options and few customer complaints.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Average

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected
insurance-product-card-logo

Auto-Owners Insurance

5.0

NerdWallet rating 
People who need several insurance policies may benefit from the convenience and discounts of bundling them with Auto-Owners, which has many coverage options and few customer complaints.

Discounts

Great set of discounts

Ease of use

Average

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected
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
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

The best full coverage car insurance companies

If you’d like to review and compare more options, check out NerdWallet’s full list of the best car insurance companies ranked by average full coverage car insurance rate. Keep in mind that not all companies will offer policies in every state.

Company

Average annual full coverage rate

NerdWallet star rating

$1,424

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

$1,477

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

$1,681

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

$1,791

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

$1,846

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

$1,976

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

$2,481

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

$1,432

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

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

Cheap full coverage insurance for different drivers

A lot of factors go into determining each person’s car insurance rates, including their state, driving history and credit history. NerdWallet put together the companies with the cheapest average full coverage rates for different driver profiles to give you a better picture of what you might expect to pay for full coverage car insurance.

Cheap full coverage car insurance companies by state

Your location can have a big effect on how much you pay for full coverage auto insurance. For example, our average car insurance cost analysis showed that drivers in Florida pay over three times as much for full coverage insurance as those in Wyoming.

Looking for the most affordable full coverage insurance in your state? Here are the cheapest insurers, on average, in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

State

Cheapest company

Average annual full coverage rate

Travelers

$1,719

Geico

$1,217

Noblr

$775

Geico

$1,501

Auto Club of SoCal

$1,147

American National

$1,087

Travelers

$2,033

Travelers

$1,788

Geico

$1,710

Central Insurance

$1,331

Geico

$1,359

American National

$652

Hastings Mutual

$934

Hastings Mutual

$808

Hastings Mutual

$742

Shelter

$1,273

Shelter

$1,584

Southern Farm Bureau

$1,903

Concord Group

$1,022

Geico

$1,227

Geico

$841

Geico

$1,172

Farm Bureau Financial Services

$917

Direct Auto

$1,649

Missouri Farm Bureau

$1,375

State Farm

$1,408

American National

$738

Travelers

$1,376

MMG

$995

Geico

$1,136

Geico

$1,700

NYCM

$1,053

Progressive

$906

American Family

$1,485

Hastings Mutual

$750

American Farmers & Ranchers

$1,527

CIG

$1,156

Travelers

$1,265

Quincy Mutual

$1,542

American National

$698

Kemper

$931

Penn National

$1,275

Texas Farm Bureau

$1,268

QBE

$1,287

Union Mutual

$676

Virginia Farm Bureau

$895

CIG

$824

Erie

$1,312

Encova

$1,578

Erie

$986

American National

$808

Cheap full coverage auto insurance for drivers with an accident or DUI

Among large insurers, Travelers has the cheapest full coverage insurance rates, on average, for non-military drivers who caused an accident. Progressive has the cheapest rates for drivers with a DUI.

Here are average full coverage rates from the largest insurers in the nation for drivers with one at-fault accident or a DUI.

Company

Average annual full coverage rate for drivers with one at-fault accident

Average annual full coverage rate for drivers with one DUI

$2,376

$2,950

$2,488

$2,940

$2,642

$2,433

$3,005

$2,645

$3,112

$4,420

$3,687

$4,834

$4,084

$3,939

$5,210

$6,268

$2,041

$2,621

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

It pays to shop around and compare full coverage auto insurance quotes from multiple companies, including smaller insurers. Sometimes a lesser-known company may be able to save you even more. As an example, Union Mutual’s average full coverage rate for drivers with one at-fault accident is $855, while Noblr’s average rate for drivers with a DUI is $1,021.

Cheap full coverage car insurance for drivers with poor credit

You may not realize that your credit history can affect car insurance costs, sometimes drastically. Insurers use credit-based insurance scores to determine how likely you are to file a claim. A credit-based insurance score takes into account a driver’s credit history when pricing rates.

California, Hawaii and Massachusetts don't allow insurers to use credit when determining car insurance rates.

Finding cheap full coverage car insurance is still possible even with less-than-stellar credit. You’ll just want to compare car insurance rates to find the most affordable policy.

Here are average full coverage rates from the largest auto insurance companies for drivers with poor credit.

Company

Average annual full coverage rate for drivers with poor credit

$2,566

$3,061

$3,076

$3,147

$3,548

$4,044

$6,478

$7,289

$2,650

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

If you have poor credit, be sure to shop around and compare quotes from multiple insurers, including lesser-known companies. Sometimes a smaller company will offer a cheaper rate than a larger insurer. For example, drivers with poor credit may be able to get full coverage from Safety Insurance for as low as $1,002 per year, on average. That’s about $1,500 cheaper than Geico.

How full coverage car insurance works

“Full coverage” is a term used to describe an auto insurance policy that covers damage from a variety of situations. It’s typically a combination of three different coverage types: liability, comprehensive and collision insurance.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Comprehensive and collision insurance each come with a deductible, which is the amount of money you’re responsible for in the event of a claim.

While most states require a minimum amount of car insurance to drive legally, those minimums probably won’t cover any damage to your car. If someone else hits your car, the other driver’s insurance will likely pay for the damage. But in any other situation — including if you cause an accident — you’ll probably need full coverage insurance to pay for damage to your vehicle.

For example, let’s say a tree falls on your car during a storm. You would need an auto policy with comprehensive insurance to cover the repair costs. If your deductible is $1,000 but the fallen tree caused $5,000 worth of damage to your car, you’ll pay the $1,000 deductible and your insurance will cover the rest.

Without full coverage car insurance, you’d be responsible for the full $5,000.

To learn more about the different types of auto insurance and what they cover, use our tool below.

How to find cheap full coverage auto insurance

If you’re looking to save money by getting the cheapest possible car insurance, here are six things you can try:

  • Compare quotes from multiple insurers. Use NerdWallet’s car insurance comparison tool to easily shop for cheap auto insurance online. You may find that you already have the most affordable insurance, but prices can change, so check roughly once a year.

  • Ask for discounts. You could save money from car insurance discounts you’re not taking advantage of. For example, maybe you work from home and don’t drive much. Mention that and you might get a low-mileage discount. Other common discounts are given for bundling car insurance with another insurance policy, insuring multiple cars or being a student.

  • Cash in on major life changes. Certain life events could translate to cheaper car insurance, so shop for quotes whenever something major changes in your life. For instance, many companies offer a lower rate for married couples or domestic partners. Or perhaps you moved from the city to a suburb with lower accident and crime rates. Even if you moved to a more expensive area for car insurance, shopping around can help you get cheaper coverage.

  • Raise your deductible. The higher your deductible, the more you pay out of pocket before insurance pays for a covered claim. The upside is that, by raising your deductible, you’ll  lower your premium. Just make sure you have enough money set aside to cover the higher deductible if you ever file a claim.

  • Shop for quotes after your driving record improves. Shop for cheap car insurance quotes online three to five years after any accidents, tickets or moving violations. They may have dropped off your driving record.

  • Reconsider the car you drive. The type of car you drive affects how much you pay for auto insurance. For example, new and expensive cars tend to cost more to insure than older or less expensive cars, among other factors. Check out NerdWallet’s analysis of the cheapest cars to insure to see if your vehicle made the list.

Comparing full coverage car insurance quotes

When you shop for car insurance from different companies, it’s important to compare car insurance quotes for the same coverage. Otherwise, you might think you got a good price from one insurer, only to discover that you don’t have enough coverage when you need to actually file a claim.

When comparing full coverage auto insurance quotes, be sure to:

  • Use the same deductibles and liability limits across quotes for an apples-to-apples comparison.

  • Choose a deductible amount you could afford when selecting collision and comprehensive coverage. That way, you won’t be scrambling for cash to cover your deductible if you need to file a claim.

  • Compare add-on coverage details. Options like gap insurance, accident forgiveness and pet injury coverage vary from one insurer to the next. Be sure to check each company’s website for details and restrictions about add-ons that matter to you.

  • Provide the same information every time. If you’re using multiple tools to get full coverage insurance quotes, make sure the drivers, cars, address and driving history all match.

  • Get quotes from three or more insurers. The more insurers you gather quotes from, the greater your odds of finding the cheapest full coverage car insurance for you.

Why you can trust NerdWallet

Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our writing and data analyses. You can trust the prices we show you because our data analysts take rigorous measures to eliminate outliers and inaccuracies in pricing data, which include rates from every ZIP code in the country where coverage is offered and data is available. When comparing rates for different coverage amounts, ages and backgrounds, we change only one variable at a time, so you can easily see how each factor affects pricing. Read our methodology.

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.

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” credit rates are based on credit score approximations and do not account for proprietary scoring criteria used by insurance providers.

These are median 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.

In states where required, minimum additional coverages were added. We used the same assumptions for all other driver profiles, with the following exceptions:

  • For drivers with minimum coverage, we adjusted the numbers above to reflect only the minimum coverage required by law in the state.

  • 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.

  • For drivers with a ticket, we added a single speeding violation for driving 16 mph over the speed limit.

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

These are rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.

Get more smart money moves – straight to your inbox
Sign up and we’ll send you Nerdy articles about the money topics that matter most to you along with other ways to help you get more from your money.