Best Cheap Car Insurance in Louisiana for 2018

If you want to find cheap car insurance in Louisiana, don’t go with the first quote you get. Rates for the same coverage options and limits can fluctuate from one insurer to the next, so it’s wise to compare as many estimates as possible. This is especially important in Louisiana, where car insurance rates are among the highest in the country.

NerdWallet has done the heavy lifting for you. We compared rates from the six largest insurers in the state and found the three cheapest options for the following types of drivers:

Good drivers

Young drivers

Drivers with one at-fault crash

Drivers with poor credit

Retired drivers

Also in this article

Minimum car insurance requirements in Louisiana

Alternative car insurance in Louisiana

» FIND YOUR MATCH: Who’s the cheapest carrier for you?

Cheapest for good drivers

For drivers with no at-fault accidents, DUIs or moving violations.

Even for good drivers, Louisana has relatively high car insurance rates. Progressive offered the cheapest average price among the insurers we looked at — $1,801 per year, or roughly $150 a month.

Rates spiked from there, with the next cheapest option, State Farm, coming in $701 higher per year in our analysis. To help trim rates, motorists with clean records should look into discounts that reward their safe driving, such as those for avoiding accidents for an extended period.

Cheapest for young drivers

For drivers in their early 20s.

Young drivers typically have little savings or assets to lose in a crash-related lawsuit, so they can often select leaner coverage amounts than older motorists. To reflect that, we looked at quotes for drivers in their early 20s who carry the minimum coverage required by the state.

The cheapest price we found was $1,211 per year from Progressive — $590 less than the best deal available to our 30-year-old good drivers (also from Progressive) who have more robust policies. Allstate and State Farm round out the top three cheapest options with prices in our analysis not too much higher than Progressive’s.

Cheapest for drivers with one at-fault crash

In the eyes of insurers, causing a crash hurts your reputation as a safe driver. You can generally expect a rate increase as a result, whether you stick with your current company or shop around.

The most affordable rate we found for drivers with one at-fault crash was $2,902 per year from State Farm. This was $1,101 higher than the lowest quote for drivers of the same age with no crashes. The highest rate we found was nearly $6,000 per year, highlighting the importance of shopping around.

Cheapest for drivers with poor credit

For drivers placed in the “Poor Credit” tier.

Insurers in Louisiana may use credit as a factor when forecasting how risky applicants will be, and they typically charge higher rates for those with poor credit. In fact, having credit problems triggered higher price increases than causing a crash with most Louisiana insurers.

All three of the cheapest companies for this group returned a quote between roughly $282 and $365 per month. The priciest option we found overall was about $491 a month, proving drivers with credit issues can still save a lot by shopping around.

Cheapest for retired drivers

For drivers in their mid- to late 60s who no longer use their car for commuting.

Retirees have an easier time than most drivers finding cheap car insurance in Louisiana, largely because they spend less time behind the wheel than drivers who commute. To reflect that, we looked at quotes for drivers in their 60s who travel half as many miles as our other groups.

The most affordable rate was $1,892 per year from Progressive. If you’re over age 55, check with your insurer about scoring a discount and added savings for completing a defensive driving course.

Minimum Louisiana auto insurance requirements

Louisiana drivers are required to carry liability insurance, which covers others’ injury treatment and property damage after crashes you cause.

The minimum limits you must buy are:

• $15,000 bodily injury liability per person.
• $30,000 bodily injury liability per accident.
• $25,000 property damage liability per accident.

Although this will be enough to drive legally, experts recommend getting more than the bare minimum to avoid paying out of pocket after serious crashes. You may also want optional coverage such as collision, comprehensive and uninsured motorist coverage.

Check out NerdWallet’s guide to car insurance requirements by state for more information on how these coverage options work and what makes sense for your policy.

Alternative car insurance in Louisiana

Drivers who are denied auto insurance on the open market thanks to such factors as a checkered driving record can shop for coverage through the Louisiana Automobile Insurance Plan.

Try our car insurance comparison tool to view rates from top companies.

Here’s a summary of where you’ll find the cheapest insurance, by category: