Best Cheap Car Insurance in New York for 2019

If you’re looking for the cheapest car insurance in New York, it pays to shop around. Rates for the same coverage can vary widely from company to company, meaning you may lose out on a great deal by settling for the first quote you get.

To make your shopping easier, NerdWallet researched rates from the eight largest auto insurers in New York to find the most affordable options for a variety of driver types.

Cheapest for good drivers

For good drivers with good credit, the cheapest car insurance in New York comes from the following companies, ranked by average rate.

1. Travelers: $1,784 per year.
2. Geico: $2,117 per year.
3. Progressive: $2,410 per year.
4. Allstate: $2,483 per year.
5. Liberty Mutual: $2,676 per year.

Drivers with no recent accidents or violations can get cheaper car insurance rates for having good credit. For this calculation, NerdWallet averaged rates for 40-year-old men and women with a clean driving record and good credit. In terms of driving and credit history, a large portion of drivers are closest to this profile, which carries standard "full coverage" insurance, including comprehensive and collision, along with state-required coverage. Prices shown include a good driver discount, when available from the insurer.

Cheapest for drivers with poor credit

Here are the cheapest auto insurance companies for good drivers in New York with poor credit, and their average rates:

1. Geico: $3,413 per year.
2. Travelers: $3,639 per year.
3. New York Central Mutual: $4,525 per year.
4. Liberty Mutual: $5,456 per year.
5. Allstate: $5,536 per year.

If you have a spotty credit history, it's important to shop around to find the cheapest auto insurance rates you can. Poor credit can have a bigger effect on car insurance premiums than even a DUI conviction or a recent at-fault crash, but prices vary by insurer. To calculate these figures, NerdWallet averaged rates for 40-year-olds with a clean driving record and associated good driver discount, if the insurer offered one. They had poor credit as reported to their insurer, and standard "full coverage" car insurance.

Cheapest for drivers with one at-fault crash

For drivers with a recent on-record crash, the cheapest car insurance in New York, on average, comes from:

1. Travelers: $1,784 per year.
2. New York Central Mutual: $3,262 per year.
3. Liberty Mutual: $3,266 per year.
4. Geico: $3,293 per year.
5. Progressive: $3,397 per year.

After a relatively minor crash, some auto insurers will charge a lot more than others for coverage. To get these figures, we averaged rates for 40-year-olds with typical "full coverage" insurance and one recent at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage. Your rates will remain high for three to five years after you cause an accident or have a moving violation. If you fall into this category, be sure to shop for new insurance rates just after the three-year and five-year anniversaries of your infraction.

Cheapest for low-mileage drivers

For drivers who clock few annual miles, the cheapest auto insurance in New York in our analysis was from:

1. Travelers: $1,784 per year.
2. Geico: $1,807 per year.
3. Liberty Mutual: $2,238 per year.
4. Progressive: $2,410 per year.
5. Allstate: $2,419 per year.

The less you drive, the less likely you are to cause a crash and file an auto insurance claim. Whether you're retired, work at home or often use public transportation, you may be able to get cheaper car insurance simply because you drive less. The rates above are for 40-year-olds with typical "full coverage" insurance and a clean driving record who drive 5,000 miles per year instead of the standard 12,000.

Cheapest for minimum coverage in New York

Here are the cheapest carriers for minimum-required auto insurance in New York, with average rates.

1. New York Central Mutual: $1,037 per year.
2. Geico: $1,041 per year.
3. Travelers: $1,056 per year.
4. Allstate: $1,374 per year.
5. Liberty Mutual: $1,418 per year.

We calculated these numbers by averaging rates for 40-year-old good drivers (earning them a discount if the insurer offers one) who have only the minimum mandatory insurance in their state. Such light coverage isn't typically recommended, since it might not cover all the bills resulting from a car accident, but it's better than nothing — especially if you can't afford much more. If you're looking for the cheapest possible insurance you can get, though, you'll still want to get quotes from at least three auto insurers.

The rates here are samples only, and yours will be different — unique to you. Each auto insurer factors your driving history, credit and personal information into rates differently, so it’s possible none of these companies are cheapest for you. Read about the companies here and others in NerdWallet’s auto insurance reviews.

Minimum auto insurance limits required in New York

New York auto insurance laws require car owners to carry liability insurance, personal injury protection (PIP) and uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage (UMBI).

The minimum coverage limits in New York are:

• $25,000 bodily injury liability per person.
• $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident.
• $10,000 property damage liability per accident.
• $50,000 PIP.
• $25,000 UMBI per person.
• $50,000 UMBI per accident.

For the best financial protection, consider buying more than the bare minimum coverage. Any costs that surpass your coverage limits would have to come out of your own pocket, so with these minimums, a serious accident could easily leave you owing more than, say, $10,000 to repair another driver’s car.

Alternative car insurance in New York

If car insurance companies are declining to offer you coverage due to DUIs, crashes or other factors, you could qualify for car insurance through the New York Automobile Insurance Plan (NYAIP).

NerdWallet’s comparison tool lets you view New York car insurance rates from top companies side by side and possibly trim hundreds off your premium.

Cheapest car insurance in New York

Methodology

For our “good driver” profile, NerdWallet averaged rates from the largest insurers in the state for 40-year-old men and women in 20 ZIP codes with good credit and 12,000 annual miles driven. The policy includes:

• $100,000 bodily injury liability per person.
• $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident.
• $50,000 property damage liability per accident.
• $50,000 liability for death per person.
• $100,000 liability for death per accident.
• $100,000 uninsured motorist coverage per person.
• $300,000 uninsured motorist coverage per accident.
• $50,000 in personal injury protection.
• Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible.
• Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible.

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

• For drivers with poor credit, we adjusted the credit tier from “good” to “poor.”
• For drivers with one at-fault crash, we added a single at-fault crash.
• For low-mileage drivers, we adjusted the miles driven from 12,000 per year to 5,000.
• For drivers with minimum coverage, we adjusted the numbers above to reflect minimum required coverage by law in the state.

We used a 2015 Toyota Camry in all cases. These are rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.