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

In New York, Travelers offered the best car insurance rate for good drivers in our analysis, with an average price of around $149 per month. Geico and Progressive were the next-cheapest options, respectively.

For this calculation, NerdWallet averaged rates for 40-year-old men and women with a clean driving record and good credit. With the exception of age, a large portion of drivers are closest to this profile, which carries standard "full coverage" insurance, including state-required coverage.

Cheapest for drivers with poor credit

Geico had the cheapest average rates for drivers with poor credit in New York, at roughly $284 a month, followed by Travelers and New York Central Mutual.

Poor credit can have a bigger effect on car insurance premiums than even a DUI conviction or a recent accident. To calculate these figures, NerdWallet averaged rates for 40-year-olds with a clean driving record, poor credit as reported to their insurer, and standard "full coverage" insurance.

Cheapest for drivers with one at-fault crash

In New York, Travelers had the cheapest car insurance rate for drivers with one recent at-fault crash on their driving records, at $149 per month. New York Central Mutual and Liberty Mutual were next-cheapest, each at $272 per month.

To get these figures, we averaged rates for 40-year-olds with one recent at-fault crash and the typical "full coverage" insurance. 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

The cheapest New York car insurance quote we found for low-mileage drivers was from Travelers, at roughly $149 a month. Geico and Liberty Mutual were the next-cheapest options.

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

New York Central Mutual returned the cheapest average rates for minimum coverage insurance in New York, at roughly $86 a month, followed closely by Geico and Travelers.

We calculated these numbers by averaging rates for 40-year-old good drivers 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.

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