InsuranceHow to Compare Car Insurance Quotes 2023
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The Cost of Car Insurance (2023)

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The average car insurance cost is $1,976 a year, or $165 a month, for full-coverage car insurance. It’s $773 yearly, or $64 monthly, for minimum-coverage car insurance, according to LendingTree research.

The national average cost of car insurance offers a broad look at a topic with many factors influencing it. The state you live in, your age and your driving history, among other factors, also affect your car insurance quote. Having a good grasp of how these factors change your car insurance costs helps you get the cheapest price for the best coverage for your situation.

The national average rate for full-coverage car insurance is $1,976 a year, while the average cost of a minimum-coverage policy is $773 a year.

When you go to get an auto insurance quote, many factors determine your rate. These include:

  • ZIP code
  • The make and model of your car
  • Annual mileage
  • Driving record
  • Insurance claim history
  • The policy coverage limits and the deductible you choose
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Marital status
  • Credit history, in some states

Most companies offer the same coverage options for standard car insurance policies. Why do some policies cost more or less than others? The reason is that auto insurance companies put different risk weights on these factors when calculating your quote. One provider may consider your claim history a greater risk than another company does.

When looking for a policy, compare car insurance quotes from several companies with the same deductible and coverage limits. The more quotes you consider, the better the chances of finding the one that’s right for you.

What you pay for car insurance depends a lot on the state you call home. Some states, like Maine, have average car insurance rates that are far cheaper than the national average. Others, like Michigan, have rates that are higher.

Average cost of car insurance by state

StateAnnual full-coverage rateAnnual minimum-coverage rate
Alabama$1,979$717
Alaska$1,635$663
Arizona$2,683$1,079
Arkansas$1,879$622
California$1,867$571
Colorado$2,542$897
Connecticut$2,346$1,088
Delaware$2,482$1,283
Florida$2,480$932
Georgia$1,832$790
Hawaii$1,643$609
Idaho$1,227$413
Illinois$2,109$848
Indiana$1,511$533
Iowa$1,663$444
Kansas$1,991$616
Kentucky$2,295$1,183
Louisiana$2,719$948
Maine$1,100$501
Maryland$2,051$1,093
Massachusetts$2,068$757
Michigan$4,638$1,849
Minnesota$1,884$743
Mississippi$1,796$662
Missouri$1,908$686
Montana$2,174$574
Nebraska$1,909$470
Nevada$2,958$1,368
New Hampshire$1,146$537
New Jersey$2,236$1,393
New Mexico$1,953$632
New York$2,030$1,059
North Carolina$1,305$532
North Dakota$1,858$522
Ohio$1,329$532
Oklahoma$2,119$656
Oregon$2,115$1,092
Pennsylvania$1,861$603
Rhode Island$2,631$1,224
South Carolina$1,808$803
South Dakota$2,016$351
Tennessee$1,554$505
Texas$1,833$696
Utah$2,261$989
Vermont$1,232$417
Virginia$2,110$923
Washington$1,534$651
Washington, D.C.$2,082$949
West Virginia$1,701$659
Wisconsin$1,540$503
Wyoming$1,437$370

Rates are for car insurance for a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record.

Factors that affect auto insurance rates in specific states include:

  • Extreme weather trends
  • The number of accidents on the road each year
  • The number of uninsured drivers in the state

There is little to nothing you can do about these factors. You can try to counter them, though, by driving safely, staying current with your car insurance and keeping your premium low.

The cheapest states for car insurance

Maine is the cheapest state for full-coverage car insurance, with an average rate of $1,100 a year. New Hampshire is next at $1,146, followed by Idaho at $1,227.

Cheapest states for full-coverage car insurance

StateAverage annual rate% difference from U.S. average
Maine$1,100'-44%
New Hampshire$1,146'-42%
Idaho$1,227'-38%
Vermont$1,232'-38%
North Carolina$1,305'-34%
Ohio$1,329'-33%
Wyoming$1,437'-27%
Indiana$1,511'-24%
Washington$1,534'-22%
Wisconsin$1,540'-22%

Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record.

Full-coverage auto insurance usually bundles several types of coverage together:

Liability: Covers medical or repair bills tied to injuries or damage you cause to others in an accident.

Collision: Covers your own car repairs after an accident.

Comprehensive: Covers damage caused by perils other than a collision, such as theft, vandalism or falling ice.

For drivers looking for minimum-coverage car insurance, South Dakota has the lowest rate at $351 a year. Wyoming is next at $370, then Idaho at $413.

Cheapest states for minimum-coverage car insurance

StateAverage annual rate% difference from U.S. average
South Dakota$351'-55%
Wyoming$370'-52%
Idaho$413'-47%
Vermont$417'-46%
Iowa$444'-43%
Nebraska$470'-39%
Maine$501'-35%
Wisconsin$503'-35%
Tennessee$505'-35%
North Dakota$522'-32%

Rates are for minimum-coverage car insurance for a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record.

MMG Insurance, Concord and Erie have the cheapest average car insurance rates of the companies we surveyed. When comparing companies and their rates, know that some only serve a specific region. For example, MMG has the lowest rates overall, but it only sells policies in five states.

CompanyAnnual rate for full coverageAnnual rate for minimum coverage
AAA$3,835$1,520
Acuity$1,361$478
Allstate$2,605$1,158
American Family$1,920$728
Amica$2,548$1,098
Arbella$1,629$720
Auto-Owners$1,690$516
Co-Op$1,635$437
Concord$977$478
Country Financial$1,600$623
Erie$1,289$505
Farm Bureau$1,939$551
Farmers$3,091$1,188
Geico$1,936$726
Grange$1,638$570
Grinnell Mutual$2,015$421
Hanover$1,372$336
Island Insurance$1,319$418
Mercury$1,596$511
MMG$902$375
Nationwide$2,271$980
NJM$3,382$3,125
Nodak$2,917$553
Pemco$1,483$464
Plymouth Rock$2,236$853
Progressive$2,028$789
Safety$1,392$571
Safeway$3,080$1,391
Shelter$1,927$762
State Farm$1,496$599
Texas Farm Bureau$1,036$401
The Hartford$2,688$1,007
Travelers$1,955$849
Umialik$1,602$598
United Automobile$2,205$1,034
USAA$1,207$413
Westfield$1,481$439

Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record.

An 18-year-old driver pays $5,670 a year for full-coverage car insurance, on average, and $2,394 for minimum coverage. These average rates are more than twice what a typical 30-year-old driver pays for the same amount of coverage.

Average car insurance rates for 18-year-old drivers vs. 30-year-old drivers

Policy type18-year-old30-year-old% difference in average rate
Full coverage$5,670$1,976187%
Minimum coverage$2,394$773209%

Rates are for car insurance for an 18-year-old and a 30-year-old male with a clean driving record.

Young drivers pay the highest car insurance premiums of any age group. This is mostly because providers see them as a high risk due to their lack of experience behind the wheel. Teen drivers should see their rates go down as they age and keep a clean driving history.

Of the largest car insurance companies in the U.S., you see the cheapest annual rate of $1,625 for full coverage after a speeding ticket with State Farm. While this is still well under the national average without a speeding ticket of $1,976, you can expect your premium to carry this increase for three to five years.

Car insurance rate increase after a ticket by company

CompanyAverage rate with clean recordAverage rate with one ticket% difference in cost
Allstate$2,605$3,07218%
Farmers$3,091$4,25238%
Geico$1,936$2,48829%
Progressive$2,028$2,60228%
State Farm$1,496$1,6259%

Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 30-year-old male with one speeding ticket.

The average rate for car insurance after an accident is $2,933 a year. This is 48% higher than the national average rate with a clean record. An accident stays on your record for three to five years, during which time you’ll likely pay higher car insurance rates.

Car insurance rate increase after an accident by company

CompanyAverage rate with clean recordAverage rate with one accident% difference in cost
Allstate$2,605$4,11658%
Farmers$3,091$4,59849%
Geico$1,936$3,34173%
Progressive$2,028$3,01849%
State Farm$1,496$1,85329%

Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 30-year-old male with one accident.

Progressive has the smallest rate increase for car insurance after a DUI, up 25% from $2,028 a year to $2,545.

Car insurance rate increase after a DUI by company

CompanyAverage rate with clean recordAverage rate with one DUI% difference in cost
Allstate$2,605$3,87049%
Farmers$3,091$4,75854%
Geico$1,936$4,584137%
Progressive$2,028$2,54525%
State Farm$1,496$4,306188%

Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 30-year-old male with one DUI.

After teen drivers, companies consider drivers with a DUI on their record to be the riskiest to insure. This is why drivers with DUIs pay much higher rates for car insurance than drivers with clean records do.

Also, a DUI can stay on your insurance record for three to five years, and you’ll probably pay higher rates the whole time.

If your license is suspended after a DUI, you’ll probably have to file an SR-22 form with the state. The SR-22 acts as proof that you carry the minimum amount of car insurance your state requires. You’ll need this to reinstate your license.

In states that use credit scoring as a factor to calculate auto insurance quotes, Farmers and Geico share the lowest increase of 37% for drivers with a poor credit score.

Car insurance rate increase with poor credit by company

CompanyAverage rate with good creditAverage rate with poor credit% difference in cost
Allstate$2,605$4,17938%
Farmers$3,091$4,89037%
Geico$1,936$3,07137%
Progressive$2,028$3,43541%
State Farm$1,496$5,52973%

Rates are for full-coverage car insurance for a 30-year-old male with poor credit.

These states now ban the use of credit scores in calculating car insurance quotes:

  • California
  • Hawaii
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Oregon
  • Utah
  • Washington

Frequently asked questions

Nationally, the average rate for full-coverage car insurance is $165 a month. Minimum-coverage car insurance costs $64 a month, on average.

Michigan is the most expensive state for car insurance, with an average full-coverage rate of $4,638 a year. This is 135% higher than the national average rate of $1,976.

Michigan’s high rates are in part due to its no-fault car insurance laws, the state’s high rate of uninsured drivers and the number of personal injury lawsuits in the state.

Nevada comes in second, with an average full-coverage rate of $2,958 a year, and $1,368 for minimum coverage.

Methodology

Unless stated otherwise, we used thousands of car insurance quotes from across the U.S. for a 30-year-old man with good credit and no tickets, accidents or DUIs driving a 2015 Honda Civic EX.

For full-coverage policies, the following coverage limits were used:

  • Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $25,000
  • Uninsured motorist: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, where required by law
  • Personal injury protection: Minimum limits, where required by law
  • Collision: $500 deductible
  • Comprehensive: $500 deductible