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In this article, we at the Home Media reviews team will explain how car insurance rates can change based on personal factors, why it’s a good idea to compare multiple car insurance quotes at once, and how to shop for car insurance and find the most affordable coverage options from the best car insurance companies.
Car Insurance Quotes
To get an estimate of what you’ll pay for an auto insurance policy, you can request a car insurance quote from an insurer.
What Is A Car Insurance Quote?
A car insurance quote is a cost estimate of what you’ll pay for coverage. Because providers use unique formulas to calculate premiums, quotes can differ significantly between companies. Even if you provide the same information, no two quotes from Progressive, Geico, or Allstate will be the same.
Comparing Car Insurance Quotes
You can’t know if a car insurance quote is a good deal without a rate comparison. By getting a quote from one company, you risk overpaying. Because the only way to ensure you aren’t paying too much is to compare rates, it’s important to shop for quotes from multiple providers.
Since each company has a different formula to assess your risk level, you may find lower rates elsewhere after being quoted a high rate.
Shop Car Insurance
Because shopping coverage from different providers is the only way to find the best rate, we recommend getting quotes from at least three auto insurance companies. Once you know what you’re looking for and have a good idea of what your premium should be, you can see which company offers the types of coverage you need.
Best Car Insurance Quotes
In terms of large national insurers, Geico and USAA offer some of the best car insurance quotes in the nation and are our top picks overall. The comparison table below highlights the overall review scores and cost ratings for the best 10 providers to consider when comparing quotes.
Below, you can compare auto insurance quotes from each of these companies to see which ones offer the best prices for you.
Compare Car Insurance Quotes
The auto insurance rate you will pay depends on a number of factors unique to each individual. To help you shop for the best coverage for your specific situation, we’ve compared rates for common coverage types.
We also provide rate comparisons for policies covering drivers who fall into categories that can significantly impact rates. The monthly and annual price estimates are from the top providers and apply to 35-year-old drivers with good credit and good driving records.
Compare Car Insurance Coverage
Auto insurance quotes often break down pricing for different coverage levels so you can compare rates for minimal liability and full coverage policies. The average cost of car insurance in the U.S. is $635 per year ($53 per month) for minimum liability coverage and $1,730 per year ($144 per month) for full coverage policies.
Below, we compare rate estimates from top providers for both coverage levels. The monthly and annual price estimates are from the top providers and apply to 35-year-old drivers with good credit and good driving records.
Liability Car Insurance Quotes
The table below contains rate estimates from providers of the top 10 liability car insurance quotes on average:
*A minimal liability policy provides the least amount of coverage you must pay for damages you cause. It includes property liability coverage and bodily liability coverage.
Full Coverage Car Insurance Quotes
Below, you can see how estimates for 10 popular providers compare for full coverage car insurance quotes:
*Full coverage auto insurance includes property damage liability coverage, bodily injury liability coverage plus collision coverage and comprehensive coverage.
Car Insurance Quotes for Young Drivers
Drivers in their teens pay the highest car insurance costs of any age group. If you are shopping for coverage and plan on adding a teen driver to your policy in the near future, you’ll want to focus on auto insurance companies with good discounts for teens and students. Below are auto insurance rate comparisons for multiple ages in the young driver category.
Car Insurance Quotes for 16-Year-Olds
Below are the estimated car insurance costs 16-year-old drivers can expect to pay. Sixteen-year-old motorists can typically find affordable quotes from Erie Insurance, Auto-Owners Insurance and State Farm:
Car Insurance Quotes for 18-Year-Olds
Here, we compare cost estimates for car insurance policies for 18-year-olds. Eighteen-year-old drivers shopping for cheap car insurance tend to find the best quotes through Erie Insurance, Auto-Owners Insurance and USAA:
Car Insurance Quotes for 21-Year-Olds
The comparison chart below contains estimates for 21-year-old drivers. USAA and Geico provide the best rates on average for 21-year-olds:
Car Insurance Quotes for 25-Year-Olds
Below are auto insurance rate estimates for 25-year-old drivers, who tend to find affordable full coverage car insurance through USAA and Geico:
High-risk Car Insurance Quotes
Since driving profiles are used as a factor for calculating premiums, drivers in high-risk categories can pay significantly higher rates. Below, we provide rate comparisons that break down the average prices that drivers in each of these high-risk categories pay for auto insurance.
Speeding Ticket Car Insurance Quotes
The table below compares estimated rates for drivers with a speeding ticket. If you still have a speeding violation on your record and are shopping for quotes, you can expect to find the most affordable rates from USAA, Erie and State Farm:
Car Insurance Quotes After an Accident
Below, we compare estimated rates for drivers who have recently been in a car accident. If you have a car accident on your record and are shopping for coverage, the most affordable quotes tend to come from USAA, Erie and Auto-Owners:
Car Insurance Quotes After a DUI
The table below includes average prices for drivers with a DUI. According to our rate estimates, drivers with a recent DUI are likely to find affordable quotes from State Farm, Erie and Progressive:
Car Insurance Quotes for Bad Credit
The table below compares average rate estimates for policies covering drivers with bad credit. If you have a low credit score, USAA tends to offer the lowest quotes, followed by Geico, Nationwide and Progressive:
*Auto insurance companies can use your credit report to set your rates in every state except California, Hawaii and Massachusetts.
Compare Car Insurance Rates
If you want to get an idea of what you may pay without comparing car insurance quotes from various providers, it can help to take a look at average rates for key demographic factors that are used to determine how much you pay for coverage.
Since your age and the state you live in are significant factors that are used to calculate car insurance premiums, we compare average rates by these categories below:
Car Insurance Rates by Age and State
Below are our rate estimates broken down by state and age. These estimates are based on full-coverage rates for 25-year-old and 35-year-old drivers with good credit and good driving records:
*California, Hawaii and Massachusetts do not allow companies to set rates based on age.
Car Insurance Rates by Age: Comparison
Below, we compare average full coverage car insurance rates by age. As we’ve already seen when comparing provider estimates, being a young driver will increase your rates significantly. The good news for young adults who are closer to 25 years old is that rates start to decrease once you enter your mid-20s.
On average, drivers around the age of 55 pay the lowest rates for auto insurance:
Compare Car Insurance Rates by State
Since car insurance rates can vary significantly just based on location, it’s important to take a look at the average rates that drivers in your state pay. Car insurance laws differ by state, so the state you live in does play a key role in how your premium is calculated.
Additionally, states with higher population densities, more traffic and more miles of highway usually have higher car insurance rates. Some of these factors can be seen in the map below:
Below we compare rates for the most and least expensive states in terms of car insurance:
Most Expensive States for Car Insurance
As you can see when looking at the five most expensive states for car insurance, Michigan residents pay the highest rates for car insurance on average:
Least Expensive States for Car Insurance
This table shows the five cheapest states for full car insurance coverage, with Maine residents paying the lowest rate:
Compare Car Insurance Companies
Our top five picks for car insurance are USAA, Geico, State Farm, Progressive and Travelers. All of these providers offer affordable insurance on average, but some are better than others for certain drivers.
Based on the same systematic methodology we use to rate all car insurance providers, here is where each company shines:
If you are shopping for car insurance and are interested in learning more about any of these providers before reaching out for a quote, you can click the link inside the table to read our comprehensive reviews.
Car Insurance Comparisons
In addition to assessing the top auto insurance companies individually, we’ve also conducted side-by-side comparison reviews. The chart below highlights how many of the top auto insurance companies stack up when directly compared with each other:
Discount Auto Insurance Quotes
When you compare car insurance rates, double check that you’ve provided complete information to take advantage of any discount opportunities. While discounts overlap between providers, the value of the discounts varies.
For example, State Farm offers a student discount of up to 25%, which is the largest student discount of any leading provider. Geico offers a great multi-vehicle discount of 25% while USAA offers a discount of up to 60% for military personnel who store their vehicles during deployment.
Because of all factors involved, shopping for car insurance can seem like a daunting task. In the sections below, we provide an overview on the entire process of shopping for car insurance, including a step-by-step guide into the particular aspects of comparing your own personalized auto insurance quotes.
How Much Car Insurance Coverage Do I Need?
In most states, you will need at least $25,000 in property damage liability coverage and $50,000 in bodily injury liability coverage. Additionally, some states require uninsured motorist coverage and either medical payments coverage or personal injury protection.
Unless you live in New Hampshire or Virginia, your state requires a basic level of bodily injury and property damage liability insurance coverage, which pays the damage you cause to other drivers. In addition to the amount of coverage legally required in your state, lenders usually require you to maintain full coverage on a vehicle with an auto loan.
Comparing Auto Insurance Plans
Getting a policy that just meets your state’s minimum liability limits is the cheapest option, but it may not provide high enough limits to cover serious accidents. It also doesn’t cover your car when you cause an accident or encounter environmental damage.
To get full coverage, you’ll want to add comprehensive and collision coverage. Like liability coverage, you can choose different limits for these types of insurance. Higher limits give you more protection, but also cost more. Depending on the provider, you also may be able to select extra coverage options like roadside assistance or mechanical breakdown insurance.
Auto Insurance Coverage Options
The table below provides a more detailed description of the various main coverage options:
How To Shop for Car Insurance
Before delving into the various aspects of comparing car insurance quotes, let’s go over the buying process as a whole. Shopping for car insurance can be broken into a few small steps:
1. Gather Your Information
No matter which way you decide to get insurance quotes, you’ll have to provide a few pieces of information for each driver in the household. This includes any required documentation, any current coverage information, your driving behavior and your driving usage.
2. Decide What Level of Coverage You Need
In addition to the minimum liability coverage required by most states, the value of your coverage, your loan status and other personal factors will help determine how much coverage you need.
3. Get Car Insurance Quotes
Once you have your information ready and know what you’re looking for, you can start shopping for car insurance quotes by:
- Using a quote comparison tool
- Getting quotes online from companies
- Calling companies on the phone
- Visiting a branch in person
- Working through an insurance broker
4. Purchase a Policy
When you’re happy with the coverage and pricing you’ve found, you can purchase that policy online, over the phone or in person. You can get same-day insurance after you make the first payment, or schedule it to start on a future date. Be sure to overlap your new car insurance policy with your current coverage by one day to avoid any lapse in coverage.
How Do Car Insurance Quotes Work?
Most online quotes are instant unless you shop for car insurance with a smaller provider. You just need to provide basic information about yourself, your vehicle and anyone else who drives it. Quotes are usually good for 30 days, so you can continue to shop around and circle back if you don’t find a better plan.
Best Way To Shop for Car Insurance
Car insurance comparison tools are usually the quickest ways to get prices from multiple companies. Instead of giving your information to each provider separately, you enter your information once and the tool retrieves quotes from many companies instantly. You then compare rates side by side at the same time.
In our 2022 car insurance survey that polled 1,000 respondents, 30% stated they used a quote comparison tool, making it the most popular way to shop for car insurance coverage. But, using a comparison tool isn’t the best way for all shoppers. Below are some of the ways you can get a car insurance quote:
What Information Is Needed for a Car Insurance Quote?
When you reach out for a quote, always give accurate information. An insurance agency can cancel your plan within 30 to 90 days (depending on the state) if you leave out something significant, like a teen driver living in your household.
However you decide to compare auto insurance quotes, you will be providing information for all people and cars listed on your policy.
People on the Policy
You should have the following personal information ready:
- Name and date of birth
- Driver’s license numbers and states of issue
- Current insurance companies and policy expirations
- Current coverage limits
- Driving histories (including tickets and accidents)
- Average miles driven per year
Vehicles on the Policy
You’ll have to provide this vehicle information for all cars listed on the policy:
- Year, make, model and mileage
- Vehicle identification number (VIN)
- Address where vehicle is garaged
- Vehicle ownership information
Be aware that you could also lose some discounts later on if the information you provided was inaccurate. For example, a usage-based program may reveal you drive more miles than you estimated, and you could lose a low annual mileage discount.
Why Are Car Insurance Quotes So Different?
Because each company has a process for evaluating driver profiles and assigning rates, estimates can vary widely. For example, a speeding ticket may raise your annual premium cost by $500 with one provider and $1,000 with another. One company may also give you a good discount for owning a home, while another might not.
Regardless of the company, car insurance estimates depend on a wide variety of factors that are unique to each driver. Based on your driver profile, what you pay for your auto insurance policy is different from what your friends, family and neighbors pay for theirs.
Ultimately, quoted car insurance rates are based on the likelihood that a company will have to pay out claims on your behalf. The more financial risk you represent to the company, the more you’ll have to pay for insurance, and vice versa.
Here are the main factors that determine auto insurance quotes:
- Age: Teens and men under the age of 25 generally pay the most for car insurance.
- Marital status: Married drivers usually pay less for insurance.
- Gender: Because of crash statistics, men pay more than women at certain ages. Companies generally use the gender listed on your license to determine rates.
- Vehicle: The make, model and age of your vehicle all affect your insurance rates.
- Driving history: At-fault accidents, moving violations and DUIs will cause your rates to go up. The more points on your record, the more you’ll pay.
- Credit history: Car insurance companies in most states consider your credit history when setting premiums. A lower credit score can raise your rates.
- How much you drive: If you drive only a few thousand miles per year, you can qualify for low-mileage discounts from some companies.
- Homeownership: Renters may pay more for car insurance than homeowners.
- Zip code: Densely populated areas like cities have higher rates of accidents, theft and vandalism, so people in these locations generally pay more.
- State insurance laws: Most states require drivers to have a minimum amount of coverage, and the amount varies by state.
- Coverage levels: Drivers tend to find lower minimum coverage car insurance rates compared to full coverage (liability, collision and comprehensive coverage).
- Deductible: Choosing higher coverage limits will increase your overall cost, but choosing a higher deductible will decrease your insurance premium.
Insurance for Specific Vehicles
Some vehicles have higher repair costs or lower safety ratings, which can increase your premium. Others are more likely to be stolen. For example, full-size pickups, Honda Civics and Honda Accords all have high rates of theft, according to Insurify.
Insurance in California and Michigan
While California as a whole is a populous state, it isn’t one of the most expensive overall. However, car insurance in California can vary widely depending on the area. Drivers in Los Angeles can pay much more than the average for the state, for example.
Michigan has had expensive car insurance for years on average because drivers were required to purchase a certain type of insurance with an unlimited coverage limit. Michigan changed the law in 2020, so average insurance prices should decrease.
How To Get a Low Car Insurance Quote
You won’t be able to control every factor that affects your car insurance quotes, but there are things you can do to get cheaper rates:
- Improve your driving habits. Avoiding speeding tickets and at-fault accidents will pay off over time. You can also participate in a usage-based safe driving program with most leading insurance companies.
- Improve your credit score. If you can demonstrate that you’re financially responsible, you’ll get lower auto insurance quotes.
- Try pay-per-mile car insurance. Your mileage is used to determine your car insurance rates. You usually pay a base rate per month plus a rate per mile driven.
- Look for car insurance discounts. Different companies offer different discounts, but most companies offer about 10 to 15 of them.
Car Insurance Discounts
Top providers usually list their discounts online, which is helpful when you’re shopping. Here are a few common money-saving opportunities you may find:
- Multi-policy discount
- Multi-vehicle discount
- Homeowner discount
- Good driver discount
- Good student discount
- Driver’s education discount
- Distant student discount
- Auto-pay discount
- Paperless billing discount
- Military discount
- Vehicle safety discount
- New car discount
- Teen driver discount
- Low annual mileage discount
- Accident-free discount
- Defensive driving course discount
Usage-based Insurance
Usage-based safe driving apps generally monitor your speed, how many hours a day you drive and when you drive to help determine rates. If you demonstrate poor driving behaviors, some telematics insurance programs can raise your rates, so make sure you’re prepared before signing up.
If you’re confident in your driving ability, consider enrolling in one of these usage-based programs:
- Geico’s DriveEasy
- State Farm’s Drive Safe & SaveTM
- Progressive’s SnapshotⓇ
- USAA’s SafePilot
- Liberty Mutual’s RightTrack®
- Nationwide’s SmartRide
If you don’t drive much, pay-per-mile insurance from a provider like Metromile or Liberty Mutual’s SmartMiles can be great choices.
How Often Should You Shop for Car Insurance?
We recommend getting multiple quotes each time your auto policy is up for renewal. It can also be good to shop for auto insurance if you experience a significant life event or something changes, such as:
- You move to a new zip code
- You get married
- You move in with family members and can combine policies
- You turn a year older
- You raise your credit score
- You start a new job and will be driving much less
- Three years have passed since your last at-fault accident or moving violation
In our 2022 car insurance survey that polled 1,000 respondents, 28% of drivers reported waiting longer than a year before shopping for a new car insurance policy. Over 26% stated they got quotes every six months, while 25% reported they only looked for car insurance once a year.
Compare Auto Insurance: Conclusion
In this review, we compared auto warranty rates and went over all the steps that go into finding a car insurance quote. What you pay for car insurance can vary significantly between providers. That’s why it’s important to compare car insurance rates from multiple companies each time you shop.
You can use a free price comparison tool like the one below to get quotes from major insurers like Geico, Progressive and State Farm. Be prepared to enter basic information about your vehicle and situation. You can learn about our favorite companies for car insurance quotes below.
Compare Car Insurance Providers: Recommendations
So, which car insurance is the cheapest? The answer depends. But our review team thinks Geico is generally the best option overall for pricing and coverage. The company also ranked 3rd in New York and the Central and Northwest U.S. regions in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Auto Insurance StudySM.
If you are in a military family, USAA is a great option with high industry ratings, including the second-highest score in the 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Insurance Shopping StudySM.
USAA: 9.2 out of 10.0
J.D. Power score: 875 out of 1,000 points
Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating: A-
AM Best financial strength rating: A++
USAA has been around for almost 100 years and has a great reputation among customers and high ratings from industry experts. The scores received by J.D. Power studies signify that USAA customers are happy with the company’s claims service.
While USAA stands out with some of the lowest car insurance rates in the industry, its car insurance coverage is only available to military members, veterans and their immediate family members.The company offers many discounts and a variety of resources for transitioning in and out of military life, including discounts for deployment and garaging your vehicle on a military base.
USAA also offers these discounts and more:
- Good student discount
- Multi-car discount
- Multi-policy discount
- Safe driver discount
- Driver’s course discount
Read more: USAA insurance review
Geico: 9.1 out of 10.0
J.D. Power rank: 3rd in certain U.S. regions
BBB rating: A+
AM Best financial strength rating: A++
Considering its strong reputation, affordable prices, wide range of coverage options and high level of customer satisfaction, we named Geico the best in the business and awarded the provider the Editor’s Choice designation in 2022.
Geico offers all the standard types of car insurance and has several discounts that different drivers can qualify for, including a military discount and a federal employee discount. In addition to standard coverage, Geico provides:
Read more: Geico insurance review
Car Insurance Quote Comparisons: FAQ
For those who are shopping online for the lowest rate, below are some frequently asked questions about comparing car insurance quotes:
Other Types Of Insurance To Consider
Our Methodology
Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.
Here are the factors our ratings take into account:
- Cost (30% of total score): Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities were both taken into consideration.
- Coverage (30% of total score): Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
- Reputation (15% of total score): Our research team considered market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
- Availability (10% of total score): Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements scored highest in this category.
- Customer Experience (15% of total score): This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the NAIC and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also considered the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.
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