Cheapest Full-coverage Car Insurance Rates (2024 Guide) (2024)

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According to our rate estimates, Nationwide offers the cheapest full-coverage car insurance at an average rate of $119 per month for a single 35-year-old with a clean driving record and good credit. USAA is also another cheap option, at $126 per month. However, USAA is only available to members of the military, veterans and their children.

Below, you can see annual and monthly rate averages for a variety of major car insurance companies.

Who Has the Least-Expensive Full-coverage Car Insurance?

Our rate data shows Nationwide has the least-expensive full-coverage car insurance rates overall. Good drivers can find rates around $1,433 per year or $119 per month from the company. These rates are about 29% cheaper than the industry average.

Next, we’ll look at the cheapest full-coverage car insurance companies broken down by state, driver age and driving record.

Cheapest Full-coverage Car Insurance by State

Your location is one of the biggest factors that can influence your car insurance premium. This section shows the cheapest provider based on our estimates for a 35-year-old driver in each state.

While companies like Geico and USAA offer cheap car insurance on average, the cheapest company in each state varies. Regional providers like Country Financial and Farm Bureau insurance tend to be affordable as well, so we encourage you to compare all your options.

*This table doesn’t include USAA. While it’s often the cheapest provider in many states, it’s only available to military members, veterans and their children.

Cheapest Full-coverage Car Insurance by Age

Age is another important factor in how much you pay for full-coverage car insurance. Younger drivers are associated with higher rates of accidents and violations, so they pay more for car insurance. Our averages show Geico is often the cheapest provider for drivers of different ages.

*Costs taken from 2022 information

**Not including USAA

Cheapest Full-coverage Car Insurance for Accidents and Violations

Your driving record has a big impact on the rates you pay. Depending on your state, you may pay elevated car insurance rates for three to five years after an accident or violation.

According to our rate averages, State Farm, Nationwide and Geico are often affordable for drivers with an accident or violation. However, that’s not always the case. Let’s take a look at rate averages for a variety of situations.

Cheapest After a Speeding Ticket

After a speeding ticket, the company with the cheapest coverage is Erie Insurance. Our averages here apply to speeding 16 to 20 MPH over the limit, and we found this type of speeding ticket raises rates an average of $500 per year.

Cheapest After a Stop Sign Violation

Running a stop sign puts people in danger and definitely raises your insurance rates. Our estimates show drivers pay $550 more per year on average for having this type of violation. Nationwide is the cheapest mass-market provider on our list, with rate averages of $1,650 per year.

*Data taken from 2022 information.

Cheapest After a DUI

Having a DUI on your record can make your insurance rates go sky high. Our estimates show drivers pay an average of about $1,423 more per year for having a DUI on their records. That’s about 71% higher than average rates for a driver with a clean record. If a DUI stays on your record for 3 years, that’s about $4,269 more in car insurance.

Our averages show State Farm is generally the most affordable provider to have with a DUI on your record. Erie, Progressive and USAA are also affordable.

Cheapest After One Accident

Having an at-fault accident can raise your rates by about 45%, according to our averages. State Farm tends to be the cheapest national provider to have in this situation, as it offers average annual rates of $1,953.

Cheapest After an Accident With a Speeding Ticket

An at-fault accident and a speeding ticket on the same driving record combine to raise car insurance rates even more. Our averages show drivers with these two marks on their records pay about 86% more for car insurance annually. In this case, State Farm is the cheapest mass-market provider, averaging $2,077 per year.

*Data taken from 2022 information.

Cheapest After Two Accidents

With two at-fault accidents on your record, you become a more risky driver to insure. Our estimates show drivers with two accidents, on average, pay more than double what drivers with clean records pay, which costs them an average of $2,031 more per year. In this situation, it would likely be best to have State Farm, USAA, American Family or Nationwide, as they’re the four cheapest major providers for drivers with two accidents on their records.

Cheapest After Three Accidents

If you’ve had three at-fault accidents, you may have a hard time finding affordable car insurance. State Farm is a large insurer that typically offers the cheapest rates for these drivers, averaging about $2,341 per year. On average, drivers with three at-fault accidents in their recent insurance history pay $3,706 more per year for car insurance than people with clean driving records.

*Data taken from 2022 information.

Full-coverage car insurance typically includes liability insurance, comprehensive and collision coverage. When combined, these three coverage types compensate other drivers when you cause an accident and also protect your vehicle from accident and non-accident damage.

Liability Insurance

Liability car insurance covers medical bills and car damage for other people in accidents you cause. Almost every state requires minimum levels of liability coverage, as it’s the most important kind to have.

For example, Nevada requires $25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person, $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident and $20,000 of property damage liability coverage per accident. These coverage limits are written as 25/50/20, and they’re similar to many other state minimums.

You can also get higher limits, even up to $300,000 or more in bodily injury coverage per person depending on the insurer. Having full-coverage insurance doesn’t require you to have more than your state’s minimum level of liability coverage, but higher limits offer better protection.

Comprehensive Coverage

Also called “other-than-collision” coverage, comprehensive coverage covers repairs if your car is damaged by anything other than a car-related accident. This includes things like damage from crashing into a wall or damage from a hailstorm. Comprehensive insurance also covers damage from:

• Fire
• Falling objects
• Inclement weather
• Collision with a stationary object
• Vandalism
• Theft of car parts

Comprehensive coverage will also usually cover theft of the entire vehicle.

Collision Coverage

Collision insurance covers repair bills for your car when you cause an accident. This insurance covers up to the value of your car or pays a settlement value if your car is totaled. If you have a vintage or luxury car that appreciates in value, you can get classic car insurance that covers up to an agreed-upon value.

Additional Coverages

The following choices are optional and usually considered separate from full-coverage insurance:

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist

Not everyone on the road has insurance. Underinsured and uninsured motorist coverage protects you if someone without enough insurance causes an accident. It comes in two types — bodily injury and property damage — and often mirrors the coverage levels you select for liability insurance.

Some states require this coverage, so it would be included in full-coverage auto insurance policies in those cases. Other states don’t require it, but it’s still a good idea to have it. Many people drive with minimum liability limits, which often aren’t enough if someone needs extensive medical care after an accident.

Medical Coverage

Medical coverage is another optional type of insurance some states require. It comes in two varieties: medical payments coverage (MedPay) and personal injury protection (PIP). Both can cover medical bills for you and your passengers after an accident no matter who caused it. But PIP insurance adds coverage for death benefits and lost wages.

Some states have a no-fault car insurance system, which means drivers use their own insurance to cover medical bills no matter who caused the accident. These states usually require drivers to have minimum PIP coverage to make the system work.

To get the cheapest full-coverage car insurance, shop around and consider changing your coverage amounts or deductible to lower your overall costs.

Shop Around

One of the simplest ways to find a cheaper rate is to compare auto insurance quotes from multiple providers. You can use online quote tools like the one on this page as well as insurance agents or brokers in your area. There are many affordable regional providers that offer coverage in only a few states, so explore all of your options.

Reduce Your Coverage and Raise Your Deductible

To save money, you can decrease the limits on your liability coverage until you meet the state-required amount. You could save money with a liability-only policy if your car is worth $5,000 or less and you own it, so take that into consideration too.

Another way to save money is to increase your deductible, which applies to comprehensive and collision coverage. Raising your deductible will lower your monthly cost because you’re taking on more of the risk if you get into an accident. Be sure you can afford to cover your deductible, of course.

Work on Your Credit

Credit scores affect insurance rates in many states, so having good credit can help you get the best rates in the future. But if your score takes a nosedive, you might see the cost of insurance begin to rise.

When Should You Not Get Full Coverage?

Full coverage might be unnecessary in some situations. If your car is worth the same or less than your annual premium, full coverage isn’t worth it. Similarly, if the vehicle is old, it’s not worth insuring it for repairs with full coverage.