How to Compare Car Insurance Rates 2025

Comparing car insurance quotes from companies is one of the best ways to get the coverage you need at the cheapest price.

Headshot of Bryan Ochalla
Written by
Bryan Ochalla
Updated December 30, 2024

Find the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Your Area
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How to compare car insurance

Drivers pay $2,101 a year for full-coverage car insurance and $829 a year for liability-only insurance, on average. However, drivers can save hundreds of dollars a year by comparing car insurance quotes.

To compare car insurance, start by getting quotes from several companies over the phone or online. They will ask for details about yourself and your vehicle before they send you a quote.

Once you get quotes from three or more insurance companies, compare them side by side. After comparing rates, we recommend looking at customer reviews of the insurance companies you’re considering.

Another option for getting and comparing car insurance quotes is to use a quote-comparison website.

On this page

Compare car insurance coverages

Before comparing quotes, you should determine how much car insurance coverage you need. You’ll need to get enough coverage to meet your state’s requirements, but you can buy additional coverage if you want.

The most common types of car insurance are:

  • Liability: Liability covers injuries and property damage you cause to others in an accident.
  • Collision: Collision pays to repair or replace your vehicle after an accident damages or destroys it.
  • Comprehensive: Comprehensive pays to repair or replace your car if something other than a collision damages or destroys it. This includes damage from natural disasters, animals, vandalism or theft.

Other common types of insurance include:

  • Uninsured motorist (UM) covers your injuries, as well as damage to your vehicle, if a driver without car insurance injures you or your passengers.
  • Personal injury protection (PIP) covers injuries to you and/or your passengers after an accident, no matter who causes it. Medical payments or MedPay provides similar coverage.

How to compare car insurance companies

Comparing rates and ratings for car insurance companies can help you find the best company for your needs. You can also tailor your quote by adding coverages. Some car insurance companies offer optional coverages that other companies don’t offer.

Compare cheapest car insurance companies

State Farm is the cheapest car insurance company for most drivers. It charges $134 a month for full-coverage car insurance, on average, and $55 a month for liability-only coverage.

Erie and Country Financial are cheaper than State Farm. However, neither company is available in every state. 

USAA has the cheapest car insurance overall, but it’s only available to the military community and their families.

Annual car insurance rates by company

CompanyFull coverageLiability
erie logo  Erie$1,380$516
country financial logo  Country Financial$1,500$684
state farm logo  State Farm$1,608$660
auto-owners logo  Auto-Owners$1,740$636
travelers logo  Travelers$1,812$792
american family logo  American Family$2,016$756
progressive logo  Progressive$2,076$804
geico logo  Geico$2,112$792
nationwide logo  Nationwide$2,400$1,020
allstate logo  Allstate$2,964$1,344
aaa logo  AAA$2,988$1,092
Farmers logo  Farmers$3,468$1,368
usaa logo  USAA$1,320$432
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Compare car insurance customer service ratings

State Farm, USAA and American Family all have great customer satisfaction ratings from J.D. Power. They also have low complaint index ratings from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and great scores from LendingTree’s own ratings.

We rated car insurance companies based on their cost, discounts, coverage, usability and third-party ratings.

Auto insurance company ratings

Company Customer satisfaction J.D. Power’s 2024 Auto Insurance study evaluates customer satisfaction based on price, convenience, coverages and other factors. Higher scores are better. Complaint rating NAIC’s complaint ratings measure complaints from insurance companies. A company with a lower score gets fewer complaints than expected of a company of its size. LendingTree score
Allstate6350.73 stars
American Family6600.354 stars
Auto-Owners6540.495/5
Country Financial6650.255/5
Erie7000.934 stars
Farmers6191.253 stars
Geico6370.73.5 stars
Liberty Mutual6121.033 stars
Nationwide6410.833 stars
Progressive6220.724 stars
State Farm6570.784.5 stars
Travelers6160.414.5 stars
USAA*7390.994 stars

Sources: J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Auto Insurance Study (regional averages) and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (2023 data).

Compare car insurance discounts

The price tied to your car insurance quote is only the beginning. Insurance companies can offer different types of discounts and savings. You may be able to make your policy cheaper if you qualify for one or more discounts.

Some of the most common car insurance discounts that could save you money are:

  • Multi-policy discount: Many insurers will lower your premium if you bundle more than one policy with them. This could mean a car and home insurance policy, car and renters insurance or even car and boat insurance. Some insurers call this a multiline or bundling discount.
  • Multi-car discount: If you insure more than one vehicle with the same insurance company, you may get a discount.
  • Anti-theft discount: You may earn a discount if your car has a theft-prevention device or system.
  • Defensive driving discount: Some insurance companies will discount your rate if you take a defensive driving course. However, they often limit the discount to drivers 55 and older, so contact your insurer for more info.
  • Good student discount: If you’re a student and get good grades, you might get a discount.

Compare car insurance by state

Where you live can have a major impact on how much you pay for car insurance.

Maine drivers pay the lowest full-coverage car insurance rates, at an average of $104 a month. Nevada has the highest average full-coverage rates at $287 a month.

As for companies, State Farm has the cheapest full-coverage rates in 21 states. Travelers is the cheapest company in eight states.

Smaller companies like Auto-Owners, Erie and Farm Bureau affiliates have the cheapest rates in 11 states. 

Rates and cheapest companies by state

StateAverage annual rateCheapest companyAnnual rate
Alabama$2,322State Farm$1,231
Alaska$1,694State Farm$1,383
Arizona$2,618State Farm$1,652
Arkansas$2,314State Farm$1,359
California$2,017Geico$1,486
Colorado$2,892State Farm$1,948
Connecticut$2,325Travelers$1,183
Delaware$2,758State Farm$1,787
Florida$3,267State Farm$1,957
Georgia$2,194Farm Bureau$1,334
Hawaii$1,484Geico$829
Idaho$1,330State Farm$658
Illinois$2,146Country Financial$1,232
Indiana$1,560Travelers$1,272
Iowa$1,901State Farm$1,050
Kansas$2,099Travelers$1,405
Kentucky$2,378Farm Bureau$1,689
Louisiana$2,989Farm Bureau$1,746
Maine$1,243Travelers$938
Maryland$2,034State Farm$1,408
Massachusetts$1,740Geico$1,320
Michigan$3,151Progressive$1,906
Minnesota$2,037Travelers$1,269
Mississippi$1,968State Farm$1,144
Missouri$2,041American Family$1,645
Montana$2,218State Farm$912
Nebraska$1,933State Farm$1,391
Nevada$3,439Travelers$2,005
New Hampshire$1,278Hanover$681
New Jersey$2,384Geico$1,163
New Mexico$2,037State Farm$1,464
New York$2,274Progressive$1,201
North Carolina$1,672Erie$789
North Dakota$1,897State Farm$1,333
Ohio$1,373Geico$690
Oklahoma$2,400State Farm$1,541
Oregon$2,218State Farm$1,302
Pennsylvania$2,060Travelers$1,216
Rhode Island$2,838Travelers$1,894
South Carolina$1,812Auto-Owners$1,460
South Dakota$2,070State Farm$1,289
Tennessee$1,887Erie$1,379
Texas$2,184Texas Farm Bureau$1,036
Utah$2,266Progressive$1,665
Vermont$1,283State Farm$714
Virginia$1,684Farm Bureau$1,256
Washington$1,909State Farm$1,180
Washington, D.C.$2,371Geico$2,095
West Virginia$1,788Erie$1,361
Wisconsin$1,616Erie$1,236
Wyoming$1,491State Farm$1,196
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Compare car insurance quotes by driving history

Drivers with speeding tickets or accidents on their records usually pay more for car insurance than those with clean records.

A speeding ticket on your record raises your car insurance rate by 23%, on average. An accident can increase your rate by 50%, and a DUI can increase your insurance rate by 85%.

Although most insurance companies will raise your rate if you don’t have a clean record, they can weigh these risks differently. This means that your rate may not go up significantly if you have a bad driving record, depending on the insurance company.

Insurance rates by driving record

CompanySpeeding ticketAccidentDUI
Allstate$3,516$4,704$4,680
American Family$2,412$3,192$3,372
Farmers$4,584$5,532$5,304
Geico$2,760$3,636$5,064
Nationwide$3,180$3,852$5,328
Progressive$2,724$3,108$2,652
State Farm$1,752$1,848$3,900
Travelers$2,316$2,520$2,736
USAA*$1,608$1,812$2,580

Why you should compare car insurance quotes

Comparing car insurance quotes is the easiest way to get all the car insurance coverage you need for the cheapest rate.

Different insurance companies often offer different quotes for the same policy. That’s because each company uses its own method to come up with your quote.

One insurer may find that your vehicle make and model are more important than where you live. Or it might think your insurance claims history is a bigger deal than a competitor does.

When should I compare car insurance?

We recommend comparing your car insurance rate and coverage at least every 12 months.

If your driving record changes or you update your policy, your car insurance rate may go up. Insurance companies can also change their policies, which might impact your car insurance rate.

You may find that another company will give you a cheaper rate for the same coverage you have now.

Frequently asked questions

For starters, you should get as much car insurance as your state requires. The same is true of whatever your lender or lessor requires if you finance or lease your car.
 
Beyond that, you should consider factors including the age of your vehicle, how much it’s worth and how much you could afford to pay for repairs if it’s damaged, among others.
 
You should also consider your net worth. If you injure someone in an accident, a long hospital stay or lawsuit could burn through the state-minimum requirements quickly. After that, you may have to pay any remaining costs out of your own pocket.

The main ways to save money on car insurance are to compare quotes and see if you qualify for any discounts. Reviewing your coverage types and amounts may help, too. If you have coverage you don’t need, reducing or removing it could save you money.

Methodology

LendingTree uses insurance rate data from Quadrant Information Services using publicly sourced insurance company filings. Rates are based on an analysis of hundreds of thousands of car insurance quotes for a typical driver. Prices are shown for comparative purposes only. Your own rates may be different.

Unless noted otherwise, quotes are for a full-coverage policy for a 30-year-old man with good credit and a clean driving record who drives a 2015 Honda Civic EX.

Minimum-liability policies provide liability coverage with the state’s required minimum limits.

Full-coverage policies include collision, comprehensive and liability coverage:

  • 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 if required in that state
  • Uninsured and/or underinsured motorist bodily injury: $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident
  • Personal injury protection: Minimum limits, where required by law
  • Collision: $500 deductible
  • Comprehensive: $500 deductible

Overall satisfaction ratings are from the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Auto Insurance Study. Complaint ratings are based on NAIC data from 2023.

Our team of insurance experts rated insurance companies based on several categories. These categories include average rates, discounts, coverage options, third party customer service ratings and app / website experience. We weighted these categories based on what customers value in an insurance company.

For third-party customer service ratings, we included NAIC’s Complaint Index scores and financial strength ratings from A.M. Best. NAIC Complaint Index scores are used to determine how satisfied customers are with their claims, while financial strength ratings from AM Best reflect the ability to pay out claims.

*USAA is only available to current and former members of the military and their immediate families.