At 40, a driver is firmly established in middle age. They will no longer see significant drops in their insurance rates each year like they did as a young adult, but the good news is, they will be getting much more affordable rates.

“When you reach this stage – in your 40s and 50s – insurance carriers have a lot of good data they can pull from,” says Jana Foster, owner of Nevada Insurance Agency Co., a full-service brokerage with offices in Carson City and Reno, Nevada. 

“You’re in that sweet spot where you’re probably getting just about the lowest rates that you can.”

The average national car insurance rate for a 40-year-old driver is about $1,584 per year or $132 monthly for a full coverage policy. That’s about a $90 drop from what a driver would expect to pay at age 30, so not a significant gain, but a gain nonetheless.

Read on to learn more about car insurance for 40-year-olds and ways to save.

Key Highlights
  • For a full coverage policy, a 40-year-old driver pays an average of $1,584 per year or $132 monthly for car insurance.
  • Unlike in their teens and early 20s, a 40-year-old male driver is assessed similarly to a female. 
  • Males pay an average of $1,583 for a full coverage policy, while females pay $1,586.
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Written by:
Mel Duvall
Contributing Researcher
Mel Duvall is an award-winning senior business writer and communications professional. He served as Senior Media Manager for Husky Energy, a fully integrated energy company with operations in Canada, the United States, China and Indonesia. Mel also served a three-year term on the Mount Royal University Journalism Committee.
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Reviewed by:
Laura Longero
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Executive Editor
Laura Longero is an insurance expert and Executive Editor at CarInsurance.com, where she specializes in helping consumers navigate the complexities of the financial and insurance industries. She has 15 years of experience educating people about finance and car insurance. Prior to joining CarInsurance.com, she worked as a reporter and editor at the USA Today Network. Her expertise provides readers with practical guidance, helping them make informed choices about their financial and insurance needs.
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What’s the average cost for a 40-year-old?

Tip iconAverage car insurance rates for 40-year-olds

The average car insurance rate for a 40-year-old at three coverage levels is as follows per year:

  • State minimum liability coverage: $480
  • Liability coverage with limits of 50/100/50: $602
  • 100/300/100 liability with a $500 comprehensive and collision deductible: $1,584

What you pay will vary depending on many factors, including the insurance company you choose, where you live, coverage levels and the deductible you select.

The table below shows the cost of car insurance for males vs. females at various coverage levels in each state.

Average car insurance cost by coverage levels in each state for 40-year-old males and females
State State Minimum Female State  Minimum Male Liability Only Female Liability Only Male Full Coverage Female Full Coverage Male
Alaska$345$336$435$414$1,349$1,359
Alabama$383$372$548$520$1,461$1,442
Arkansas$358$349$444$428$1,425$1,420
Arizona$460$452$662$636$1,476$1,484
California$578$578$853$853$2,110$2,110
Colorado$449$437$728$705$1,809$1,804
Connecticut$754$751$837$834$1,731$1,741
Washington, D.C.$585$577$673$663$1,833$1,858
Delaware$880$835$1,080$1,022$2,159$2,111
Florida$972$878$1,697$1,536$2,650$2,517
Georgia$519$504$646$626$1,585$1,555
Hawaii$389$389$519$519$1,306$1,306
Iowa$269$263$329$318$1,317$1,321
Idaho$295$294$356$352$1,038$1,052
Illinois$429$423$479$471$1,371$1,384
Indiana$354$346$413$400$1,184$1,184
Kansas$408$380$433$405$1,531$1,526
Kentucky$613$579$799$766$1,874$1,864
Louisiana$632$623$1,210$1,147$2,583$2,487
Massachusetts$534$534$653$653$1,528$1,528
Maryland$587$580$625$618$1,468$1,504
Maine$334$338$338$342$1,079$1,122
Michigan$731$731$778$778$2,158$2,158
Minnesota$493$475$529$511$1,444$1,482
Missouri$483$484$555$553$1,913$1,984
Mississippi$409$406$561$551$1,490$1,498
Montana$343$343$482$482$1,751$1,751
North Carolina$385$385$424$424$1,324$1,324
North Dakota$349$329$363$344$1,276$1,295
Nebraska$329$321$364$355$1,935$1,976
New Hampshire$401$395$436$430$1,270$1,266
New Jersey$1,072$994$1,215$1,134$1,947$1,910
New Mexico$390$372$575$546$1,524$1,509
Nevada$671$655$1,020$976$1,987$1,969
New York$965$875$1,053$960$2,124$2,020
Ohio$292$287$356$345$1,001$996
Oklahoma$339$329$542$509$1,708$1,692
Oregon$587$535$635$580$1,281$1,217
Pennsylvania$315$315$410$410$1,256$1,256
Rhode Island$608$593$755$736$1,716$1,717
South Carolina$658$628$842$793$1,910$1,894
South Dakota$273$267$297$289$1,524$1,581
Tennessee$337$329$423$409$1,314$1,311
Texas$529$509$665$630$1,799$1,794
Utah$524$501$652$619$1,442$1,414
Virginia$446$444$459$457$1,220$1,227
Vermont$280$285$309$315$1,059$1,102
Washington$461$443$612$584$1,223$1,203
Wisconsin$325$324$366$365$1,297$1,325
West Virginia$435$430$492$486$1,545$1,528
Wyoming$284$288$324$328$1,575$1,659

Note:

  • State Minimum: State Minimum Liability Only 
  • Liability Only: 50/100/50 Liability Only
  • Full Coverage: 100/300/100 is liability with comp/collision and $500 deductible.

Check out our detailed guide on the average car insurance rates by age

How much is car insurance for a 40-year-old each month?

The table below shows how much car insurance costs for a 40-year-old per month, on average.

Monthly cost of car insurance for 40-year-olds 
Coverage levelNational average cost per month
Liability-only coverage$40
50/100/50 coverage$50
Full 100/300/100 coverage$132

How much is car insurance for a 40-year-old male?

At 40, a very minor but subtle change happens in the battle for the genders. Quite often, women begin to pay slightly more than men for insurance.

At age 40, men pay an average of $1,583 for a full coverage policy, while women pay $1,586. This is a big contrast compared to the teenage or early adult years when men pay substantially more than women.

Foster says what could very well be happening is that the risk premiums for men and women are now pretty much equal, but women may be driving more than men.

While not always the case, women are often responsible for shuttling kids to schools, between various sports and music classes, and doing most of the shopping for the household.

“You may have more young kids in the car, there’s a lot of distractions and more things happening in your life,” she says. “That gets reflected in the data the insurance carriers have.”

Compare that to a 20-year-old male driver who pays almost $470 more per year than a female for a full coverage policy.

Average annual insurance rates for 40-year-old males
Coverage levelAverage annual rate for a 40-year-old male
Liability-only coverage$472
50/100/50 coverage$591
Full 100/300/100 coverage$1,583

How much is car insurance for a 40-year-old female?

With a good driving record and credit score, 40-year-old female drivers will still get some of the best rates of their driving years. 

The average national cost of a full coverage insurance policy for a 40-year-old female with a $500 comprehensive/collision deductible is $1,586, a savings of about $79 from what they would pay if aged 30. 

Average annual insurance rates for 40-year-old females
Coverage levelAverage annual rate for a 40-year-old female
Liability-only coverage$487
50/100/50 coverage$613
Full 100/300/100 coverage$1,586

What’s the best car insurance for 40-year-old drivers?

Start with liability car insurance, which pays for others’ injuries and damage you cause to their property in an accident. Typically, the state minimum coverage isn’t enough – particularly as you accumulate assets, such as a house. Medical costs can quickly escalate if significant injuries follow an accident and property damages.

If you’re financing a vehicle, states usually require comprehensive and collision coverage. If you paid off your car, you decide to continue with these coverages, which cover your car following a crash and for damage due to fire, hail, vandalism and animal strikes.

As adults reach their 40s, they might become accustomed to purchasing new cars more frequently – and buying more expensive or roomy vehicles. In that case, they will likely want to include comprehensive insurance and collision coverage. If you have a higher deductible, you can lower your rate but will have to pay for minor repairs following an accident.

Kevin Lynch, an assistant professor of insurance at The American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, says adults in this age category will often have more than one vehicle. That drives up the overall amount you will pay for insurance, but at the same time, carriers can offer you multi-car discounts. 

Lynch says you may want to consider increasing your liability insurance around this time. It will cost a little more, but not a lot more, and offer better protection for your growing assets. 

“It’s very, very cost-effective coverage,” he says. “This is also the stage when you might want to consider increasing your deductible. I carry a $1,000 deductible because I can afford to cover minor repairs.”

Car insurance discounts for 40-year-olds

The three most significant factors anyone can have in terms of getting the lowest insurance rates is to stay accident-free, have a clean, infraction-free driving record and maintain a good credit score.

After that, it pays to look for various discounts and affiliations that could bring further savings.

Take advantage of discounts for establishing paperless billing and paying your premium upfront.

If you’re working in a trade, or for a sizable company, check to see if your trade association has a discount arranged with an insurance carrier or if your company has a partnership. Many professional associations, from doctors to lawyers, accountants, dentists and others, may also be eligible for discounts from certain carriers.

Also, take advantage of bundling. If you have your home insurance, car insurance and maybe even boat, trailer or recreational vehicle insurance with the same carrier, you likely will receive an attractive discount.

It’s not always the case, so it pays to shop around.

Guide: How to lower car insurance in 2023

Final thoughts on car insurance for 40-year-olds

You’re very fortunate if you’ve managed to get through to your 40s with no accidents and a spotless driving record. 

But odds are you are likely to have been in at least one, and if it’s been recently, you can expect your car rates to go up. However, you may be able to take steps to lessen the blow.

Lynch says he was recently involved in a car accident and saw his rates spike. His insurance agent suggested he install an in-car monitoring device to help lower them.

The device monitors his driving speeds, such as fast accelerations and hard braking, and sends the data back to the insurance carrier. As long as he exhibits safe driving tendencies, his rates should be reduced.

“I find it to be really non-intrusive,” Lynch says. “But I am conscious of the fact that that little device is recording what I’m doing. It makes me more mindful of the way I’m driving.”

When shopping for car insurance, compare rates from different insurers using an online calculator.

Resources & Methodology

Sources

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute. “Fatality Facts 2020, Males and Females.” Accessed May 2023.

Methodology

CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services in 2023 to field rates for auto insurance for 40-year-olds at various coverage levels and for males and females by gender.

Laura Longero

Ask the Insurance Expert

Laura Longero

Executive Editor

Laura Longero is an insurance expert and Executive Editor at CarInsurance.com, where she specializes in helping consumers navigate the complexities of the financial and insurance industries. She has 15 years of experience educating people about finance and car insurance. Prior to joining CarInsurance.com, she worked as a reporter and editor at the USA Today Network. Her expertise provides readers with practical guidance, helping them make informed choices about their financial and insurance needs.

John McCormick

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John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.

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Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.

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Contributing Researcher

Mel Duvall is an award-winning senior business writer and communications professional. He served as Senior Media Manager for Husky Energy, a fully integrated energy company with operations in Canada, the United States, China and Indonesia. Mel also served a three-year term on the Mount Royal University Journalism Committee.