How much is car insurance? Get average car insurance costs for 2020

Michelle Megna | Updated on: Apr 30, 2020

For a driver with good credit and a clean record, the average cost of car insurance is $1,758 annually, or $146 per month, for a full coverage policy. That’s according to CarInsurance.com’s rate analysis of coverage from up to six insurers for nearly every ZIP code in the nation. While what you pay will depend on your unique driver profile, it’s helpful to know the average cost of car insurance so you’re aware of how much you can expect to pay. Here we provide an overview for various driver profiles and show how rates break down by coverage level, state and company.

How Much Does Car Insurance Cost?

Listed below is the average cost of car insurance for three coverage levels, as follows:

State minimum liability requirements, this varies by state, and many states have super low limits, but a typical amount is $25,000 for medical bills for injuries in an accident you cause, up to $50,000 per accident, with $25,000 for property damage you cause (25/50/25)
Liability limits of $50,000 for injuries you cause in an accident, up to $100,000 per accident, with $50,000 to pay for property damage (50/100/50)
Full coverage with comprehensive and collision, which cover damage to your car, carrying a $500 deductible, $100,000 for injuries you cause in an accident, up to $300,000 per accident, with $100,000 for property damage (100/300/100)

	State Minimum	50/100/50	100/300/100
Average Rate	$574	$644	$1,758
Monthly Average Rate	$48	$54	$147

How Much is Car Insurance Per Month?

The average driver will pay less than $50 a month for minimum coverage, about $55 for standard liability coverage and nearly $150 a month for full coverage. Many factors affect how much you pay for car insurance, but chief among them is how much coverage you buy. As you can see in the chart above, a bare-bones policy that doesn’t’ cover damage to your car and is just enough to drive legally costs much less than a policy with higher liability limits and optional comprehensive and collision insurance.It costs just about $6 a month to boost coverage from state minimum liability limits to higher limits for more protection. To jump from state minimum coverage to full coverage costs about $100 more a month.

Average Car Insurance Costs from Different Companies

Here are average annual rates from the nation’s largest car insurance companies for state minimum, mid-level and full coverage policies. There are many variables that car insurance companies consider when deciding car insurance costs. Your location, age, driving record and other factors all come into play. Each insurance company assesses these factors using its own unique calculations for estimating the likelihood you’ll file a claim in the future, or in other words, how much risk you pose to their bottom line. That’s why rates differ so much for the same policy among various insurance companies, and why one of the best ways to save is to compare auto insurance rates.

Company	Liability Only - State Minimum BI/PD	Liability Only - 50/100/50 BI/PD	Full Coverage - 100/300/100 BI/PD $500 Comp/Coll
Progressive	$315	$333	$895
Geico	$318	$365	$1,200
North Carolina Farm Bureau	$332	$374	$1,141
USAA	$358	$473	$1,111
Mississippi Farm Bureau	$376	$420	$1,701
Owners Insurance	$404	$457	$1,435
Farmers	$405	$436	$1,343
Erie	$414	$490	$1,372
Texas Farm Bureau	$414	$458	$1,465
Kentucky Farm Bureau	$422	$469	$2,193
Safety Insurance	$435	$558	$1,217
State Farm	$484	$561	$1,505
AAA Texas	$493	$537	$1,784
Arbella	$493	$648	$1,622
United Financial	$499	$667	$1,795
Liberty Mutual	$534	$628	$2,082
Mid Century	$553	$604	$1,820
Allstate	$555	$648	$2,164
Nationwide	$573	$598	$1,619
Travelers	$599	$685	$1,322
New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance	$660	$785	$1,660
Illinois Farmers	$681	$740	$1,695
Amco	$687	$784	$1,798
Louisiana Farm Bureau	$698	$901	$2,329
Amica	$703	$935	$2,585
Colonial County Mutual	$735	$708	$1,663
New York Central Mutual and Fire	$757	$843	$2,123
Victoria	$803	$1,480	$3,610
Safeco	$840	$899	$1,944
Allied	$1,111	$1,265	$2,347
Safeway	$1,237	$1,310	$3,074
Foremost	$1,417	$1,749	$3,569

Do Average Monthly Car Insurance Rates Vary by State?

Where you live is one of the major factors used by car insurance companies to set car insurance costs. Typically, insurers will use your location as the springboard for deciding what you pay. They take into account the amount and cost of claims in your area, as well as the frequency of theft and vandalism. From there, they adjust your rate up or down depending on other factors such as your age, driving record, credit history, the type of car you drive and other demographics. Additionally, state laws differ in what is mandated as required coverage to drive. And, generally, drivers in densely populated cities and urban areas pay more than those who live in rural areas. This means that state car insurance rates vary significantly.

State	State Minimum Average Yearly Rate	Monthly Average	Liability Only - 50/100/50	Monthly Average	Full Coverage - 100/300/100 BI/PD -$ 500 Comp/Coll	Monthly Average
Alaska	$412	$34	$420	$35	$1,560	$130
Alabama	$498	$42	$545	$45	$1,713	$143
Arkansas	$449	$37	$479	$40	$1,763	$147
Arizona	$578	$48	$707	$59	$1,783	$149
California	$606	$51	$752	$63	$2,125	$177
Colorado	$553	$46	$604	$50	$1,948	$162
Connecticut	$891	$74	$972	$81	$2,036	$170
DC	$839	$70	$949	$79	$2,188	$182
Delaware	$843	$70	$943	$79	$1,921	$160
Florida	$828	$69	$1,100	$92	$2,162	$180
Georgia	$684	$57	$754	$63	$1,865	$155
Hawaii	$485	$40	$558	$47	$1,589	$132
Iowa	$326	$27	$354	$30	$1,352	$113
Idaho	$377	$31	$415	$35	$1,285	$107
Illinois	$493	$41	$545	$45	$1,538	$128
Indiana	$430	$36	$466	$39	$1,266	$106
Kansas	$464	$39	$496	$41	$1,689	$141
Kentucky	$669	$56	$756	$63	$2,368	$197
Louisiana	$771	$64	$955	$80	$2,601	$217
Massachusetts	$520	$43	$651	$54	$1,466	$122
Maryland	$853	$71	$901	$75	$1,816	$151
Maine	$355	$30	$359	$30	$1,080	$90
Michigan	$1,855	$155	$1,919	$160	$3,151	$263
Minnesota	$614	$51	$663	$55	$1,619	$135
Missouri	$546	$46	$601	$50	$1,798	$150
Mississippi	$413	$34	$477	$40	$1,684	$140
Montana	$447	$37	$487	$41	$1,963	$164
North Carolina	$438	$37	$481	$40	$1,425	$119
North Dakota	$423	$35	$453	$38	$1,577	$131
Nebraska	$393	$33	$426	$36	$1,500	$125
New Hampshire	$424	$35	$447	$37	$1,086	$91
New Jersey	$846	$71	$1,025	$85	$1,993	$166
New Mexico	$479	$40	$536	$45	$1,604	$134
Nevada	$717	$60	$945	$79	$2,402	$200
New York	$867	$72	$960	$80	$2,062	$172
Ohio	$406	$34	$427	$36	$1,191	$99
Oklahoma	$418	$35	$455	$38	$1,815	$151
Oregon	$674	$56	$724	$60	$1,496	$125
Pennsylvania	$502	$42	$584	$49	$1,700	$142
Rhode Island	$738	$62	$921	$77	$2,040	$170
South Carolina	$617	$51	$673	$56	$1,653	$138
South Dakota	$323	$27	$362	$30	$1,643	$137
Tennessee	$462	$39	$514	$43	$1,493	$124
Texas	$538	$45	$565	$47	$1,823	$152
Utah	$565	$47	$596	$50	$1,492	$124
Virginia	$380	$32	$424	$35	$1,196	$100
Vermont	$398	$33	$434	$36	$1,410	$118
Washington	$537	$45	$587	$49	$1,620	$135
Wisconsin	$401	$33	$450	$38	$1,335	$111
West Virginia	$541	$45	$608	$51	$1,654	$138
Wyoming	$328	$27	$354	$30	$1,782	$149

Car Insurance Average Cost by Age and Gender

What you pay for coverage also depends on your age, and in most states, your gender. Car insurance companies generally assume younger, inexperienced drivers will file more accident claims, so charge more to cover their costs. When it comes to gender, teen females typically pay much less for car insurance than teen males.

Female drivers from age 16 to 24 pay, on average, around $500 less (15%) a year for car insurance compared to their male counterparts, according to CarInsurance.com’s rate analysis. Our rate data show from age 25 to 65 rates for males and females are within 5%of each other, with rates for males a tad cheaper from age 45 to 75. After age 75, females start again to pay less, but only around 7%, or $100, annually.

Below are rates by again each state, by gender and age, for a full coverage policy. Note that in the following states do not allow insurers to use gender when setting rates:

Massachusetts
California
Hawaii
Pennsylvania
North Carolina
Montana

Age	Liability Only - State Minimum	Liability Only - 50/100/50	Full Coverage - 100/300/100 $500 Comp/Coll
16	$2,661	$3,036	$7,279
17	$2,208	$2,520	$6,119
18	$1,910	$2,172	$5,399
19	$1,346	$1,525	$3,873
20	$1,175	$1,329	$3,454
21	$916	$1,035	$2,737
22	$836	$942	$2,503
23	$772	$868	$2,321
24	$724	$813	$2,179
25	$657	$737	$1,957
30	$599	$670	$1,763
35	$594	$664	$1,739
40	$593	$663	$1,720
45	$569	$636	$1,638
50	$552	$617	$1,569
55	$536	$598	$1,519
60	$535	$598	$1,507
65	$555	$622	$1,547
70	$594	$665	$1,626
75	$674	$758	$1,808

How Much is the Average Car Insurance Cost for Top-Selling Vehicles?

Car insurance costs also vary by make and model, as insurance companies consider, along with other factors we’ve mentioned already, how safe the vehicle is, what its rate of accident claims are and how much it costs to repair. Here are average car insurance rates for the nation’s top-selling 2020 vehicles:

Make	Model	Average Rate
Ford	F-150 XL	$1,440
Chevrolet	Silverado 1500 LT	$1,572
Dodge	Ram 1500 Express	$1,524
Toyota	RAV4 Adventure	$1,501
Toyota	Camry L	$1,640
Chevrolet	Equinox LS	$1,479
Honda	CR-V LX	$1,333
Toyota	Corolla L	$1,712
Honda	Civic LX	$1,606
Nissan	Rogue Sport SV	$1,494
Ford	Explorer XLT	$1,492
Toyota	Tacoma SR	$1,449
GMC	Sierra 1500	$1,527
Jeep	Grand Cherokee Laredo	$1,503
Ford	Escape S	$1,397
Toyota	Highlander LE	$1,494
Nissan	Altima 2.5 S	$1,823
Honda	Accord LX	$1,586
Jeep	Wrangler JL Sport S	$1,334
Subaru	Forester 2.5I	$1,373
Ford	Fusion SE	$1,652
Ford	Transit Connect XL	$1,436
Chevrolet	Malibu L	$1,621
Mazda	CX-5 Sport	$1,374
Jeep	Cherokee Latitude	$1,436

Average Auto Insurance Rates for Drivers with Bad Credit

The average car insurance cost for drivers with bad credit is $1,050 a year, according to CarInsurance.com’s expert rate analysis. That’s 71% higher than what a driver with good credit pays.

Nearly all states allow car insurance companies to take into account your credit history when setting auto insurance rates. (California, Hawaii and Massachusetts do not allow this practice.) Using credit history to determine the cost of car insurance is a controversial topic. Insurers say that their research shows that drivers with bad credit file more claims, and therefore are a higher risk. Critics say that it’s discriminatory and that car insurance costs should be based solely on driver performance.

While the debate continues, some states have started drafting legislation that would ban the use of credit in underwriting policies. For now, though, it is still a common practice among carriers.

How Much is Car Insurance for Drivers with Accidents, Tickets and DUI?

Drivers with recent accidents and traffic violations generally pay more than drivers with clean records. If you have several infractions or accidents, you will certainly have higher rates, especially if you’ve been convicted of a more serious violation, like a DUI. Below are average yearly insurance costs and percentage increases for such common scenarios, based on a full coverage policy:

DUI: $2,652, or 79% more
One at-fault bodily injury accident: $1,889, or 32% more
One property damage accident over $2,000: $1,880, or 31% more
Speeding: $1,709, or 20% more

Bear in mind, though, that even if you don’t have a clean driving record, you can still save by comparison shopping. Some insurers will raise your rates by a lot, others by a little, depending on how they assess risk and set rates.

Average Car Insurance Rates for Adding a Teen

Listing a female teen, age 16, on your full coverage policy results in an average annual insurance cost of $3,212, a 125% hike. The cost for adding coverage for a male, age 16 is $3,722, or a 160% increase, on average.

If you are adding your teen driver to your coverage, the cost for insurance is definitely going to increase for you. Inexperienced drivers pay higher rates and teens fall into that category. In general, adding a teen to your coverage will be the cheapest route to take. Though your rates will go up, it’s cheaper than your child having his or her own policy.

Comparison Shop to Save

Regardless of what insurance cost you’ve read about here that matches your situation, you can save money by comparison shopping.

You can also use our car insurance estimator tool to see a customized rate for your particular driver profile. And, the average car insurance rates by ZIP code shows costs for three different coverage levels for various ages and locations, for three coverage levels.

Average Car Insurance Cost for 2020