Cheapest Car Insurance Costs in Tampa, FL

Here you’ll learn everything you need to know to buy the best car insurance policy in Tampa for your particular situation. You’ll see which carriers are rated as the best car insurance companies for customer satisfaction and what the average car insurance rates are for your neighborhood.

You’ll also discover how much you can save from knowing how to make smart choices about coverage. And, find out how rates for Tampa drivers are affected by tickets, accidents and adding teen drivers.

Contents

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• How Much Does Car Insurance Cost in Tampa, FL?
• Who Has Cheapest Car Insurance in Tampa, Florida?
• Who Has The Best Car Insurance in Tampa, FL?
• How Much Car Insurance do I Need in Tampa, FL?
• Compare Car Insurance Quotes in Tampa, FL & Save Money
• Tampa, FL Car Insurance FAQ’s
• Tampa commuters
• Guide to car insurance (with rates) in cities of Florida

How Much Does Car Insurance Cost in Tampa, FL?

Average Auto Insurance Rates in Tampa, FL

The following data shows, what you can expect to pay for car insurance in Tampa, on average.

• State Minimum Policy: $1,283 per year
• Liability Coverage (50/100/50): $2,285 per year
• Full Coverage (100/300/100): $3,408 per year

Who Has Cheapest Car Insurance in Tampa, Florida?

The driver profile is for age 40, with good credit and a clean driving record. You can see how major insurers rank for price in the chart below.

Who Has The Best Car Insurance in Tampa, FL?

Deciding who has the best car insurance to suit your needs depends on what is most important to you. For some it may be price, while others may value customer service the most. Still others may be looking for the convenience of mobile apps, or a company that offers the most car insurance discounts.

Below we list car insurance companies in Tampa, and who they are the best at serving, based on CarInsurance.com’s customer satisfaction survey of current policy holders and rate data analysis.

How Much Car Insurance do I Need in Tampa, FL?

Below we’ll explain what coverage you need to drive legally, which is your state required minimum liability limits, and what types of car insurance you may need to be truly protected.

Minimum Car Insurance Requirements in Tampa, FL

Florida car insurance laws require only that you insure yourself against bodily injury and property damage liability, so it’s your choice whether to add coverage for yourself, your passengers, and your vehicle.

If you have a newer model car, it makes sense to get comprehensive insurance and collision coverage. In Florida, comprehensive costs $192 and collision costs $592, on an average per year, according to a rate data analysis done by CarInsurance.com.

These optional coverages come with a deductible. That’s the amount you pay before your insurance company pays. Typical deductibles amounts are $1,000, $500 and $250 – you choose which one you want. The higher the deductible is, the lower your rate will be.

The best car insurance coverage usually isn’t the cheapest. You may be used if you’re in an accident and your insurance doesn’t cover all of the damages. That means your home or savings could be in jeopardy.

To protect your assets, you should buy liability insurance in the following amounts:

• $1,00,000 to pay for others’ medical bills
• $3,00,000 to pay for injuries to others in an accident you cause
• $1,00,000 to pay for damage to others’ property

You should also consider buying these optional coverages:

• Comprehensive, which replaces stolen cars and covers damage to your car from floods, fire, hail, vandalism.
• Collision, which pays for damage to your car from accidents.

Compare Car Insurance Quotes in Tampa, FL & Save Money

You can save an average of $4,605 annually on a full coverage policy in Tampa by comparing car insurance quotes, according to CarInsurance.com’s rate analysis. While savings will depend on your particular circumstances, this shows that there is a significant benefit to shopping your policy.

Tampa, FL Car Insurance FAQ’s

How much does insurance go up after a speeding ticket in Tampa, FL?

A speeding ticket in Tampa will hike your car insurance rates by an average of 32% , or about $1,411 yearly. CarInsurance.com’s rate analysis shows how much more drivers in Tampa can expect to pay, on average, for speeding and other common violations.

Minor traffic violations, such as speeding, typically stay on your record for about three years, and you can expect to see the rate increase upon your policy renewal date. More severe infractions, such as DUI, typically stay on your record much longer.

Tampa commuters

According to the U.S. Census, the average drive time between 2013-2017 for Tampa workers 16 and older to their job was 24 minutes, which is a bit shorter than the national average of 25.5. The mean time calculated by the Census includes time spent waiting for public transportation, picking up passengers in carpools, and time spent on other activities related to getting to work.

A study issued by Data USA showed Tampa commuters in 2017 logged in an average time of 22.8 minutes. That was also lower than the national average.

Additional data compiled by Data USA in that same year found that 1.66% of the workforce in Tampa are “super commuters,” meaning they drive an excess of 90 minutes to their job.

Of the commuters:

• Drive alone: 77.2%
• Carpool: 8.94%
• Worked at home: 7.48%

Vehicle ownership

Compared nationally, Tampa households (about 147,250) are within the average range for car ownership. The largest share of households in the city has two cars, followed by one car, according to recent statistics from Data USA. Less than 5% of households have five cars or more.

Tampa traffic signs

There are approximately 85,000 traffic signs within the city of Tampa. According to a report, the city said it strives to inspect and possibly replace roughly 8,500 of these per year (which is 700 per month).

“They are inspected on a routine basis and replaced if found to be damaged, vandalized or foliage covered,” according to the report. “This is done to ensure that traffic signs have good reflective qualities for nighttime driving.”

Motor vehicle crashes

Tampa is part of Hillsborough County, which saw 29,037 crashes in 2018, according to a report issued by the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). The Sheriff’s Department investigated 34.79% of these crashes, while the police department investigated 38.26% and the Florida Highway Patrol 26.91%.

Hillsborough County crashes between Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2018:

• Fatalities from all crashes: 182
• Injuries from all crashes: 20,112
• Fatal crashes: 175
• Injury crashes: 13,185
• Bicycle crashes: 519
• Bicycle fatalities: 10
• Motorcycle crashes: 656
• Motorcycle fatalities: 30
• Pedestrian crashes: 624
• Pedestrian fatalities: 54
• Hit and run crashes: 6,401
• Hit and run fatalities: 15
• Hit and run injuries: 1,615

DUIs

The number of DUI arrests in Tampa has fluctuated, sometimes greatly, over the past decade. According to crime statistics provided by the Police Department for the city of Tampa, the greatest number of arrests for DUI took place in 2007, when there were 2,773 DUI citations, with the lowest in 2012, when there were 1,912.

DUI arrest citations issued by the Tampa Police Department:

• 2018 – 1,332
• 2017 – 1,613
• 2016 – 2,087
• 2015 – 1,568
• 2014 – 2,104
• 2013 – 1,947
• 2012 – 1,912
• 2011 – 2,045
• 2010 – 2,222
• 2009 – 2,415
• 2008 – 2,217
• 2007 – 2,773
• 2006 – 2,444
• 2005 – 2,786
• 2004 – 2,639
• 2003 – 2,045
• 2002 – 2,156

There were 466 alcohol-confirmed crashes in Hillsborough County (of which Tampa is part) in 2017, showing a 14.65% decrease from the previous year, according to a report from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Of those, 15 were fatal and 295 caused injuries.

Also in 2017, there were 59 drug-related crashes, with 31 deaths and 41 injuries. Crashes involving both drugs and alcohol totaled 19, with seven of them fatal and 26 causing injury. There was a more than 50% jump between 2016 and 2017 in drug-and-alcohol combination accidents with injuries.

Tampa congestion

Compared to other Florida cities, Tampa is no Miami when it comes to congested traffic. Miami was the 12th slot in 2018 on the “most congested urban areas in the U.S.” list, and came in at number 73 in the world.

It’s not quite as bad for Tampa, which came in at number 17 on that same annual report compiled by INRIX on the “most congested urban areas in the U.S.” list. Tampa came in at 107th in the “world’s most congested cities for the 2018” traffic scorecard. The country’s list is topped by Boston, Washington, DC, Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles.

In 2018, Tampa drivers lost up to $1,216 each per year due to congestion, as compared to topper Boston, which lost up to $2,291. According to the study, Tampa drivers spend 87 hours stuck in congestion per year with an average 13 mph during the last inner-city mile of travel.

GPS giant TomTom releases an annual traffic index, ranking the most congested cities by country and the world. With a 23% congestion level, Tampa landed at number 25 in North America in a 2018 list that was topped by Mexico City, Los Angeles, Vancouver and New York, and showed no change from 2017. Tampa ranked as the number 207 most traffic-congested by world’s standards on the TomTom list.

Pedestrian fatalities

The Tampa Bay area continues to top the charts in pedestrian deaths, as does the state it’s in; Florida, according to a report from Smart Growth America. The report found that eight of the top 10 worst metro areas for walkers are in Florida.

This report from Smart Growth called “Dangerous By Design” ranks states and metropolitan areas around the country using what it calls a “Pedestrian Danger Index” or PDI. This index measures how deadly it is for people to walk based on the number of people struck and killed by drivers while walking. The 2019 edition of Dangerous by Design includes traffic deaths that occurred between 2008 and 2017 from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a national database of all fatal traffic crashes.

In 2019, the Tampa Bay area ranked ninth in the PDI, with 900 pedestrian deaths in the area from 2007 to 2017. That translates into 3.07 deaths per 100,000 people during that time span, giving it a 204.7 on the “danger index.” Three other Florida metro areas top this list.

Bicycle deaths in Tampa

During National Bike Safety month, which is May, AAA released its findings that Florida has the most bicycle deaths in the United States. The latest figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that 783 pedal cyclists were killed in the U.S. in 2017 and 125 (16%) of those deaths were in Florida.

And within Florida, the Tampa Bay area is considered the deadliest for those on bikes, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. In the 2018 report, the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami mark the first four spots on the deadliest metro areas list. The Tampa-St. Petersburg metro area has a rate of seven deaths per 100,000 people.

Tampa’s most dangerous roads

Based on various reporting systems and data, the Law Offices of Michael R. Herron recently put together a list and descriptions of the most dangerous roadways in and around Tampa Bay and Clearwater.

• Interstate 4 – This highway is the thoroughfare between Daytona Beach and Tampa. According to data analysis by EverQuote, Interstate 4 is the deadliest interstate in America.
• Brandon Boulevard – From Falkenburg Road to approximately the intersection of Dover Road, you’ll find the most crash-worthy section of roadway in Tampa. According to “Vision Zero” a campaign for safer driving, this seven-mile stretch has an average of 25 crashes per mile.
• Gibsonton Drive – From Boyette Road and Interstate 75 to Balm Riverview Road, this roadway tends to be the most dangerous for those on motorcycles or who make left turns. Visual obstructions, high speeds and aggressive driving have been linked to this area in particular.
• Hillsborough Avenue – This stretch of road that runs to Longboat Boulevard and Florida Avenue has been linked to 19.8 crashes per mile.
• Fletcher Avenue – From Armenia Avenue to 50th Street, this area is known for more pedestrian-related accidents due to new crosswalks that aren’t ideal.
• Dale Mabry Highway – In the section between Hillsborough Avenue to Bearss Avenue, you’ll find pedestrian issues, lack of bike lanes and a lot of turning crash incidents.

Most dangerous intersections in Tampa

In fall 2018, an activist group formed to improve traffic congestion in Hillsborough County, called All for Transportation, released its 10 most dangerous intersections list.

The list, researched and confirmed in a report by 10News, found that the most dangerous intersection is Sheldon Road and West Waters Avenue, where 107 crashes had occurred at the intersection between May 1, 2017, and Aug. 31, 2018.

The top 10 most dangerous intersections in Hillsborough County, according to All for Transportation and 10News:

• Sheldon Road and Waters Avenue West, Tampa
• Anderson Road and Waters Avenue West, Tampa
• Waters Avenue West and Hanley Road, Town ‘N’ Country
• Hillsborough Avenue and Sheldon Road, Town ‘N’ Country
• US 301 and Gibsonton Drive, Riverview
• Waters Ave West and Himes Avenue N, Tampa
• US 301 and Big Bend Road, Riverview
• Bruce B Downs Blvd and Fletcher Avenue East, Tampa
• Bloomingdale Avenue and Bell Shoals Road, Brandon
• Bloomingdale Avenue and Providence Road, Riverview

Vision Zero initiative

Joining hundreds of major cities across the country, Hillsborough County in 2016 and 2017 became a Vision Zero area with the mission of eventually ending all traffic injuries and fatalities.

A group of national organizations in 2014 originally adapted Vision Zero, which was developed in Sweden, to establish a national strategy on highway safety referred to as Toward Zero Deaths (TZD). It focuses on data-driven topics such as safer drivers, safer passengers, safer users, enhanced medical services, safer infrastructure and safer vehicles.

“At the core of the worldwide Vision Zero movement is the belief that death and injury on city streets is preventable – in other words, that traffic crashes aren’t accidents but are the result of poor behavior combined with unforgiving roadway designs.”

A Vision Zero policy establishes a goal of reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries to zero, typically by a target date, which has not been announced for the Hillsborough County plan as of yet. The Hillsborough County Vision Zero goal resolution was adopted by the Tampa City Council, Hillsborough County Commission, Temple Terrace City Council, Plant City Commission and by the School Board of Hillsborough County.

Tampa distracted driver law

The Florida texting and driving law changed as of July 1, 2019, when texting while driving became a primary offense, which means you can be pulled over by law enforcement and fined for texting and driving in Miami or anywhere else in the state.

Fines and penalties of the new Florida texting law:

• Texting – first offense drivers fined $30 and no points will be assessed to their driving record
• Texting – Second texting and driving offense within five years will be considered a moving violation and carry a $60 fine and 3 points on your driving record
• Texting in a school zone – two points added to the primary offense
• Texting that results in a crash – six points added to the primary offense

Patching potholes in Tampa

There are approximately 7,000 potholes patched each year on the streets of Tampa, according to a city report. “The city’s performance standard is to repair potholes no longer than three business days after notification,” according to the report. “This work is done to enhance driving safety and reduce personal property damage.”

According to a chart detailing pothole repairs from Nov. 2018 to Nov. 2019, there were no fewer than 300 potholes repaired in any given month. March of 2019 saw the most pothole repairs, when it climbed to more than 1,000 in that month.

Licensed to drive

As of Jan. 1, 2019, there were 1,086,946 people licensed to drive in Hillsborough County. Of those, 549,294 are female and 537,652 are male.

Michelle Megna

Contributing Researcher

Michelle is a writer, editor and expert on car insurance and personal finance. She's a former CarInsurance.com editorial director. Prior to joining CarInsurance.com, she reported and edited articles on technology, lifestyle, education and government for magazines, websites and major newspapers, including the New York Daily News.