Auto Home Renters Life Health For Agents Help Cheap Car Insurance 2019 Posted August 12th, 2019 by Amy Danise If you're on the hunt for cheap car insurance, the best strategies include comparing quotes, asking about discounts and -- as much as possible -- keeping a clean driving record and good credit. It's easy to compare car insurance and quotes are always free. Rates can vary dramatically among insurers, and the cheapest car insurance company for someone with a good driving record isn't always the cheapest for someone who has had accidents or claims. Best auto insurance rates by company Here's a look at how prices can vary among insurers. These rates are based on premiums reported by EverQuote users who have good driving records and typical coverage levels. Rank Insurance company Average annual premium 1 Shelter Insurance $1,453 2 Erie Insurance $1,488 3 The Hartford $1,549 4 American Family $1,551 5 PEMCO Insurance $1,554 6 Ameriprise $1,561 7 Metropolitan Insurance Co. $1,563 8 Grange $1,565 9 21st Century Insurance $1,638 10 American Alliance $1,646 11 Auto-Owners Insurance $1,671 12 Safeway Insurance $1,688 13 American National $1,709 14 Mercury Insurance $1,711 15 Arbella $1,718 16 COUNTRY Financial $1,720 17 Dairyland Insurance $1,726 18 Farmers Insurance $1,732 19 State Farm $1,738 20 AAA Insurance/ Auto Club $1,746 21 Allied $1,747 22 Nationwide Insurance $1,749 23 USAA $1,769 24 Safeco $1,776 25 MAPFRE Insurance $1,783 26 Allstate $1,784 27 Commerce Insurance $1,795 28 Amica $1,817 29 The General $1,852 30 Infinity Insurance $1,852 31 Windhaven $1,877 32 National General $1,879 33 Liberty Mutual $1,879 34 Citizens $1,882 35 Progressive $1,889 36 Esurance $1,900 37 Elephant Insurance $1,902 38 NJM Insurance $1,908 39 Plymouth Rock $2,006 Source: EverQuote. See full methodology below. Keys to cheap car insurance Keep a clean driving record Avoiding accidents, violations and claims will help you get the best auto insurance rates possible. That's because all of them can lead to rate increases. EverQuote looked at the difference premiums reported by users with clean driving records vs. those with an accident and found an average increase of 34%. Avg. premium for clean driving record $1,773 Avg. premium for driving record with one at-fault accident $2,379 Percent increase due to accident 34% Maintain good credit Did you know that having poor credit can affect your car insurance rates even more than an accident or ticket? Auto insurers say that poor credit correlates to a higher chance someone will make a claim. So they often use "credit-based insurance scores" as a major factor in pricing. The practice is banned in California, Hawaii and Massachusetts. While improving credit can take months or years, it pays off in multiple ways: Cheaper car insurance. Better rates on a mortgage. Lower rates for car loans. Better credit card rates and access to cards with more perks. Get car insurance discounts Ask your insurance agent to review the possible discounts a company has, both when you buy a policy and regularly after that. The discount for bundling home and auto insurance with the same insurer is generally one of the bigger discounts you can get. You can often also bundle auto insurance with renters, condo, mobile home or manufactured home insurance to get cheap car insurance. Other common discounts include: Insuring more than one vehicle with the same company. Being a good student or having a student away at school without a car. Going paperless by receiving policies and bills electronically. Having car-safety features such as airbags and anti-lock brakes. Having an anti-theft device such as a car-tracking device. Loyalty as a customer over the years. Taking a defensive driving class, sometimes offered specifically to drivers age 55 and older. Choose a vehicle that's cheap to insure Insurance companies look at the "claims history" of vehicles to help determine rates. If other drivers of your model of car tend to crash a lot or make insurance claims, rates for the vehicle can rise for everyone. Here's a list of the cheapest cars to insure. Drop collision and comprehensive coverage on older cars There's no need to pay for insurance that has little potential benefit. That could be the case if you're paying for comprehensive and collision insurance on an older vehicle. Collision and comprehensive coverage pay for damage to a vehicle for problems like hail, theft, animal collisions and crashes into objects like trees. The most it will pay is the value of the vehicle, minus your deductible. On an older vehicle, that insurance check may not amount to much. A search for cheap car insurance is good to do on a regular basis. Auto insurance companies change their rates frequently so spending some time getting quotes can be worth it. Methodology for average premiums: Premiums were reported by EverQuote users, based on policies with 100/300/50 in liability insurance and 100/300 in uninsured motorist coverage. Rates are based on single vehicles with one driver who has a good driving record with no violations. Premiums for sedans, coupes and hatchbacks were averaged. Premiums are based on expenditures reported between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2018. Your own rates will be different. Find cheap car insurance in your state Alabama Arizona California Colorado Connecticut Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Missouri Nevada New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee Texas Virginia Washington Go Fast, Free Auto Insurance Quotes Your ZIP Code Continue Compare The Best Car Insurance Companies Car Insurance Quotes Learn Liability Car Insurance Comprehensive and Collision Motorcycle Insurance Gap Insurance Non-owner Car Insurance Rideshare Insurance SR-22 Insurance Recent Posts 3 Kinds of Insurance You Don’t Know You’ll Need Life Insurance Coverage For You And Your Family 6 Things You May Not Know Are Increasing Your Insurance Costs What Is Flood Insurance? Is Your Car Insurance Hurricane Ready? Company Home About us Help Contact Careers Pro For Agents FAQ For Agents Insurance Sales Tips Insurance Agent Tips Legal Terms of use About our ads Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info More Investors Press Room EverQuote is a leading online insurance marketplace in the U.S. We're on a mission to help consumers better protect life's most important assets: their families, property and future. Copyright © 2021 EverQuote, Inc.