Auto-Owners, Mapfre and State Farm are some of the best cheap car insurance companies, according to NerdWallet’s 2024 analysis.
Updated Apr 19, 2024 · 1 min read Written by Ryan Brady Lead Writer Ryan Brady
Lead Writer | Small business, Insurance
Ryan Brady is a lead writer at NerdWallet and authority on small-business lending and insurance. Ryan enjoys simplifying complex finance topics to help small-business owners make smarter financial decisions. His work has appeared in TechCrunch, MarketWatch, Yahoo, Nasdaq and more.
Before joining NerdWallet, Ryan was a senior writer and principal researcher at Gartner. He is based in Fort Myers, Florida.
Assistant Assigning Editor Ben Moore
Assistant Assigning Editor | Auto insurance
Ben Moore is an assistant assigning editor and spokesperson who joined NerdWallet as a writer in 2020. An auto insurance authority, his past work has been featured in The Associated Press, The Chicago Sun-Times, MarketWatch, Nasdaq and Yahoo News. Ben has been quoted in Martha Stewart and Real Simple magazine, and he has appeared on local broadcast television. He is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
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You don’t need to sacrifice quality while trying to save money on car insurance. Some of the best auto insurers also offer cheap rates.
Read on to see our picks for the seven best cheap car insurance companies. If you’re looking for other quality auto insurance options (that aren’t necessarily the cheapest), check out our roundup of the best car insurance .
Here are NerdWallet’s picks for the best and cheapest car insurance companies, according to our April 2024 analysis. We ordered companies by average car insurance rate per year for minimum coverage, from lowest to highest.
Out of our highest-rated companies, Auto-Owners has the lowest car insurance rates on average, while State Farm has the lowest average rates among the nation’s largest insurers.
Click on company names linked in the table below to read NerdWallet’s reviews, which dive into companies' customer satisfaction, ease of use, number of discounts available and more.
Average annual rate for minimum coverage
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates discounts, website transparency, financial strength, complaint data and more.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates discounts, website transparency, financial strength, complaint data and more.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates discounts, website transparency, financial strength, complaint data and more.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates discounts, website transparency, financial strength, complaint data and more.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates discounts, website transparency, financial strength, complaint data and more.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates discounts, website transparency, financial strength, complaint data and more.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula incorporates discounts, website transparency, financial strength, complaint data and more.
*USAA auto insurance is available only to military, veterans and their families.
NerdWallet’s editorial team analyzed minimum coverage car insurance rates from 139 insurers using data provided by pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. We narrowed our list down to seven best cheap car insurance companies by only including insurers that have a NerdWallet star rating of 4.5 or higher, plus a minimum coverage rate below the national average of $549 a year. See our criteria for evaluating auto insurance companies .
Our analysis looked at 35-year-old drivers across the 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. All drivers had a 2021 Toyota Camry LE. Note that not all companies offer auto insurance in every state.
The rates on this page are based on state-mandated minimum coverage limits, which tend to be very low. Going with minimum car insurance is legal but may leave you financially vulnerable if you’re in a serious accident. To find cheap companies with more coverage, check out NerdWallet’s list of cheap full coverage insurance . The extra peace of mind may be worth the price.
Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our writing, data analyses and company ratings. You can trust the prices we show you because our data analysts take rigorous measures to eliminate outliers and inaccuracies in pricing data, which are sampled from every locale in the country where coverage is offered and rates are available.
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Auto insurance ratings methodology NerdWallet’s auto insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints and discounts. Our “ease of use” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. Using our editorial discretion, we also consider customer satisfaction surveys. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines and full ratings methodology for auto insurance .
Average rates methodology NerdWallet averaged rates based on public filings obtained by pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. We examined rates for men and women for all ZIP codes in any of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Although it’s one of the largest insurers in the country, Liberty Mutual is not included in our rates analysis due to a lack of publicly available information.
In our analysis, “good drivers” had no moving violations on record; a “good driving” discount was included for this profile. Our “good” credit rates are based on credit score approximations and do not account for proprietary scoring criteria used by insurance providers.
These are median rates, and your rate will vary based on your personal details, state and insurance provider.
Sample drivers had the minimum required coverage by law in each state. Some policies include additional coverage at the insurer’s discretion.
We used a 2021 Toyota Camry LE in all cases and assumed 12,000 annual miles driven. We analyzed rates for 35-year-old drivers.
These are rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
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