Cheap Full Coverage Car Insurance for 2024
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Full coverage is a term used to describe a car insurance policy that includes your state’s minimum requirements, plus comprehensive and collision insurance.
The best way to get cheap full coverage insurance is to shop around and compare quotes from at least three insurers.
Full coverage car insurance isn’t a specific type of policy, but a combination of coverage types that typically includes liability, comprehensive and collision insurance. If you have a loan or lease, your lender likely requires you to have it.
See what you could save on car insurance
Easily compare personalized rates to see how much switching car insurance could save you.Finding the cheapest full coverage car insurance
Because it combines several types of coverage, finding cheap full coverage insurance can be tough. For example, full coverage car insurance can cost more than triple the price of minimum required coverage. That’s why it pays to shop around.
Cheap full coverage auto insurance companies
Here are average prices for full coverage insurance from nine of the largest car insurance companies, nationwide, according to NerdWallet’s June 2024 analysis:
| Company | Median annual rate |
|---|---|
| American Family | $1,279 |
| Geico | $1,306 |
| Travelers | $1,405 |
| Progressive | $1,725 |
| Nationwide | $1,829 |
| State Farm | $2,006 |
| Allstate | $2,258 |
| Farmers | $2,578 |
| USAA* | $1,259 |
*USAA is only available to military, veterans and their families.
At a median annual rate of $1,279, or $107 a month, American Family offers the cheapest full coverage car insurance.
You can save a significant amount of money by picking the cheapest company available out of the nine listed above, which are among the biggest auto insurers in the nation.
Going with a smaller, regional insurer can often save you even more. While state availability can be limited, smaller companies can often be cheaper than a large insurer. For example, NJM is only available in five states but has an average rate of $1,490 a year for full coverage.
Continue reading to see more full coverage car insurance rates for:
Full coverage auto insurance can be pricey. If you’re looking for the cheapest car insurance, period, check out NerdWallet's analysis of cheap car insurance for state-mandated minimum coverage.
The cheapest best full coverage car insurance companies
Price is likely a major factor when deciding which insurance company to choose, but it shouldn’t be the only one. In fact, the best full coverage insurance providers may not be the cheapest. If you want cheap full coverage insurance without sacrificing customer service, compare the average rates for full coverage car insurance from NerdWallet’s best car insurance companies.
All of these companies earned a NerdWallet 5-star rating. Keep in mind that not all companies offer policies in every state.
American Family: $1,279 per year.
Amica: $2,281 per year.
Auto-Owners: $1,420 per year.
Geico: $1,306 per year.
NJM: $1,490 per year.
Shelter: $1,569 per year.
State Farm: $2,006 per year.
Travelers: $1,405 per year.
USAA: $1,259 per year. (USAA is available only to military, veterans and their families.)
Cheap full coverage insurance for different drivers
A lot of factors go into determining each person’s car insurance rates, including their state, driving history and credit history. NerdWallet put together the companies with the cheapest average full coverage rates for different driver profiles to give you a better picture of what you might expect to pay for full coverage car insurance.
Cheap full coverage car insurance companies by state
Your location can have a big effect on how much you pay for full coverage auto insurance. For example, our average car insurance cost analysis showed that drivers in Florida pay over three times as much for full coverage insurance as those in Wyoming.
Looking for the most affordable full coverage insurance in your state? Here are the cheapest insurers, on average, in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Cheap full coverage auto insurance for drivers with an accident or DUI
Among large insurers, Travelers has the cheapest full coverage insurance rates, on average, for non-military drivers who caused an accident. American Family has the cheapest rates for drivers with a DUI.
Here are average full coverage rates from the largest insurers in the nation for drivers with one at-fault accident or a DUI.
Full coverage car insurance for drivers after an accident
| Company | Median annual rate after an accident | Median monthly rate after an accident |
|---|---|---|
| Travelers | $1,890 | $158 |
| American Family | $2,143 | $179 |
| Geico | $2,208 | $184 |
| Progressive | $2,511 | $209 |
| State Farm | $2,572 | $214 |
| Nationwide | $2,937 | $245 |
| Allstate | $3,491 | $291 |
| Farmers | $4,106 | $342 |
| USAA* | $1,848 | $154 |
*USAA is only available to military, veterans and their families.
Full coverage car insurance for drivers with a recent DUI
| Company | Median annual rate after a DUI | Median annual rate after a DUI |
|---|---|---|
| American Family | $2,087 | $174 |
| Progressive | $2,163 | $180 |
| Travelers | $2,367 | $197 |
| State Farm | $3,017 | $251 |
| Geico | $3,044 | $254 |
| Allstate | $3,438 | $287 |
| Nationwide | $3,757 | $313 |
| Farmers | $4,748 | $396 |
| USAA* | $2,333 | $194 |
*USAA is only available to military, veterans and their families.
See what you could save on car insurance
Easily compare personalized rates to see how much switching car insurance could save you.It pays to shop around and compare full coverage auto insurance quotes from multiple companies, including smaller insurers. Sometimes a lesser-known company may be able to save you even more. As an example, Erie’s average full coverage rate for drivers with one at-fault accident is $1,588, while Root’s average rate for drivers with a DUI is $1,424.
» MORE: The best cheap car insurance
Cheap full coverage car insurance for drivers with poor credit
You may not realize that your credit history can affect car insurance costs, sometimes drastically. Insurers use credit-based insurance scores to determine how likely you are to file a claim. A credit-based insurance score takes into account a driver’s credit history when pricing rates.
California, Hawaii and Massachusetts don't allow insurers to use credit when determining car insurance rates.
Finding cheap full coverage car insurance is still possible even with less-than-stellar credit. You’ll just want to compare car insurance rates to find the most affordable policy.
Here are average full coverage rates from the largest auto insurance companies for drivers with poor credit.
| Company | Median annual rate | Median monthly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Geico | $1,874 | $156 |
| American Family | $2,099 | $175 |
| Travelers | $2,287 | $191 |
| Nationwide | $2,590 | $216 |
| Progressive | $2,932 | $244 |
| Allstate | $3,305 | $275 |
| Farmers | $5,025 | $419 |
| State Farm | $7,132 | $594 |
| USAA* | $2,195 | $183 |
*USAA is only available to military, veterans and their families.
If you have poor credit, be sure to shop around and compare quotes from multiple insurers, including lesser-known companies. Sometimes a smaller company will offer a cheaper rate than a larger insurer. For example, drivers with poor credit may be able to get full coverage from The Hartford for as low as $1,550 per year, on average.
How full coverage car insurance works
“Full coverage” is a term used to describe an auto insurance policy that covers damage from a variety of situations. It’s typically a combination of three different coverage types: liability, comprehensive and collision insurance.
Comprehensive and collision insurance each come with a deductible, which is the amount of money you’re responsible for in the event of a claim.
While most states require a minimum amount of car insurance to drive legally, those minimums probably won’t cover any damage to your car. If someone else hits your car, the other driver’s insurance will likely pay for the damage. But in any other situation — including if you cause an accident — you’ll probably need full coverage insurance to pay for damage to your vehicle.
For example, let’s say a tree falls on your car during a storm. You would need an auto policy with comprehensive insurance to cover the repair costs. If your deductible is $1,000 but the fallen tree caused $5,000 worth of damage to your car, you’ll pay the $1,000 deductible and your insurance will cover the rest.
Without full coverage car insurance, you’d be responsible for the full $5,000.
To learn more about the different types of auto insurance and what they cover, use our tool below.
How to find cheap full coverage auto insurance
If you’re looking to save money by getting the cheapest possible car insurance, here are six things you can try:
Compare quotes from multiple insurers. Use NerdWallet’s car insurance comparison tool to easily shop for cheap auto insurance online. You may find that you already have the most affordable insurance, but prices can change, so check roughly once a year.
Ask for discounts. You could save money from car insurance discounts you’re not taking advantage of. For example, maybe you work from home and don’t drive much. Mention that and you might get a low-mileage discount. Other common discounts are given for bundling car insurance with another insurance policy, insuring multiple cars or being a student.
Cash in on major life changes. Certain life events could translate to cheaper car insurance, so shop for quotes whenever something major changes in your life. For instance, many companies offer a lower rate for married couples or domestic partners. Or perhaps you moved from the city to a suburb with lower accident and crime rates. Even if you moved to a more expensive area for car insurance, shopping around can help you get cheaper coverage.
Raise your deductible. The higher your deductible, the more you pay out of pocket before insurance pays for a covered claim. The upside is that, by raising your deductible, you’ll lower your premium. Just make sure you have enough money set aside to cover the higher deductible if you ever file a claim.
Shop for quotes after your driving record improves. Shop for cheap car insurance quotes online three to five years after any accidents, tickets or moving violations. They may have dropped off your driving record.
Reconsider the car you drive. The type of car you drive affects how much you pay for auto insurance. For example, new and expensive cars tend to cost more to insure than older or less expensive cars, among other factors. Check out NerdWallet’s analysis of the cheapest cars to insure to see if your vehicle made the list.
Comparing full coverage car insurance quotes
When you shop for car insurance from different companies, it’s important to compare car insurance quotes for the same coverage. Otherwise, you might think you got a good price from one insurer, only to discover that you don’t have enough coverage when you need to actually file a claim.
When comparing full coverage auto insurance quotes, be sure to:
Use the same deductibles and liability limits across quotes for an apples-to-apples comparison.
Choose a deductible amount you could afford when selecting collision and comprehensive coverage. That way, you won’t be scrambling for cash to cover your deductible if you need to file a claim.
Compare add-on coverage details. Options like gap insurance, accident forgiveness and pet injury coverage vary from one insurer to the next. Be sure to check each company’s website for details and restrictions about add-ons that matter to you.
Provide the same information every time. If you’re using multiple tools to get full coverage insurance quotes, make sure the drivers, cars, address and driving history all match.
Get quotes from three or more insurers. The more insurers you gather quotes from, the greater your odds of finding the cheapest full coverage car insurance for you.
» MORE: Get free car insurance quotes
Why you can trust NerdWallet
Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines to ensure fairness and accuracy in our writing and data analyses. You can trust the prices we show you because our data analysts take rigorous measures to eliminate outliers and inaccuracies in pricing data, which include rates from every ZIP code in the country where coverage is offered and data is available. When comparing rates for different coverage amounts, ages and backgrounds, we change only one variable at a time, so you can easily see how each factor affects pricing. Read our methodology.
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 following coverage limits:
$100,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person.
$300,000 bodily injury liability coverage per crash.
$50,000 property damage liability coverage per crash.
$100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per person.
$300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per crash.
Collision coverage with $1,000 deductible.
Comprehensive coverage with $1,000 deductible.
In states where required, minimum additional coverages were added. We used the same assumptions for all other driver profiles, with the following exceptions:
For drivers with minimum coverage, we adjusted the numbers above to reflect only the minimum coverage required by law in the state.
For drivers with one at-fault crash, we added a single at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage.
For drivers with a DUI, we added a single drunken-driving violation.
For drivers with a ticket, we added a single speeding violation for driving 16 mph over the speed limit.
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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